Colloquium: How much is enough?

Education professor shares study of small group interventions in improving children’s reading skills

News contact: Laura Hancock, University Advancement, 541-962-3585

LA GRANDE, Ore.  April 11, 2017 – Ronda Fritz, assistant professor of education, is the guest for the next colloquium at Eastern Oregon University, Thursday, April 13.

Her presentation, “How Much is Enough? Observing Small Group Interventions to Improve Outcomes,” begins at 4 p.m. in Ackerman Hall, Room 210. Light refreshments will be provided and the event will be streamed at livestream.com/eou/colloquium.

Fritz will highlight the findings of a study investigating the reliability and validity of 10-minute observations using a tool designed to measure implementation of small group interventions. Children who struggle with reading need the highest-quality instruction in order to improve their reading skills and catch up to their peers. To ensure high-quality instruction, interventionists need to receive frequent feedback on their instructional delivery, a difficult task in resource-strapped school settings.

With specializations in elementary education and reading, Fritz taught for 19 years prior to joining EOU’s faculty. She is a recent recipient of the John Wills Lloyd Outstanding Doctoral Research Award from the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Learning Disabilities and a doctoral candidate in special education at the University of Oregon.

Fritz currently serves as vice president and representative assembly for the Oregon Council for Exceptional Children and is a member of the American Educational Research Association and the International Reading Association.

A list of related resources on presentation topics is provided by Pierce Library and available at library.eou.edu/colloquium. EOU’s colloquium series is free and open to the public. For more information call 541-962-3316.