The Neag School of Education and its Alumni Board are proud to announce the 2019 Neag School Alumni Awards honorees. Seven outstanding Neag School graduates will be recognized at the School’s 21st annual Alumni Awards Celebration on Saturday, March 16, 2019.

The field of education has been going through constant evaluation and evolution since 1983, when “A Nation At Risk” was published.

“That report sounded the alarm that the United States was not at the top of the food chain anymore when it comes to education,” says Richard Gonzales, director of UConn’s Neag School of Education leadership preparation program.

Since then, responses to the report have encompassed curriculum changes and standards, teacher preparation, and in the early 2000s, a growing emphasis on leadership – in particular the role and training of school principals.

UConn is now one of seven universities that are part of The Wallace Foundation’s University Principal Preparation Initiative, a four-year, $48.5-million program aimed at improving training for aspiring administrators. The Foundation encourages administrator training that emphasizes the practical aspects of the job and includes instructors who have been school leaders themselves.

“When I first started my student teaching, I understood that all of my students would have specific learning needs that must be addressed throughout the school year,” writes Caroline Galeota. “As a teacher with dual certifications in elementary education and special education, I knew I would need to support students with a wide range of talents and abilities. Yes, it was tough learning how to identify and implement supports that ensure academic growth for students, but with proper training and time in the classroom it became second nature.”

Assistant Superintendent Catherine Carbone has been chosen to lead the city’s school system. Carbone had served as a senior administrator in the Hartford schools, and before that spent seven years as principal of Bristol’s Chippens Hill Middle School.

UConn researchers are developing an immersive learning experience using virtual reality (VR) and game design to bring to life archival materials from the Nuremberg Trials.

UConn researchers are developing an immersive learning experience using virtual reality (VR) and game design to bring to life archival materials from the Nuremberg Trials.

UConn researchers are developing an immersive learning experience using virtual reality (VR) and game design to bring to life archival materials from the Nuremberg Trials.

Preston Green also has recently highlighted concerns that in voucher-style programs, civil rights protections typically do not follow children from public to private schools.

Emily Tarconish is a Ph.D. candidate in Neag School’s educational psychology program with a concentration in special education. She is a survivor of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) she endured at the age of 15. With years of hard work and rehabilitation, Tarconish has relearned how to walk, speak, and regain basic life functions. Once she completes her Ph.D., she plans to pursue research focused in part on improving access to higher education for college students with TBIs.