“There were times throughout my youth that I think people had lower expectations than they should have. It just made me hungrier,” says Education Commissioner Miguel Cardona.

Dwight Sharpe, after receiving the 2018 Rogers Educational Innovation Fund, a $5,000 award that supports innovative projects carried out by Connecticut teachers at the elementary or middle-school level, has begun implementing his vision. Sharpe’s project, entitled “Accessing and Engaging in Mathematics Through Robotics and Computer Programming,” seeks “to explore and determine how robotics and computer programming can be embedded into middle school instruction to improve student engagement and achievement.” It was selected from among more than 40 submissions.

2019 marks the 50th anniversary of that landmark case, Tinker v. Des Moines School District, where Tinker and the other plaintiffs prevailed.

In the Q&A below, National Education Policy Center Fellow and University of Connecticut professor Preston Green III explains the significance of the case, tracing its implications to modern-day student speech issues (like those related to social media) that the 1965 Court could not have foreseen.

“Given that the Neag School’s mission is to improve educational and social systems to be more effective, equitable and just for all, federal funding for research focused on key issues in special education aligns seamlessly with our efforts to support educators, policymakers, and students nationwide,” says Gladis Kerstaint, dean of the Neag School of Education.

“I believe we can make a positive impact on graduation rates, further close achievement gaps, and ensure that all students have increased access to the opportunities and advantages they need to achieve success in life,” says Miguel Cardona.

“The Tinker case marked the first time that the Supreme Court addressed whether the First Amendment applied to speech by students within public schools,” says Preston Green, a professor from the Neag School of Education at UConn. “The Court ruled that a school district violated the First Amendment by suspending students for wearing black armbands in protest of the Vietnam War. In reaching this decision, the Court ruled that public schools could not censor student speech unless it ‘materially disrupts classwork or involves substantial disorder or invasions of the rights of others.’ “

In addition to the heightened, richer vocabulary that books present to toddlers, the shared context of the experience is a key component to its value, explains Michael Coyne, professor of educational psychology at the University of Connecticut and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Education and Research.

“I’m thrilled for Miguel and the state,” said Mark Benigni, who as Meriden superintendent has worked closely with Cardona for many years. “He’s a terrific leader and been an exceptional partner in the work in Meriden and I know he will do a great job at the state.”

“I am honored to be Darien’s Superintendent of Schools,” says Alan Addley. “It is a privilege to lead such a terrific district. I have been eager to make the transition and to start the work. I look forward to supporting our excellent staff and working with the community in the best interests of all Darien students.”

This isn’t the first time that fashion and politics have collided,” says Cooper. “A few years ago, Gucci put out a style or image on one of their pieces of clothing that was resembling of the minstrel show, which was highly offensive to African Americans in the United States. So as opposed to viewing it as a form – and large – a large contingency of the hip-hop community boycotted Gucci and said, you know, this was culturally insensitive.”