Congratulations to our Neag School alumni, faculty, staff, and students on their continued accomplishments inside and outside the classroom.

Neag School students completing the UConn Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) this spring presented their change projects — the program’s signature capstone assignment, in which students identify a need or opportunity for school improvement and work toward positive change — during the 6th Annual Change Project Day.

“Rather than supporting students with my practical expertise, I have to narrow my own curriculum to address students’ anxiety regarding edTPA and answer logistical questions regarding the requirements and expectations, much of which they are not finding helpful to their practice,” Violet Jiménez Sims, an assistant clinical professor at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, wrote in an op-ed.

“For parents trying to help their kids with homework in this new era of online learning, solving math problems may be among your more worrisome tasks,” says Tutita Casa, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the Neag School of Education. “There are, perhaps, two equations that many parents can agree on: Home ≠ school, and parents ≠ teachers.”

WNPR – audio 5:53 (Jennie Weiner is interviewed about the challenges of parenting and working online during the pandemic)

The University had originally planned to conduct remote learning for two weeks following spring break, but growing health concerns led to a fully online transition for the Spring 2020 semester. UConn faculty members, some of whom had never administered remote courses before, had to transition their coursework quickly to align with the new remote teaching style. Neag School alumna Karen Skudlarek ’88 (BUS), ’16 MA and her colleagues at CETL have been instrumental in the process.

As a psychologist and the mother of two college-aged students, I am concerned about my children’s future emotional well-being. I know that the late teens to early 20s are a time when the majority of many lifetime mental health disorders take hold.

“As parents and other guardians get ready to prepare their teens for college, they should not neglect helping those new college students in terms of their overall well-being. Well-being is influenced by lots of factors, so an important part of supporting your wellness is to create a personal plan of action,” says Sandra Chafouleas a professor of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education.

“There are more immediate budget concerns on the front burner, because education and distance learning and planning for the next fiscal year are probably on the horizon,” Bob Villanova said. “The immediate push is making sure that educational opportunity and moving ahead are real to every student.”

Our Neag School Class of 2020 will be remembered as one of UConn’s most resilient graduating classes ever.