…Dearborn Academy high school director to teach “Perspectives on Student-Centered Education” in
the College of Professional Studies’ “Issues in Education” course…
WINCHESTER, MA – January 12, 2015 — The National Institute for Student-Centered Education (NISCE) announced that Northeastern University will offer a course focusing on student-centered education in its College of Professional Studies.
The class, called Issues in Education, is part of the university’s winter term curriculum for education graduate students, beginning January 5, 2015. Mark Dix, director of the high school at Dearborn Academy, will teach a special section of the course called Perspectives on Student-Centered Education.
Dix has long been an advocate for a student-centered approach to teaching. He joined Schools for Children, the education non-profit that founded NISCE, in 1988. In 1998, he became the director of the high school at Dearborn Academy, one of New England’s leading state-approved special education therapeutic-day schools for grades 3-12, and one of three schools operated by Schools for Children.
“Every day I see my students — who would otherwise be lost in a one-size-fits-all system — thrive with the understanding and support of educators who accept the great variability of students’ needs and seek to create meaningful learning experiences for each child,” Dix said. “Northeastern is offering me the unique opportunity to share my thoughts and experience on what it means for a teacher or a school to have a student-centered focus.”
According to Northeastern University’s program, “Students in [Issues in Education] will explore a range of educational settings and methods with the goal of broadening and refining their perspective on what it means to be student-centered…Through readings, presentations, videos and personal reflection, students will gain a deeper understanding of the possibilities of student-centered learning in the 21st century. The impact of recent developments in brain science, along with the growth of technology and its impact on education, will be central to the discussion.”
Dix is certified in guidance counseling and moderate special needs. He holds a BA and MAT from Cornell University and an M.Ed. from the University of Massachusetts. During Dix’s directorship at Dearborn Academy, the school has been commended several times by the Massachusetts Department of Education.
“Student-centered education requires passionate teachers who see each of their students’ individual needs,” said Theodore H. Wilson III, Ph.D., executive director of NISCE. “Mark is just that kind of educator. Through his personal commitment and years of experience, he will ably instill the principles of student-centered education into a new generation of teacher leaders.”
ABOUT NISCE
Founded in 2012 by the Massachusetts nonprofit Schools for Children, Inc., The National Institute for Student-Centered Education (NISCE) catalyzes grassroots support for a vision of education where students—not politics, not tests, not expediency—are at the center of learning, and where all students have the opportunities and resources they need to succeed. NISCE is headquartered in Winchester, Massachusetts.
PRESS CONTACT
Melanie Tringali
National Institute for Student-Centered Education (NISCE)
mtringali@schoolsforchildren.org
617-947-9531
Joyce Radnor
Spice Communications
617.787.5192
jradnor@comcast.net
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