Charlene Trovato
Associate Chair, Administrative & Policy Studies Department;
Coordinator, School Leadership Program
University of Pittsburgh
4310 Wesley W. Posvar Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15260 USA
Email: trovato@pitt.edu
Education


Areas of Expertise

  • School Leadership
  • Adolescents with special healthcare needs

Professional Biography

Dr. Trovato is an Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Education, Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, School Leadership Program where she teaches courses in the Master of Education, Doctor of Education, and school leadership certificate programs (K-12 Principal and Supervisor of Curriculum and Instruction).  Dr. Trovato has also taught a reading method course for the Department of Instruction and Learning. Throughout her career, Dr. Trovato has been committed to working on projects collaboratively with interdisciplinary teams. As a Core Faculty member at the University Community Leaders and Individuals with Disabilities (UCLID) Center at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital, a project funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau since 1995, she serves as training co-coordinator of their interdisciplinary leadership education program, teaches seminars on leadership in developmental disabilities, and conducts leadership seminars for general academic pediatric medicine fellows at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. For ten years, Dr. Trovato worked closely with Dr. Heidi Feldman, MD, PhD, Project Director of the UCLID Center and Educating Medical Professionals. Dr. Trovato demonstrates her commitment to service through her work as associate chair of the Department of Administrative and Policy Studies, program coordinator of School Leadership, member of the School of Education Academic Affairs committee, and member of the University Senate Educational Policies Committee. Recently, Dr. Trovato graduated from the fellowship program of the Education Policy Leadership Center, an affiliate of the Education Leadership Institute (ELI). The Pennsylvania Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) is a professional development program for individuals whose work record reflects strong leadership abilities and a concern for issues important to children and education. Early in in her career, Dr. Trovato was a speech therapist, taught children with learning differences and emotional difficulties, and was the founder, owner, and director of an inclusive early childhood center for 18 years and was the founder, owner, and educational communication’s consulting firm for ten years.

Research Interests & Current Projects

Recently, Dr. Trovato received funding from the PA Department of Education to redesign the K-12 Principal Preparation certificate program. This innovative, interdisciplinary, honors program is being designed to prepare leaders to transform schools from those we have to those we need. As a member of the leadership team for the Watson Institute Behavioral Support for Youth (WIBSY) project, a partnership with the Pittsburgh Public Schools, the University of Pittsburgh, and Craig Academy of the Watson Institute, she is responsible for overseeing data collection and reporting. Dr. Trovato is also a member of team in the Department of Administrative and Policies Studies that is working with Indonesia to decentralize basic education. In collaboration with the director of community dental education at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine, Trovato has co-authored an article to be published in March 2008 in the Journal of Dental Education on debate as an instructional strategy. As a trained focus group moderator, Dr. Trovato has conducted statewide focus group research on inclusive preschools as part of the Medical Home Project, funded by the PA Department of Health and the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. In addition, she conducted focus group research on transitioning to adulthood for adolescents with special healthcare needs funded by PA Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education for the Allegheny County Healthy and Ready to Work Transition Pilot Project. Dr. Trovato conducts professional development on early literacy and K-12 reading and language arts. She was invited by the PA Department of Education to be the keynote speaker for two Governor’s Institutes and three Teacher Academies on Early Childhood/Early Literacy. Most recently, Dr. Trovato conducted focus group research with a general academic pediatric fellow at Children’s Hospital to understand the beliefs of parents about co-sleeping with their children. The findings of this study have been submitted for publication.

Courses Taught

  • ADMPS 2098 – Directed Study
  • ADMPS 2109 – Leadership for Curriculum and Instruction
  • ADMPS 2111 – Monitoring Studnet Development & Assessment
  • ADMPS 2117 – Differemtiated Instructional Practices
  • ADMPS 3091 – Reasearch in educational Administration
  • ADMPS 3097 – Supervised Research
  • ADMPS 3098 – Directed Study
  • ADMPS 3099 – Guidance in the Doctoral Degree
  • IL 2231 – Reading & Language Arts in the Intermediate Grades
  • HRS 2089 – Interdisciplinary Clinical Care for Children with Developmental Disabilities


Selected Publications

Trovato, Charlene. (2004).  We Now Know: Rethinking Early Childhood Education. Forum. Pittsburgh: Tri-State Area School Study Council.

Trovato, Charlene. (2004). Inclusive Preschools. (Medical Home Project). Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Trovato, Charlene. (2002). Transitioning to Adulthood for Individuals with Special Health Care Needs. (Allegheny County Healthy and Ready to Work Pilot Project), Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education.

Trovato, Charlene. (2000). Early Literacy Learning. In Pennsylvania Literacy Framework. Harrisburg, PA: Pennsylvania Department of Education.