Beth Ricks

Beth Ricks PhD is a teacher educator and head of school with deep knowledge in whole language and multi-sensory phonics. She has worked with vulnerable youth as a teacher in rural Louisiana and on Navajo reservations. As Head of School she transformed a PK-8 traditional school into an arts integrated, literature-based PK-8 experience, with an emphasis on leadership and service learning. During her tenure, she grew enrollment by 25% and created a technology infrastructure that enabled teachers and students to seamlessly transition to online learning during the COVID-19 shutdown. During her time as Head of School, Dr. Ricks also consulted as a literacy specialist with public and private schools, and was a national trainer with Scholastic Publishing, as well as a Scholar and Storyteller with Primetime Family Reading in high-poverty rural communities. As a tenured professor at University of Louisiana at Monroe, Dr. Ricks was esteemed faculty, co-authoring grants for over quarter of million dollars in support of interdisciplinary experiential learning for at-risk youth and teacher professional development. She continues to teach at the college-level in Secondary Methods at Louisiana Tech University.