OCDE Coordinator of Instructional Services
School of Education
February 1, 2012
“I knew it was my calling to work with students with disabilities.”
Dr. Nanette S. Fritschmann, a new member of the Department of Education’s Advisory Council, is Coordinator of Instructional Services for Orange County Department of Education. She earned both a bachelor’s degree (BS) and master’s in business administration (MBA) degree from Woodbury University in Burbank, California before she decided that she was ready to begin working towards her goal of teaching students with disabilities.
“Up to that time, I wasn’t sure I had ‘what it took’ to make a difference in the life of a child with special needs. After substituting for a time throughout Orange County, I knew it was my calling to work with students with disabilities.”
Dr. Fritschmann secured a special education teaching position on an “intern” credential and earned her teaching credential along with a master’s degree (MA) from California State University, Fullerton. Following her employment as a resource specialist, she was offered a doctoral fellowship at the University of Kansas sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Center for Research on Learning (KU-CRL).
Dr. Fritschmann earned her doctorate in special education and research at the University of Kansas and began her role as a faculty member and researcher at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. There she focused on teaching both master’s and doctoral level special education and school psychology students in the areas of literacy, assessments, and instructional methods for students with mild/moderate disabilities. Later, she accepted a faculty position at The College of William and Mary where she focused on developing and teaching special education coursework, and developing learning strategies to improve the narrative and expository reading comprehension of middle and high school students.
In explaining her current work, Dr. Fritschmann comments,
My primary area of expertise focuses on adolescents (6th through 8th grades) who are identified with a disability or are considered “at-risk” with difficulties in literacy skills. I have written numerous articles and consulted with national and state agencies in the areas of literacy and mathematics with an emphasis on curriculum development, curriculum-based measurement, and Response to Intervention (RTI) in secondary settings.
Dr. Fritschmann has been awarded multiple federal, state, and university grants to examine reading instruction for adolescents. Additionally, she was a Co-Investigator with Dr. Ed Shapiro, through Lehigh University, on a U.S. Department of Education training grant preparing school psychologists to become facilitators of the RTI process.
Dr. Fritschmann has set as her goal continuing her own professional development by extending the experience and skills that she currently has to continue to benefit both educators and students with disabilities.
I hope to accomplish this by working through the Orange County Department of Education to influence teacher preparation, policy at the county and state levels, and work to improve the educational outcomes of marginalized populations, and provide services to local school districts.
Dr. Fritschmann is involved in various professional organizations that promote improved practices for students with disabilities. She continues to investigate evidence-based methods to improve student literacy skills, particularly as they relate to accessing content-based text.
I serve as a reviewer on various peer-reviewed journals, and look forward to serving the state of California in similar roles as they relate to educational practices in teacher preparation and improving outcomes for students with disabilities.
For relaxation Dr. Fritschmann enjoys spending time with her family and her two dogs.
As a family, we enjoy boating, camping, cheering my daughter while playing tennis, and being with those we love!