Professional Development

Ursuline’s faculty and staff go above and beyond to master their craft.

Working in a variety of collaborative learning groups, teachers explore different approaches to assessment and strategies for empowering students to succeed. In peer-led research groups, faculty members share teaching strategies for authentic engagement and multicultural classrooms.

The Academy's professional learning framework encourages teachers to grow in six key areas:

The majority of UA teachers have advanced degrees, the following faculty members hold doctorates:
UA Teachers Pursued Degrees, Certifications, Webinars, Lectures, & Conferences in These Areas:

The majority of UA teachers have advanced degrees, the following faculty members hold doctorates:

Dr. Corby Baxter
- English Department
Ngetich Geoffrey Chelule - in progress
- Science Department
Dr. Harriet Furton
- Science Department
Dr. Megan Griffin
- English Department
Jocelyn Holmes - in progress
- Art Department
Dr. Hillary Kasbarian
- Science Department
Dr. Ann Middendorf
- Theology Department
Dr. Caitlin Rathe
- Social Studies Department
Dr. Claudine Saade
- World Language Department
Dr. Andrea Shurley
- Principal & English Department
Dr. Jason Surmiller
- Theology Department
Dr. Melynda Wright
- Mathematics Department

UA Teachers Pursued Degrees, Certifications, Webinars, Lectures, & Conferences in These Areas:

National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, OESIS, One Schoolhouse courses, Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education, People of Color Conference, Bard College, EE Ford Santa Fe Workshop(s), Stanford D-Design, DMA Arts and Letters Live, Mindful School Workshop(s), Dallas Institute, National Council of Teachers of English, Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, American Name Conference, University of Dallas lecture series, St. Mark’s Humanities Workshop, Gilder Lehrman Social Activism, Learning and the Brain Conference(s), Western History Association, University of Dallas ministry conference, Pycon Conference, Science and Technology Symposium, National Council of Teachers of Math, TI Summer Workshop, T Cubed Workshop, ACT Workshop, LLI Conference, Summer Programs and Auxiliary Programs Collaborative Conference, National Association of Independent Schools Conference, ACTFL Conference, Confucius Institute Conference, Educational Theatre Association Conference, SECAC Conference, National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Momentous Inst. Conference, Folio Collaborative Inst., National Association for College Admission Counseling Conference, Association of Independent School Librarians Conference, Texas Library Association Conference

Accreditations, Memberships, and Affiliations

Highlights from the 2021-2022 school year include:

70% of full-time, returning faculty took some form of external professional development and 100% participated in the internal professional development cycle.
100% of new faculty took some form of external professional development.
In five of 14 departments and administration, 100% of the full-time faculty took outside professional development; in eight of 14 departments, at least 80% of the full-time faculty took outside professional development; in 11 of 14 departments, at least 70% of the full-time faculty took outside professional development.
All faculty participated in a workshop from George Couros on “Innovation in Education”
Faculty and Administration were selected to present or serve on a panel at national and local conferences including International Coalition of Girls Schools, Folio Conference, Global Educators Conference, Western History Conference.
Faculty attended 21 different National Conferences such as NAIS, POCC, ISTE, ICGS, Learning and the Brain; 89 different institutes, workshops, classes, and trainings such as Bard College Institute for Writing and Thinking, Exeter Harkness Summer Program, Stanford Workshops, Klingenstein Institute, CSEE Workshops; a dozen retreats and unique experiences such as the Women’s Lenten Retreat and The World Expo.

Highlights from the 2020-2021 school year include:

100% of our faculty took an online course from One Schoolhouse titled, “Designing, Building & Teaching for Hybrid Learning."
Theology teacher Angie Jakubik and English teacher Kate Schenck. were the 2020-2021 Innovation Grant recipients and worked on topics related to personalized learning and wellness, respectively.
New faculty were trained in FIERCE Conversations, continuing our commitment to training the whole faculty in FIERCE conversations.

Highlights from the 2019-2020 school year include:

Ninety percent (90%) of full-time faculty took some form of outside professional development and one-hundred percent (100%) participated in the internal professional development cycle.
All faculty participated throughout the year in workshops from nationally renowned consultants, Dave Mochel and Dr. Gene Batiste.
Administrators and teachers presented at National and International Conferences such as The National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, OESIS, National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM), and The American Names Society.
A couple of faculty published books.
The Faculty Shadow Program continues in which faculty shadow students for two full school days to get insight into the students’ learning environment.

First page of the PDF file: Top_100_logo_2021_BLACK

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Ongoing Development

Ursuline educators seek to develop themselves by self-reflection, interaction with colleagues, professional development opportunities, and subject based research by:

Displaying a disposition of curiosity and life-long learning for and with the students
Modeling up-to-date pedagogy

And if, according to times and circumstances, the need arises to make new rules or do something differently, do it prudently and with good advice.
— St. Angela’s Last Legacy

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