Radio host Andrew McKay interviews  UWF College of Education and Professional Studies dean Dr. William Crawley and faculty member Dr. Jennifer Stark about advice for parents and guardians on helping older students prepare for college. Crawley and Stark discuss anticipating higher demands and challenges; difficult majors in the STEM field; finding a career path; and what is different about college today.

Dr. William Crawley is the dean of the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies. As dean, Dr. Crawley is charged with sustaining the welfare of the college by supporting strategic planning and execution; advocacy; academic programming; student support; and faculty and staff development, among many others. His research interests are interdisciplinary in nature, and he has been extensively involved in community-based research.

 Dr. Jennifer Stark is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership. Dr. Stark teaches education courses for pre-service and in-service teachers and conducts research on various aspects of teaching science and the development of science teachers’ knowledge and practices.

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.

Radio host Andrew McKay interviews  UWF College of Education and Professional Studies faculty member Dr. Kathleen Heubach and Escambia County teacher Mercedes Musto about how parents and guardians can address barriers to literacy for high school aged students. Special attention is dedicated to incarcerated youth, foster children, and at-risk youth in general who have not previously had access to the literacy development they need. Heubach and Musto answer questions related to the following:

• Fostering receptiveness to literature for struggling teens
• Out-of-habit reading students versus students who lack skills
• Improving mental skills associated with reading

Dr. Kathleen Heubach is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership. Dr. Heubach’s research has focused on ways to develop reading skills. She has examined fluency-oriented reading instruction, basal reading programs, school-wide reading reform, online preparation of highly skilled reading teachers, and strategies to help struggling readers. 

Mercedes Musto is a teacher in the Escambia County School District. Ms. Musto has taught English, Reading, and Journalism. She works with at-risk youth in a drop-out prevention program at a Juvenile Detention Center. Mercedes is currently pursuing her doctorate of education at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies. After earning her terminal degree, she plans to continue supporting drop-out prevention programs by writing socio-emotional books for at-risk youth.

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.

Radio host Andrew McKay interviews  UWF College of Education and Professional Studies faculty members Dr. Elizabeth Bemiss and Dr. Kathleen Heubach about teaching young and starting learners how to read, applicable to elementary and pre-school aged children. Bemiss and Heubach discuss:

• Keys to successful, enjoyable reading
• Reading challenges for students ages 5 - 7
• Dyslexia and cognitive and physical impediments 

Dr. Elizabeth Bemiss is an assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership at the University of West Florida College of Education and Professional Studies. 

An authority on reading, she teaches such courses such as Literacy for the Emergent Learner, Foundations of Literacy, and Literature for Children and Young Adults. Her research has covered effective literacy teaching practices, supplemental reading interventions, children’s and young adult literature practices with K-12 educators, and the nature of teacher identity construction. 

Dr. Kathleen Heubach is an associate professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership. Dr. Heubach’s research has focused on ways to develop reading skills. She has examined fluency-oriented reading instruction, basal reading programs, school-wide reading reform, online preparation of highly skilled reading teachers, and strategies to help struggling readers. 

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.

Radio host Andrew McKay interviews Escambia County teacher Rochelle Carmichael and UWF College of Education and Professional Studies faculty member Dr. John Pecore about advice for effectively communicating and building relationships with teachers Carmichael and Pecore emphasize the following:

• Advice for parents on interacting with teachers
• Parental self-awareness about involvement
• Improving poor relationships with teachers

Mrs. Rochelle Carmichael is a Navy Veteran who teaches  7/8 grade reading. Mrs. Carmichael has been a teacher at Workman Middle school in the Escambia County School District for the past 15 years.  In addition to teaching, Mrs. Carmichael coaches volleyball, track and field, and boys basketball at Workman.

Dr. John Pecore is a professor and associate chair in the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies. His scholarly interest includes situating learning in contextualized experiences with an emphasis in project-based learning and instruction; he has written about progressive education, science self-efficacy, teaching practices, and science standards. 

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.

Radio host Andrew McKay interviews UWF College of Education and Professional Studies faculty members Dr. Bill Evans and Dr. Aneta Walker. With an emphasis on high school students, Evans and Walker explain assessment and its many manifestations, including:

• The meaning and concept of assessment
• Terminology
• Bright Futures scholarship and its emphasis on the SAT/ACT

Dr. Evans is the chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies. He has written both journal articles and technical reports for educational policy 

Dr. Walker’s research is related to implementing innovation and sustaining change in schools. An additional emphasis of research for Dr. Walker is investigating the relationships among building a capacity for change through leadership, establishing internal and external partnerships, and collaborative networks.

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.

Radio host Andrew McKay interviews UWF College of Education and Professional Studies faculty members Dr. Melanie DiLoreto and Dr. Holley Handley. DiLoreto and Handley provide tips for parents and guardians about establishing routines, staying organized and setting goals for academic success.

Dr. Melanie DiLoreto’s research areas include engagement in online learning, educational assessment, program evaluation, scale development, and measurement modeling.

Dr. Holley Handley's overarching research interest is the application of the principles of Human Performance Technology (HPT) to improve individual and organizational performance in educational and non-educational settings. 

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.

Radio host Andrew McKay interviews UWF College of Education and Professional Studies faculty members Dr. Keri Fogle and Dr. Steve Morse on ways that parents and guardians can navigate the public school system to support a child with a disability or special need.

Dr. Keri Fogle’s research focuses on many aspects of Special Education – parent-educators of students with disabilities, parent-school relationships, students with high-incidence disabilities, pre-service teacher preparation using effective instructional practices, and school-university partnerships.

Dr. Tim Morse holds bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in special education, specifically in the areas of students with mild disabilities, moderate-significant disabilities, special education administration, assistive technology applications in special education, and instructional design.

This podcast series is a joint partnership between the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation and the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of West Florida. 

Funding for this project was provided by Wells Fargo.

This podcast was recorded in the Pickens Multimedia Studio at the UWF College of Education and Professional Studies, Pensacola Campus.