We talked with the Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education this spring. Sandra Chafouleas was seeking summer reads that would “stretch her in new ways” but also relate to the field of study she’s so passionate about.

Lisa Famularo: Our primary role is to work with CLAS faculty and staff to make sure that the career-related needs of CLAS students are being met. We not only carry out the programs that the CCD offers to all students, but we also tailor these resources to the unique needs of CLAS majors.

“One major issue is the fact that many of the students are Spanish-dominant or Spanish monolingual, which means that they are likely classified as English learners and therefore require specialized instruction from certified teachers, along with ongoing monitoring,” Liz Howard said.

Students from the UConn ScHOLA2RS House Learning Community visited Washington, D.C. last week to attend events surrounding the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. While there, they met with UConn alumni and Connecticut legislators at a special networking reception honoring the students and their supporters.

“I am a Professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. My background is more in cognitive psychology (how people think). I study creativity – what it is, how to measure it, the positive outcomes, and how to nurture it. It sounds silly to both creative types and scientific types (the former thinks it’s pointless and the latter think it’s impossible), but my goal is to help creative people,” says James Kaufman.

“It’s not until they actually get out into the field, and see that they may be working in a place with English language learners, where they may think, ‘Oh, this might be an option for me to be a bilingual teacher or a TESOL teacher’,” Elizabeth Howard said. “And if they don’t land in a place, in a district, where there’s a high incidence of English learners, then it would not occur to them at all necessarily, they wouldn’t see the need for it.”

In Degrees of Change: UConn Increases Diversity in Teaching Programs, Enright states that “UConn and the Neag School of Education have made a concerted effort to increase their minority student population, with the long-term hope of closing the gap that exists now in classrooms.”

“College freshmen across Connecticut have unpacked their bags and gone through orientation, and are starting to adjust to life with a roommate,” says Drs. Richard and Kristin Schwab. “Now, after they worked hard to get to college and along with their families made sacrifices to attend, we offer a few suggestions to make the best of these next few years.”

Congratulations to our Neag School alumni, faculty, staff, and students on their continued accomplishments inside and outside the classroom. 

NFA faculty, along with students from the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, guided the dual-session program meant to give sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders a summer boost in STEM education and aspiring teachers a real-world classroom experience.