More than 35 years of experience as an educational administrator and classroom teacher serve as the basis for Sharon Ruiz Van Vleck’s work as a CORE Educational Services Consultant. Her primary areas of expertise are research-based reading instruction, leadership support, professional development design and delivery, and school improvement. As a former Research Associate in the Sacramento, California, office of RMC Research Corporation, Ms. Van Vleck provided technical assistance services through the National Reading Technical Assistance Center (NRTAC) to state and local educational agencies on the implementation of Reading First grants and subgrants. Her responsibilities included supporting the implementation of reading programs aligned with scientific reading research, building Reading First grantees’ capacity to use data to guide instructional decision making, and developing instructional tools that augment teacher effectiveness. In addition, Ms. Van Vleck had leadership responsibility for NRTAC projects, including chairing the national professional development session on Advanced Coaching, the development of professional development modules (Meeting the Needs of All Learners, and Advanced Coaching), and as lead for technical assistance in the Western State Cluster.

Prior to joining RMC Research, Ms. Van Vleck served as Director of Training and Development and Director of the Reading First California Technical Assistance Center at the Reading Lions Center in Sacramento. She also previously held administrative positions in the Sacramento City Unified School District, including principal and Director for Elementary Language Arts Curriculum. In addition, Ms. Van Vleck devoted many years to teaching and mentoring teachers in urban elementary schools with a high proportion of English learners.

Ms. Van Vleck earned a bachelor’s degree in art and history from the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is credentialed in California for teaching and administration and is certified as a Reading Specialist and Language Development Specialist. Ms. Van Vleck teaches California Reading Language Arts Specialist Credential and California Reading Certificate courses at the University of California Los Angeles Extension and the University of California Davis Extension.