Dottie is a professor & Dean/Directory Emerita for the Education Department at Marietta Collect and is the Current Compact Chair-Elect
What is your current role and how are you involved with the Compact?
I am retired from my role as Professor and Dean of Education at Marietta College. I currently serve as Vice Chair of the Compact and will be assuming the role of Chair in the fall. I am also a member of the Policy Committee
How has your involvement with the Compact benefited you?
During my tenure at Marietta College, I watched as our faculty become committed to the belief that all teachers need to be prepared to teach all students. Attending Compact meetings and engaging in the Community of Practice allowed faculty to learn and to share with other institutions. With support from the Compact, we were able to transition our primary and middle childhood programs to be fully blended, develop an option for AYA students to be dual licensed, and develop the first dual preparation program for K-12 physical education and K-12 intervention specialist. Additionally, my involvement in the Compact via the P20 Literacy Collaborative has allowed me to gain enhanced knowledge of the science of reading. I was able to share that knowledge with Marietta College faculty, allowing us to be at the leading edge for transitioning our reading curriculum and school partnerships.
Why do you believe the Compact’s work matters?
The Compact is unique in that it encourages innovation and collaboration among higher education institutions. In the world of higher education, this is a rare opportunity to support each other as we make program improvements designed to prepare educators to reach all students. The Compact responds to the expressed needs of P12 educators and students. By bridging the gap between special and general education, advocating for comprehensive teacher preparation, supporting the implementation of reading science, focusing on post-secondary outcomes and finding effective ways to recruit and support candidates to address the needs of the educator workforce, the Compact is a powerful change agent for the improvement of education.
What aspects of the Compact’s work are most exciting to you?
I would have to say that the work on blended and comprehensive preparation which prepares teachers to teach every student is the most meaningful for me. In my own preparation as an elementary general education teacher, I was woefully unprepared for the different needs of students in my classroom. As a teacher, I practiced the one size fits all approach and was left to my own devices to figure out why some kids just “didn’t get it” and how to address that. The teachers we are now preparing in the blended, comprehensive programs, are leaving our programs with the tools to meet the learning needs of every kid. That is something I am most proud of as a Dean’s Compact member.