Another concern is that the popularity of these programs in white, affluent districts will lead to the schools being less focused on the needs of ELLs. The University of Connecticut, Cardona’s alma mater, has recently been awarded a $179,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education to address these concerns by promoting a greater focus on sociocultural competence.
“As a coordinator of this class, I felt completely invigorated to be a member of the University of Connecticut,” says Milagros Castillo-Montoya, a professor of higher education and student affairs at the Neag School. “I did not know how it was going to turn out. But, I am so excited that we have a University leadership right now that removed all barriers to make happen. I feel like I am at a university that is not just talking the talk, but really engaging in the hard work we need to do and investing the time, money, and resources of all sorts to make change happen.”
“As in STEM fields – STEM education continues to present as a strong job market,” says David Moss, an associate professor in the Neag School of Education. “In the STEM fields the market appears strong across the spectrum of education – that is, post-secondary technical trading, 4-year degree graduates, as well as those with advanced all, face way better than average job prospects.”
Gladis Kersaint has been named UConn Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives; her appointment begins March 1. Read the Provost’s announcement.
If our nation’s cities and towns are going to be asked to do more and more, the pandemic partnerships and the progress we have made offer promise for a brighter future for our communities.
Imagine what would happen if a preschooler didn’t “use their words” when they got upset about sharing, instead stomping around yelling while adults simply observed in silence. Think about what the school climate would feel like if a student punched another during recess while others watched without seeking help.
Now consider the actions – and inactions – by Trump Jan. 6 as the electoral vote counts occurred at the U.S. Capitol. Those behaviors show a desperate need for social emotional learning.
To Miguel Cardona, it’s not “oh pobrecitos” — “oh poor them” — said Richard Gonzales, an associate professor in residence at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education who has worked closely with Cardona on principal preparation initiatives. “No, no, no. We will serve them as well as possible, and we will ask them to do their part, and they will rise because they’re very capable.”
Connecting these school scenarios and Trump’s behaviors is not intended to contribute to the ever-mounting list of recommended consequences that could result from his fueling the insurrection that our nation has just experienced. It does bear noting, however, that if Trump were a Black teenager, he most certainly would have received exclusionary disciplinary action such as suspension and perhaps even expulsion from school.
The Neag School of Education’s Alumni Board recently sought to highlight the equity work the West Hartford Public Schools district has been doing in social justice education as well as social emotional learning through a virtual panel discussion in December. The Board’s Student and Alumni Networking Committee Chair, Jocelyn Tamborello-Noble ’03 ED, ’04 MA, ’09 6th Year, spearheaded the event, recruiting colleagues who have been engaged in different facets of social justice work throughout their careers to speak on the panel alongside her.
Meriden is where Miguel Cardona — President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to become the next U.S. education secretary — grew up and spent 21 years of his 23-year career as an educator. And his experiences there — his battles and the district’s successes — will likely be front-of-mind as he coordinates policy for all the public schools in the country.
