The Future of Education

Julie Buntich, Principal of Elizabeth Scott Elementary School has served in this leadership capacity for 7 years. Prior to that she worked for seven years as Assistant Principal. Julie Buntich has extensive experience as an instructional coach, teacher leader, teacher, and administrator. In total she has served 28 years as an education leader in Chesterfield County. Julie Buntich earned her BS in Education from Canisius College in Buffalo, New York and completed a Masters in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is trained in Expeditionary Learning, which was born out of a collaboration between Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound USA. She was one of the first instructional teacher leaders to implement this method in Chesterfield County Public Schools. Expeditionary Learning is the true beginning of Problem Based Learning (PBL). Julie Buntich has extensive experience in Title 1 schools, which are schools including a large population of English Language Learners. She uses her innovative approach of instructional leadership to ensure that all of her students have the opportunity for academic achievement. She is a regular presenter at state and regional conferences and provides professional development for school administrators and teachers. Julie Buntich always welcomes other educators from across the Commonwealth to visit Elizabeth Scott Elementary, which is a model school in Virginia. In 2019, Julie Buntich implemented the first two-way Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program in Chesterfield County and has articulated this program from Kindergarten to fourth grade, with the intent to grow the program K-12. Using creative scheduling and leveraging technology to create an engaging virtual learning environment, she was able to sustain this research based instructional method throughout COVID. Since the start of the program, Julie Buntich has demonstrated exceptional perseverance in calibrating instruction, making adjustments in scheduling and routines, emphasizing collaboration and improving instructional practices across the board to ensure that all students are learning. The benefits of the Dual Language Immersion program exceed expectations in all core content areas, such as math and reading, with students also demonstrating strong development of socio-intercultural competence. Students' academic skills and critical thinking skills are reflected in their high overall high performance levels.

Areas of expertise: Educational Policy, Planning & Leadership, Dual Language Immersion Education, Educational Innovations, Global Competency Development, Professional Development for Administrators & Teachers, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessments, Special Education, Inclusive Teaching Practices