Virginia Tech School of Education Newsletter Summer 2021

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How a Virginia Tech alumna forged a path that led to the No. 2 post at the USDA

This wasn’t the original path for Jewel Bronaugh. She didn’t intend to become the deputy secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture and the first Black woman to hold the position.

An educator by trade, Bronaugh instead wanted to follow in her parents’ footsteps and become a teacher. She wanted to work with people and help them achieve success in the classroom.

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The School of Education faculty and graduate students continue to define the future of education through innovative research and outreach initiatives. SOE faculty are currently engaged in externally funded projects representing $20,682,554 in funding from a variety of federal, state, and foundation sources. In 2020-21, 33 grants proposed for $67,390,407 in external funding and $117,075 in internal funding requested. During this year, 10 requests for funding were awarded, 1 declined, and 22 proposals remain pending. Awarded projects total $3,464,413 in new external grants and $26,975 in new internal grants. These initiatives represent exciting advancements in educational theory and practice, with a strong focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. A few of these efforts include: Dr. Amy Azano, associate professor of adolescent literacy and rural education, received funding from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation in support of “The Appalachian Rural Talent Initiative”. Dr. Brenda Brand, professor of science education, and Dr. Brandi Faulkner, Gloria D. Smith Professor of Black Studies and collegiate assistant professor of political science, were awarded funding from the National Science Foundation for their project entitled, “AGEP Transformation Alliance: Supporting Underrepresented Participation in Research and Academia (SUPRA)”. Dr. Patty Bickley, Director, Training, and Technical Assistance Center (T/TAC), and Dr. Barbara Lockee, professor of instructional design and technology received a renewal of the T/TAC award from the Virginia Department of Education, to support learners with disabilities, their teachers, and families throughout the southwest and southside Virginia. Dr. Tonisha Lane, assistant professor of higher education, and Dr. Ian Shoemaker, assistant professor of physics, were awarded funding from the Spencer Foundation for their project, “Broadening Access to Undergraduate Research for Underserved Students in STEM amid Unprecedented Times”. Dr. Lane also joined in partnership with colleagues at Florida A&M University in support of their collaborative effort, entitled, “AGEP Transformation Alliance: Improving Pathways in the Professoriate for Minority Women in STEM”. Dr. Bill Price, associate professor of career and technical education (CTE), and Dr. Joseph Mukuni, collegiate associate professor of CTE, successfully obtained funding from the U.S. Department of Education to advance their initiative, “Globalization Business Skills, Diversity Awareness, and Entrepreneurship Workforce Development in Zambia”. These programs represent substantive efforts to explore and disseminate strategies for enhancing learning and making education more equitable and accessible to all. Through the provision of high-impact programming, resources, and professional development opportunities, SOE faculty exemplify VT’s land grant mission in serving others through building our collective educational research knowledge base and transforming outcomes into action.  Read more

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“Disciplinary literacy is the ability to read, write, think, and discuss like an expert in the field,” wrote educator Paige Whitlock in her dissertation overview. Her dissertation, “Principal Leadership in Building a Culture of Disciplinary Literacy,” describes a world in which disciplinary literacy is embedded in classrooms, where students “read like a scientist, think like a historian, discuss literature like a critic, and write an original score like a musician.”

Whitlock was recently named winner of Virginia Tech’s 2021 Outstanding Dissertation in Social Sciences, Business, Education, and Humanities.

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