Emma Willard School Appoints Sarah J. McCarthey '73 to Board of Trustees

TROY, NY (10/20/2011)(readMedia)-- Emma Willard School, one of the nation's leading college preparatory boarding and day schools for young women, has appointed Sarah J. McCarthey '73 as Trustee to the school's Board of Trustees. McCarthey, currently of Champaign, Illinois, received her B.A. from Tufts University, her M.A. from Stanford University, and her Ph.D. from Michigan State University.

She is the associate head of graduate programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she researches and studies the impact of professional development on teachers' writing instruction. She is also the principal investigator on the project "u-learn.net: An anywhere/anytime formative assessment and learning feedback environment" funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, Small Business Innovation Research Program, which focuses on innovation in assessment in writing as students engage in writing and peer review in technology environments.

Her work detailing how second language learners construct their identities as writers in English and in their native languages has been published in several research and language journals.

Head of School Trudy Hall said, "It is a pleasure to welcome Sarah back as a trustee. We look forward to benefitting from her perspectives as an educator and as an enthused alumna whose firsthand knowledge of our school will only strengthen what we do."

About Emma Willard School

As the oldest non-denominational private girls' school in the country, Emma Willard School has been empowering girls since 1814. Pioneering educator Emma Hart Willard envisioned a world where girls had the same opportunities as boys and where girls could receive unparalleled educational leadership. Emma will celebrate its bicentennial in 2014.