Category: Alumni


Read stories about Neag School of Education alumni.

2021 Power 50: 42. Colin Cooper, Kelli-Marie Vallieres, and Ari Santiago

March 1, 2021

Gov. Ned Lamont in July tapped Kelli-Marie Vallieres to lead a new state office dubbed the Connecticut Workforce Unit. Under Vallieres — formerly CEO of Sound Manufacturing and Monster Power Equipment in Old Saybrook — the group collaborates with the Department of Economic and Community Development and Department of Labor to advise the governor and other state officials on workforce strategies and initiatives.



UConn Startup Stemify Improves Math Education With AI

February 25, 2021

In 2013, Neag School alumnus and current doctoral student Amit Savkar, also a UConn associate professor in residence of mathematics, began looking into the reasons why so many students were dropping out of or failing math classes early in their college career.
Savkar realized the placement exams students took for those courses did not account for the individual differences in knowledge gaps. In response, he developed a platform that would analyze the response of students’ incorrect answers to questions and provide students with adaptive instruction through targeted videos in the areas the program identified as knowledge gaps.


Raising Her Voice to Amplify Other Voices

February 25, 2021

As a teenager in her hometown of Paraty, Brazil, Pauline Batista ’16 MA was enrolled in a rigorous five-year teacher- training high school and held multiple paid internships. “It was very hectic because I would leave my house at 7 in the morning and come back at 10 at night,” Batista says. “Your average 15-year-old is not dealing with all that. But for me, that was normal.”





How U.S. Education Secretary Nominee Miguel Cardona Can Stop the Teacher Shortage

February 12, 2021

“To boost student achievement and teacher morale, research shows you need highly educated and experienced school principals and district leaders,” says Richard Schwab, dean emeritus of the Neag School and professor in educational leadership. “Thriving businesses invest heavily in leadership development. They commit to training employees who show leadership potential. As in business, effective leaders in education require the right skills and proper support.”



Hartford Principal Identifies Biggest Achievement as Leading Next Generation of ‘Movers and Shakers’

February 12, 2021

“I came from Hartford and that I grew up just like they did, and I finished school and I have my doctorate. That’s an expectation. It’s not something that’s a far reach for them. I’m letting them know, no this is the norm. This is what you can do if you choose,” says Tayarisha Batchelor.

For Batchelor, leading the next generation of movers and shakers is her biggest achievement.