For college students of color who encounter online racism, the effect of racialized aggressions and assaults reaches far beyond any single social media feed and can lead to real and significant mental health impacts – even more significant than in-person experiences of racial discrimination, according to a recently published study from researchers at UConn and Boston College.

James C. Kaufman, professor of educational psychology in the Neag School, is an expert in creativity and practices what he preaches. He’s published more than 35 books and more than 300 papers. He’s won countless awards, including Mensa’s research award. He says researching past “3 Books” columns was “a bit intimidating, since they were generally filled with quality, intelligent nonfiction or literature. I unabashedly love genre fiction — I have grown to prefer entertainment over enlightenment.”

Nearly a year since the nation went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, just about everyone is struggling to maintain a semblance of normality. Parents of school-aged children have taken to social media and countless news stories have been written on the difficulties of balancing remote learning with remote working.

In 2013, Neag School alumnus and current educational psychology doctoral student Amit Savkar ’07 Ph.D., ’17 MA, 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.

“So, the interventions are usually either small groups or either individualized really focused, targeted instruction for the student to sort of catch them up and get them up to kind of speed an up to the standards for that grade level and for that age range, rather than whole cloth, you know retention. Do the whole grade again,” said Sarah Woulfin, Associate Professor at UConn Neag School of Education.

President Joe Biden tapped Miguel Cardona ’01 MA, ’04 6th Year, ’11 Ed.D., ’12 ELP to be the country’s top education official and, once fully confirmed, Cardona will become the first UConn alum to hold a Cabinet-level position in the White House.

James C. Kaufman is a psychology professor at Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut who specialises in human creativity. “The act of writing creatively helps us organize our thoughts and feelings, improves our mood, helps us reflect on our lives and cope after trauma,” Kaufman says. He himself has written phone note poems, as well as using the app to jot down lyrics, thoughts, and ideas.

“As long as I have those existential questions, particularly while my kids are young, I will be a hesitant candidate,” says Doug Glanville, a former MLB player, and current Neag School faculty member. “Admitting that, I wouldn’t fault anyone for not considering me. But I still believe the game can help make the world better — for all of our children — even as I choose to cheer from afar.”

As the SAT’s influence wanes, colleges and high schools could place more emphasis on students’ performance in AP courses and on AP tests—which are also administered by the College Board, says Casey Cobb, a professor of educational policy at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education.

Why have suicide rates increased among teens in U.S. since the start of the COVID-19 Global Pandemic? A licensed psychologist and Neag School Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor, Sandra M. Chafouleas, joins us for a discussion and to share her thoughts on the mental health struggle of teenagers in schools.