Fake news and questions about its role in the outcome of the 2016 election have thrust concerns about internet literacy to the forefront. It’s an issue Neag School of Education professor Donald Leu has been studying for years; and the findings of a 10-year-old study he led demonstrating the inadequacies of classroom instruction in “new literacies” has been getting renewed attention.

In a recent study, Don Leu found that with these computers, 7th graders in Maine were much better at researching online than students in Connecticut. This is good news, he says, and it shows that Maine students have a step up in digital literacy.

Changes in schools needed to face down fake news epidemic. Internet literacy needs to be priority, says Neag School professor Don Leu.

Professor Del Siegle has been named Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs for the Neag School. Siegle, a professor of gifted education in the Neag School’s Department of Educational Psychology, where he has served as department head since 2011, will officially join the Dean’s Office leadership team on Jan. 3, 2017.

The seventh- and eighth-grade years can be tough times of adjustment for students transitioning from elementary school and preparing for high school. And for the past 10 years, Smith Middle School principal Donna Schilke has been there to help students navigate those difficult years.

New Haven Register (The Neag School co-partnered with the Connecticut School Finance Project to help determine a special education funding model)

Connecticut Mirror (Neag School’s Michael Coyne is quoted on the positive impact of early intervention for reading)

Education Week  (Neag School’s Donald Leu comments on media literacy and recent trend of fake news)

With increasing shifts in racial and ethnic demographics in the United States, the national conversation on diversity and inclusion is ever evolving. Several terms have become commonplace in identifying racial and ethnic groups that are disadvantaged by interlocking, oppressive systems, such as White supremacy, patriarchy, and neoliberal capitalism. Among the most popular phrases currently used to describe groups that have been historically underserved based on their race is “People of Color.” Another common term used to describe these groups is “minorities.” One intention behind using these terms is to emphasize the overlapping or shared experiences with discrimination, marginalization, and oppression on the basis of racial, ethnic, and/or cultural identities.

Social justice and equity remains an area of focus for Neag School researchers, particularly given that the achievement gap between Connecticut’s low-income and minority students and their peers is among the largest in the United States. Here, the Neag School highlights several key avenues of research work in this area.