Julie Wood typing on manual typewriter.

Neag School Alumna Sets Up Planned Gift for Literacy Research

November 11, 2020

Julie M. Wood ’71 (ED), ’72 MA, grateful for the safe haven that UConn gave her during the turbulent 1970s, recently decided to leave a planned gift to UConn to support research in an area close to her heart: children’s literacy. She has set up an endowment that will generate funding every year for a faculty member in the Neag School of Education to conduct research in effective practices to support children’s literacy development.



Cartoon graphic of two diverse males

Justis Lopez: Celebrating Inclusion, Joy in Education

November 2, 2020

On the way home from a hip-hop education conference last year, Justis Lopez ’14 (ED), ’15 (MA) and his colleague Ryan Parker were unpacking what they had learned and what they were feeling that day. They started to freestyle rap and found themselves filled with joy, repeating the verse ‘I’m feeling so happy.’ Their freestyling turned into a song called “HAPPYVISM” that is now part of a greater initiative they have named Project Happyvism.



Joseph Renzulli 2016 Confratute Keynote Address

The Renzulli Center: A Worldwide Leader in Gifted Education

October 27, 2020

Joseph Renzulli served as founding director of the Neag Center, the Lynn and Ray Neag Endowed Chair for Talent Development, as well as the first director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT), then one of a dozen centers in the U.S. focused on addressing significant issues in the education of gifted and talented students, and enrichment education. Under Renzulli’s guidance, the Neag Center evolved into one of the leading centers in gifted education and talent development in the world.


Empty Classroom.

The Prevalence and the Price of Police in Schools

October 27, 2020

Since the 1900s, U.S. public schools have employed a growing number of school resource officers (SROs) – defined here as sworn law enforcement officials. In 1975, only 1% of schools reported having police officers on site, but by 2018, approximately 58% of schools had at least one sworn law enforcement official present during the school week.



Little girl with face mask gets temp checked.

Q&A: Schooling, Caregiving, and Emotional Support During COVID

October 14, 2020

Editor’s Note: The following piece was originally published in UConn Today. In-person, hybrid, remote, and/or home-school – the options for K-12 schooling during the pandemic are complicated, each with their own pros and cons. UConn Today asked psychologist Sandra Chafouleas, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Neag Endowed Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, […]


Smiling female students.

UConn Women’s Student Leadership Program Receives $1.2M Grant

October 2, 2020

A leadership program for undergraduate women at UConn has proven so successful the funder has donated $1.2 million to extend it for at least three years.

The grant provides scholarships and a transformative experience to several juniors through the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network. The BOLD program cultivates courageous leadership and career success in young women during college and after they complete their studies.


American flag.

Talking to Kids About the Dysfunctional Presidential Debate

October 2, 2020

News headlines seem to suggest consensus about how bad the debate was, some deeming it the worst in presidential history and an embarrassment to society. The theme of many stories covering the event can be summed up in a single word: dysfunction. Dysfunctional debates are characterized by not listening, jumping in and cutting others off, grandstanding, boasting, using sarcastic or biting tones, and not acknowledging others.