Barbara A. Fitzsimmons, Ed.D.

 barbara_fitzsimmons@nksd.net

North Kingstown School Department, North Kingstown, RI
Direct K-12 curriculum development, instructional implementation, and
assessment in all curriculum areas; grant oversight; and professional development.
 

Lasell College, Newton, MA
Taught courses in child development, curriculum and instruction; special needs; supervising professor for student teacher placements; faculty committees; faculty advisor.
 

U.S. Naval Facility, Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada
Revised program to align with federal regulations; trained all staff.
 

Hamline University, St. Paul, MN
Taught graduate course: “Teaching Language and Concepts in ECE”
 

Graduate Institute for Federal Teachers, Verona, Italy; Wiesbaden, Germany; and Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada

Developed and managed all aspects of the graduate program; instructor for courses in early childhood education.
 

University of Southern California, Wiesbaden, Germany
Taught graduate courses; developed and taught family care giver training program.
 

University of Southern California, Wiesbaden, Germany
Managed all aspects of the USC overseas graduate program at 12 satellite locations throughout Europe.
 

Wiesbaden, Germany
Provided guidance of appropriate early childhood curriculum to childcare centers and conducted training for staff.
 

Wiesbaden American Preschool, Wiesbaden, Germany
Taught mixed-age preschool classes; directed and managed the school.

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
RI Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development

International Reading Association

No More Tears:  Reducing Violent Conflict by Adjusting the Curriculum
Infant/Toddler Environments

Bottle Caps to Broomsticks:  There’s Music Everywhere!

Preschool Curriculum:  The Real “Wonder Years”

Yoga Isn’t a Bear:  Reducing Stress in Children

Are You My Mother?:  Continuity of Care for Infants and Toddlers

Are You My Mother Too?:  Exploring Models for Continuity of Care

Choosing Non-Sexist Literature for Preschool

Television Violence and Its Effects on Children

History, Math, and Quilts:  Making Connections for Students

The Argument for Full Day Kindergarten (RI Legislature testimony)

Integrating the Arts (RIDE panel on the arts)

I have been in education for all of my professional life and consider myself first and foremost a teacher.  I have worked with students of all ages, from very young children in child care centers to graduate students with many years of teaching experience.  The locations of my teaching experiences are just as diverse as the ages of students I’ve worked with and include classes and workshops in Berlin, Germany; Manama, Bahrain; Izmir, Turkey; Newfoundland, Canada; and Madrid, Spain.   

For the past eight years I have been director of curriculum and instruction in North Kingstown, RI.  In those eight years we have made significant changes to the curriculum including aligning all curriculum to national standards, selection of a reform-based mathematics program, adoption and implementation of a hands-on inquiry-based science program, reform of the high school program of studies and development of more stringent graduation requirements along with a senior capstone project.  We have initiated significant professional development district-wide and installed stat-of-the-art technology in all classrooms.

Growing up in a military family, I came to accept travel, relocation, and change as not only inevitable but desirable. I’ve lived in eight states and four countries and found each fascinating in its own way.  As a result, I believe I have a global perspective and am always open to new ideas and possibilities.  I work well with diverse groups of people and pursue and enjoy new experiences and new challenges.  I have many interests outside of education but all of them involve pursuit of knowledge and putting that knowledge to use.