Obituary: Elaine Stotko, 54, Chair of Teacher
Preparation at School of Education
Stotko
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By James Campbell School of Education
Elaine Stotko, chair of the Department of Teacher
Preparation at the Johns Hopkins School of
Education since 2001, died of brain cancer on Oct. 16
at Gilchrist Hospice Center in Towson. She was
54.
Ralph Fessler, dean of the School of Education, said,
"Elaine was an outstanding educator who
cared deeply about her students and the quality of our
programs. She worked closely with faculty
across the university to deepen the content knowledge and
teaching skills of our Master of Arts in
Teaching candidates. Her loss is felt deeply by those who
worked with her. We will miss her."
Under Stotko's leadership, teacher preparation
programs expanded and the partnership with
Baltimore City public schools grew stronger. At the start
of this school year, 25 percent of the new
teachers hired in Baltimore were enrolled in School of
Education programs. Stotko was instrumental in
building relationships with other divisions of the
university. For example, faculty members from the
schools of Engineering and Arts and Sciences were recruited
to help teach special-topics courses in
math, science, social studies and English. She also
expanded the department's offering by adding a
master's program in English for speakers of other
languages. In 2003, Stotko was a co-coordinator of
the School of Education's successful effort for national
accreditation.
Described by her colleagues as an innovator, critical
thinker and outstanding problem solver,
Stotko was committed to seeing that her students received
the help they needed in their classroom.
Jennifer Cuddapah, an assistant professor, said Stotko was
"an incredible leader" who enjoyed helping
teachers deal with the hardships of the profession. Another
assistant professor in the Teacher
Preparation program, Mary Ellen Beaty O'Ferrell, said,
"Elaine was very supportive of teachers and of
her faculty members who supported those teachers. Whatever
you needed to achieve your goal, Elaine
would listen and help you figure out a way to accomplish
it."
Stotko's numerous research interests included the
impact of teacher education on teacher
quality, linguistics for teachers and children's
understanding of language.
She was an accomplished bluegrass bass fiddler, sang
in her church choir and enjoyed gardening,
bookbinding and traveling.
"Her sharp wit, generous heart and acceptance of all
people earned her many, many dear friends
who stood by her and comforted her through her illness with
excellent food, good company and
laughter," said her husband, Eric Jacobson.
Stotko was born in Rapid City, S.D., and raised in
Bossier City, La., where she graduated from
Parkway Senior High School in 1971. She earned a bachelor's
degree in French from Northeast
Louisiana University in 1975 and a master's degree in
English as a Second Language from the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1977. In
1992, she earned a doctorate in linguistics from
the University of Delaware, where she served for 16 years
as senior assistant dean in the College of
Human Services, Education and Public Policy.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by a son,
Adrian Q. Quintero, of Baltimore; a
stepdaughter, Jessica L. Jacobson, of Millersville, Pa.; a
brother, Edward Stotko, of Port Deposit, Md.;
a sister, Lori Stotko, of Half Moon Bay, Calif.; and her
parents, CP "Ski" and Arline Stotko of Bossier
City, La.
A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday,
Nov. 15, in the Bunting-Meyerhoff
Interfaith and Community Service Center; a reception will
follow in the Education Building. In lieu of
flowers, memorial donations can be made to the First
Unitarian Church Music Program, 730 Halstead
Road, Wilmington, DE 19803 and/or the Gilchrist Center for
Hospice Care, 555 W. Towsontown Blvd.,
Towson, MD 21204.
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2008
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