Field Trip to Capitol
Dr. Ann C. Gaudino, associate professor in Educational Leadership/Teacher Education, recently took her EDSU 703 class on a field trip to the capitol in Harrisburg for Educational Leadership Advocacy Day sponsored by the PA Principals’ Association. The students are current school teachers and other education professionals who are in the MU masters and certification programs in Educational Leadership and Supervision program. Many aspire to be school supervisors and principals. Gaudino says they discussed equitable school funding, teacher and principal evaluation, school safety and serving children in poverty and trauma with Rep. Mike Sturla and Sen. Ryan Aument and attended a rally for education in the rotunda. They also met with Gov. Wolf.
Autism on the Seas
From May 26-31, Millersville’s Dr. Janet Josephson volunteered as a staff member with Autism on the Seas. As a non-profit organization that is designed to support families who are cruising with their children who have developmental disabilities, Josephson travelled from Bayonne, New Jersey to Bermuda on an evening cruise. By providing private excursions and daily respite sessions for attendees with disabilities, Josephson’s volunteer work aided families by allowing them to have both planned solo time and planned family time.
MU Professor Updates Standards for Literacy Professionals
Millersville University professor, Dr. Jennifer Shettel, served on the Standards Revision Committee to update the International Literacy Association’s Standards (ILA) for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals 2017, which provided significant updates to the national standards used to guide the preparation of literacy professionals.
Shettel, who teaches in the Department of Early, Middle and Exceptional Education, collaborated with a team of 28 literacy experts from across the United States over the course of three years. These individuals met each year at the annual International Literacy Association conference and each writing team held virtual meetings frequently.
The standards describe the characteristics of effective literacy professional preparation programs, which involve research-based practices in instruction, leadership, curriculum and assessment. This update creates a broader definition that covers forms of literacy other than reading such as speaking, listening, viewing, writing and visually in both print and digital formats.
“My role in this project was to serve on a team working on Standard 5: Learners and the Literacy Environment,” says Shettel.
This standard states that candidates meet the developmental needs of all learners and collaborate with school personnel to use a variety of print and digital materials to engage and motivate all learners; integrate digital technologies in appropriate, safe, and effective ways and foster a positive climate that supports a literacy-rich learning environment.
The standards revise the original guidelines for teacher educators, principals and literacy partners and includes literacy standards for pre-k, elementary, middle, and high school levels to ensure that all areas of literacy are covered.
The standards for literacy professionals are used by universities across the country for accreditation purposes in order to improve and expand their literacy programs.
Learn more at the International Literacy Association.
One reply on “Faculty/Staff Activities for June”
Well done Jen, nice work.