Profile-Linda Tafel

Linda S. Tafel

Professor picture of tafel

Wheeling Campus

847.475.1100 x 5044 (office phone)

PROFESSIONAL STATEMENT

I am committed to the preparation of educational leaders at the Masters/Certificate of Advance Studies and Doctoral Level who will create and lead schools where all children and adults learn and thrive. My areas of professional expertise include educational leadership, school administration, curriculum planning and evaluation, teacher education, teacher education accreditation, teacher/administrator licensure and certification, professional development of teachers and administrators.

EDUCATION

Ed. D. Curriculum and Supervision Northern Illinois University
M.A. Speech Communication and Rhetoric Northern Illinois University
B.S. in Ed. Speech Communication, English Northern Illinois University

CURRENT COURSES I TEACH

CCD 610 Doctoral Core Seminar
EDL 551 System and Staff Development
EDL 552 Administration of Curriculum
EDL 553 Supervising Instruction
EDL 602 Leadership and Management Strategies
EDL 603 Educational Planning and Decision-Making
EDL 604 Administrative Issues for Pluralistic Schools
EDL 620 School Leadership: Policies and Politics

PUBLICATION (RECENT)

Tafel, L.S. & Fischer, J. (1999). Visions for better schools: Teacher research and educational renewal. In G. Burnaford, J. Fischer, & D. Hobson (Eds.), Teachers doing research. 2^nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

PRESENTATIONS (RECENT)

Organizer and Moderator, NCATE/TEAC Debate, Association of Teacher Educators Annual Meeting, Chicago,

February 15, 2005

Presentation, Education Reform in the U.S.—A Progress Report, The Teacher Development Centre of

Malopolska, Krakow, Poland, June 7, 2004

Keynote Address, Participating in the Global Dialogue: Current Trends and Standardization of Teacher

Education World Wide(Uczestnictwo w lobalncj dyskusji—wspolezesne trendy standaryzacji ksztalcenia nauczycielie na swiecie), Conference co-sponsored by Kolegium Akademii Pedagogicznej (College of Pedagogy—Krakow University) and Zamiejscowego Osrodka Dydaktycznego (The Teacher Development Center of Malopolska in Krakow and Nowz Sacz), June 4, 2004, Nowy Sacz, Poland (translated into Polish)

Panel Discussant, International Perspectives on School Leadership and Teaching, American Educational

Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, April 22, 2003

Panel Discussant, Teacher Leadership: Exploring Dimensions of Teacher Professional Development and

Practice, American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 22, 2003

Session Chair, Reconsidering Preservice Teacher Education: Policy Decisions and Their Consequences,

American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois, April 22, 2003

Keynote Address, American Education 2003: Myths and Facts, Ogolnopolskiej Konferencji dla

Dyrektorow Szkol Srednich (Principals’ Conference for the Malopolska Voivodship), Krynica, Poland, April 12, 2003

Presentation, Design of U.S. Teacher Education Programs: Teacher Quality and Standards, Ogolnopolskiej

Konferencji dla Dyrektorow Szkol Srednich (Principals’ Conference for the Malopolska Voivodship), Krynica, Poland, April 12, 2003

Keynote Address, The Essentials: Standing Together as Teacher Educators, Illinois Association of

Teacher Educators Fall Conference, Charleston, Illinois, November 15, 2002

Concurrent Session, Malopolska Model for Quality in Education: Supporting Poland’s School Reform

Efforts Through a Collaborative Partnership, Association for Teacher Education in Europe

Annual Conference, Warsaw, Poland, August 27, 2002 (with Krzysztof Gluc)

Featured Session, University Role as Partners in Literacy Programs, International Reading Association,

San Francisco, April 30, 2002 (with Elizabeth Hawthorne)

Keynote Address, Midwest Conference, Association of Teacher Educators, Merrillville, IN, March 9, 2001

Keynote Address, Our Role as Advocates: PACTE as a Catalyst for Change, Pennsylvania Assembly on

Teacher Education, Pennsylvania Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Harrisburg, PA, October 26, 2000

Presidential Address, Teacher Educator as Advocate, Association of Teacher Educators’ Annual Meeting, Orlando, February 16, 2000

WORK IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY

State Teacher Certification Board (IL), 1999-2005
Consultant, Bensenville (IL) District 2 TOSA (Teachers on Special Assignment) Evaluation Project, Spring 2003
Outside Evaluator, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Small Learning Communities Grant Project, Rolling Meadows High School 2003-2006
Chair, North Central Association Evaluation Committee, Rolling Meadows High School, 2002-2005
Board of Directors, National Council for the Accreditation for Teacher Education (NCATE), 2000-2003
President, Association of Teacher Educators, 2000-2001
Board of Directors, Reading Recovery Council of North America, 1999-2002
Steering Committee, Chicago Consortium on School Research, 1996-2002
Presenter and Facilitator, New Leadership Roles and Relationships, Midwest Principals’ Center, 1998
Co-leader, Changing Schools: Creating the Capacity, Sustaining the Spirit. National Fellows Program, National Association of Elementary School Principals, 1995
Board of Directors, Association of Teacher Educators, 1995-1998
Co-leader, Managing Change: Developing the Skill, Sustaining the Will. National Fellows Program, National Association of Elementary School Principals, 1994
Co-researcher and facilitator, Teacher Supervisor and Consultative Colleague Projects, Community Foundation for Jewish Education, Chicago, 1992-1996
Board of Directors, Illinois Staff Development Council, 1990-1994
Co-editor, Action in Teacher Education (refereed journal of the Association of Teacher Educators), 1988-1994
Board of Directors, Illinois Association of Teacher Educators, 1979-1982
Department Chair, Language Arts, grades K-12, Belvidere (IL) Schools 1978-1979
Teacher, English and Speech, Hinsdale (IL) District 86 1968-1976

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Exploring the concept of the learning community, a concept that underlies our programs in Educational Leadership. Current projects include designing, teaching and evaluating the Educational Leadership Doctoral Program cohort model, designing and teaching Web-enhanced and online courses and evaluating their effectiveness, and looking closely at relationships formed between participants and among participants and text within the cohort.
Engaging in and evaluating school change projects. Currently my work centers on evaluating a small schools project in a large suburban high school.
Researching the role of National College of Education in the history of the Kindergarten movement.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Keynote speaker for conference co-sponsored by University of Pedagogy and Malopolska Professional Development Center, Krakow, Poland; week-long consultancy to Malopolska Professional Development Center, Krakow and Nowy Sacz, Poland, June 2004

Co-host and speaker, Kasetsart University (Bangkok, Thailand) Educational Leadership faculty and student Study Tour to National-Louis University, May 2004. Presentations: U.S. Standards for Educational Leaders: Shaping Expectations for Professional Preparation Programs and The Changing Face of U.S. Higher Education: The “Blending” of Public, Private and For-Profit Models

Invited participant and host, exploratory meetings regarding teacher education and professional development with representatives from Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, September 2004

Planner and keynote speaker for the Principals’ Conference for the Malopolska Voivodship Krynica, Poland, April, 2003

Study trip to People’s Republic of China included visits to several international schools and both private and state-run elementary schools, September-October, 2002

Month-long consultancy for the Malopolska Professional Development Center staff members implementing Poland’s school reform efforts with teachers and principals, August 2002

Presentation, Association of Teacher Educators-Europe, August 2002

Member, Global and International Teacher Education Committee, American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, 1999-2002

PERSONAL INTERESTS

I have a large personal collection of antique school items (books, teaching materials, paper ephemera). I am interested in people and projects in Poland, China and Thailand, in particular. I’m a good cook and am interested in expanding my knowledge and skills in cooking Asian food.