Jones Named Outstanding Career and Technical Educator for SE  

Karen H. Jones, a professor of occupational studies in the University of Georgia College of Education, has been named Outstanding Educator for the region by the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

She is one of only five educators in the nation now being considered for the ACTE's national Outstanding Educator award, which will be presented December 9 at the group's annual convention in Las Vegas.

Jones received the Outstanding Educator award in Region Two (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia) after winning the state honor from the Georgia Association for Career and Technical Education (GACTE) last fall.

Jones has been recognized for her research on the preparation of vocational career and technical educators to work with students from special populations who are at-risk for failing or dropping out of school. These populations include students who experience physical or mental disabilities, academic or economic disadvantages, or other circumstances such as delinquency, eating disorders and teen parenting.

Since 1985, Jones has received about $3 million in funding through several grants from the U.S. Department of Education and the Georgia Department of Education to prepare career and technical teachers and paraeducators to work with students from special populations to help retain them in school, graduate, and become employable.

One of Jones' most recent projects, A Technological Approach to Pregnancy Prevention Among Youth With Disabilities, a CD-ROM for use by classroom teachers.

“We collected national data from teachers to determine what content they thought kids should know about self-esteem and pregnancy prevention and how they thought students from special populations learned best,” said Jones.

Jones has spent most of her 18-year career as a UGA faculty member studying teacher education, teacher effectiveness, use and effectiveness of paraprofessionals in career and technical educational settings for students who have special needs. Much of her scholarly activities have been interdisciplinary, combining efforts from vocational education and special education.

She helped write numerous guides and handbooks that are used by special needs coordinators throughout the state, including The Georgia Intervention Guide, a handbook for vocational academic coordinators to use with students who are at risk for failing or dropping out of school, first published for the Georgia Department of Education in 1997 but revised in 2004.

Jones received her Ed.D. in vocational education from UGA and both her bachelor's and master's degrees in family and consumer science from Georgia College in Milledgeville. She also taught family and consumer sciences at Groves High School in Savannah for seven years.

Wednesday, November 9, 2004
WRITER: Nicole Richardson, 706/542-5889, nrichard@uga.edu
CONTACT: Karen Jones, 706/542-4473, khjones@uga.edu