VCU news

By Sian Wilkerson

Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Education has received a $1.5 million gift that will establish the Anna Lou and Bob Schaberg Chair of Practice, an endowed position that will support the school’s mission of meeting the urgent need for highly trained teachers in Virginia.

“This new Schaberg Chair will be instrumental for elevating our teacher residency program’s prominence and resources,” said Kathleen Rudasill, Ph.D., interim dean of the School of Education. “We are so grateful to Anna Lou and Bob Schaberg for their unrelenting support of teachers and teacher preparation.”

Kim McKnight, Ph.D., director of the school’s Center for Teacher Leadership and assistant professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, has been named the inaugural Schaberg Chair of Practice.

In the role, McKnight will provide leadership to the RTR Teacher Residency program in the Center for Teacher Leadership by helping to cultivate and maintain relationships among the School of Education and school divisions; ensuring tight integration between curriculum and clinical experiences; and seeking and acquiring funding from state, federal and private sources to support teacher residents.

“This incredible investment marks a significant milestone for the future of teacher recruitment, preparation and retention in the commonwealth,” McKnight said.

The gift from the Bob and Anna Lou Schaberg Foundation is the second largest single donation in the history of VCU’s School of Education.

“The practice of teaching is an art best nurtured by classroom experience and the guidance of master teachers,” said Anna Lou Schaberg, who received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the Richmond Professional Institute and a master’s degree in education from its successor, VCU.

For 29 years, Schaberg worked with Richmond Public Schools, notably coordinating programs for gifted students from 1977 to 2000. In 2017, she was recognized as one of VCU’s Alumni Stars.

Past gifts from the foundation have established, among others, the Anna Lou Schaberg Professorship of Practice in Education, created in 2018, and the Schaberg New Teacher Support Program, which bridges teacher preparation and employment. Collectively, the three gifts provide an opportunity for VCU to further stand out among educator preparation programs in Virginia by prioritizing and elevating opportunities for mentorship through teacher preparation and induction.

VCU’s evidence-based RTR Teacher Residency  is nationally recognized and, with a 13-year track record, is the most established such program in Virginia. Teacher residencies are considered the gold standard in teacher preparation, offering a much higher retention rate for teachers prepared through residencies than for teachers prepared through fast-track or alternative licensure paths.

RTR Teacher Residency aims to build a brighter future for Virginia’s students by partnering with state school divisions and committing to “the belief of ‘to, through and thrive,’” McKnight said.

“We want to attract the best future and current teachers to the profession and empower and provide support through a top-tier education and mentoring experience,” she said, “while also nurturing growth and ongoing professional learning so every teacher thrives and remains in the profession for years to come.”