Graduate Education Newsletter

Fall 2024

Welcome to the newsletter of the Graduate Education program at the University of Richmond School of Professional & Continuing Studies (SPCS). We publish twice annually, once each in the Fall and Spring semesters.

Pictured are Dean Jamelle Wilson, Partners in the Arts (PIA) Director Rob McAdams, PIA founding co-chair Holly Rice and the children of PIA founding co-chair Joan Oates (Katie, Tony, and Chris) at the PIA 30th Anniversary celebration.

Greetings from the Chair

Tom Shields headshot As we head into the holiday season, it is my pleasure to provide you with updates on what has been happening in Graduate Education over the past several months.

I start by acknowledging the change and upheaval in politics over the past year. I have been reading Prophet Song, a book that fits with the times. This book, which won the 2023 Booker Prize, details how a family copes with the uncertainties and incertitude of changing policies and politics in their country. The central character, Elish, must hold her family together while she navigates trying to find her husband, a leader in the teacher’s union, who has been taken away by the government. The novel provides a compelling portrait of the need for community engagement in a time of change.

This edition of the newsletter provides a glimpse into how the University of Richmond’s Graduate Education faculty and staff are supporting and engaging private and public school systems in the Richmond metro-region. Below is a summary but I encourage you to read the newsletter:

We continue to work with local school systems on the issue of provisional licensed teachers. Our efforts, supported by the REB Foundation, has allowed the Provisional License Support (PLuS) program to produce great results in coaching provisional licensed teachers and offering them a pathway to licensure.
This past year, Partners in the Arts celebrated its 30th year of providing world-class arts integrated learning to local school systems.
We are still glowing after the announcement that Travis Dodds, a graduate of our Teacher Licensure Program and MEd in Curriculum & Instruction, was awarded the Milken Educator Award. In addition, Lat Peak, a Master of Teaching student, is part of Collegiate School’s Fellow’s Program, a prestigious one-year residency program.
The Center for Leadership in Education has expanded the school districts involved in the Next Generation Leadership Academy (NGLA), a leadership development program for aspiring local school leaders that has been in existence for nearly 20 years.
I was part of a large team of experts, advocates and academics who worked on a project using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps to detail the pervasive relationship between housing and school segregation. We were assisted by Dr. Kyle Redican, Director of the Spatial Analysis Lab, and Michelle Quach, a University of Richmond senior, in the creation of these maps. We held an event on campus in October where we released the report, Can We Learn and Live Together 2.0: Housing & School Segregation in the Richmond Region.

As detailed in Prophet Song, we need individuals who are willing to engage in public leadership — just like what our local teachers and school leaders do every day. If you know anyone who wants to be an educator or a school leader, please have them reach out to me. We are always looking to welcome new Spider educators!

Have a great end to the semester and happy holidays!

Best—
Tom
Tom Shields signature
Tom J. Shields, Ph.D.
Graduate Education Chair

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Updates from Our Centers

Partners in the Arts update

Brief update on what Partners in the Arts is doing and planning for the Richmond region’s educators, artists, teachers, schools and school divisions.

Center for Leadership in Education update

Updates on programs offered through the Center for Leadership in Education (CLE) including the Next Generation Leadership Academy and the Teacher LEAD program.

Announcements & Reminders

Spring 2025 Registration

Spring registration opened on November 13 and the class schedule is available online. Review the spring academic calendar for details.

Advisors are scheduling advising appointments. Licensure students should be prepared to discuss progress being made towards passing the required licensure exams and (as needed) course gap completion.

Graduating

If you plan on graduating in December 2024 or May 2025, you should have already submitted your degree application. If you happened to miss the deadline and require assistance, please contact your Graduate Education representative.

News & Achievements

December 6, 2024

Live and Learn 2.0 Report Release

This year, associate professor and graduate education chair Tom Shields gathered a group of academics, non-profit leaders, and housing advocates to write an updated research report focusing on the current state of education and housing segregation in the Richmond metropolitan region.

December 9, 2024

SPCS Student Update

MT student hired into Collegiate's Fellows' Program

Lat Peak, a Master of Teaching (MT) student, has been hired into Collegiate School’s Fellow’s Program, a teaching apprenticeship program designed for early-career teachers in the school.

December 6, 2024

SPCS Alumni Update

John Wilbert, GC'24, published in Virginia ASCD Journal

John Wilbert, GC’24, has published an article titled “Chronic Absenteeism: Data for Positive Change” in the 2024 VASCD Journal. Wilbert earned an M.Ed. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies through SPCS.

Education Briefs

Author Greg Pizzoli Visits Campus

The Education Studio recently hosted Greg Pizzoli, the three-time Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning creator of the Baloney and Friends graphic novel series, as well as the author and illustrator of the picture books The Watermelon Seed, Good Night Owl, and The Book Hog. He also writes nonfiction for kids, including the New York Times Best-Illustrated Tricky Vic and PIZZA! A Slice of History.

Guatamalan Educator Visits UR

Professor Audelino Sac Cuyo, a Maya anthropologist based in Guatemala specializing in indigenous education and health, visited the University of Richmond in September. During an interactive event co-sponsored by the Graduate Education program and the Highland Support Project, Cuyo discussed Mayan views of knowledge, science and health, providing insight into the diverse ways we can think about the world. Participants included SPCS faculty, staff and administrators, LALIS faculty and students, as well as staff from the CCE and the Sustainability office.

Kate Cassada, Forbes Contributor

Dr. Kate Cassada, SPCS associate dean and professor of education, chair of educational leadership and policy studies and director of the Center for Leadership in Education, has continued to serve as a regular Forbes contributor in the education section of the popular media outlet. Cassada has contributed essays on topics including FAFSA delays, community engagement, integrated learning, standardized testing and generative AI.

Participation at New Teacher Events

Graduate Education staff and faculty participated in several new teacher events in local public school systems in August. Kris Waikart and others provided new teachers the opportunity to make bracelets, pick up Spider swag and receive free books.

Education Ambassadors

Education program graduates joined faculty at Hardywood Brewery in Richmond for the annual Ambassadors Event. Ambassadors are alums of SPCS graduate education programs who encourage colleagues at their schools to explore SPCS programs and to explore additional career options in education. Ambassadors display materials at their offices, classrooms and schools. We often provide Ambassadors with spirit wear to show their UR pride.

New & Ongoing Initiatives

Teacher Licensure Completion (TLC)

The Teacher Licensure Completion (TLC) program was created to address the needs of provisionally licensed teachers who are seeking classes to complete Virginia Teacher licensure. Student testimonials provide a snapshot of the program’s success:

“I am extremely grateful for the TLC program at the University of Richmond. This program is affordable for me as I complete my coursework for teacher licensure as I had to leave another program because of finances. I also like that the program helps cover the cost of required test to complete licensure as well. A special thank you to Ms. Kertis for being available and answering the 100’s of questions I have.” -L. Roberts (projected Summer 2025)

“I never truly loved my career until I became a teacher. And I would thank the TLC program at the University of Richmond for making this possible. The TLC program has made the transition into the classroom as both a teacher and student again such a smooth process. Each class has prepared me to become a fully certified teacher, not to mention the classes are much more affordable with this grant. I also enjoyed being paired with an experienced coach who filled me with confidence and inspiration that directly benefited my students in real time. My advisor and other TLC staff have made sure that I am on track every step of the way. I am so grateful to be working on my licensure through this program!” -B. Stewart (Spring 2024)

For more information, please contact Deborah Napoli at dnapoli@richmond.edu.

Grant Update

Since the start of our REB grant-funded Provisional Licensure Support (PLuS) program in 2022, we now have 44 fully licensed teachers serving approximately 1,300 students in high poverty areas within the Richmond area. We are currently supporting 23 provisionally licensed teachers through the TLC program. TLC provides advising, coaching, discounted tuition, and free testing vouchers for state assessments.

We are currently focusing on recruitment, continuing partnerships with local school divisions, and the overall sustainability of TLC.

Spider Spirit Alumni Discount

University of Richmond alumni who have earned an academic certificate, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, post-bachelor’s certificate, graduate certificate, master’s degree or juris doctorate are eligible for the Spider Spirit alumni discount.

The Spider Spirit alumni discount offers UR alumni a 25% savings on tuition over the lifetime of a degree program or individual courses when a member of the alumni enrolls in a degree or certificate program through the School of Professional & Continuing Studies. This 25% tuition discount is also applicable to individual courses taken for credit as a non-degree seeking student in SPCS.

VAIS Partnership

The University of Richmond is an academic partner with the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS). The partnership enables SPCS to share thought leadership with VAIS member schools and their staff, to attend and sponsor VAIS events and to receive VAIS members pricing discounts.

The partnership also enables employees in VAIS member schools to receive discounts on professional development course fees across a number of SPCS academic programs. For VAIS discount details and eligible programs, visit the UR Education Consortium with VAIS page.

Regional Consortium

We’re pleased to lead the UR Regional Education Consortium for PK-12 teacher education coursework at the University of Richmond. We offer part-time graduate programs for local school professionals in Central Virginia through the School of Professional & Continuing Studies.

We’ve collaborated with local public school divisions and the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS) to provide their employees with discounted tuition on graduate level coursework. The discounted programs vary by organization, but the consortium discount is 20% off the current tuition rate. Employees seeking to take advantage of the consortium discount must be accepted and enrolled in an eligible degree program.

If interested, please contact Kris Waikart, Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator for Graduate Education, at kwaikart@richmond.edu.

Faculty Updates

March 17, 2025

Conway recognized for receiving R.E.B. Award

Ryan Conway, adjunct instructor of education and director of the Center for Education and Human Development at Glen Allen High School, was among four awardees from various Richmond organizations recognized as rising stars by Richmond Magazine. Last year, Conway received a R.E.B. Award for Teaching Excellence from the Community Foundation for a Greater Richmond to study teaching and learning in Asia.

March 13, 2025

Hunt receives JMU literacy leader award

Kendall Hunt, adjunct instructor of education and middle school literacy specialist for Henrico County Public Schools, received the 2025 Literacy Teacher of the Year Award from James Madison University’s College of Education at the JMU Literacy Leader Awards ceremony held earlier this year.

March 6, 2025

Shields presents at school diversity conference

Tom Shields, associate professor and chair of graduate education & associate professor of leadership studies, presented the Can We Learn & Live Together 2.0: Housing & School Segregation in the Richmond Region report at the National Coalition on School Diversity 5th National Conference on School Diversity at Georgetown University Law Center.

February 15, 2025

McAdams presents at FHNW in Switzerland

Rob McAdams, director of Partners in the Arts, presented “Arts is Education” at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwest Switzerland (FHNW). His talk represents the latest activity in an ongoing partnership between UR’s School of Professional & Continuing Studies and the FHNW School of Education.