Two Tusculum professors have been named to professional boards involved in the evaluation and review of educational programs.
Dr. Lisa Johnson, director of the School of Education and director of Graduate and Professional Studies at Tusculum College, has been named to the Tennessee Board of Examiners.
Dr. Kirpal Mahal, professor of physical education at Tusculum College, has been named to the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Board of Program Reviewers.
Johnson
Johnson is the first Tusculum faculty member to receive such an appointment and immediately began serving a three-term and will participate in training activities later this month.
“This is an exciting opportunity for me and for the College,” said Johnson. “I not only have the opportunity to see what others are doing across the state, but also to bring innovative program ideas back to Tusculum College.”
Johnson’s role with the Board of Examiners will be to serve as an evaluator for schools that certify teachers of K-12 education. She will have the opportunity to participate in a minimum of three evaluations, but said she hopes to do more. “Each time you serve is a chance to increase your knowledge and experience and to gain new perspectives.”
“Dr. Johnson’s appointment to the State Board of Examiners will provide the College with the most up-to-date information on the application of the state standards for teacher education programs. This will help us tremendously in keeping our own programs compliant and in developing new programs in the School of Education,” said Dr. Kim Estep, provost and vice president of academic affairs.
Estep nominated Johnson for the appointment based on her extensive experience in the development and evaluation of educational programs, including working with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools reviews at the college level and in the K-12 system.
“Her skills in program analysis, use of computer technology, writing skills, professional judgment and interpersonal skills are all exceptional. She represents a new generation of educational leaders in this state who will shape the future of teacher education.”
Johnson said she is hoping that she will visit schools with diverse populations because as a College, Tusculum trains teachers who will work in many different socio-economic and culturally blended communities.
“Our field experiences are limited to our geographic areas, so we are always looking for opportunities to provide our students exposure to diverse teaching experiences. That’s what I hope to bring back to Tusculum from this experience.”
Mahal
Dr. Mahal will serve a three-year term on the Board of Program Reviewers, whose members have successfully completed one program review and been co-trained by NCATE and the professional association in their educational specialty area.
NCATE is an independent accrediting body recognized as a standard of excellence in teacher preparation. Through the process of professional accreditation of schools, colleges and departments of education, NCATE works to make a difference in the quality of teaching and teacher preparation. NCATE’s performance-based system of accreditation fosters competent classroom teachers and other educators who work to improve the education of students.
The purpose of the NCATE Board of Program Reviewers is to provide consistent policies for programs reviewers for all specialty areas in education and to provide a status and position for program reviewers within the NCATE system. As a member of the board, Dr. Mahal is to participate in at least one cycle of program reviews annually, adhering to NCATE’s standards of fairness, collaboration, and confidentiality.
In a letter from NCATE notifying him of his selection to the board, Dr. Mahal was told, “The high-quality, rigorous reviews that the profession demands would not be possible without professionals of your caliber.”
Dr. Mahal has extensive experience in education program reviews. For more than a decade, he has provided his professional service as a volunteer reviewer of physical education and teacher education programs for the National Association for Sports and Physical Education (NASPE), the professional association for physical education teachers. A reviewer for NASPE since 1992, he reviewed four programs last year and has reviewed programs from a number of states from the Northeast to the Southwest.
Completing program reviews is beneficial to him professionally and to his students, Dr. Mahal says. Through the reviews, he learns what others are doing, what is happening in the field of teacher education and the changes that are occurring, which he can then share with his students.
In addition to his program reviews for American schools, Dr. Mahal is an examiner of doctoral dissertations for a university in his native India as a professional service to students in that country.