“Even before COVID-19, as many as 1 in 6 young children had a diagnosed mental, behavioral or developmental disorder. New findings suggest a doubling of rates of disorders such as anxiety and depression among children and adolescents during the pandemic. One reason is that children’s well-being is tightly connected to family and community conditions such as stress and financial worries,” co-writes Sandra Chafouleas, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education.
Special education teachers are at heightened risk for stress and burnout, which negatively impacts their effectiveness and well-being. With a new five-year, $4 million grant from the Institute of Educational Sciences, Penn State and Georgia State University (GSU) researchers are teaming up with school districts in Georgia to develop and test an adaptation of the Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE) professional development program to support special education teachers. Tamika La Salle, associate professor of school psychology at the University of Connecticut, will advise the team on culturally responsive education practices.
Ben Bronz Academy/Foundation has announced the recent appointment of Dr. Gail Lanza as executive director and CEO.
The Regional School District 17 Board of Education appointed Jeffrey Wihbey as its next superintendent of schools this week. He an extensive background and a distinguished career in public education, most recently as superintendent of schools for Connecticut Technical Education and Career System, leading and advocating for more than 11,000 students throughout the state. He holds a sixth-year degree in educational leadership from the University of Connecticut, and superintendent certification from the University of Connecticut’s Executive Leadership Program.
“There is no one who is more important and sustained than Senator Christopher J. Dodd,” said Glenn Mitoma, the director of Dodd Human Rights Impact. Mitoma added he had the honor of working with Dodd “over the past 8 years as we crafted these new programs, as we envisioned the kind of impact that we wanted to have, and as we worked to develop the resources in order to support these initiatives.”
After more than a year of restrictions and online schooling, educators and counselors are focusing on ways to assess the long-term social, emotional and mental impact of the pandemic on school children when they return to the classroom. Christopher Booker reports from Fairfield County, Connecticut as part of our ongoing series, “Roads to Recovery.”
Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry raised some eyebrows recently when he hired Bob Quinn as a senior consultant. Bob Quinn may not be a household name in Cleveland, but he has a long career in the NFL.Quinn was born and raised in Massachusetts and went to college at the University of Connecticut. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in political science and a Master’s Degree in sports management. Quinn worked within the New England Patriots organization from 2000-2015 in various scouting and personnel roles.
“As a professor and researcher in special education, I’ve worked with many students with disabilities transitioning to college. The ones who are typically most successful after high school are the ones who were prepared to be strong self-advocates, who could seek out needed services and supports, and who could manage the multiple demands of being independent,” writes Joseph Madaus, a professor of educational psychology at UConn’s Neag School of Education and director of the Collaborative on Postsecondary Education and Disability.
The Board of Education named the principal of a New Haven magnet school, Michael Crocco, as the new leader of Southington High School. Crocco received both his Connecticut Administrative Certification and Connecticut Superintendent Certification from the University of Connecticut Executive Leadership Program in 2017.
School Counselors Leading the Way: Helping to assist students in their school adjustment, academic performance, and mental health in a post-pandemic school setting
