Dennis Cheek: Resume and Review

Dennis W. Cheek, Ph.D.
105 Gypsy Lane, Kennett Square, PA 19348, dcheek@kauffman.org

Work Experience

Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City, MO 2005-present Vice President of Education (2005-April 2009); Senior Fellow (May 2009-2010)

 Supervised team of 17 individuals and over $25 million in annual grant awards to education in both Kansas City and the nation including private, public, and parochial education systems and regional and national research and professional organizations; work focused on youth entrepreneurship, future of learning, education research & policy, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, as well as community initiatives in Kansas City Metro area
 Led major national effort focused on the future of learning in partnership with corporations, government agencies, and foundations
 Collaborated with peers at foundations across America and throughout Europe; spoke at major national and international education conferences; wrote articles and essays about our work; prepared and presented reports to Board of Trustees; mentored Kauffman Global Scholars and Global Entrepreneurship Faculty, interns, & staff; advised foundations & corporations
 Representative to Business Higher Education Forum, Alliance for Science and Technology Research in America, European Foundation Center

John Templeton Foundation, West Conshohocken, PA 2002-2004
Vice President for Venture Philanthropy Innovation and Managing Director, Templeton Venture Philanthropy Associates
 Supervised staff of 5 individuals and advised on over $60 million of annual grant awards in human sciences, free enterprise, and science and religion nationally and internationally to elite research universities
 Worked with all major grantees to structure benchmarks for performance, created and implemented evaluation plans, and continuously monitored results
 Prepared and presented reports to Board of Trustees and special reports for the founder, international investor Sir John Marks Templeton
 Spoke at national and international conferences

Science Applications International Corporation, Oak Ridge, TN 1995-2005
Senior Consulting Professional (part-time, upon demand and availability)
 Provided strategic and operational advise on various multimillion dollar government contracts related to education in both formal and informal learning settings
 Prospected future projects, prepared recommendations and bids; represented corporation at major educational events

Rhode Island Department of Education, Providence, RI 1993-2002 Director, Office of High School Reform, Research, and Adult Education
 Served as State Superintendent for 10 area career and technical education centers (responsible for principals, programs, and state-owned buildings)
 Supervised use of federal Perkins dollars; ran annual competitions for federal Goals 2000 dollars; supervised uses of categorical funds
 Commissioner’s Senior Leadership Team; presented to the Board of Regents various reports, proposed legislation and regulations
 Led efforts to improve high schools across the state
 Created the state education accountability reporting system Information Works! in collaboration with the University of Rhode Island (joint appointment as Associate Professor of Education); member state intervention team in two urban districts
 Commissioned research and evaluation for all state education programs
 Worked with Office of Special Needs to evaluate services and programs for special populations (including ESL); crafted revisions to regulations
 Served on board and as key member of team that launched public charter school in Providence focused on science, mathematics and technology education for disadvantaged youth (Times2 Academy); wrote successful federal competitive grant for $4.5 million to support charter schools
 Served for two years as CIO for Department; converted disparate information systems to Oracle, handled Y2K conversion effort, and improved online information gathering capabilities from schools
 Regularly interacted with all superintendents and principals in state, heads of teacher unions (both AFT and NEA), leaders of professional associations; represented Commissioner on Children’s Cabinet
 Spoke at state, regional, and national conferences and published papers about our work; served for six months as Department’s chief media spokesperson (in addition to regular responsibilities)
 Supervised all state functions in science, mathematics, instructional technology, and social studies education
 Provided and/or supervised professional development for superintendents, curriculum developers, principals, teachers, school counselors, librarians, and support staff
 Supervised GED programs, adult basic education, and job retraining

New York State Education Department, Albany, NY 1989-1993
Project Coordinator
 Coordinated production of nine curriculum modules for teachers of middle level science throughout state working with teams of teachers and district supervisors in Buffalo, New York City, Rochester, Syracuse, and Yonkers; designed pilot and field tests, conducted evaluation activities, refined materials in light of data obtained
 Contributed to professional development activities for teachers and curriculum supervisors across state
 Coordinated the creation of Regents examination items by classroom teachers, piloted items across state, refined items for use on future Regents examinations
 Spoke at state, regional, and national conferences and published papers about project
Other Positions 1976-present
 Teacher of science, social studies, and religious instruction in various private and public schools in Germany, United Kingdom, and Maryland, elementary through high school levels
 Current teaching faculty in mid-career doctoral program in educational leadership, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, (course: "Frameworks for the future of learning and education")
 Adjunct professor in graduate programs at Pennsylvania State University Great Valley, University of Rhode Island, Empire State College (SUNY), Continental Theological Seminary (Belgium)
 Adjunct professor in undergraduate programs at Penn State main campus, University of Maryland European Division and University of Rhode Island
 Occasional Visiting Scholar, Max Planck Institutes for both Human Development and History of Science, Berlin, 2009-2010
 Visiting Fellow, Center for Contemporary History & Policy, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 2009
 Visiting Scholar, Center for Bioethics, University of Pennsylvania, 2009

Education

B.A. History/secondary education, Towson University, 1979 B.S. Biology, Excelsior College, 1988 M.A. History, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1984 Ph.D. Curriculum & instruction/science education, Pennsylvania State University, 1989 Ph.D. Theology, University of Durham, 2007 75 additional graduate credits in archaeology, educational administration, information sciences and policy, law, and national security studies, 1979-1993 Gordon Conference on Science Education & Visualization, 2007 Extensive travel and business in 42 nations on five continents

Publications and Awards

 Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Technology Studies, 2003-2009
 Editorial board, Odyssey, 1991- present (science magazine for young adolescents)
 Editorial board, International Journal of Technology & Design Education, 2005-present
 Editorial board, Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2006-present
 Editorial board, Journal of Technology Education, 1989-2001
 Editorial board, Speculations in Science and Technology, 1992-1999
 Editor, STS Today, 1995-1997
 Manuscript review board, The Science Teacher, 1999-2002, 2007-present
 Manuscript review board, Middle School Journal, 1991-2002
 Manuscript review board, Social Education, 1992-2002
 Author, editor, contributor to over 770 publications and multimedia products
 Honor societies: Kappa Delta Pi (education), Phi Alpha Theta (history), Epsilon Pi Tau (technology professions)
 Distinguished Service Award, Epsilon Pi Tau, 2004
 First place award, AERA Division H publications competition, Summary Reports Category, 1999
 Second place award, AERA Division H publications competition, Institutional Research Category, 1999
 Current nominee, Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Selected Board and Advisory Services
 Board, National Center for Earth and Space Science Education, 2009-present
 Board, By Kids For Kids Foundation, 2009-present
 Board, Sloan STEM Career Center, 2009-present
 President’s Advisory Council, Excelsior College, 2007-present
 Advisor, Philadelphia Math & Science Coalition, 2007
 Advisor, Institute for Effectiveness in Education, York University, UK, 2006
 Founding Member, Steering Group, International Campbell Collaboration and Co-Chair, Communications and Internationalization Group, 1999-2006; Board Member, Nordic Campbell Centre, Copenhagen, 2004-2005
 Chair, "International perspectives on evidence-based policy," Committee on Standards of Evidence and the Quality of Behavioral and Social Science Research, National Academy of Sciences, "Uses of Evidence for Social Policy Decision Making," Irvine, CA, 2005
 2004 and 2006 Board of Examiners, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, National Institute of Standards and Technology; state examiner in RI for two years
 Associate Executive Director, Epsilon Pi Tau, 2003-2006
 Board Member, Penn-Del Charities, 2003-2007
 Principal, Council for Excellence in Government and Advisor to CEG’s Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, 2003-
 Board, SkillsUSA-VICA, Inc., 2001
 Board, College Board, 2001-2002
 Board, National Occupational Competency Testing Institute, 2001-2002
 Consultant, Committee on Technological Literacy, National Academy of Engineering, 2000
 Executive Council and Council Member, RI Human Resources Investment Council, 2000-2002
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Dennis Cheek

Selected from 66 articles reviewed

Reverse chronological order

Wright is state schools chief - Hazelwood superintendent is the first woman, first from area to hold the job.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO) - Thursday, July 2, 2009
Author: DAVID HUNN dhunn@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8411 And VALERIE SCHREMP HAHN vhahn@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8228 © 2009, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Chris Wright, the superintendent of Hazelwood schools, will become Missouri's next state education commissioner, sources say. She will be the first woman and the first St. Louis-area educator to hold the job.…The other candidates were Dennis Cheek , an education consultant from Kennett Square, Pa., and Bert Schulte, who has served as interim commissioner since King's death.
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State names finalists for education chief
Columbia Daily Tribune (MO) - Tuesday, June 9, 2009
A former Columbia Public Schools administrator is a finalist for the state’s commissioner of education position.…The other two finalists are Dennis Cheek , a senior fellow for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, and Chris Wright, superintendent of the Hazelwood school district.
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Schulte a finalist for state education's top job - He is a former administrator in the Jefferson City and Columbia public schools
Jefferson City News-Tribune (MO) - Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Author: Bob Watson ; bwatson@newstribune.com
Interim Education Commissioner Bert Schulte is among three finalists to be interviewed Wednesday by the state Board of Education for the commissioner's job.The post became vacant in January, when nine-year commissioner Kent King died after a two-year battle with brain cancer. An independent committee recommended the three finalists: • Schulte, Columbia, who joined the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2001 after many years as a public school administrator in Jefferson City and Columbia public schools. He was deputy education commissioner from December 2003 until being named interim commissioner after King's death. • Chris L. (Wright) Nicastro, Florissant, who has been superintendent of the Hazelwood School District in St. Louis County - Missouri's sixth-largest school district - since 2002. She previously held administrative positions in three other St. Louis area school districts. • Dennis Cheek , an educational consultant from Kennett Square, Pa., who serves as a senior fellow for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. He previously served four years as the Kansas City-based foundation's vice president for education. His career has included work as a state education official in New York and Rhode Island; a teacher and administrator in the United States and abroad; and as a scholar and author.
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The Washington Daybook - General News Events - Futures - 9 a.m. Education - Discussion The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (AEI)
Washington Day Book (DC) - Friday, May 22, 2009
TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a discussion on "Educational Innovation and Philadelphia's School of the Future." AGENDA: Highlights: -- 9 a.m.: Frederick Hess of AEI delivers introductory remarks -- 12:45 p.m.: Patrick McGuinn of Drew University; education journalist Dale Mezzacappa; Mitch Chester of the Massachusetts Department of Education; and Kent McGuire of Temple University, participate in a panel discussion on "Teachers and the School Community" -- 2:20 p.m.: Mary Cullinane of the Microsoft Corporation; Chester Finn Jr. of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute; Dennis Cheek of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; and John Chubb of Edison Schools, participate in a panel discussion on "The Promise of Technology" DATE: May 28, 2009 LOCATION: AEI, 1150 17th Street NW, Wohlstetter Conference Center, 12th Floor, Washington, D.C.
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The Washington Daybook - General News Events - 9 a.m. Education - Discussion The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Washington Day Book (DC) - Thursday, January 17, 2008
TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a discussion on "Innovation and Education: Are We Investing Well?"PARTICIPANTS: Dennis Cheek , vice president of education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Iris Rotberg, co-director of the Center for Curriculum, Standards and Technology at George Washington University; Kent Hughes, director of science, technology, America, and the global economy at the Woodrow Wilson Center; and Vivek Wadhwa, executive in resident at Duke University DATE: January 18, 2008 LOCATION: CSIS, 1800 K Street NW, B-1 Conference Level, Washington, D.C.
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Kauffman survey finds youth enthusiastic about entrepreneurship
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - Monday, December 10, 2007
Four out of 10 young people ages 8 to 21 would like to start their own business in the future, according to a recent survey released by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. ..In a news release, Dennis Cheek , vice president of education at the Kauffman Foundation, said: "It is gratifying to see that American youth aspire to not just 'take a job but to make a job.' This bodes well for the American economy so long as we channel these aspirations into productive opportunities for young people to develop the skills, concepts and dispositions necessary for future success as entrepreneurs."
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The Washington Daybook - General News Events - 9 a.m. Education - Discussion The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Washington Day Book (DC) - Thursday, January 17, 2008
TOPIC/SUBJECT: holds a discussion on "Innovation and Education: Are We Investing Well?"PARTICIPANTS: Dennis Cheek , vice president of education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Iris Rotberg, co-director of the Center for Curriculum, Standards and Technology at George Washington University; Kent Hughes, director of science, technology, America, and the global economy at the Woodrow Wilson Center; and Vivek Wadhwa, executive in resident at Duke University DATE: January 18, 2008 LOCATION: CSIS, 1800 K Street NW, B-1 Conference Level, Washington, D.C.
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KC PLANS WALKABLE SOLAR SYSTEM MODEL
Wichita Eagle, The (KS) - Saturday, July 28, 2007
Author: Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -The whole universe could soon be in downtown Kansas City. Or at least a smaller version. The city is developing a walking tour offering a permanent scale model of the solar system that would stretch from the downtown loop to Union Station. The exhibit, called Voyage, will shrink interplanetary space so that 1 foot equals 2 million miles. Once completed, pedestrians can try the light-year shuffle, stroll by the TWA Moonliner and Pluto, encounter a new dwarf planet called Eris, or finish their 1-mile odyssey en route to the stars with the Voyager spacecraft. The $327,000 project, which is expected to open early next year, is being funded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and is based on a similar display at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Backers think the route, which runs along Baltimore Avenue through the Crossroads Arts District to Union Station, will create a walkable connection between downtown districts and can educate people about the vastness of space. "What's really exciting is that it puts the size of the planets and the sun on a scale that you can't do in a museum," said Jeff Goldstein of the National Center for Earth and Space Science Education. "The sun is the size of a large grapefruit. The home of the human race is the size of the head of a pin, and the orbit of the moon fits into a child's hand. That's how far we've been when it comes to space travel." The idea of a 10 billion-to-one scale model of the solar system was developed by a University of Colorado astrophysicist and brought to the Smithsonian Institution in 1991, but it took 10 years before the exhibit opened. The Washington display is about six football fields long. Each celestial object is marked by an 81/2-foot stanchion that includes a scale model where the planets and their larger moons are etched inside glass. One of the visitors to the National Mall last year was Dennis Cheek , vice president for education at the Kauffman Foundation. When he learned the Center for Space Science Education was hoping to replicate the Voyage display elsewhere, Cheek decided it was a "no-brainer" for Kansas City. "We thought we could use it as an anchor for the new downtown," he said. "We offered to make it a gift to the city and the city eagerly embraced it."
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EDUCATION - Push for No Child scores consumes time: Reading, math put squeeze on science - Teachers skip classroom experiments or work to blend the subject with others.
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - Monday, May 7, 2007
Author: MELODEE HALL BLOBAUM, The Kansas City Star
When Cyndy Detlefson prepared third-quarter report cards for her sixth-grade students at Nieman Elementary School in Shawnee, she didn't give grades for science.Instead, she told parents that she didn't spend enough time on the subject to assign a grade for the work. Detlefson may not be alone…
Ideally, science instruction includes "science as practiced by scientists," said Dennis Cheek , Kauffman Foundation vice president for education. Instruction that's focused on reading a textbook or memorizing answers can actually dampen a child's natural enthusiasm, he said.
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High school seniors lag Students are taking harder courses and getting higher grades, but not testing better.
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - Friday, February 23, 2007
Author: NANCY ZUCKERBROD, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - High school students are getting better grades and taking more challenging courses, but that apparent progress is not showing up on national math and reading tests….Getting students into more rigorous courses alone won't get the kind of results schools need, said Dennis Cheek , vice president of education at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City, which has invested millions of dollars in area schools. Success depends on also having teachers at the head of those classes who are equipped for higher level courses, he said. Students need stronger curriculum to prepare them for those courses. Schools need to ensure that lesson plans are truly pushing students to higher levels.
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Making the connection A $5.4 million grant is awarded to help math and science mentoring and internship efforts.
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - Friday, February 2, 2007
Author: JOE ROBERTSON, The Kansas City Star
UPLINK SERVICE - YouthFriends program will bring together students, role models Call it a $5.4 million matchmaking service. Only this one aims to unite teachers and businesses in partnerships to energize students in math and science. The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation on Thursday announced a three-year grant to help the YouthFriends agency put more students in internships, more business mentors in classrooms and teachers into paying summer jobs in their education fields. There should be no shortage of demand for the service, called UpLink, said Dennis Cheek , Kauffman Foundation vice president for education. School systems throughout the area have long looked to people in the work force to come into schools to give lessons more tangible meaning. They ve looked for mentors to serve as role models.
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Nurturing inquiring minds - Scientists from KU and UMKC open students' eyes to the value of scientific inquiry.
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - Saturday, October 28, 2006
Author: MIKE SHERRY
Scientists from KU and UMKC open students eyes to the value of scientific inquiry…The opportunity came courtesy of Melinda Merrill, an advanced-science and gifted-education teacher at Center Middle School, who used money from a much-sought-after grant program to set up Friday's Students as Scholars Institute. Ten scientists from the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri-Kansas City, representing disciplines such as geology and climatology, participated in the program. Closer to home, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation has invested millions of dollars in local schools to, among other things, spur innovation in math, science and technology instruction. Dennis Cheek , the foundation's vice president for education, said programs such as Merrill's benefit students by dispelling the misconception that most scientists are white males who wear glasses and run around in lab coats. "The fact that they can meet an array of scientists who are from different backgrounds and are engaged in different kinds of science, and who are themselves different from one another, that is a good thing because you want students to begin seeing themselves in potential roles like that," he said.
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A winning formula? - As high-tech jobs flourish, U.S. children lag behind their counterparts around the world in math and science. In Kansas City, though, the Kauffman Foundation is sending help - $15 million for area schools.
Kansas City Star, The (MO) - Sunday, April 9, 2006
Author: JOE ROBERTSON
Amid alarming trends locally and nationwide, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation this week will announce a $15 million investment in math and science programs at 13 area public and parochial school systems. The global market is starving for engineers.
"The gap between the demand in the world and where kids are is so huge," said Carl Schramm, president of the Kauffman Foundation. The foundation, which already has invested $7 million in ideas like robotics programs, is ramping up in the second year of a 10-year initiative to work with schools. The goals: Innovate in classrooms, strengthen teachers, inspire students and improve academic performance… "This will succeed only as much as all these parties come together," said Dennis Cheek , Kauffman 's vice president of education. "We can make Kansas City the national exemplar of how we can strengthen and improve math and science education." At the heart of it all is the mindset of today's students. As the schools begin to implement their programs, the Kauffman Foundation will watch to see what's working, just as it is measuring the progress of other math and science efforts already funded, Cheek said. Among its earlier investments, the foundation has put $2 million in the FIRST robotics program; an additional $1.4 million for the Metropolitan Community Colleges' Project Lead the Way, an engineering instruction program; and $250,000 for the National Institute for Construction Excellence's Crayons to CAD program. It is supporting the National Geographic Society's JASON Project curriculum in several schools; summer science enrichment camps; an after-school homework help phone-in service; and teacher training academies. Before the 10-year focus plays out, Cheek said, the Kauffman Foundation expects to see more students taking higher level math and science courses and pursuing a wider array of careers. Remedial classes should become obsolete. "We don't want to track just state test scores," Cheek said. "We're looking for systemwide change." Kansas City, he said, can gain a reputation as the place to bring innovative ideas. "It's our desire to elevate the idea of Kansas City as a laboratory, as a test bed for education," Cheek said.
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ELIZABETH CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL PICKED FOR TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM \
Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - Wednesday, August 24, 1994
Author: PERRY PARKS, STAFF WRITER
Elizabeth City Middle School … is one of 90 selected from thousands across the country for a five-year program that will establish partnerships between educators and technology experts. Sponsored by the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers and fellow engineering societies, the ``Transformations'' project aims to help schools coordinate teaching of math, science and technology. …The project will continue to provide training, partnerships and access to such services as America On-Line, which, through computer modems, can hook any classroom to the archives of the National Geographic Society and dozens of other research organizations. …The project aims to reach kids at a crucial time when they're forming career decisions, said Dennis Cheek , the project's director and coordinator of math, science and technology in Rhode Island's education department. Cheek called technology an ``absent presence'' in school curriculum. Technology is used throughout schools to teach, but schools don't teach about technology. But as research advances, informing people about technological change will grow more and more important, he said. ``You want to have a cadre of citizens out there that at least know the right questions to ask,'' Cheek said.
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