CSI director recognized for leading staff development practices

The Florida Association for Staff Development (FASD) has honored Nancy Dana, director of the College’s Center for School Improvement, for her contributions to outstanding staff development practices.

Dana directs the center’s teacher-inquiry programs and workshops, which involve a collective networking approach to professional development for teachers. Earlier this year, 26 teachers and 13 principals from schools in the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC) met regularly for four months to exchange ideas, experiences and teaching strategies.

Participants focused on areas of teaching they sought improvement in, such as curriculum development, student achievement, content knowledge or teaching techniques. UF education faculty and graduate students served as mentors and coaches for the teachers. In April, the teachers presented their findings at the NEFEC- and CSI-sponsored Teaching, Inquiry and Innovation Showcase in Gainesville, which was attended by more than 300 teachers and school administrators from 14 school districts in Northeast Florida.

Dana received her award at the recent FASD Fall Leadership Conference in St. Petersburg.

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Writer
Chan Tran, ctran@ufl.edu, (352) 392-0726, ext. 246