Back to Directory

Patricia Jones, Ed.D.

Executive Director and Chair of the Education Department
Education

Moving to PC from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Patti Jones holds an Ed.D. in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University in Nashville. She taught kindergarten, fifth, and 7th grade language arts in Tennessee, and also worked 7 years as an elementary principal before moving to higher education.  She is a curriculum specialist and loves to write and work with new programming options to help teacher candidates as well as in-service teachers in the local community.

Before coming to PC, Dr. Jones worked as the Director of Accreditation for the Spadoni College of Education at Coastal Carolina University.  She worked with the department on accreditation and programmatic issues, and provided accreditation assistance to the campus at large. Prior to that, she served for ten years as the Associate Dean of Behavioral Science at Tennessee Wesleyan University in Athens, TN, and directed the Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Justice departments.

She has been published in several peer-reviewed journals and has presented at conferences in Oxford, England and Salzburg, Austria.

Her hobbies include baking, hiking, golf and crafting.

Education

Ed.D. Tennessee State University
Ed.S. Tennessee Technological University
M.S. Tennessee Technological University
B.S. University of North Carolina

Research or Areas of Specialty

My area of expertise is in the science of reading. I research how literacy develops in students, and how to use that expertise to grow teacher candidates into excellent reading teachers.

Recognitions

  • CAEP EPP Recognition as an Accreditation Exemplar for Standards 2 and 4. (2023).
  • Tennessee Wesleyan College Faculty Incentive Recognition Award. (2013).
  • Tennessee Wesleyan College Faculty Incentive Merit Award. (2008).
  • Tennessee Wesleyan College Alton L. Smith Award for Academic Advising. (2007).
  • Who’s Who among America’s Teachers. (2005).
  • Loudon County Education Foundation Recognition Award. (2004).
  • Teacher of the Year/Lenoir City Schools. (2001).
  • Exemplary Educator of the Year Award (2000).

Classes at PC

  • EDEC 303 Early Childhood Curriculum
  • EDEC 304 Methods and Materials
  • EDEL 305 Science for Elementary Teachers
  • EDEC 310 Literacy for Children
  • EDEC 311 Emergent and Early Literacy
  • EDUC 300 Practicum IV

Organizations

  • SC Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement Board Member (CERRA) (2017-2024).
  • South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) (2017-Present).
  • International Reading Association (2017-Present).
  • National Education Association (2005-Present).

Certifications

  • PK-8 Teacher’s License
  • LETRS Certified

Publications

Jones, P. & Graham, T. (2025). Palmetto Literacy Conference Presentation. Targeted Intensive Tutoring in Reading: A Strategy to Improve Reading Instruction with Pre-Service Teachers.

Jones, P. & Smith, D. (2023) CAEPCON National Presentation. Partnerships & Program Impact: Connecting the EPP and LEA Through LCAS (CAEP Standards 2 & 4). Washington, D.C.

Jones, P. (2023). The ABCs of LETRS 9th Annual GROW Symposium, Newberry, SC.

Jones, P. (2021). SCEDA Department of Education Program Review Taskforce Presentation. (March 26, 2021).