For a decade, researchers from the Neag School of Education have worked with the state on an ambitious literacy initiative designed to close Connecticut’s significant achievement gap. Their efforts have proved so successful that now a program that began with a few pilot schools is set for significant expansion to school districts of need across the state.

Connecticut saw a record high number of antisemitic incidents last year. The Holocaust remembrance movement says “never forget,” but surveys find the problem is deeper — many young people lack basic knowledge of the Holocaust. On the next Cutline, we hear personal stories – then and now. We look at links between antisemitism and extremism, visit a Connecticut classroom teaching the Holocaust, and explore the story of Sobibor, a secret Nazi death camp that was a site of bravery and resistance.

Town Manager Rick Ledwith and Interim Superintendent of Schools Andy Morrow announced Tuesday that effective immediately Roszena Haskins has been promoted to a new position, and as executive director of Equity Advancement will manage the commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for both the school district and the town as a whole.

Working with researchers Prof. Morgaen Donaldson and Associate Prof. Eric Loken from the Neag School of Education, UConn has found so far that the applicant pools in 2021 and 2022 were significantly more diverse than prior years in terms of students’ racial and ethnic backgrounds, family incomes, and other factors.

The first comprehensive review of research on summer math programs in over 15 years suggests they may help mitigate the learning losses disproportionately experienced by low-income pre-K–12 students during the pandemic. The meta-analysis was published this week in Review of Educational Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

“Our results show that schools, district leaders, and community groups should consider increasing their investments in summer programs as an evidence-based strategy to aid in pandemic-related educational recovery, particularly for children whose learning has been placed most at risk,” said study co-author Kathleen Lynch, an assistant professor of learning sciences at the University of Connecticut.

Congratulations to Anamaria Arteaga, the July 2022 Holmes Scholar of the Month. Arteaga is a Ph.D. student at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education. As the service-learning course instructor for the Human Rights and Action Learning Community, she currently works as a graduate assistant for Community Outreach. Arteaga is also a board-certified behavior analyst (BCBA) with a background in applied behavior analysis (ABA) who has worked with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other related disabilities.

Mansfield Middle School Principal Candace Morell has been named the school system’s director of teaching and learning. Morell has served as a public educator for more than 25 years. She is a graduate of the UConn Neag School of Education with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education, Master of Science degree in Education, and a Sixth Year Diploma in Educational Leadership.

After 47 years in education, The Independent Day School’s Dr. Marijke Kehrhahn officially retired on June 30th. Dr. K, which she was affectionately called by the IDS community, served as the Head of School for the past six years, and was previously associated with the school as a Board Trustee and a parent of an IDS student.