Dr. Christa D. Haring has served as a practitioner and researcher in the field of education for more than 20 years. For the past 13 years, she has collaborated on federally funded grants measuring the impact of coaching and related interventions on outcomes for educators, students, home visitors, and families. As National Director of Education and Research for one of the nation’s home visiting models, she oversaw professional development and supported staff for more than 120 home visiting chapters across the country. In this role she was primarily responsible for evaluating the efficacy, effectiveness, and feasibility of early language and literacy interventions implemented to improve interactions between children and caregivers. She also oversaw the identification and implementation of assessment tools to capture changes in attitudes, beliefs, and practices of parents, children, and childcare providers.
Dr. Haring currently supports and trains regional literacy coaches who support more than 60,000 teachers across the state of Virginia. Prior to coming to the University of Virginia, she served as a speech-language pathologist, special educator, curriculum writer, research scientist, and university professor. She holds a Ph.D. in Special Education with an emphasis in learning disabilities and behavior disorders from The University of Texas. As a mother who benefited from home visiting, she believes strongly in programs that support children and families and the potential these programs have for strengthening families and communities.
Angela Rau is the owner of ACTT consulting. Her professional focus is on home visiting, family engagement, workforce development, and coaching. She informed the Parent as Teachers (PAT) relational approach to home visiting. The first virtual home visiting program, Parents as Teachers @ USC Telehealth, was co-designed by Ms. Rau. This program was selected as the winner of the Gary Community Investments/OpenIDEO Early Childhood Innovations Prize. As PAT Director of Program Innovations and Professional Development, Ms. Rau led training design and the professional development of national trainers. During her term, she drove transitions into virtual training and home visiting. She is an active consultant for The Rapid Response–Virtual Home Visiting (RR-VHV) collaborative. She actively participates in the Start Early Communities of Practice–Professional Development: Pathways to promoting home visitors’ competence through coaching.
