With a General Election just around the corner, the so-called “sleepy” town of Guilford has made national headlines, gripped by a polarizing debate over what’s being taught in schools. Guilford High School English Chair George Cooksey and Superintendent Paul Freeman explain that while critical race theory is not itself taught in the K-12 environment in Guilford, “dimension” and diversity of source material is still a priority. Plus, a new Black and Latino Studies elective is rolling out in Connecticut high schools next fall, following the first mandate of its kind in the country. A Windsor High School teacher and student who are piloting the course weigh in.
“Parents who want their kids to be more creative may be tempted to enroll them in arts classes or splurge on STEM-themed toys. Those things certainly can help, but as a professor of educational psychology who has written extensively about creativity, I can draw on more than 70 years of creativity research to make additional suggestions that are more likely to be effective – and won’t break your budget,” says James Kaufman, a professor of educational psychology at UConn’s Neag School of Education.
UConn said the president Joe Biden will join former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd and other dignitaries for the dedication of The Dodd Center for Human Rights. The center has been known as The Thomas J. Dodd Research Center since it opened in 1995 and UConn said that UConn’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously in August to authorize its dedication as The Dodd Center for Human Rights.
When Neag School of Education professor Doug Glanville cleaned out his garage during a recent family move, he unearthed some unusual stuff. Interspersed among the old grill equipment and lawn chairs were a dozen baseball bats, signed by Derek Jeter and other MLB stars, and beneath them a pair of Nike spikes that once belonged to Michael Jordan, during his year of professional baseball.
“Dr. Renzulli’s lifetime of pioneering research has led to substantial, positive changes in the theory and practice of pedagogy for all.” Mensa Foundation President Charlie Steinhice said. “But what impresses me the most is his dedication to putting those ideas into action, especially for low-income students with high potential.”
With federal funding, Lisa Sanetti and colleagues will explore interventions to help reduce schoolteacher stress and improve mental well-being, with the long-term goal of retraining teachers in classrooms.
Aditya Birla Education Academy (ABEA), India’s leading professional development institute for teachers has partnered with the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development, University of Connecticut, US. The purpose of the collaboration is to introduce a six-week-long Schoolwide Enrichment Program for teachers. Both the prominent institutes aim at providing teachers with opportunities to learn and grow through the Schoolwide Enrichment Program.
“We want to empower the students to see the tremendous strengths they bring as member of the UConn community,” says Kenny Nienhusser, director of UConn’s La Comunidad Intelectual (LCI) learning community and a faculty member in the Higher Education and Student Affairs program. “They want a space on campus where they can reside on the same floor with people that understand them and provide them with the support they are looking for. It’s really a beautiful learning community that is a vibrant hub of happenings in the evenings and in the day when we have our seminar classes.”
The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is pleased to announce the 2021 NAGC Distinguished Scholar. Each year, the association recognizes an individual who has made significant contributions to the field of gifted education and to the development of the organization for more than 10 years and a record of ongoing scholarly productivity. This year’s recipient is E. Jean Gubbins, Ph.D., Professor, University of Connecticut.
September is National Literacy Month and Deaf Awareness Month. To celebrate both occasions, we spoke with two IES-funded principal investigators about their intervention aimed at increasing the writing and language skills of students who are deaf or hard of hearing through teacher professional development targeting writing instruction and use of multilingual strategies. Together with their team, Dr. Kimberly Wolbers (University of Tennessee) and Dr. Hannah Dostal (University of Connecticut) developed Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) and tested SIWI for efficacy. The team is now analyzing effects of SIWI on both student and teacher outcomes in the D/HH space.
