Zora M. Wolfe, EdD
- Associate Dean of the College of Health & Human Services
- Interim Director of Center for Education
- Director of K-12 Educational Leadership and Instructional Technology Programs
- Associate Professor
Affiliated Programs
- K-12 Educational Leadership (EdD)
- K-12 Educational Leadership (MEd & Certification)
- Instructional Technology (MEd & Certification)
- Education (PA Certifications & Endorsements)
- Education (Certificates)
Education
- EdD, Educational Leadership (2013)
University of Pennsylvania (PA) - MA, Secondary Science Education (2000)
Columbia University (NY) - BS, Psycho-Biology (1997)
Binghamton University—SUNY (NY) - Principal Licensure Program, Principal Certification (2004)
University of Denver (CO)
About Me
My education career has spanned from teaching kindergarten at an American school in Taiwan to teaching high school math and science in New York City and Denver, CO. I was part of the founding staff and principal of a charter high school, and also have experience as an assistant principal and curriculum director at the K-12 levels. More recently, I mentored and provided professional development to beginning math and science teachers across the United States, supporting their growth as teacher leaders through an educational non-profit organization.
My philosophy for teaching graduate courses in educational leadership revolves around the importance of integrating theory and practice. I believe my courses need to be grounded in research and theory related to students' particular areas of study, and also provide opportunities for students to apply that research and theory to practice. Understanding this process of relating theory to practice is essential to critically integrating theory and practical knowledge as students develop a personal theory of practice. In addition, as doctoral students and leaders in the education field, I believe our students must also be prepared to share their knowledge and become contributors to the field, thus fulfilling the model of excellent scholar-practitioners.
Research Interests
My areas of expertise include teacher leadership, collaborative inquiry communities, and developing teacher practice. My current projects relate to the development of collaborative inquiry communities, how they can support the development of teacher leadership within schools, and how principals can support teacher leaders in this process. In particular, I am exploring how leaders create a culture for collaboration and inquiry, and specifically the importance of trust and common understanding when engaging in true inquiry practice.
I also have an interest in how a broad definition of data can be used within these communities as a means to develop, examine, and assess learning.
Media Expertise
- Teacher leadership
- Building collaborative inquiry communities
- Professional development for teachers and principals
- Formative assessment in secondary science classrooms
Publications
Wolfe, Z., & McCarthy, J. (2020). Building on existing brick-and-mortar practices in online spaces. In Ferdig, R.E., Baumgartner, E., Hartshorne, R., Kaplan-Rakowski, R. & Mouza, C. (Eds.) Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field. Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/216903/
Ciampa, K., & Wolfe, Z. (2019). Preparing for dissertation writing: Doctoral education students’ perceptions. Studies in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education, 10(2), 86-108.
Wolfe, Z. (2019). “You explore, I guide, we learn!”: Developing an inquiry-based teaching curriculum, Childhood Education, 95(4). 30-35. doi:10.1080/00094056.2019.1638710
Furtak, E., Glasser, H., & Wolfe, Z. (2016). The feedback loop: Using formative assessment data for science teaching and learning. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
American Educational Research Association (AERA), Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA), Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
News
In the Media
- Edutopia
- Delaware Valley Journal
- Parents
- Al Jazeera
- USA Today
Noteworthy
- Education Professors Publish Article in Teaching in Higher Education
Dr. Katia Ciampa, an assistant professor in the Center for Education, and Dr. Zora Wolfe, an associate professor in the Center for Education, published a peer-reviewed article in "Teaching in Higher Education" in September 2020. The article, titled "From isolation to collaboration: creating an intentional community of practice within the doctoral dissertation proposal writing process," was a retrospective case study to examine the implementation of peer-review practices in a doctoral dissertation proposal course.
Share link: https://www.widener.edu/news/noteworthy/education-professors-publish-article-teaching-higher-education
- Education Professor and Alumna Publish Two Manuscripts About Online Teaching During COVID-19
Associate Professor Zora Wolfe, director of K-12 educational leadership programs, and alumna Jeanne McCarthy '20 EdD co-authored two peer-reviewed manuscripts in the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education's "Teaching, Technology, and Teacher Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Stories from the Field" publication.
The first manuscript, "Engaging Parents Through School-Wide Strategies for Online Instruction," focused on how they assisted a school in revisiting their school-wide processes and online learning plan to incorporate parent-centered, school-wide strategies that supported students and parents learning at home together.
The second manuscript, "Building on Existing Brick-and-Mortar Practices in Online Spaces," focused on how the knowledge and expertise developed by educators in brick-and-mortar classrooms can be useful in online teaching environments.