Virginia Rhodes, EdD has an extensive background in public schooling with over 35 years of experience in duty of care: teaching, administrative, hiring, supervision, evaluation and instruction in K-12 settings. Her work in research, and as a school board member in a large district, grounds her expertise in school policy and district and whole-school effectiveness.
As principal and policy-maker, Dr. Rhodes was known for her work in reclaiming failing high schools, including moving an Ohio high school from 8% passage on the state science test to 54.5% in 2 years, collaboratively, within a contractual environment.
Dr. Rhodes provides Expert Witness testimony and preparation services for districts and law firms. She has represented both plaintiff and defense. Dr. Rhodes' services are available nationally and internationally, as she is culturally competent and travels and speaks at conferences regularly. Previous cases have included student injury, student death, religious discrimination, race discrimination, wrongful termination, discrimination in hiring on basis of disability, sexual abuse, administrative supervision, teacher supervision, actions of paraprofessionals including teacher assistants and security guards, as well as school evaluations for domestic cases.
Areas of expertise include:
- school practices, school district policy & practice,
- organizational planning & development, standards of administrative, teacher and school staff practice
- teacher training / evaluation, administrative training
- school climate, SEL (social-emotional learning), disciplinary methods and standards,
- Diversity Issues within Personnel and Student Settings
- Urban School Research
- Deposition Digests & Document Review
- STEM, Environmental, Magnet, and other Specialty Programming
- Conditions Affecting Low-income Students: Mobility, Poverty
- Urban Schooling / High-risk Settings
- Innovative & 21st Century Practices - Domestic and Abroad
- Academic Achievement and Program Development
View Dr. Rhodes' Consulting Profile.
What does it take to improve science performance in an inner-city high school? Could a science "immersion" strategy change motivation and interest in science? How can we meet a key strategic goal of our urban district: "All students graduate and are prepared for postsecondary education, successful careers and productive citizenship."
Creative professionals in team-based work settings value work communications skills among their colleagues. As public schools create professional learning communities and experiment with teacher-led curriculum and program development, traditional interview processes may prove inadequate for these new collaborative environments. New and creative selection models may be needed to enable teacher or other professional teams to choose candidates with the 21st century skills needed for success. In public sector environments, work rules are often highly developed and professionals are entitled to interview. Qualifications, training, experience and seniority as determinants often get reduced to transfer rights using seniority as the main or only criteria. This trend detracts from creating a competitive environment in which to attract & retain a high-quality teaching staff. Solutions can be found within existing contract parameters, however, if the attributes necessary to teach 21st Century skills are actually required to be demonstrated, not just described, in the interview process.
"All children can learn," is a catchphrase currently making the rounds in education circles, particularly in staff development activities (Pankratz & Petroski, 2003). De facto learning theory challenges the underlying assumptions of this phrase by examining how it is that learning in schools takes place. Using theoretical foundations of Dewey, Maslow, and Vygotsky, this essay will explore the fact that all children are, in fact, learning all the time, regardless of the actions of teachers, the content of the curriculum, or educational policy and practice.
Critical to a dynamic STEM school is a high level of instructional rigor. While this is true in all STEM schools, it is a particular challenge in those programs that serve populations inexperienced with high levels of rigor in their previous coursework.
OK, I did learn enough in 35 years of high school teaching, administration, and marriage to know one thing: The way to anyone's heart is through their stomach! Feed them, and they will come.
Establishing a STEM High School (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics), and the Aiken Environmental, Ohio's first public environmental high school proved to be successful strategies to increase student engagement and raise standardized scores in science. High-poverty urban students from declining academic and disciplinary environments produced significant gains on science test results and credit attainment towards graduation. Using multiple overlapping rigor and SEL strategies, students experienced "science immersion," project-based learning, and a social-emotional curriculum that emphasized personal development and team/community-building skills.
