Josephine “Josie” Jarrett of Benwood is the first recipient of the Judith Bartell Paesani Vocal Music Scholarship at West Liberty University. Judith Bartell Paesani, one of the scholarship’s donors, earned her bachelor’s degree from WLU’s College of Education and went on to earn a master’s from the University of Connecticut.

This latest installment of 10 Questions features Neag School alumni Curtis R. Darragh IV ’15 MA and Kurt Daigle ’19 (CLAS), ’21 MA, who recently won the Connecticut School Counselor Association’s top awards for 2021 for their dedication to school counseling.

A year ago, we were wondering when the vaccine would be available and is it really safe to return to school? Today, those questions are still relevant! This hour, we talk about the mental health needs of students. What sort of support will children need from their schools? Sandra Chafouleas, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology and co-director of the Collaboratory on School and Child Health at the University of Connecticut, is interviewed.

Devin Kearns, a reading disability researcher who’s been working with the education department on the new universal screening program, said the assessments can take as little as one minute to conduct to identify which skills young readers need extra support with.

The University of Connecticut has named Morgaen L. Donaldson, a renowned scholar of educational leadership and policy, as the next Philip E. Austin Endowed Chair. The Austin Chair was endowed by a group of alumni and supporters to recognize President Emeritus Austin’s many contributions to the University, leading UConn’s transformation into its present status as a top public university in the nation.

Two innovative art projects funded by the Neag School’s Rogers Educational Innovation Fund, including a photojournalism art exhibit in Norwalk, Connecticut, and a mural project at a middle school in Hartford, Connecticut, brought together middle school students this past spring. The fund is in place thanks to the support of the late Neag School of Education Professor Emeritus Vincent Rogers and his late wife, Chris, a lifelong teacher. While Professor Rogers wasn’t able to personally enjoy the fruits of the projects his fund supported due to his passing in December 2020, the projects lived on at a middle school and an art gallery.

In her work in schools in Central Florida, Dr. Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo, postdoctoral research associate in the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education, found that parents can be hesitant to disclose the languages their children speak for a variety of reasons. She explains that by “making a welcoming school climate and atmosphere and culture that people can perceive,” parents will be encouraged to report home languages. Creating a welcoming atmosphere could involve displaying signs, sending families information in multiple languages, and providing translators at school events.

“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.