ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE TO CO-SPONSOR EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP“PURSUING RESPONSIBLE REFORMS IN A COMMON CORE WORLD –PROMISES, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A COURSE CORRECTION”

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGE TO CO-SPONSOR EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOP“PURSUING RESPONSIBLE REFORMS IN A COMMON CORE WORLD –PROMISES, QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A COURSE CORRECTION”

(November 6, 2013-- SPARKILL, NY) – St. Thomas Aquinas Collegewill co-sponsor an educational workshop on Tuesday, November 12, 2013, 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., in the Lougheed Library on the College’s campus (Sparkill, NY), announces Dr. Michael Shaw, Professor of Education at the College. The event titled “Pursuing Responsible Reforms in a Common Core World – Promises, Questions, Concerns, and Recommendations for a Course Correction” provides a comprehensive picture of what is happening in schools with implications for teaching for all grades. The event is free and welcomes educators and the public. Certificates of attendance will be provided.

Speaker Dr. Ken Mitchell, Superintendent of South Orangetown Central School District, is a leader in advocating policy changes. Mitchell is a frontrunner in working to change educational policies to prioritize teaching thoughtful literacy across the curriculum. He will present a comprehensive overview of the New York State Education Department mandates to teach Common Core Standards instruction that are resulting in a narrowing of the curriculum and educational cutbacks, and will make recommendations for changes.

“Dr. Mitchell is a leader in rallying New York State District Leaders to change policies in order to teach thoughtful literacy that is not driven by scripted instruction to prepare students for State tests,” said Shaw. “He will focus on current educational policies and advocate for changes that highlight teaching thoughtful literacy across the curriculum," added Shaw.

This event is supported by a grant from First Niagara Foundation and is co-sponsored by St. Thomas Aquinas College, Rockland Teachers’ Center and Rockland Reading Council.The First Niagara Foundation awarded St. Thomas Aquinas College a $5,000 grant to support the “Enhancing and Enriching Literacy Across the Curriculum” series of events for students, teachers, and community members. The Educational Workshop is one of the events in the series.

About First Niagara Foundation
First Niagara Foundation is a not for profit corporation founded in 1998. The Foundation is committed to supporting organizations in the communities in which we live and work with specific focus on youth and education, community development and neighborhood revitalization. In 2012 the Foundation contributed more than $10 million in charitable grants to community partners. For more information, visit www.firstniagara.com/community.

For more information about the workshop, contact Dr. Shaw at mshaw@stac.edu or 845-398-4079 or Deborah Studnitzer at the Rockland Teachers’ Center at 845-553-9516 or dstudnitzer@optonline.net. 

St. Thomas Aquinas College is an independent liberal arts college located on 60 acres in Rockland County, NY which provides education at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The College’s 2,800 full and part time students can choose from more than 100 different majors, minors, specializations, and dual degree programsacross three Schools: Arts & Sciences, Business, and Education. The College is recognized by U.S. News & World Report in the Top-Tier for Regional Universities, by Colleges of Distinction in both its New York and Catholic editions, by Affordable Colleges Online as a top College in New York for Return on Investment, and is included as a Military Friendly School®. St. Thomas Aquinas College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; its School of Education is accredited by National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); and its School of Business is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). For more information, visit www.stac.edu.

Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Danielle Kobryn 845.398.4016 or dkobryn@stac.edu
Written By: Natalie Catavero
Contributing Writer: Dr. Michael Shaw