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
The Neag School and its Alumni Board celebrated the 2024 Alumni Awards winners earlier this month. Learn about the event and the honorees.
The Rogers Educational Innovation Fund award committee selected Victoria Raucci, a magnet resource teacher at the Davis Academy for Arts and Design Innovation in New Haven, Connecticut, as this year’s recipient. She was formally recognized during the 2024 Alumni Awards Celebration. Read about the awardee and the project.
UConn’s Neag School, Department of English, and Connecticut Writing Project, co-sponsors of the 31st annual Letters About Literature contest, recognized Connecticut’s winners for the 2023-24 academic year. Read about the contest and this year’s winners.
Christopher Esposito, a Neag School doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Psychology, prepared a rapid research brief with the Neag School’s Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE). This research brief describes best practices for ensuring success for students entering higher education institutions today.
The Neag School’s Center for Education Policy Analysis, Research, and Evaluation (CEPARE) co-hosted an event titled “Building a Sustainable Leadership Pipeline in School Districts” with Hartford Public Schools (HPS) at UConn Hartford on March 18. The event included welcome remarks from Hartford Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, who spoke about HPS’s Hartford Principal Leadership Academy (HPLA), comments from graduates of the HPLA, introductory remarks from Neag School Associate Dean Morgaen Donaldson, who introduced the guest speaker, Jessica Rigby, an associate professor from the University of Washington’s College of Education. Rigby spoke about what central offices can do to design and implement learning opportunities that center justice-based leadership practices for school leaders. View photos from the event.
Neag School graduate students published the second issue of the Neag School of Education Journal. The editor-reviewed, open-access, annual journal is founded and run by graduate students at the Neag School and published four articles in its Spring 2024 issue. Read about the Journal’s new issue.
Department of Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI) and Office of Teacher Education
The Neag School’s Leadership in Diversity program was invited by Glastonbury Public Schools to an event on “The Power of Diversity and Mentoring” that was held in Glastonbury, Connecticut in March. The event included a keynote speaker, panel discussions, networking, and dinner.
E.O. Smith High School in Storrs, Connecticut, hosted a special event in March co-sponsored by the Neag School and organized by Alan Marcus. Titled “Breaking Bias, Embracing Empathy: Building Community at E.O. Smith,” the event aimed to promote conversations among E.O. students, faculty, parents, UConn faculty, and other community members to consider identity issues and encourage productive dialogue. Using the Holocaust as a case study, the 130 guests grappled with lessons to recognize and combat antisemitism, racism, and bias today and to better understand each other. The Neag School also hosted a special visit to the exhibit for UConn students from the Neag School and Digital Media Design program. View photos from the two events.
The Office of Teacher Education hosted the inaugural Educational Equity and Justice Speaker Series at UConn Storrs in March, featuring Dr. Keisha Green, who spoke on “Still Teaching to Transgress: A Kitchen-Table Dialogue on Racial Justice and Youth-Engaged Research.” Check out photos from the event.
The Neag School partnered with Mansfield Public Schools (MPS), Connecticut, in March for the second annual New England Educators of Color social event held at Mansfield Elementary School. The event included welcome remarks from Anthea Grotton, Shamim Patna, and Superintendent Peter Dart from MPS; a presentation from UConn’s Leadership in Diversity group (Neag School teacher candidates); and closing remarks by Denzel Washington from Woodstock Academy. View photos from the event.
A West Haven High School student team is working with UConn to tell environmental stories and find solutions for their community. The Neag School is a partner with the program.
Two Neag School students, Julia March and Faith Gately, conducted a semester-long project with the University of Nottingham during their study abroad program. They worked with the National Civil War Center and created a virtual tour about women during the civil war.
The Office of Teacher Education announced the recipients of this semester’s Teacher Education Micro-Funding Awards. This is the second semester these funds have been distributed, and the faculty hopes the opportunities for the Neag School students are as rich and meaningful as last semester.
- Cara Bernard: EDCI 3305
- Erin Conley: EDCI 4410W
- Grace Player: EDCI 5885 and 5830
- Katie Nagrotsky: EDCI 5050
- Tracy Sinclair and John Zack: EDCI 5050
- Elizabeth Zagata: EPSY 5119
- Tutita Casa: EDCI 5094
- Danielle Filipiak: EDCI 3211
- Doug Kaufman: EDCI 5094 (South Africa)
Collectively, these funds will support honoraria for guest speakers and panels, multimodal materials for in-class projects, participation in a professional conference, and a class-related field trip.
The Office of Teacher Education welcomed participants from more than 70 school districts across the state for the annual Education Career Fair in April at UConn Storrs. In addition to connecting with recruiters, roughly 200 graduating teacher education students had the opportunity to interview with school district representatives for teaching, counseling, and school psychology positions. Check out photos from the Spring 2024 Career Fair.
The Department of Curriculum and Instruction hosted human rights activist and director of South Africa’s Callas Foundation Caroline Peters at UConn Storrs in March for a discussion on her international work combating gender-based violence in Cape Town, South Africa. Doug Kaufman organized the event. View photos from the event.
Department of Educational Leadership (EDLR)
The Sport Management Program hosted a daylong Sport Business Conference in March at UConn Storrs’ Laurel Hall. During the student-organized program, UConn students had the chance to connect with sports business professionals nationwide. Check out photos from the event. Read more about the conference.
The Sport Management Program hosted Katie Barnes for an author event at UConn Storrs in February centered around their first-ever book release, “Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates.” Barnes, a renowned journalist for ESPN, focuses on the intersectionality of sports and gender in their work. They have covered various topics, from featuring individual athletes like Paige Bueckers to reporting on legislation concerning transgender athletes. Read an article about the event.
Casey Cobb, and doctoral students Charles Wentzell and Kelly Farrell, co-published a research project paper titled “Transportation Equity in a School Choice Program” for the Connecticut Department of Education’s Regional School Choice Office.
The Higher Education and Students Affairs (HESA) program hosted an alumni gathering at UConn Storrs in February for alumni who work at the UConn Storrs, Hartford, or Law School campuses.
Department of Educational Psychology (EPSY)
The Educational Psychology Department had the highest research expenditures across the Storrs and regional campuses in Fiscal Year 2023. Learn about the department’s productivity.
Feel Your Best Self (FYBS) co-founders Sandra Chafouleas and Emily Wicks traveled to Managua, Nicaragua, in February. They were invited to visit the American Nicaraguan School where they taught staff, students, and families how to implement FYBS.
Faculty/Staff
Michele Back presented several sessions on generative AI this year, including “Using ChatGPT and AI in Portuguese, Quechua, and Spanish Language Instruction” at Ohio State’s Center for Latin American Studies in February and “Using ChatGPT and Generative AI for Language Learning and Teaching” at Yale’s Center for Language Studies in February.
Mary Beth Bruder, director of the University of Connecticut’s Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and professor at the School of Medicine and the Neag School of Education, was named the recipient of the 2024 Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) Special Education Lifetime Achievement Award. She was recognized at the CEC Convention in San Antonio, Texas, in March.
Todd Campbell, Byung-Yoel Park, and others, co-published “Passing the Torch: Handing Over the Editorial Reins” in the January issue of the Journal of Science Teacher Education.
Sandra Chafouleas wrote an article for Psychology Today about learning from Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl sideline behavior. Read about the article in UConn Today.
Michael Coyne was a speaker for the State Department of Education’s Connecticut Education Forum on Literacy, held at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut, in January. Other speakers included Charlene Russell-Tucker, Connecticut Commissioner of Education; Darci Burns, executive director of HILL for Literacy; Margie Gillis, president of Literacy Now; and other state and national leaders and reading experts.
Danielle DeRosa was featured by the UConn Center for Career Development about how she integrates career readiness into the student experience.
Alyssa Dunn has been chosen as an Outstanding Reviewer for 2023 for Review of Educational Research by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She will be recognized at the April AERA National Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Danielle Filipiak was awarded the AERA Division K (Teaching & Teaching Education) 2024 Early Career Award. The selection committee carefully and meticulously reviewed all the applicants’ materials and selected her strong record for this honor. AERA will feature her at the April Division K Business meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
James Kaufman co-published “Recent Trends in Creativity Research: An Analysis of Keywords in Four Prominent Creativity Journals” for the March issue of Creativity Research Journal.
Devin Kearns co-authored “Following the Rules in an Unruly Writing System: The Cognitive Science of Learning to Read English” for the March issue of The Reading Teacher.
Joseph Madaus co-edited the recently published book “Handbook of Higher Education and Disability” through Edward Elgar Publishing. This 10 Questions feature covers his work and research in higher education accessibility for students with disabilities.
Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead co-authored “The Garden of Evaluation Approaches” for the January issue of American Journal of Evaluation.
Grace Player was awarded the AERA Division G (Social Context of Education) 2024 Early Career Award. The selection committee carefully and meticulously reviewed all the applicants’ materials and selected her strong record for this honor. AERA will feature her in their AERA Division G: Social Context 2024 Pre-Conference Newsletter and at the April Division G Business meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Joseph Renzulli was recognized with the 2024 Palmarium Award from the University of Denver’s Morgridge College of Education. As part of the Award, Renzulli gave the Palmarium Keynote at the virtual 2024 Gifted Education Policy Symposium and Conference (GEPSC) in February.
Suzanne Wilson has been chosen as an Outstanding Reviewer for 2023 for Review of Educational Research by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She will be recognized at the April AERA National Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Students
Brianna Bobo ’23 (ED), a master’s student studying curriculum and instruction, has been recognized as an Alma Exley Scholar for 2024.
Kiah DeVona and Jennie Weiner co-authored “Day Camp Leadership: Women’s Experiences with Gender Bias, Inequity, and Double Binds” for the January issue of Journal of Experiential Education issue.
Corina Massey ’23 (ED), a master’s student in elementary education, served on the steering board of UConn’s HuskyTHON as the vice president of communications. In this role, she oversaw the group’s brand and the directors of merchandise, media, marketing, and creative. In addition, while taking the leadership course, she designed a project that would allow students at her internship to learn that they, too, could make a change. In collaboration with Neag School alumni and North Windham staff, Erin Holden and Allison Edwards, North Windham School held the first ever PawsTHON, where the school had a winter carnival, shared bilingual patient stories, a schoolwide coin war, and performed their mini morale dance in February. As a school, NWS raised $1,751.02, helping to contribute to HuskyTHON’s overall 2024 total of $1,736,591.22.
Kenya Overton, a doctoral student in mathematics education, attended the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) annual meeting, presented her research on “Policies That Support Black Students’ Calculus Placement Upon Entering Universities,” and won the 2024 Holmes Dissertation Funding Competition.
Two Neag School graduate students, Clarisa Rodrigues and Elizabeth Zagata, were named Presidential Management Fellows. The Presidential Management Fellows program is the federal government’s flagship leadership development program for advanced degree holders across all academic disciplines.
Amanda Sutter, a doctoral student in educational psychology, was selected for the American Evaluation Association’s New Direction for Evaluation (NDE) Junior Editor Program. The program provides Junior Editors with an opportunity to join the NDE editorial team.
Elizabeth Zagata, a special education doctoral student, received the Council for Exceptional Children’s (CEC) Division of International Special Education and Services (DISES) student research award. She was recognized at the CEC Convention in San Antonio, Texas, in March.
Alumni
Claudia Bachmann-Bouchard MA ’19 received a scholarship to attend the NECTFTL Conference in NYC. The Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages serves educators in all languages, at all levels, from kindergarten through university, in both public and private settings.
S. Kent Butler ’85 (CLAS), ’94 MA, ’99 Ph.D. co-edited a book, “Intersectional Counseling Skills: The Journey to Becoming a Culturally Inclusive Counselor” (Cognella Publishing 2024).
Ty McNamee MA ’15 won the AERA Division J Dissertation of the Year Award. McNamee is an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Mississippi.
Sean Palzere ’18 (ED), ’19 MA, was recognized as Kennelly School’s Teacher of the Year for 2024.
Christine Valdez ’23 MA, a Neag School’s Two Summers program graduate, was recently named Educator of the Year by the Connecticut Association for Adult and Continuing Education (CAACE).
In Memoriam
Valerie A. Alexander ’80
Cecilia L. Babij ’75
William J. Birmingham ’72
Robert C. Byrne Jr. ’67
Clarence R. Calder Jr. ’64
Janet L. Clancy ’72
Francis P. Colella ’65
Jeanne C. Dilworth ’78
Harry J. Drivas ’61
Elyse H. Fogelman ’73
Michael I. Grainsky ’77
Mary L. Lagana ’87
Robert E. McGrath ’61
Gordon B. Morrill ’67
Harry W. Osgood III ’69
Alice R. Otis ’43
Maryellyn Page ’52
Jane Piorkowski ’81
Arthur M. Sawyer ’72
Bronislaw S. Thomas ’65
Susana Maria Ulloa ’21
Rita R. Usselman ’73
Barbara J. Wittner ’71
Lois D. Wivagg ’87
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.
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