TAMIU Faculty Member Publishes Book on Transforming Secondary Schools into Learning Schools

A Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) College of Education faculty member has recently published a book based on a collaborative project funded by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and the South Texas Writing Project.

Dr. Bernice Sánchez, College of Education associate professor, published her book titled, “Transforming Secondary Schools into Learning Schools: Professional Communities” (Sentia Publishing, 2019).

In her book, Sánchez provides educators, school administrators and researchers with an overview of theories and research pertaining to teacher development and a narrative discourse of the impact of professional learning communities in schools in South Texas.

The project was conducted in collaboration with the Laredo Independent School District during a three-year period at designated middle school campuses. Funded by a grant from TEA and the South Texas Writing Project, the project supported opportunities for professional development and teacher support services as well as teacher resources.

A professional learning community is a group of educators that meets and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students.

Sánchez explores learning communities from her educational experiences growing up and how that transfers over to professional learning communities where educators can work collaboratively to improve teaching and student academic performance overall.

She said that directing the Grant and seeing the quality of work that the consultants and educators were engaged in on a daily basis inspired her to document it and transform it into a book.

“I am grateful and honored to have directed a team of consultants and worked with some amazing middle school educators and administrators and feel proud about the progress that was made in the three-year process,” Dr. Sánchez said, “The idea that the transformative process that occurred within these schools was published in a book is both very rewarding and an opportunity to validate the hard work that educators engage in on a daily basis.”

She explained that her book aims to connect research to pedagogy and practice.

“My hope is that the book will validate the hard-working teachers in our local classrooms, but it is intended to provide research and theories in the areas of teacher support and actual teacher narratives engaged in learning schools,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez said that she hopes to incorporate her book as part of the required readings for the TAMIU College of Education’s Curriculum and Instruction “Coaching and Mentoring” course for graduate students.

“I envision sharing my experiences regarding professional learning communities and teachers support services with all my students enrolled in my Reading and Curriculum and Instruction Courses through class discussions and lectures,” she said.

Dr. Sanchez has a combined 24 years of service in education. She has served as a classroom teacher and instructional specialist leader for nine years at both the elementary and middle school levels and has served as a University professor for 15 years. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in the areas of Reading and Language Arts and Curriculum and Instruction.

She currently serves as the site director for the South Texas Writing Project, an affiliate of the National Writing Project. She has published numerous articles in scholarly research journals and has presented her research at various conferences over the last 15 years. She was awarded the TAMIU Professor of the Year Award 2010-2011 and the Texas A&M University System's Teaching Excellence Award for 2010, 2011, and 2012. More recently, she was acknowledged as the TAMIU College of Education Scholar of the Year for 2015 with additional local awards and recognitions over the years.

Her areas of expertise and research focus include: Curriculum Development, Critical Reading and Writing Instruction, Teaching Literature at the Secondary Level, Teacher Preparation, and Effective Professional Development and Professional Learning within the public school systems.

For more information, please contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.

TAMIU is celebrating its 50th anniversary and its 25th anniversary at its north Laredo campus throughout 2019-2020.  A dedicated website shares the University’s transformation from a hybrid upper-level university to a full doctoral degree-granting University. It includes a calendar of Anniversary events and more at tamiu.edu/50.