During the 20th century, there was nothing that could help you achieve labor market success more than a good education. Even today, education is one of the strongest predictors of whether someone is employed and how much he or she is paid.

Yet, the rules have changed.

Cooper said members of the UConn campus community felt this was an important time to reaffirm their commitment to the university being a safe and invigorating place where intellectual, educational, and personal growth are valued and manifested.

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $1.3 million in funding through its Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) to the Neag School’s special education program for a project that will fully fund five doctoral students in the areas of literacy, positive behavioral supports, and transition, with four-year competitive fellowships for each student.

Two Neag School researchers are members of an interdisciplinary UConn-based team recently awarded a $3 million grant through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Traineeship program to prepare the next generation of Ph.D. students.

The Neag School of Education welcomes three new faculty members this fall.

Last year, IES funded a CTE research project under a different topic, Improving Education Systems. In this project, the University of Connecticut is examining the impact of attending a CTE-focused high school on students’ achievement, high school graduation, and college enrollment.

Neag Endowed Professor of Teacher Education Suzanne M. Wilson has been named head of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI) at the Neag School. She takes over for Mary Anne Doyle, who served as department head for 17 years and returned to a faculty role to focus on literacy research.

The researchers, Shaun Dougherty and Jennie Weiner of the University of Connecticut, looked at two tiers of struggling schools in the state: “warning” and “focus” schools. Schools in both categories had to choose four changes to make. Focus schools, the lower-performing group, had to select from a prescribed list, while warning schools could also could come up with their own strategies.

“By [2019], rent could be taking up a very high percentage of the school’s budget,” said Preston Green III, a University of Connecticut education professor who has written extensively on charter schools. “And if so, the school is going to be cash poor. This is a problem that a number of charter schools have had to deal with. This is something that’s happening across the nation.”

Editor’s Note: This piece was originally written and published by Blane McCann, superintendent of Westside Community Schools in Omaha, Neb., on his blog.

Consider the notion that any student with a commitment to learning is gifted. It is not only intelligence that plays a role, but also creativity and commitment. Giftedness is not just a test score.