Today the charter school movement is perhaps more vulnerable than it has ever been. Unlikely allies in the best of times, its coalition of supporters — which has included progressives, free-market Republicans, and civil rights advocates, and which has been handsomely funded by deep-pocketed donors and Silicon Valley moguls — is unraveling.

Connecticut is the first state in the nation to mandate that all of its high schools offer an elective class on Black and Latinx history. These classes must be taught by the fall of 2022, but many high schools have added them to the curriculum this year. Alan Marcus, a professor of curriculum and instruction in UConn’s Neag School of Education, has led a team that developed a website to assist high school teachers with the instruction of this course.

Todd Campbell has received grants from the NSF and Google to make next-generation science education more justice-oriented and accessible.

Throughout the academic year, the Neag School is proud to share the latest achievements of its faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

A study co-authored by Neag School doctoral candidate, Robert Cotto, and former faculty member Sarah Woulfin, is featured. A survey of more than 150 parents whose children attend school in Hartford found that child care needs and concerns about the effectiveness of schools’ COVID-19 safety measures strongly impacted whether or not families sent their children back to school buildings for in-person learning in fall 2020.

This latest installment of 10 Questions features Neag School alumni Curtis R. Darragh IV ’15 MA and Kurt Daigle ’19 (CLAS), ’21 MA, who recently won the Connecticut School Counselor Association’s top awards for 2021 for their dedication to school counseling.

A year ago, we were wondering when the vaccine would be available and is it really safe to return to school? Today, those questions are still relevant! This hour, we talk about the mental health needs of students. What sort of support will children need from their schools? Sandra Chafouleas, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology and co-director of the Collaboratory on School and Child Health at the University of Connecticut, is interviewed.

This fall, the Neag School is delighted to introduce its inaugural cohort of National Holmes Scholars.

The University of Connecticut has named Morgaen L. Donaldson, a renowned scholar of educational leadership and policy, as the next Philip E. Austin Endowed Chair.

Meet Jason G. Irizarry, Ed.D., who is kicking off his first full academic year as dean of UConn’s Neag School of Education. Irizarry, who grew up in New York City and served as a teacher before pursuing a path to leadership in higher education, was appointed dean for a five-year term in May 2021.