TIPSHEET

Dr. William I. Burke, professor and senior associate dean in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and James O. Barber, director of the school’s LEARN North Carolina program, are available to discuss today’s (Oct. 25) report of the American Council on Education’s Presidential Task Force, entitled "To Touch the Future -- Transforming the Way Teachers Are Taught."

Burke can analyze and elaborate on the report as well as describe UNC-CH initiatives that speak to its recommendations. Those include math, science, social studies and art training for teachers and LEARN North Carolina, a World Wide Web resource for teachers.

Burke’s expertise includes models for teacher training and partnerships that enhance teacher education. Formerly a high school and elementary school principal, Burke directed a nationally funded Teacher Corps Program in the early 1970’s in Montana to address teacher shortages in poverty areas and to work toward improving schools and children’s learning. On Carolina’s education faculty for 27 years, and previously the school’s interim dean, Burke is a recent president of the N.C. Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and has chaired numerous national accreditation teams for the National Council on the Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Barber, who holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University, directs Learners’ and Educators’ Assistance and Resource Network of North Carolina -- LEARN NC. The World Wide Web resource offers teachers outstanding lesson plans crafted to state standards, online courses for maintaining certification, techniques for integrating information technology into classroom teaching and virtual field trips for pupils. LEARN’s Web address is www.learnnc.org.

Burke can be reached at 919-966-7000 (office), 919-942-1876 (home) or wburke@email.unc.edu
Barber can be reached at 919-843-8659 (office), 919-303-0146 (home) or barberj@email.unc.edu

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