Walden University and Arroyo Research Services to Present at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education Annual Conference

Minneapolis—February 10, 2010—The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University will be presenting a paper with Arroyo Research Services at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), which will be held in Atlanta from Feb. 19–22. The annual meeting, which will feature the theme “Preparing Educators for the New World,” is expected to draw more than 1,800 deans, college and university administrators, teacher education leaders and advocates.

The joint presentation, “Linking Teacher Learning to Student Achievement: Research and Partnership Strategies that Work,” will be delivered on Sunday, Feb. 21 from 2:15–3:30 p.m. at the Hilton Atlanta by Dr. Barbara Weschke, program director for the MS in Education reading specializations, in the Riley College of Education and Leadership, along with Kirk Vandersall, founder and managing director of Arroyo Research Services. This is the first in a series of presentations examining the relationship between teacher education and student performance.

“Linking Teacher Learning to Student Achievement,” based on a study conducted by Arroyo Research Services in conjunction with Tacoma Public Schools in Washington state, compared the reading fluency of students taught by Walden-master’s educated teachers with those students taught by non-Walden-master’s educated teachers. More information about the 2009 findings can be found at www.WaldenU.edu/tacoma.

The presentation will cover research and partnership strategies that work when conducting outcomes research on teacher preparation programs. More specifically, Dr. Weschke and Mr. Vandersall will discuss strategies for crafting public school district/university partnerships, and will show how they can be mutually beneficial. They also will explain the research strategies employed and how the results can be used by both the school district and university.

Walden is a member of AACTE, a national voluntary association made up of 800 higher education institutions and other organizations that is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality preparation and continuing professional development for teachers and school leaders to enhance PK–12 student learning.

Walden’s Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership, named for the former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, offers degree programs that support the needs of educators at all levels—from preschool through higher education and at various stages of their profession—including new and veteran classroom teachers, experienced faculty members and administrators and career-changers interested in teaching. Its offerings include bachelor’s, master’s, post-master’s and doctoral degree programs, as well as individual graduate courses and a teacher preparation program.

About Walden University
For 40 years, Walden University has supported working professionals in achieving their academic goals and making a greater impact in their professions and their communities. Today, more than 40,500 students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries are pursuing their bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees at Walden. The university provides students with an engaging educational experience that connects them with expert faculty and peers around the world. Walden is the flagship online university in the Laureate International Universities network—a global network of 45 online and campus-based universities in 20 countries.

Walden offers more than 40 degree programs with more than 180 specializations and concentrations. Areas of study include: health sciences, counseling, human services, management, psychology, education, public health, nursing, public administration, technology and engineering. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.hlcommission.org.