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Linda J. Benedetto
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| Title: |
Higher Education Associate |
| Industry: |
Government |
| Type of Organization: |
State Education Agency |
| Major Product/Service: |
Compiling and analyzing a wide variety of information about schools, student progress, graduation rates, school districts, and other useful statistics for professional development |
| Expertise: |
Ms. Benedetto has over 40 years of experience. Prior to her retirement in October 2010, Ms. Benedetto was responsible for implementing the following: Pennsylvania's highly qualified teacher requirements, Pennsylvania's National Board for Professional Teaching Standards initiative, higher education's Eligible Partnerships competitive grant of Title II Part A, staff validity and audit citations for school districts when they employ staff who are not properly certified for their school positions, federal reporting. Federal reporting included but was not limited to Higher Education Act Title II, portions of Pennsylvania's Consolidated State Performance Report and completing surveys. Early in 2008, Ms. Benedetto led a department-wide team as it prepared for its May 2008 U.S. Department of Education Title II Part A monitoring visit. In April 2007, she was appointed to lead the Division of Professional Education as it conducted teacher certification program reviews and developed new certificate program guidelines. Later in 2007, Ms. Benedetto was appointed to lead the Division of Teacher Quality. Between 1989 and 2007, she was responsible for higher education's competitive Title II Part A grant. Since 1989, Ms. Benedetto has managed over $100 million in federal funds distributed to Pennsylvania's colleges, universities and intermediate units to assist school districts in improving teaching and learning in mathematics, sciences and literacy. In her capacity as the higher education coordinator for teaching and learning improvement programs, she provided leadership for numerous statewide improvement initiatives, including the following: a multiyear, multimillion dollar federal teacher quality enhancement grant, a principal mentoring program, professional development experiences for urban educators, college faculty and grant leaders, accountability systems and evaluation. Ms. Benedetto prepared numerous reports to document program impact and served on educational advisory boards and other educational task forces and committees. |
| Geographic Area of Distribution: |
National |
| Affiliations: |
Phi Delta Kappa; A.S.C.D. |
| University/Degree: |
M.B.A., Pennsylvania State University, Middletown, Pennsylvania, 1985 |
| Born: |
January 5, 1952, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania |
| Hobbies/Sports: |
Reading, movies, Buffalo Bills football, swimming, cutting the grass |
| Spouse: |
Harry |
| Work History: |
Previously, Ms. Benedetto held the following positions at the Pennsylvania Department of Education: Administrative Support, 1970 to 1984; Educational Administration Associate II and III, 1984 to 1989; Higher Education Associate I and II, 1987 to 2007; Higher Education Program Manager, 2007 to 2008; Education Executive I, 2008-2010. She retired with over 40 years experience from the Pennsylvania Department of Education in October 2010. From her retirement to present, she returned to work part-time for the Pennsylvania Department of Education to implement Pennsylvania's highly qualified teacher requirements and to prepare and submit annual reports to the U.S. Department of Education. This included but was not limited to teacher shortage areas, highly qualified teacher section of Pennsylvania's Consolidated State Performance Report and Pennsylvania's Higher Education Title II State Report Cards. |
| Honors & Awards: |
Professional Employee of the Year, Department of Education |
| Published Works: |
Article on Principal Mentoring Program; Editor, book on implementing professional development schools; Public speaking regionally; Gives workshops nationally |
