Denise White, Washington Conference associate superintendent of schools, successfully defended her doctoral dissertation at La Sierra University in May, and received her degree in education administration and leadership in June.
Her study of CognitiveGenesis data evaluated the academic achievement of students in grades 3–8 in the context of school size and teacher, student and parent interaction. She found students in one-, two- and three-teacher schools achieve at the same rate as students at schools with four or more teachers.
White also developed the first teacher-mentor program in the Northwest, now in its second year, where first-and second-year teachers, plus teachers new to the conference, are paired with experienced teachers.
"Our program is organic in that each session builds on the previous session," White says. "We address the changing needs of teachers and cover relevant topics to help our educators in the classroom."
Denise White, Washington Conference associate superintendent of schools, seventh from right, developed the first teacher-mentor program in the Northwest and recently earned a doctorate in education leadership. (Heidi Martella)
