“Online Education Leader Appoints New Vice President of Education; Dr. Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. Joins Ashworth College ...” plus 2 more

Online Education Leader Appoints New Vice President of Education; Dr. Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. Joins Ashworth College ...
Online Education Leader Appoints New VP of Education; Dr. Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. Joins Ashworth College Executive Team
Could Online Classes Help Ease Oregon's Education Problems?

Online Education Leader Appoints New Vice President of Education; Dr. Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. Joins Ashworth College ...

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 01:07 PM PDT

Posted on: Tuesday, 24 August 2010, 10:20 CDT

NORCROSS, Ga., Aug. 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Ashworth College, a leading provider of accredited, online education programs, announced today that Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. has been appointed Vice President of Education for both Ashworth College and Ashworth High School. Dr. Gargiulo brings to her new role at Ashworth (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu) more than 18 years of professional expertise in higher education as an educator, administrator and advocate from both private and non-profit sectors.

For over ten years, Dr. Gargiulo has led an education consulting firm working with state university systems, community colleges, and school districts on program evaluation and data analysis, and has brought international exposure through comparative studies. Since 2003 Leslie has been an integral administrator and faculty at two Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) accredited universities. During this time she was instrumental in building a new online university and was a principal architect in achieving accreditation.

"We're excited to have Leslie join the Ashworth team. Her expertise in online education, higher education and corporate research will help ensure that Ashworth continues to grow as one of the leading global players in today's highly competitive and fast changing education arena," said Gary Keisling, Ashworth Chairman and CEO.

In addition to having held positions at Allied American University, TUI University and University of California, Dr. Gargiulo has published more than 20 academic articles and has made presentations to numerous organizations, colleges and universities, including University of Notre Dame, Touro University, American Educational Research Association and Pop Culture Association. She has also received two fellowship awards from the National Science Foundation.

"Ashworth College is a unique learning environment that truly serves the education pipeline from high school, to career, to college," commented Dr. Gargiulo. "Ashworth's student-centered integrated approach to education will continue to fill an important need in our country. I am excited about joining the Ashworth team and I look forward to being instrumental in the future growth and success of Ashworth College."

Dr. Gargiulo earned her bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois, Urbana; master of science in physics from San Jose State University, San Jose; master of arts in philosophy from the University of California, Riverside; and, her PhD in comparative education from University of California, Los Angeles.

About Ashworth College

Headquartered in Norcross, GA, Ashworth College, a leader in online education, offers students worldwide more than 100 online college degrees, online certificate programs, online career training and online high school diplomas. Ashworth is accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC). The Accrediting Commission of the DETC is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a nationally recognized accrediting agency. For more information, visit http://www.ashworthcollege.edu.

Ashworth is a Sterling Partners portfolio company. Sterling, a private equity firm with a 25-year history of generating superior returns invests in industries with positive, long-term trends and provides ongoing support with a diverse and balanced team of industry veterans, operators, investors, strategy experts, and human capital professionals. For more information, please visit www.sterlingpartners.com.

Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link.

Gary Keisling

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=93046

SOURCE Ashworth College

Source: PR Newswire

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Online Education Leader Appoints New VP of Education; Dr. Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. Joins Ashworth College Executive Team

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 08:48 AM PDT

More Business News:

NORCROSS, Ga. -- Ashworth College, a leading provider of accredited, online education programs, announced today that Leslie Gargiulo, Ph.D. has been appointed Vice President of Education for both Ashworth College and Ashworth High School. Dr. Gargiulo brings to her new role at Ashworth (http://www.ashworthcollege.edu/) more than 18 years of professional expertise in higher education as an educator, administrator and advocate from both private and non-profit sectors.

About Ashworth College

Could Online Classes Help Ease Oregon's Education Problems?

Posted: 24 Aug 2010 06:04 AM PDT

Rob Manning | August 24, 2010 | Portland, OR

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Oregon's schools have at least two really big problems heading into the new school year: a graduation rate of only 66 percent, and a budget crisis of historic proportions. Some education officials say you can address both problems with one fix: getting more students to take classes online. Rob Manning reports on a new statewide online option.

Charter schools and local school districts have offered online classes for years. But a publicly-run online program for all of Oregon is new.

The Oregon Virtual Education Center was born literally across the street from high-tech giant, Intel, at the Northwest Regional Education Service District, in Hillsboro.

The ESD's Paul Nelson says the center is starting with just five courses. Mainly those that can high schoolers need for graduation — but sometimes have difficulty with. Like Algebra 1, 9th grade English, and biology.

Paul Nelson: "Because that's the number one roadblock in high school, or the number one indicator of kids that would drop out later on, is if they would fail courses as a freshman. So we have core freshman courses that are available."

Nelson says so long as there's an emphasis on personal contact between teachers and students – online education is a good option for most students.

Paul Nelson: "Virtually every study I've seen has shown that students enjoy taking courses online, it may not be their whole educational experience, but where it's appropriate, it fits their schedule, they enjoy that and it works."

Nelson says the center can also save money. He says it won't this year, when there are only 200 to 400 students enrolled. But he says a study of Florida's enormous virtual school found savings there of 20 percent.

Paul Nelson: "The savings were realized because students didn't have to be bussed, you didn't have to buy buildings, or paint them, or air-condition them, or power them."

Nelson says Oregon's system will save in similar ways, and it will take advantage of an existing state library of online curriculum and free applications.

But Kelly Carlisle who supervises Salem-Keizer's online program, is doubtful. He says while there are some savings, there are also additional costs - technology and training, for instance.

Kelly Carlisle: "I'm not convinced we're going to see savings to the degree of 20 percent result. But even if there's a small savings, that's something to be happy about."

On the academic bottom line, Carlisle says he's seen mixed results.

Kelly Carlisle: "We actually are looking at the data, and right now we are not satisfied with the results of the online courses, in terms of the numbers of students who are successfully completing the classes."

Carlisle says online courses can be harder for struggling readers. That's something the Virtual Education Center says it's planned for.

James Sager is a top administrator at the Northwest ESD, and a chief architect of the new Virtual Education Center. He says the new ESD program has quietly but quickly gathered support from school leaders all over Oregon.

James Sager: "Part of it may be that we have an opportunity here where all the stars are aligned. That people recognize the value of an online option, we are facing ever-growing deficits, and yet all educators are still so committed to providing that quality and that opportunity for all students."

Sager calls it a "public option." And surprisingly, with a moniker like that, it has not run into trouble with conservatives.

Rob Kremer is with the online charter school, the Oregon Connections Academy.

Rob Kremer: "I don't see what the ESDs are planning as being a threat at all to the virtual charter schools. If they're offering good, quality courses that kids can take advantage of and that they can get a better education because they took these courses online through the ESD, we're all for it. I think that's terrific, and I encourage them to develop their online courses."

The Oregon Education Association likes the program, too, for a different reason: because it would employ union teachers, which charter schools typically don't do.

The new ESD program doesn't need approval from members of the state board of education. The board hasn't weighed in directly on the center, but has generally supported a multitude of options.

Board chair, Brenda Frank, gave only lukewarm support for the new virtual center after a recent meeting.

Brenda Frank: "It's an option, that's exactly what it is. It's not the only one out there."

The center's backers are sensitive to a concern they're hearing, that school districts could potentially steer students interested in online learning toward the virtual ed center, which costs districts just $300 a class. That's a lot less than what districts would lose — $6,000 — if the student enrolled in an online charter school.

If the virtual ed center winds up growing on the strength of its low price, "public option" might not be the only label it gets.

One backer called the ed center the future "WalMart" of Oregon's online schools.

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Tuesday, August 24, 2010