Adjunct Professor/Supervisor of Student Teaching
Department of Education
Biography
Dr. Megan Mealie established diverse and stellar educational career as a special education teacher, high school assistant principal, junior high principal, assistant superintendent and a university professor. Dr. Mealie has had a vast amount of experience in working with students of all ages and in communities with socio-economic diverse backgrounds.
Dr. Mealie’s career commenced at Missouri School for the Blind in St. Louis Missouri. She educated K-12 students with multiple handicaps, were legally deaf and blind, and were diagnosed with severe behavioral disabilities.
Dr. Mealie transitioned to working in the largest public-school district in Missouri, Fort Zumwalt School District. As a high school special education teacher, she impacted students with severe behavioral disabilities in a self-contained classroom. Dr. Mealie transformed her students through, effective discipline practices, implementing a drop-out prevention course and her realistic and down to earth approach in interacting with her students to make them successful.
Dr. Mealie served as a proactive, innovative public-school administrator in Ambridge for 17 years as a high school assistant principal, junior high principal and assistant superintendent. Dr. Mealie’s strengths are wide-ranging and lie within educational expertise and ability to successfully relate to various socio-economic groups and abilities with extraordinary achievement.
Dr. Mealie prides herself with her student first approach always making decisions what was best for her students. During her tenure, Dr. Mealie made remarkable impacts raising student and state standardized test scores in the middle school 40-45% and exceeding AYP goals for academic proficiency. As a school principal and superintendent, she industrialized copious academic school programs including a sixth, seventh, and eighth, grade honors curriculum track, restructuring of elementary, secondary and special education courses, and executed a noteworthy anti-bully program. Dr. Mealie was a master in effectively managing school behavioral problems and establishing a positive rapport with even the most difficult students. She had the unique ability to foster a positive culture and school environment for faculty, students, and parents. She contributes collaborative efforts with her faculty earned the notoriety of the “Best school in the district”.
Dr. Mealie endorsed effective team-building activities and built professional rapport and accountability with employees resulting in more inspiring teaching practices and a healthier family to work balance.
Dr. Mealie’s extensive academic expertise assisted in restructuring of many school and district programs, adoption of innovative technology and curricula, and plentiful grants related to academia, service, and within the community.
As assistant superintendent, Dr. Mealie co-developed A.A.S.D. cyber/hybrid program, dance academy, and aviation academy which provided students a non-traditional and innovative educational choice. She also was a key contributor to founding the A.A.S.D. Hall of Honor. Additionally, Dr. Mealie was instrumental in securing the first ever Beaver County school-based mental health clinic for Highland Elementary School. Dr. Mealie established community partnership with Center for Hope for A.A.S.D. volunteerism. She augurated a new 9th and 10th grade vocational transition program for at risk youth called S.W.A.G. which has been highly successful and aided to decrease the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate in accordance with AYP.
Dr. Mealie is now fulfilling her aspiration of working in higher education and teaching and supervising her undergraduate and graduate students while sharing her expertise in her courses. Dr. Mealie has taught course in secondary, elementary, early childhood education and school law. In addition to her teaching duties, she is a member of the Educational Clinical Advisory Board has served as a curriculum presenter, administrator panelist, and university interviewer at PennWest California. Dr. Mealie thrives on diversifying her classroom instruction to provide students with innovative and realistic training and practices that will best prepare her students to be effective classroom teachers with a student-centered approach.
Dr. Mealie volunteers in pro-bono work in the community as an independent educational consultant as well as working with the Ambridge Library and Safe Haven Program for youth. Dr. Mealie’s successful participation and background in high school and university athletics also empowers her to assist and volunteer with a variety of sports organizations in the community and Pittsburgh area.
Throughout Dr. Mealie’s career, she has industrialized notable educational, social, and emotional school programs that have had inspiring influences on her students and school systems that are still prominent today.
- Doctor of Educational Leadership & Management: Capella University, Minnesota
- Superintendents Letter of Eligibility: Westminster College
- K-12 Educational Administration Certificate: Lindenwood University
- Double Masters of Education- Special Education: Ohio University
- Bachelor of Science in Therapeutic Recreation: Ohio University