Research interests
Rick Sawyer studies K-20 curriculum change for teachers
and higher education faculty in high stakes contexts,
which include content (e.g., multi-culturalism),
certification (alternate route and college-based),
collaboration, and individual. Furthermore, he examines
elements of professional support for these changes. He
is completing work on a 12-year longitudinal study
comparing curriculum making and curriculum change of
teachers prepared through either alternate route
certification or college-based preparation.
Teaching/professional interests
Sawyer chairs the Masters in Teaching Program in
Secondary Certification on the Vancouver campus, is
chair of the new EdD Program for the Department of
Teaching and Learning college-wide, and is co-editor of
the journal of the Northwest Association of Teacher
Educators, Northwest Passage: Journal of
Educational Practice.
Recent accomplishments
- Slavit, D. & Sawyer, R.D. (2000). Project
TEMPLATE: Technology Education Matters: Plan for
Learning And Teaching with Educational
Technology. U.S. Department of Education Teaching
with Technology Initiative. August, 1999 –
August, 2000 ($412,000, funded).
- Skyview High School Community Service Recognition
Award (from Diversity Committee), Vancouver,
Washington, 2000.
- 1994-present: Member of Division B (Curriculum
Studies) and Division K (Teacher Preparation) of the
American Educational Research Association.
- 1999-present: Member of the national Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
- Sawyer, R.D. (2000). Adapting Curriculum to Student
Diversity: Patterns of Perceptions among
alternate-route and college-based teachers.
The Urban Review, 32(4), 343-364.
Educational background
- Ed.D. Curriculum and Teaching, Columbia University,
1998
- M.A. Education, San Francisco State University,
1990
- B.A. English Literature, University of Washington
