The Middlesex United Way is pleased to present the Community Service Award to Patricia Charles. This honors volunteer service to the agency, considering length and continuity of service. It is the highest and most prestigious honor for a United Way volunteer.

Students who are both academically talented and also on the autism spectrum can enjoy greater success in college based on the correct high school experience. That’s the finding of research performed by a UConn team in the Neag School of Education and published in a recent issue of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Two UConn students have been chosen as the 2022 Alma Exley Scholars. They are Saraya Lewis, a junior majoring in secondary English education, and Tamashi Hettiarachchi, who is pursuing a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. She majored in chemistry education as an undergraduate at UConn. The program was able to offer two scholarships this year because of the growth of the endowment at the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain. The growth was achieved thanks to substantial contributions as well as solid investment gains.

“Whenever and however you celebrate, having a holiday season is important for wellbeing,” says UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Sandra Chafouleas. “Holidays set aside time for relaxation, reflection and reliable traditions — a trio that has become increasingly important as the world has gotten more chaotic and less predictable. Whether you approach them from a spiritual, social or cultural perspective, celebrating holidays can offer a ‘super big dose’ of positive emotions like joy, gratitude, serenity, hope, pride and love.

Neag School alumnus Jamahl Hines, who has been an assistant principal at Conard High School for nearly a decade, has been named 2022 Assistant Principal of the Year, the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) announced Tuesday.

The year 2021 featured many newsworthy events that kept Inside Higher Ed’s reporters busy. As the year comes to a close, we want to thank you for sticking with us for the news, regardless of how weighty the topics were. The five most read stories were: 5. Biden’s Choice for Education Secretary: Miguel Cardona, education commissioner in Connecticut, is a strong defender of public schools.

When the average person consumes information through sources like television, radio, a website, or a newspaper, they might do it with a critical eye. What is the viewpoint of the news outlet? Has it been trustworthy in the past? Is there another source for this information to get a second opinion? A map is different. People tend to look at maps as absolute information that should be taken as fact without analysis. But that’s a mistake, according to a pair of UConn professors from the Neag School of Education in a recent article published in Social Studies Research and Practice.

What are phenomena and how can science teachers use these events to engage students in science? Professor of Science Education Todd Campbell joins us to help start a series about using phenemona in science education. Listen to hear about new strategies in how pre-service science educators are being prepared, where to start if you are beginning a journey to adopt NGSS, and how we can all use phenomena to help students explain the world around them.

Sue O’Connell hit the streets to find out about people’s holiday traditions. She also spoke with Neag School of Education Professor Sandra Chafouleas about how important these rituals are to the holiday season.

Friday was International Human Rights Day and the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education and Dodd Human Rights Impact Program both recognized the occasion. The virtual event Friday was highlighted by the appearance of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Car-dona, who provided opening remarks. The roundtable featured former U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, Conard High School teacher Abigail Esposito, UConn graduate student Tyler Gleen and Capitol Region Education Council Civic Leadership High School student Zoe Maldonado.