College of Education
La Vonne I. Neal, Ph. D.
Dean
College of Education
1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway
Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719) 262-4111
La Vonne Neal is Dean of the College of Education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She describes herself as a person who enjoys challenges that require her to move quickly and traverse difficult obstacles. Indeed, her record of accomplishments as an athlete, businesswoman, educator and leader proves her to be a woman of her word.
Neal is a teacher-educator whose work in the design and implementation of culturally responsive teaching methods has earned wide recognition both among educators and in the popular press. For example, her research on the correlation between African American male students' walking styles and their placement in special education courses has been featured in USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DiversityInc.Com, and radio and television stations across the country.
A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Neal was 16 years old when she set an American record for the 80-meter hurdles. This accomplishment, along with many others, would lead to her induction into the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. Track and field afforded her the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the former Soviet Union, igniting her intellectual curiosity and giving her visceral appreciation for the beauty and diversity of the world and its people. That curiosity, coupled with success in both the academic and athletic arenas reinforced her understanding of the value of multiple intelligences.
After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from LaSalle University in Political Science, Neal entered the United States Army as a 2nd lieutenant and later earned the rank of captain, specializing in military intelligence. There she gained experience in leadership and strategic planning and that she successfully applied as a manager for such leading corporations as Johnson and Johnson Inc., Kraft Foods Inc., and Miller Brewing Company Inc. Neal's professional experiences and personal commitment to the development of human potential converged when she decided to become an educator. She enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin and received a Master of Education degree, followed by a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Special Education with an emphasis in multicultural education.
Neal served five years as a secondary level public school social studies teacher for Round Rock Independent School District in Texas and was grade-level academic team leader for four years.
Neal became a teacher-educator when she joined the faculty at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX and was the director of the university's secondary education teacher certification program. She has also served as a consultant to several schools and school districts in Texas and around the country seeking to institute culturally responsive curricula and teaching methods.
Education
Ph.D., Special Education
The University of Texas at Austin - 1997
M.A., Educational
The University of Texas at Austin - 1993
B.A., Political Science
LaSalle University - 1973
Scholarship
Video
Publications
- McCray, A. D., Webb-Johnson, G. C., Neal, L. I. (2003).
Disproportionality of African Americans in special education: An enduring threat to equality and opportunity, In C. C. Yeakey & R. D. Henderson (Eds.),
Surmounting all odds: Education, opportunity and society in the new millennium (pp. 455-485), Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
PDF Link - Neal, L. I., McCray, A. D., Webb-Johnson, G. C., Bridgest, S. T. (2003).
Effects of African American movement styles on teachers' perceptions and reactions
The Journal of Special Education, 37(1), 49-57.
PDF Link - Neal, L. I., Webb-Johnson, G. C., McCray, A. D. (2003).
Movement matters: The need for culturally responsive teaching
The Journal of the New England League of Middle Schools, Spring 2003, 28-33.
PDF Link - Neal, L. I., Moore, A. L. (2003).
When bad things happen to good people: Human rights at the core
Social Studies and the Young Learner, 15(3), 1-4.
PDF Link - McCray, A. D., Sindelar, P. T., Kilgore, K. K., Neal, L. I. (2002).
African American women's decision to become teachers: Sociocultural perspectives
Qualitative Studies in Education, 15(3), 269-290.
PDF Link - Hayes, J., Fernandez, M., Bowser, A., Neal, L. I. (2002).
Barbershop: A razor-sharp analysis of the move
Multicultural Education, Winter 2002, 61.
PDF Link - Neal, L. I., McCray, A. D., Webb-Johnson, G. C. (2001).
Teacher's reactions to African American students' movement styles
Intervention in School and Clinic, 36(3), 168-174.
PDF Link - McCray, A. D., Voughn, S., Neal, L. I. (2001).
Not all students learn to read by third grade
The Journal of Special Education, 35(1), 17-30.
Analysis of effective instruction in special education delivery.
PDF Link
Press Kit
News
Study says 'stroll' can steer teachers wrong
April 23, 2001
By Tamara Henry (USA TODAY)
Watch Your Step -- or You Might Get Stereotyped
Study: Walking style could nudge boys into special ed
May 14, 2001
By Bo Emerson, Staff (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)