Dr. Lisa Davis Clark, Medgar Evers College Professor of Education in the School of Liberal Arts and Education, who once served on teams spearheading high school reform in New York City Public Schools and subsequently asked to establish her own high school – Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School in the Bronx opening in 1994 – will present research for her dissertation, “Preparation of Experienced Teachers to Address Teacher Shortages,” before a gathering of nearly 500 academics and practitioners from 50 countries at the Second Paris International Conference on Education, Economy and Society, in Paris, France, July 21-24, 2010.
The purpose of the study, grounded in motivational theory, was to identify potential motivating factors for individuals earning educational credentials in shortage areas by comparing views from two groups of experienced teachers – those motivated to acquire credentials and those who were not. Teachers from four public middle schools in Central Brooklyn were surveyed; the research indicated no difference between the groups.
“We are proud to have someone of Dr. Clark’s caliber on our education faculty,” Medgar Evers College Department of Education Chairperson, Dr. Donna Akilah M. Wright. “With a distinguished record of accomplishment, and prowess as an educational innovator, I’m confident her research will be well received by scholars around the globe.”
Dr. Clark, a Bronx native, has devoted 25 years to public education as a teacher, principal, program director, instructional superintendent, and college instructor. Her credentials include a B.S. in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from New York University, an M.A. in International/Early Childhood Education from Teachers’ College/Columbia University, a P.D. in Educational Administration from Long Island University, and a Ph.D. in Education from Walden University. Dr. Clark has also presented research at the International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education, held in Corfu, Greece.
About Medgar Evers College, CUNY
Medgar Evers College was founded in 1970 through the efforts from educators and community leaders in central Brooklyn. The College is named after Medgar Wiley Evers, a Mississippi-born black civil rights activist who was assassinated on June 12, 1963. The College is divided into four schools: The School of Business; The School of Professional and Community Development; The School of Liberal Arts and Education; and The School of Science, Health, and Technology. Through these Schools, the College offers 29 associate and baccalaureate degree programs, as well as certificate programs in fields such as English, Nursing, and Accounting. Medgar Evers College also operates several co-curricular and external programs and associated centers such as the Male Development and Empowerment Center, the Center for Women’s Development, the Center for Black Literature, and The DuBois Bunche Center for Public Policy.