Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Explore their most recent promotions, awards, retirements, publications, and more:

• Dean’s Office
• Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Office of Teacher Education
• Department of Educational Leadership
• Department of Educational Psychology
• Faculty/Staff
• Students
• Alumni
• In Memoriam

Dean’s Office

In spring 2024, the Neag School is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Ray Neag’s gift and the renaming of the School in his honor, as well as reflecting on how Ray’s generosity and vision made the School what it is today: one of the top public schools of education in the country. Read more about their support and legacy.

The Neag School of Education and its Alumni Board are delighted to announce the 2024 Neag School Alumni Awards honorees:

• Outstanding School Educator —Amber Dickey ’16 (CLAS), ’16 (ED), ’17 MA
• Outstanding Professional — Kathleen “Kate” England ’85 (ED), ’94 MA, ’13 ELP
• Outstanding Early Career Professional — Claudia Bouchard ’19 MA
• Outstanding School Administrator — Scott Hurwitz ’06 (ED), ’07 MA, ’19 Ed.D., ’21 ELP
• Outstanding School Superintendent — David Petrone ’92 MA, ’99 6th Year, ’12 ELP
• Outstanding Higher Education Professional — Susannah Richards ’03 Ph.D.
• Outstanding Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Professional — Madeline Negrón, ’98 MA, ’12 Ph.D., ’15 ELP
• Distinguished Alumna — Carmen Effron ’72 (ED), ’81 MBA

All awardees will be formally recognized at the Neag School’s 26th Annual Alumni Awards Celebration in March. Read more about the honorees.

Dean Emeritus Richard Schwab ’79 MA, ’81 Ph.D. and his wife Kristin are featured by the UConn Foundation about a new fund they established that supports the Landscape Architecture Program.

The Neag School was a sponsor for UConn’s 2024 MLK Living Legacy Convocation. Two Neag School individuals were recognized as MLK Living Legacy Convocation honorees: Shana Lusk, as the outstanding graduate student, and Milagros Castillo-Montoya, as the outstanding faculty member. These awards recognize exceptional contributions of Leadership, Advocacy, Social Justice, Community Service, and Education. Each recipient has demonstrated remarkable commitment and achievement in their respective fields, embodying the values of excellence and positive impact. 

UConn Alumni hosted a reception at City Steam Brewery in Hartford on Jan. 10 before a UConn Women’s Basketball game. The Neag School was joined by alums from the schools of Fine Arts,  Pharmacy, and  Nursing. President Radenka Maric also made a special appearance at the reception before everyone headed to the game. View photos from the event.

Hannah Cooke, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, prepared a rapid research brief with the Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE). This research brief compares traditional and block schedules in schools and evaluates their impact on student achievement and other outcomes.

Department of Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI) and Office of Teacher Education

Neag School’s Office of Teacher Education hosted its first in-person Teacher Education Partnership Summit in years to enhance collaboration between school district partners and the Neag School. Partner districts throughout the state welcome UConn student-teachers and interns into their classrooms, and the Neag School works closely with districts to combat teacher shortages and support. Read about the Summit.

UConn launched the Human Rights Close to Home program, a new, innovative, and unique teacher-and-student human rights and civics education program conceived and supported by Shari Redstone, along with her family’s charitable foundation and her longtime friend, former Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd. From this support, insight, and effort by the Redstone Family Foundation and the UConn Human Rights Close to Home, an initiative of Dodd Impact Human Rights Programs in collaboration with the Neag School of Education, was born.

The Hartford cohort of the Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) took a field trip for their multicultural education class in November. They visited the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History and learned about educator resources and programs available for Connecticut youth. View photos from the field trip.

Teacher Certification Program for College Graduate (TCPCG) candidates from four UConn campuses (Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury) came together at UConn Waterbury to share their Action Research Inquiry Projects in December. Graduate students in the TCPCG program, Neag faculty, administrators, and family members enjoyed a night of scholarship, celebration, and cannoli. The Action Research Inquiry Project is a culminating study within each graduate student’s internship school. Projects ranged from reading interventions implemented with exceptional learners to culturally responsive pedagogy and representation in the high school classroom. View photos from the event.

Last month, English education students Kyra Arena, Carsen Keith, Maria Luca, and Neag School alumna Anne Denerville ’18 (ED), ’19 MA traveled with Danielle Filipiak to Columbus, Ohio, to share their work at the annual meeting for the National Council for the Teachers of English. In their presentation, “We Make the Road by Walking: Pre-Service Teachers Enacting Critical ELA Curriculum in Secondary Classrooms,” they shared how they conceptualized and enacted socially just curricula that supported their grade 6-12 students’ sense of belonging, agency, and voice in the classroom. Additionally, they had a chance to learn from and rub elbows with prominent literacy scholars, grab lots of free books, and connect with teachers nationwide.

Dominique Battle-Lawson and Sydnee Jones co-presented at the 2023 National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) Conference along with the Leadership in Diversity (LID) E-Board seniors: Carter Newman, Daniel Lozano, Camille Terrell, and Logan McCallum Laval. Their presentation was titled “Peace and Justice Through a Student-Led Organization: Empowering Students of Color in a Predominantly White Teacher Preparation Program.” The NAME Conference was held in November in Montgomery, Alabama.

Department of Educational Leadership (EDLR)

The Sport Management Program hosted two webinars in January including, “Palestinians and Israelis: What Is at Stake for Sport and Sport Scholars/Practitioners,” and “Complicity and Solidarity: Sport, Higher Education, and Palestine/Israel.”

Steven Auteri, Daisy Torres, Ryan Broderick, Ken Daly III, and Eileen Bouffard – all members of the 2021 Ed.D. cohort – presented their work at the UCEA Annual Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November. At the same conference, Jennie Weiner and Neag School alumna Daron Cyr ’09 (ED), ’09 (CLAS), ’10 MA, ’23 Ph.D co-presented with other colleagues “Implications of the ‘Glass Cliff’ Phenomenon for Women Leaders in Independent Schools” and Weiner and Neag School alumna Alex Lamb ’23 Ph.D co-presented with other colleagues “Leaders’ Theories of Action in ARP-ESSER Planning.”

Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY)

Joseph Madaus, Nicholas Gelbar, and Sally Reis co-authored “7 Strategies to Help Autistic Students Succeed in College” for The Conversation, based on a research study they conducted.

Faculty, staff, and students from the Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development program in the EPSY department attended the annual convention of the National Association for Gifted Children in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, in November. The team provided more than 20 presentations during the convention (list available here), including Signature Session panel discussions featuring Joseph Renzulli (pictured) and Sally Reis. Del Siegle provided an update session on the work of the National Center for Research on Gifted Education, which is housed at UConn. Catherine Little and D. Betsy McCoach, both current members of the NAGC Board of Directors, participated in Board activities and also gave presentations at the convention. Four doctoral students participated in the annual Research and Evaluation Network Research Gala, during which Lihong Xie received a first-place recognition for in-progress research.  

Faculty/Staff

Michele Back published “Identity Work and Intercultural Awareness Through Cultural Excavation: Teacher Candidates Studying Abroad” for the December issue of The New Educator. She also helped launch a UConn memorial scholarship fund in honor of her late husband, Jorge Aguero, a professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Jacqueline Caemmerer and Neag School alumna Briana Hennessy ’12 (ED), ’12 (CLAS), ’13 MA, ’21 Ph.D., along with another colleague, co-published “Third Variables in Longitudinal Research: Application of Longitudinal Mediation and Moderation in School Psychology” for the April issue of the Journal of School Psychology.

Todd Campbell, Hannah Cooke, Byung-Yeol Park, Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo, and others, co-authored “High Leverage Practices for Environmental Corps (E-Corps) Courses” for the December issue of College Teaching.

Campbell-Montalvo co-authored with Hannah Cooke and others “Que(e)rying How Professional STEM Societies’ Serve Queer and Trans Engineering and Science Undergraduates” for the December issue of A Journal of the American Educational Studies Association.

Tutita Casa recently published a new book “Illuminating and Advancing the Path for Mathematical Writing Research” (IGI Global 2023). Learn more about the book in a UConn Today feature.

Sandra Chafouleas was featured on NBC Connecticut for her pop-up class on emotional well-being, which she co-launched with Melissa Bray, Ido Davidesco, and Latoya Haynes-Thoby. The course, which was featured in UConn Today, was very popular among students and returned this spring after an overwhelming response last fall. Chafouleas was also mentioned in a UConn Today article about her work with puppets during the “Moving Beyond Implications: Research Into Policy” conference, which was held in January in Hartford.

Zachary Collier and UConn alumna Valerie Earnshaw ’11 Ph.D. are leading a research project in opioid use disorder recovery. Their work is part of a $3.75 million grant to pilot a new program for people in recovery from opioid use disorder. Read about their research in UConn Today.

Hannah Dostal co-published “Developing Expressive Language Skills of Deaf Students Through Writing Instruction” for the January issue of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.

Preston Green was named to Education Week’s 2024 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings (163 out of 200).

Elizabeth Howard co-authored “Navigating Tensions Between Translanguaging and Separation of Languages in Dual Language Programs” for the Vol. 7 issue of Dual Language Education of New Mexico Monograph Series.

Risa Isard co-published “Between Profit and Purpose: Employee Responses to Financial and Social Logics in Women’s Sport” for the December issue of Journal of Sport Management.

James Kaufman co-authored “Creativity in the Age of Generative AI” for the November issue of Nature Human Behavior. He also co-published “Creative Subprocess Frequencies and Their Relation to Personal Characteristics and Product Creativity: Insights from a Drawing Task Think Aloud Study” for the December issue of the Journal of Creative Behavior and “The Process Definition of Creativity” for the November issue of Creativity Research Journal.

Allison Lombardi has been serving as a panelist on three working groups commissioned by IES to develop What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guides on the following topics: College Access and Success (to be available in late 2024), Career Readiness (to be available in 2025), and Supporting Student Success in High School Classrooms (to be available in 2026).

Kelly Lyman recently led the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Accreditation visit to the Leysin American School in Leysin, Switzerland.  The NEASC international accreditation protocol is designed to support schools through a process of transformation grounded by a set of school-created guiding documents that define teaching and learning and its impact on students.

Joseph Madaus co-authored a new book “Handbook of Higher Education and Disability: International Perspectives” (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023).

Adam McCready received $1,250 for “College Student Organization New Member Experiences and Stress Study” from the National Association for Campus Activities. McCready also co-published “A Quantitative Examination of Social Justice Orientation Among Members of a Historically White Sorority” for the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education’s January issue. McCready was also recognized by the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Foundation for the Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award. Read more about his service award in UConn Today. There was also a reception in his honor in December. View photos from the event.

Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead co-published “Navigating the Boundaries Between Evaluators and Similar Applied Professionals” for the December issue of the European Evaluation Society and “The Garden of Evaluation Approaches” for the January issue of the American Journal of Evaluation.

Byung-Yeol Park, Todd Campbell, and others co-presented “Uncertainty and Ambiguity in Efforts to Diversify the K-12 STEM Teaching Workforce” at the 2024 Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) in New Orleans, Louisiana, in January. Emily Lisy and Hannah Cooke, doctoral students in curriculum and instruction, along with Todd Campbell and Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo, co-presented “STEM Teacher Leadership in the Context of Teaching Science for Social Justice” with others at the same conference.

Sandra Quiñones co-presented with two Neag School IB/M master’s students, Hailey Deitelbaum and Kelly Yeung, on “Teaching and Learning About the Science of Reading with a Multilingual Twist” at the Connecticut Association of Biliteracy and Bicultural Education Virtual Winter Conference in December.

Del Siegle presented a webinar in January for the North Dakota Association for the Gifted on “Addressing Underachievement: Five Tips to Unlock Your Student’s Giftedness.”

Saran Stewart, Frank Tuitt, and two educational leadership doctoral students — Kelly Schlabach and Omar Romandia — co-presented “Old Tactics in New Robes: Plantation Politics and the Recent Efforts to Reclaim White Privileges in Higher Education” at the Association for the Study of Higher Education conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November.

Saran Stewart, Stephanie Simpson, an educational leadership doctoral student, and another colleague, co-presented “Black Women Academic Renderings of Racism, Sexism, and State of Coloniality in the Netherlands” for the Association for the Study of Higher Education conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in November. Stewart was also the invited keynote speaker in November on “Building Bridges Not Walls: Fostering an Inclusive, Affirming and Equity-Minded Ecosystem to Promote Women and BIPOC Student Success in Engineering” for the 2023 Convening of the Engineering PLUS Alliance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and an invited virtual panelist for AERA Division D’s “Fireside Chat: Advancing Equity in Educational Measurement/Research: Addressing Bias and Fairness.” Stewart was also a co-panelist on a podcast, “Each One Teach One Parental Involvement and Family Engagement in Jamaica’s Education System,” for the New Book Network.     

Jennie Weiner presented “How Gender Discrimination and Gender Racism Impact the Leadership Pipeline and Hiring Practices” at the CABE/CAPSS Convention in Mystic, Connecticut, in November.

Michael Young co-presented “Learning During the Pandemic: Student Take-up, Student Outcomes and Aggregate School Effects of Remote and Hybrid Education” for the National Bureau of Economics Research (NBER) Economics of Education Program meeting in November in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Students

Brianna Bobo, a master’s student in educational psychology, was recognized as a 2024 Alma Exley Scholar. This scholarship is awarded to current students of color in a teacher-preparation program in Connecticut.

Arianna Rodriguez, a master’s student in the Higher Education Student Affairs (HESA) program, published a commentary, “The Need For More Holistic Approach to College Admission Policies,” in the Hartford Courant.

Faeze Safari, a doctoral student in educational leadership, co-published “L2 Learners’ Challenges in Integrated Writing Tasks: Implications for Writing Teachers and Developers of Diagnostic Assessments” for the January issue of Language Learning Journal.

Alumni

Ajhanai C.I. Keaton ’21 Ph.D. published a commentary, “Sports Must Make Intersectionality a Connector for Fractured Political Landscape,” for the December issue of Sports Business Journal.

Joseph Macary ’94 (CLAS), ’05 ELP, ’16 Ed.D., superintendent of Vernon Public Schools, was named the 2024 Connecticut Superintendent of the Year by the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents. Read about his recognition.

Perry A. Zirkel ’68 MA, ’72 Ph.D., ’76 JD. published “Adjudication Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: Explicitly Plentiful Rights but Inequitably Paltry Remedies” for the Connecticut Law Review.

In Memoriam

Lorraine J. (nee Wolak) Bellavance ’63
Paul M. Bonaparte-Krogh ’77
Mark E. Cohan ’81
Margaret Cunnane ’75
Rayann B. Cummings ’72
Joseph J. DeLucia ’74
Paula P. Erickson ’77
Betty J. Faragher ’61
Wilfred H. Gladue ’67
Edgar J. Gorman ’75
Meg S. Hamilton ’70
Dolores T. (Tondat) Hilding ’72
Kenneth W. Holton ’60
Betty J. Johnson ’94
Nancy W. (Woodruff) Kannenberg ’58
Mary L. Keables ’60
Charles H. King ’72
Michelle T. Kinsella ’05
Norman D. Laliberte ’79
Lorraine R. Langer ’72
Eleanor Lindman ’75
Richard Lovins ’73
Frank W. Luth Jr. ’71
John T. MacDonald ’71
Daniel G. McAuliffe ’72
James P. McGuire ’94
Gary P. Medeiros Sr. ’77
Neil L. Mesick ’67
Bibe Schnitzer ’81
John E. Shelhart ’80
Carolyn P. (Peterson) Soares ’74
William J. Spring Jr. ’91
Alan O. Stickles ’59
Glenn M. Trombly ’79
Alene H. Wendrow ’73
Raymond E. Wiencek ’54

Congratulations to our Neag School alumni, faculty, staff, and students on their continued accomplishments inside and outside the classroom. If you have an accolade to share, we want to hear from you! Please email us any news items or story ideas.