Dr. Debora Scheffel nominated for AACTE Board of Directors
DENVER, Colo., (November 21, 2011) — Dr. Debora Scheffel, Dean, Jones International University® (JIU®) School of Education, recently earned a nomination for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Board of Directors. The AACTE is a national alliance of educator preparation programs dedicated to the highest quality professional development of teachers and school leaders in order to enhance PK-12 student learning. As a member of the board, Debora would serve the AACTE mission to promote the learning of all PK-12 students through high-quality, evidence-based preparation and continuing education for all school personnel.
Voting for the AACTE Board is open to AACTE members through December 5. As a Dean for an online learning institution, Dr. Sheffel’s nomination is an anomaly as most candidates come from more traditional institutional backgrounds.
“My interest in serving on the AACTE Board is due to my commitment to quality teacher preparation,” Dr. Scheffel stated. “I am deeply committed to ensuring that teachers have exemplary training to support their success in the classroom. Teachers are preparing the next generation for a time we will not see, and their role is central to increasing the effectiveness of our schools.”
Dr. Debora Scheffel was appointed July, 2008 as the Dean of the School of Education at Jones International University. Previous to her appointment at JIU, she held a tenured professorship at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado and also served as the Director of Competitive Grants and Awards/Literacy Grants and Initiatives at the Colorado Department of Education, as well as special assistant to the Commissioner of Education in Colorado.
Dr. Scheffel has an extensive background in academic assessment, serving as the Director of Academic Assessment at two universities, and has been a visiting scholar at the United States Air Force Academy in assessment. Her academic background is in communication sciences and disorders and special education with research interests in cognitive psychology and learning theory as related to implications for learning environments, brain-behavior relationships and learning, and reading and oral language development and disabilities in children.
Scheffel has worked in six states in a variety of post-secondary educational contexts, and is a published author in literacy, special education, and higher education assessment. Her professional affiliations include the International Neuropsychological Society, the International Dyslexia Association, and the Council for Exceptional Children. She was elected to the Colorado State Board of Education in November, 2010, representing the 6th Congressional District. She serves on the editorial boards of Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, Colorado Reading Council Journal (CRCJ) and Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.
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About Jones International University®, Ltd. (JIU®)
As the pioneer in online education, Jones International University, offers an unparalleled online educational experience that provides essential tools and strategies for career starters, career changers, and career advancers around the globe. JIU offers an array of online undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees and professional certificate programs in the fields of business administration, education, and business communication and employs some of the greatest minds from many of the world’s leading universities.
