Dr. Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CAS-CIAC) the past seven years, has been selected as the next executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), effective August 1.

The Board of Education selected a new principal for Sage Park Middle School at a special meeting on Tuesday. Liana Jorgensen, the school’s current vice principal, will take over as principal in July for Paul Cavaliere, who is retiring at the end of the school year after 19 years in the job.

The Day (Neag School alumnus Cynthia Ritchie is the new superintendent of New London)

Don Leu of the University of Connecticut said the performance of U.S. students likely does not demonstrate “a level of performance adequate to be fully successful in learning during online inquiry.”

As a high school teacher in Pennsylvania, Shaun Dougherty noticed that students in career-focused programs seemed much more engaged than his other students. Now a researcher, Dougherty set out to see whether data backed up his experience. Could the programs not just prepare students for the workforce, but keep students from dropping out of school? To find out, Dougherty studied Massachusetts’ 36 vocational and technical high schools.

Jennifer Lanese has been named the 2018 Outstanding School Educator Award recipient by the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education Alumni Board. Lanese was recognized on March 17 at the Neag School’s 20th Annual Alumni Awards Celebration in Storrs, Conn.

The vivacious Amanda Slavin is cofounder and leader of Catalyst Creativ, an “experience studio” with expertise in marketing, events and design. Prioritizing solving internal pain points before creating on and offline campaigns, Catalyst Creativ digs deep into a company’s DNA. Hear Slavin talk about running a holocratic-style company, her thoughtful approach to solving conflict – and how she overcame a lukewarm reception from Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, who later became an investor.

“A trauma-informed approach is critical for schools,” says Sandra Chafouleas, a professor of educational psychology at University of Connecticut who has researched the topic. She says the new push helps school staffs identify and provide counseling for the estimated one-half to two-thirds of students who, according to the Education Law Center, probably have experienced trauma.

Suzanne M. Wilson has researched teacher knowledge, curriculum reform, education policy, measures of
teaching effectiveness and professional development. As the Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education, Wilson has found PD to be most impactful and engaging when instruction connects to a district’s curriculum, assessments and leadership policies.

A Kaplan Test Prep survey finds that 76 percent of future college students are more interested in topics regarding politics, human rights, and activism than they were two years ago. Such data is no surprise given the current heightened political atmosphere, said University of Connecticut professor in human rights Glenn Mitoma.