This blog discusses Professor James Kaufman’s research and talks about how creativity may be a useful tool for social justice.

Colleges across the U.S. have been trying to do a better job of making students who have traditionally been underrepresented on campus feel welcome and included. But some of their attempts, however well-intentioned, garner as much ire as support. While many see the creation of safe spaces for black students, LGBT students, and other minorities as a positive step toward helping them navigate campus, others see it as resegregation and a step backward.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sal Corda has announced the appointment of Thomas “Tom” C. Healy as the interim principal for Central Middle School effective Aug. 26.

Research can inform policy, but it must first be vetted and publicly debated. A recent exchange illustrates the value of such a public deliberation.

West Hartford News (Neag School alumnus, Alan Addley, was named president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents)

Vocational training is making a big comeback in American high schools. And it’s not just wood shop and auto repairs anymore. Shaun Dougherty serves as a guest panelist on vocational training, referring to his Fordham Institute Study.

UConn Today (Neag School’s Jaci VanHeest, employed by U.S. Swimming in the early ’90s to identify young swimmers who might become champions, says U.S. sports focuses too much on early success) 

UConn Today (Neag School alumna, Melissa Gonzalez, will compete in the Olympics for a second time, this time as a Team USA captain)

Inside IES Research (Neag School faculty member Shaun Dougherty’s research grant on career-technical high schools is mentioned) 

A summer program at Brookside Elementary School in Norwalk, Conn. — called Supporting and Promoting Advanced Readiness in Kids, or SPARK — is a statewide project out of the University of Connecticut to include more underserved populations in academically talented tracks. The idea is that by giving students a jump-start through summer programming, they will be more likely to follow advanced programs later on in their academic career.