Curriculum (K-12)

 

Hello Colfax-Mingo staff, students, families, and community members!  I am Dr. Wendy Anderson, the new Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment for both Colfax-Mingo and Baxter School Districts.  I will be in Colfax-Mingo Schools three days a week (typically Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) and in Baxter Schools two days a week (typically Mondays and Thursdays).

You might be asking yourself what a Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment actually does, and that is a great question.  One of my goals this year is to provide additional transparency not only to my role in the school district but also to how all the educators in our district are working together to provide the best possible educational experiences for our students.

Basically, a Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment works at the district level to integrate standards, resources, teaching practices, and testing practices of the entire PK-12 school system to ensure that these elements seamlessly and effectively support teaching and learning.  I will be collecting and analyzing a lot of data to help me determine whether these elements are functioning at optimal levels.  The data will come from sources such as surveys, test scores, classroom observations, collaboration with school staff, and interviews with students, families, and community members.  This means you’re going to be seeing a lot of me!  It is my hope that visibility will be my first step in sustaining a strong connection between our schools and our community.

I have lived in Colfax since 2019 when my husband and I moved here when he accepted the Superintendency of Colfax-Mingo Schools.  As I begin my twenty-seventh year in education, I couldn’t be more thrilled to have the opportunity to serve in the schools alongside Erik and alongside the excellent team of educators and staff.  Prior to my position in Colfax-Mingo Schools, I served as an educational consultant with Grant Wood Area Education Agency in Cedar Rapids.  I have also taught language arts and served as a school counselor.

I earned my bachelor’s degree In English and secondary education from the University of Iowa.  After teaching for a few years, I entered graduate school at Buena Vista University and earned my master’s degree in education with a specialization in school counseling.  Most recently, I completed my Ph.D. in educational psychology at the University of Iowa.  This fall, I will begin another learning journey as I take classes toward a master’s degree in educational leadership.

Erik and I have a daughter, Ashley, who is starting her fourth year in graduate school at the University of Minnesota in the field of pharmaco-neuro-immunology.  We also have two “fur children,” Thor and Zuzu.  They are both Boston Terriers, and you might have seen us taking a walk or going for a drive around town with them.  Now that you know a little about my family, I’d love to get to know more about yours.  Feel free to stop by; my office is located at the high school, but I’ll be working from all the district buildings.  You can also email me at wanderson@colfaxmingo.org or call me at 515-674-4111.  I can’t wait to begin our work together as Tigerhawks!