Virginia Goatley

Dr. Virginia Goatley joined the Reading Department in 1995.  After attending Michigan State University for her B.S. in Elementary Education, she taught in both preschool and first grade classrooms.  She pursued her M.S. in Reading with an emphasis on literacy difficulties, due to her strong awareness of the need for high-quality teaching in this area.  While working on her PhD in Educational Psychology/Literacy at Michigan State, Dr. Goatley participated in the Book Club Project, allowing her to help design a literacy program that brought together literature, discussion, and literacy.

Since joining the faculty at UAlbany, Dr. Goatley has continued to bring these literacy interests together.  In her project with National Research Center for English Learning and Achievement (CELA), she studies the integration of literacy and socail studies across the elementary grades.  She traced the literacy/social studies learning of several students as they moved through each grade from second to seventh.  More recently, she collaborated with colleagues Donna Scanlon, Kim Anderson, and Lynn Glezheiser on research grants regarding the literacy course content for undergraduate and graduate teacher education programs.  In 2011-12, she served as Director of Research for the International Reading Association.

Dr. Goatley served as the Vice Dean in the School of Education (2008-09).  As Associate Dean for Professional Studies (2003-08) she led the effort toward successful accreditation of the UAlbany Teacher Education Program via the Teacher Education Accredititation Council (TEAC).  In addition, she coordinated the "Undergraduate Pathways" for all undergraduate students participating in the educational studies minor.  She is a regular participant in national and state-wide efforts for teacher education.

Dr. Goatley is currently a member of the TEAC Accreditation Panel and the International Reading Association's Literacy Reading Panel.  Her publications have appeared in several journals including, Reading Research Quarterly, Reading and Writing Quarterly, Language Arts, Language and Literacy Spectrum, Reading Research and Instruction, and Journal of Educational Research.  She is co-editor of The Book Connection: Literacy Learning and Classroom Talk (TC Press/IRA, 1997).

Dr. Goatley has taught the following courses:

UFSP 100--Freshman Seminar
EDU 390--Community Service Project
ERDG 615--Teaching Writing, B-6
ERDG 617--Teaching Language Arts and Social Studies in Preschool and Elementary Classroom
ERDG 600--Identifying and Correcting Classroom Reading Difficulties
ERDG 656--Language and Learning to Read
ERDG 743--Researching Classroom Literacy
ERDG 756--Texts and Teaching in Literacy Learning

Selected Publications:

Goatley, V.J.(2012). Slicing and dicing the ELA Common Core Standards.  Principal, 92 (1), 16-21.

Hinchman, K., Goatley, V.J. (2012).  Leading literacy programs that foster excellence in all students.  In G. Theoharis & J. Brooks (Eds.), What every principal needs to know to create equitable and excellent schools (pp. 13-30). NY: Teachers College Press.

Goatley, V.J., Overturf, B. (2011).  Introducing the English Language Arts Common Core State Standards.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/common-core-state-standards-1-virginia-goatley. 

Goatley, V.J. (August/September 2011).  Finding a voice in professional literacy communities.  In Reading Today, a publication of the International Reading Association, 29 (1) 16-17.

Goatley, V.J. (2009) Thinking together: Creating and sustaining professional learning communities.  In C.A. Lassonde & S.E. Israel (Eds.), Teacher Collaboration for Professional Learning: Facilitating Study, Research, and Inquiry Communities (pp. 143-144). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Goatley, V.J. (2008) Critical issues for teacher educators and literacy specialists: A view from higher education in New York. Language and Literacy Spectrum, 18, 3-10.

Franzen, A., Ward, N., Goatley, V., Machado, V. (2002). Teachers' Use of New Standards, Frameworks, and Assessments: Local Cases of NYS Elementary Grade Teachers. Reading Research & Instruction, 41(2), 127-148.

McGill-Franzen, A. & Goatley, V.J. (2001). Title I and Special Education: Support for children who struggle to learn to read. In S. Neuman & D.K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (pp. 471-484). NY: Guilford Press.

Goatley, V.J. (2000). Exploring school learning communities. Students' early literacy transformations.  Reading and Writing Quarterly: Overcoming Learning Disabilities, 16, 337-360.

Goatley, V.J. (1997). Encouraging parent and teacher communication: Discourse to support at risk students. In K. Hinchman, D.J. Leu, & C.K. Kinzer (Eds), Inquiries in literacy theory and practice. Forty-sixth yearbook of the National Reading Conference (pp. 114-126). Chicago: National Reading Conference.

Goatley, V.J. (1996). The participation of a student identified as learning disabled in a regular education book club: The case of Stark. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 12, 195-214.

McMahon, S.I., & Goatley, V.J. (1995). Fifth graders helping peers discuss texts in student-led groups. Journal of Educational Research 89 (1), 23-35.

Goatley, V.J., Brock, C.H., & Raphael, T.E. (1995). Diverse learners participating in regular education "book clubs." Reading Research Quarterly 30 (3), 353-380.