News and Events

I am honored and privileged to be working with some of the most dedicated teacher educators in the country. All of us are committed to the Barry mission ( Barry mission statement ) and excited about how it is realized in teacher education. We all believe that teaching is society’s most important profession, and we are dedicated to working with our students to prepare them to be inclusive, caring and highly competent teachers who understand that their job is not only the teaching of mathematics or reading but the teaching of children.

As Dean of the Adrian Dominican School of Education, my job is to work with other faculty members to establish the high-quality programs and curriculum that will best help us to achieve our mission. It is also to help solve problems when they arise, and to prevent them from arising wherever possible by establishing processes and procedures that work for our students, our faculty, and the profession we serve. In other words, my job is to do whatever needs to be done.

When I’m not working, you may find me lost somewhere in South Florida while I become acquainted with my new home. It may take many years of Florida sun to overcome the 32 years I spent chilling in Canada, and I mean that literally. Fortunately, it is not only the sun that is warm. The people I have met so far are welcoming and helpful. I live in a condo with my 18 year old Siamese, Spike, and my 4-year old Himalayan, Isabella, both rescued cats. I like to read, to cook, to play Scrabble, to swim and to dance. I am also a writer, and to learn more about that, visit my personal website at http://terrypiper.net

Terry Piper, Ph.D., Dean and Professor

Mentors trained through the Staples Foundation grant will work with students in Miami-Dade, Broward, Lee and Collier counties. Mentors will also collaborate with classroom teachers.

The Adrian Dominican School of Education (ADSOE) at Barry University has received a $9,625 grant from the Staples Foundation for Learning to train mentors who will provide enrichment math and science instruction to elementary and middle school students in Miami-Dade, Broward, Lee and
Collier counties.

This grant, which is part of a pilot program in collaboration with the Florida Independent College Fund (FICF), implements the MentorFlorida! project. The conceptual framework of this project utilizes FICF Web-based tutorial modules, resources and ADSOE's program specific courses, addressing educational pedagogy and methodology during the 2007 spring Semester. The MentorFlorida! project will serve 20 undergraduate students, who will be trained as mentors to serve in math and science programs in elementary and middle schools.

In addition to their work with students, these mentors will engage in mentoring/coaching activities with their collaborating classroom teachers. The project will involve curriculum research, evaluation, revisions, curriculum design, training, professional development, and mentoring.

This grant will provide opportunities for teacher candidates to research, create and implement developmentally and content appropriate math and science instruction, attend math and science professional development workshops/conferences and increase their knowledge, skills
and expertise necessary to teach, motivate and guide elementary and middle school students towards academic success and possibly inspire those students to consider teaching as a career goal.

The Beta Upsilon Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, sponsored by the School of Education's Counseling Program, is the recipient of the Outstanding Chapter Award and Outstanding Chapter Newsletter Award, and Lisa Bailey (master's student) is the recipient of the Outstanding Service to the Chapter Award. Chi Sigma Iota is the international honor society in counseling for students, professional counselors and counselor educators whose mission is to promote scholarship, research, professionalism, leadership and excellence in counseling, and to recognize high attainment in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the profession of counseling. There are a total of 284 chapters nationwide.

The schools of Education and Arts and Sciences will be participating in a national study aimed at improving retention and academic success of students of color. Known as the Building Engagement and Attainment of Minority Students (BEAMS) project, the project is funded by the national Lumina Foundation.

The primary objective of BEAMS is to utilize results from the National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) to “improve retention, achievement and institutional effectiveness at Minority Serving Institutions.”

At Barry University the research team will be implementing and evaluating a program designed to improve first generation freshman students’ critical thinking and writing skills, as well as their overall transition into college.

The university team is led by Dr. Ken Rockensies, Dr. Carmen McCrink, Dr. Teri Melton, Dr. Ed Bernstein and doctoral candidate Ms. Priva Fischweicher. The team will work in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs, who is providing funding for the project.

The BEAMS Team developed and finalized their “Action Plan” for the university at a July Summer Academy held in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico – a retreat that brought together representatives from forty-plus other minority serving institutions.

Read current news about the School of Education in EdLink.

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phone: 305-754-2381
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Professional Development Training

The School of Education will provide professional development inservice for teachers at Doctors Charter School beginning Wednesday, August 9, 2006. The training will be facilitated by Dr. Maria E. Stallions and will address all modules of Florida’s Clinical Educator training exploring the role of teachers as part of the school improvement process and as supervisors and mentors of preservice teachers.