COE Faculty Profile

Cathy J. Vatterott
Associate Professor, Doctoral Faculty
Division of Teaching and learning

Education
Professor Vatterott received a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri Columbia in 1972, a Master's degree in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 1978, and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from St. Louis University in 1981. Professor Vatterott began working at UM-St. Louis as an adjunct in 1981 and began a full-time position in 1990. She was formerly a junior high school teacher and a middle school principal. Professor Vatterott has made numerous presentations about middle level education at state and national conferences and has served as a consultant to elementary and middle level schools in Missouri, Alaska, and Nebraska. She is an active member of the National Middle School Association and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Professor Vatterott serves as the editor of Missouri Educational Leadership.

Research and Teaching
My research interests are generally focused on middle level education. My specific interests include the developmental needs of middle level students, middle school program implementation, school climate, appropriate curriculum, student- focused instruction, and student empowerment. My most recent research was a comparison of student achievement in 7th grade interdisciplinary teams based on the frequency of student focused instructional practices.

My teaching interests include the continued refinement of the middle school certification program, advising undergraduate and graduate students seeking middle school certification, and teaching courses in middle level curriculum, philosophy and advisor-advisee programs required for middle school certification.

Representative

Publications
Vatterott,C. (in press). Empowering Students. Columbus OH: National Middle School Association.

Vatterott, C. (1995). Student-focused instruction: Balancing limits with freedom in the middle grades. Middle School - Journal, 27, 28-38.

Vatterott, C. (1994). A change in climate: Involving parents in school improvement. Schools in the Middle, Spring, 16-17.

Vatterott, C. & Yard, G. (1993). Accommodating individual differences through instructional adaptations. Middle School Journal, 24, 23-29.

• Adolescence
• Assessment
• Constructivism
• Family/Home Education
• Instructional Practices
• Middle Schools
• Stress/Coping
• Studying