President
Applied Research Faculty
EdD, University of California, Berkeley

“I have a learning disability called dysgraphia and dyslexia. School was not easy for me, and for many years early in my education I thought I was the dumb kid in the class. I was in the “special” reading groups, and I was given the alternative assignments that asked me to do less. Lucky for me, a handful of exceptional teachers came along who helped me separate my challenges from my intellect (thank you Mrs. Simms, Mr. Nelson and Mr. Ferris!). I came to see myself as a scholar and an intellectual who happened to have some particular obstacles. They even helped me to see the work I did to overcome these obstacles as contributing to special skills and strengths that other students might not have. Because of them, my education pathway, and my life, changed dramatically. They are why I went into education, and they are who I’m thinking about when I’m working with teachers and school leaders. I am always thinking that this educator across from me may be the one who changes a young person’s life, and I ask myself what I can do to help. That is what fuels my passion for education.”

 

Biography

Page Tompkins, EdD, is the President of UVEI and a faculty member in the teacher and school leadership programs.

Page has 30 years of experience as an educator, including 18 years in higher education teaching and administration. He is a former high school principal, special educator, and social science teacher, with a background in experiential learning, project based learning, and the Coalition of Essential Schools approach to school design. Prior to coming to UVEI, Page was the founding director of the Reach Institute for School Leadership in Oakland, California, and an instructor in the Principal Leadership Institute masters program and the Leadership for Educational Equity doctorate program at UC Berkeley.

Page earned his doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of California Berkeley; and a Master of Arts in Education, with a concentration in youth development and community based education, from San Francisco State University. Page holds a New Hampshire educator credential as a Superintendent, Principal, Curriculum Administrator, and Social Studies (5-12) teacher.

Research & Practice Interests

Page’s research and practice interests include how teachers learn, instructional coaching, teacher leadership, teacher professional community, effective teaching, instructional program coherence, restorative practices and restorative school climates, and school improvement.

Service

• 2018-2022: Member, Steering Committee, Upper Valley Teaching Place Collaborative, Vital Communities
• 2017-2022: Board of Directors, Youth in Action, Hanover, NH
• 2017-2020: Member, Teacher Preparation Research Alliance, Research Education Laboratory – Northeast and Islands
• 2014-2021: Member & Vice-Chair (2020-2021), Professional Standards Board, NH Department of Education
• 2013-present: Member, NH Institutes of Higher Education Network
• 2012-2013: Member, State Superintendent’s Educator Excellence Task Force, California Department of Education
• 2012-2013: Co-Chair, Teacher Preparation Advisory Panel, California Commission on Teacher Credentials
• 2012-2016: Member, Carnegie Knowledge Network for Value-Added Modeling, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
• 2012-2020: Reviewer, Education Policy Analysis Archives
• 2009-2010: Member, California Standards for the Teaching Profession Continuum of Teacher Practice Working Group, California Department of Education

Presentations and Publications

• Tompkins, R. P. & Hawkes, T.E. (2024). How schools improve: A conceptual framework. Lebanon, NH: Upper Valley Educators Institute.
• Pointer, L., Dutreuil, C., Livelli, B., Londono, C., Pledl, C., Rodriguez, P., . . . Tompkins, R. P. (2023). Teaching restorative justice. Contemporary Justice Review, 1-11.
• Coen, E., & Tompkins, P. (2022). Restorative climates knowledge brief. Lebanon, NH: Upper Valley Educators Institute.
• Reagan, E. M., Terrell, D. G., Rogers, A., Schram, T., Tompkins, P., Ward, C., . . . McHale, G. (2019). Performance assessment for teacher candidate learning: A localized policy context. Teacher Education Quarterly, 46(2).
• Tompkins, P., Ward, C., Conrad, J., DeSena, D., Downey, K., Hubert, K., . . . Parsons, N. (2019). Supporting teaching of collaboration as an aspect of deeper learning: A networked design development study. Lebanon, NH: Upper Valley Educators Institute.
• Ward, C., Tompkins, P., DeSena, D., & Stainton, J. (2019). The networked design development model: A pilot study of cross-site school improvement. Lebanon, NH: Upper Valley Educators Institute.
• Tompkins, P., & Downey, K. (2018). Deliberate practice, reflection & inquiry: Essential elements of teacher development towards expert performance. Lebanon, NH: Upper Valley Educators Institute.
• Terrell, D. G., McCurdy, K., Birch, M., Schram, T., & Tompkins, P. (2018). Forcing me to reflect: Preservice and novice teachers’ reflective thinking in varied school contexts. In J. Many & R. Bhatnagar (Eds.), Implementing and analyzing performance assessments in teacher education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, Inc.
• Tompkins, P., & Ward, C. (2017). Six elements for effective instructional coaching: Supporting teacher learning for the complexity of teaching in the twenty-first century. New Hampshire Journal of Education (Spring 2017).
• Reagan, E. M., Terrell, D. G., Rogers, A., Schram, T., Tompkins, P., Ward, C., . . . McHale, G. (2016). A localized policy framework: A statewide collaboration toward a teacher candidate performance assessment. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
• Tompkins, P. (2016). Emergent integration: Coach roles in bridging coursework and fieldwork in effective, clinically focused teacher certification programs. Paper presented at the 48th Annual Meeting of the New England Educational Research Organization (NEERO), Portsmouth, NH.
• Rogers, A., Schram, T., Terrell, D. G., & Tompkins, P. (2014, April 30 – May 2). “We make the road by walking”: Embracing shared accountability through statewide collaboration among educator preparation programs. [Conference Presentation] 46th Annual Meeting of the New England Educational Research Organization. West Dover, VT.
• Tompkins, R. P., Mintrop, H., & Wayne, M. (2013). Instructional conference guide: Learning oriented conferences based on observation(s) and evidence of instruction. Oakland, CA: Reach Institute for School Leadership & Leadership for Educational Equity Program at UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education.
• Tompkins, R. P., Newton, X. A., Mintrop, R., Ordenes, M., Hernandez, L. E., & Cortez, A. (2013). Incentives for good schools: Charting the course of design iterations. [Conference Presentation]. American Educational Research Association 2013 Annual Meeting Program: Education and Poverty Theory, Research, Policy and Praxis, San Francisco, CA.
• Tompkins, P. (2012, November 15-18). Extrinsic performance incentives and educational quality: A design development challenge. [Conference Presentation]. University Council for Educational Administration Convention 2012: The Future Is Ours: Leadership Matters, Denver, CO.
• Tompkins, P. (2012). Alternative models for clinical practice. [Conference Presentation]. California Council for Teacher Education Fall 2012 Conference: Clinical Practice and the 21st Century Educator, San Diego, CA.
• Tompkins, R. P. (2011). Mentor and intern teacher boundary practices: Integrating theory and practice in effective alternative certification programs. Berkeley, CA: University of California, Berkeley.