On Saturday, April 25, 15 students from the UCAPP Preparing Leaders for Urban Schools (PLUS) and the cohorts in the Department of Educational Leadership gathered at the Neag School’s Gentry Building to present the change projects they led as interns during the 2014-15 academic year. Each project exemplifies the students’ efforts to spearhead change to improve outcomes for students in schools across the state of Connecticut.

Funded jointly by UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) and the Neag School of Education, the Math Intercultural Competence (Math ICC) project integrates key Common Core requirements in math, as well as standard requirements of world languages and social studies that middle school students must master. The innovative learning units developed by the interdisciplinary Math ICC team will officially be introduced to sixth-graders in Farmington, Conn., during the coming academic year.

A Neag School of Education faculty member is one of the co-authors of Reimagining the Science Department (NSTA Press, 2015), a book published in March by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) to help secondary educators create “a place where teachers are encouraged to question both their beliefs about science and the teaching and assessment strategies that develop in response to those beliefs.”

Dan Pichette, who was appointed the dean of students at Journalism and Media Academy this past August, is wrapping up his first year as an administrator. He graduated from the Neag School of Education’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) program in 2004 and the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) in 2011.

Thanks to the Neag School’s STEM-focused Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) at Avery Point, a second cohort of graduates is now prepared to teach in such critical shortage areas as science and math. And with a new grant in place, the program is not only ready to recruit – but also fully fund – 24 more aspiring science teachers from nontraditional backgrounds at Avery Point over the next four years.

Next year, UConn’s Neag School of Education and School of Law will partner for the first time to address this need head-on, launching a new graduate program designed for working professionals interested in obtaining a law degree as well as certification as an educational administrator. The program is believed to be the first of its kind in the nation.

Come fall, eight promising new Ph.D. candidates will arrive on the UConn Storrs campus knowing that they will have four years of fully funded support, thanks to an innovative new program instituted this past year by Neag School of Education Dean Richard Schwab.

Professor Thomas B. Goodkind retires on June 1, 2015, after spending 50 years as a faculty member in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. In this special piece for Spotlight, he shares a glimpse into his countless experiences inside – and outside – of the classroom over the past half-century.

The Neag School of Education recognized graduates from the Class of 2015 during two ceremonies held the weekend of May 9 and 10, 2015.

Through UConn’s Neag School of Education, individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree and who are interested in teaching can earn in one year a master’s degree and teaching certification through our accelerated, full-time Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG). Thanks to Neag Alumni Scholarship support, two new students join the program this summer.