Michele Back headshot

Michele Back on Teacher Leadership Through Advocacy

February 20, 2019

The ability to collaborate and advocate beyond the classroom and across stakeholders, from department chairs to administrators to parents, is a crucial teacher leadership skill, says Michele Back, assistant professor of world languages education at Neag School of Education. The critical shortage of world language teachers, she says, combined with the diminishing number of U.S. students taking world language courses, means that teacher candidates in this content area must be strong advocates for their own profession from the moment they step into the classroom.





Dean Kersaint and Yuhang Rong visit Jordan in November 2018 to connect with Queen Rania Teacher Academy, as well as educators, administrators, and students, to learn more about the success of the Academy’s implementation of a principal training program based on UCAPP. (Photo courtesy of Queen Rania Teacher Academy)

Visit to Middle East Marks Enduring International UConn Partnership

January 23, 2019

As part of an international partnership that began two-plus years ago, Neag School Dean Gladis Kersaint and Yuhang Rong, UConn’s associate vice president for global affairs, traveled this past fall to the Middle East on behalf of the University to connect with educators, administrators, students, and even royalty, in a country where one Neag School program has been making an impact.




1:00 p.m. — Baker checks in at the office and confirms her afternoon schedule. (Photo credit: Cat Boyce/Neag School)

Principal Preparation Program Undergoes Redesign

January 11, 2019

The field of education has been going through constant evaluation and evolution since 1983, when “A Nation At Risk” was published.

“That report sounded the alarm that the United States was not at the top of the food chain anymore when it comes to education,” says Richard Gonzales, director of UConn’s Neag School of Education leadership preparation program.

Since then, responses to the report have encompassed curriculum changes and standards, teacher preparation, and in the early 2000s, a growing emphasis on leadership – in particular the role and training of school principals.