The Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut has long committed itself to the values of diversity, collaboration, and informed intellectual inquiry, and for the past several years, has designated equity and social justice as a focal area in our academic vision.
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As members of the Equity and Social Justice Task Force, we believe that the new social and political context created by the presidential election requires not only that we reiterate these commitments, but also that we, the Equity and Social Justice Task Force, acknowledge and empathize with the many individuals and groups in our community who are experiencing a considerable amount of pain, fear, and concern for their safety. During the recent political campaign, women, members of the LGBTQ communities, individuals with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, Muslims, refugees, and others were targeted with disparaging remarks. Given the recent spike in hate crimes across the country since the election (as chronicled by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s #reporthate), legitimate fear exists that such remarks will continue to translate into acts of harassment, incitement, and even violence.
In recognition of the current unrest in our country and on our campus, we, the Equity and Social Justice Task Force, would like to emphasize the following points:
1. The Neag School of Education is an inclusive, open, democratic, diverse, and caring community that values the diversity of its students, staff, and faculty.
2. We, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, do not condone and will actively oppose any effort to target, harass, intimidate or exclude individuals or groups on the basis of race, ethnicity, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, language, religion, national origin, disability, or immigration status.
3. We, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, believe that recognizing the inherent human rights and equal dignity of all people, listening to and striving to understand one another, and making a commitment to work together is the way to foster sustained, positive change in our society and world.
4. We, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, stand in solidarity with individuals and groups who advocate for empowering those who have been and continue to be systemically oppressed.
In summary, we, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, want to assure our students, staff, faculty, and partners that we will be vigilant in ensuring that our spaces are safe for all members of our community. The university’s policies and procedures with regard to bias, harassment, and intimidation are clear. Community members should should not hesitate to follow these procedures, and we encourage everyone to report any incidents directly to the Neag School Dean’s Office, their department, or other responsible members of the Neag School administration to ensure a comprehensive and timely response. We, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, also would like to remind community members that additional support and counseling are available from the university’s Counseling and Mental Health Services.
Our dedication to our core values is not contingent upon political and/or social pendulums, but rather, is rooted in a lifelong pursuit of equity and justice for all. We, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, believe each individual and group reflects their values through their actions as well as through their inactions. Hence, we, the Equity and Social Justice Taskforce, will continue to work diligently alongside our social justice partners to deconstruct systems of oppression, empower groups that have been marginalized, and foster a deeper manifestation of diversity and inclusion in policy, and more importantly, in practice.
In our special recurring 10 Questions series, the Neag School is catching up with students, alumni, faculty, and others throughout the year to give you a glimpse into their Neag School experience and their current career, research, or community activities.
Sport management grad Brittany (Perotti) Agne ’09 (CLAS), ’11 MA, a former Husky Sport volunteer, today serves as director of children’s education programs at a nonprofit in New York City. (Photo courtesy of Brittany Agne)
Brittany (Perotti) Agne ’09 (CLAS), ’11 MA, a former Husky Sport volunteer who earned a master’s degree with a concentration in sport management at the Neag School, today serves as director of children’s education programs at New York Cares, a New York City-based nonprofit focused on volunteer management whose staff plans 1,600 volunteer-led projects every month.
At what moment did you know that you wanted to work with New York Cares? It was honestly a series of fortuitous events that led me to New York Cares. I didn’t know much about the organization before I started working for it in 2011, but I did know by that time (thanks to Husky Sport) that I wanted to go into the nonprofit side of sports-based youth development work as an ultimate career goal. The position that was posted online was almost identical to my responsibilities with Husky Sport, including volunteer management and working with kids to promote positive and healthy behaviors through sports and nutrition programs. It felt like it was a position that was made for me.
What made you choose to work in the Children’s Education Programs department of New York Cares? When I first started, the Children’s Education Programs department didn’t exist. Instead, the two teams that comprise the department today were part of Community Programs and Education Programs. I was part of the Children’s Recreation team, housed under Community Programs, because the perception was that sports was an “additional” component to a child’s education.
Thanks in large part to movements within youth development (and, honestly, the Let’s Move campaign from [first lady] Michelle Obama), I think people have come around to the idea that physical activity is a key component to a child’s academic success. New York Cares made the formal change in November 2015 by creating the Children’s Education Programs department, and that allowed all of the people working on kids’ programs to be one team tackling the multifaceted issue of student achievement in New York City. Now, we have people working on arts, nutrition, and sports programs alongside people working on STEM, reading, and other literacy-based programs. It makes much more sense and allows us to have a deeper connection with our community partners.
What are the types of education programs offered to children through New York Cares? It ranges from your traditional academic programs, like homework help, reading and math support, and the like to opportunities such as coding, Lego Robotics, martial arts, yoga, photography, dance, field trips, and culinary arts. We try as much as possible to customize content to the kids with the understanding that each community and every student is unique in their needs and desires.
How have you been able to integrate your background in sport management into what you are doing now? There are a few ways, particularly around the corporate social responsibility piece of Dr. Laura Burton’s sport management class [at the Neag School]. We spent time [in that class] talking about how people can and should encourage their [employers] to take on a particular cause in their community. New York Cares is largely funded by companies looking to do just that, as this has become more of an expectation of employees, with millennials continuing to enter the workforce. … Other classes, like marketing, also feel transferrable to what we do.
Perhaps the clearest connection for me, though, is Dr. Jennie McGarry’s work with Husky Sport and the service learning class, as well as discussions around issues in sport that shed light on income and racial inequality. Seeing firsthand the Hartford Public Schools system in action allowed me to have some sense of the New York City Public Schools system, and it was great to have that classroom-based experience before coming into the NYC education world.
Agne, seen here in New York Cares’ Manhattan-based office, says the organization manages more than 1,000 volunteer opportunities per month and engages more than 64,000 volunteers in service each year. (Photo courtesy of Brittany Agne)
How is New York Cares making a difference for New York City youth? I feel the impact is twofold, and one may be more obvious than the other. First, we are providing supplemental instruction for kids who are below grade level in math and reading performance or whose school is underfunded and cannot provide recess/physical education as frequently as mandated by the city. For kids in shelters, it may provide a safe space for them to develop with peers, where there is structure and purpose to what they’re doing, even if it’s simply sitting down and reading a book with a volunteer for 30 minutes or going ice-skating for the first time in Bryant Park during the holidays. It teaches them how to navigate their fears and their city and provides some consistency in their schedules.
The second major impact is through providing the adult support for children, giving them specialized attention that they may not otherwise receive during school or out-of-school time. There have been multiple studies on positive youth development that touch upon this idea of a caring adult role model and building that relationship as being critical to the success of programs. It’s the idea behind Big Brothers Big Sisters and other national-level branches of volunteering.
But I would be remiss to ignore the impact that the kids have on the volunteers, and that is that kids see the world with a totally different perspective and make you realize what’s really important. I think they have a ton of lessons to teach our volunteers and can open their eyes to issues that people face in the city.
When did you discover your passion for volunteer work? I’ve spent much of my life doing community service and was a member of National Honor Society in high school, which had a community service requirement, and I absolutely love working with kids. So when I got to college, I spent a little time doing tutoring at an elementary school in Willimantic [Conn.] when it could fit into my schedule.
In my junior year, I heard about Husky Sport and was curious about getting involved. It didn’t fit into my schedule until senior year, but that first semester of service learning was amazing. At that point, I was hooked on working in the nonprofit world and stayed at UConn to do my master’s program in sport management as a graduate assistant for Husky Sport. I especially loved that the focus was on the sociological aspect of sport, not just on how to make it from a business perspective, and got you thinking about the power companies have to affect change in their communities.
“We value every hour people give of their time, and if it’s just once a year that people can volunteer for one hour, that’s still meaningful. You still have the opportunity to make a connection with someone whom you may never have had the chance to meet.”
What would like the public to know about New York Cares as a whole? New York Cares is so much more than our Coat Drive (which many people know us for, if they’ve heard of us) and Winter Wishes programs. Yes, these are critical services, but if you’re looking for a way to truly know your city — or even if you’re just visiting and want to get some real New York experiences — volunteering is an easy way to do it.
We started (almost) 30 years ago when a group of friends came together and tried to find ways to volunteer, but struggled due to the lack of flexibility that people found when looking to get involved. Once people create an account with us, they can quickly see how we try to adapt our model to their busy schedules. Orientations are scheduled throughout the city at all times of day, and are also available online. Projects range from working in food pantries and senior centers, to animal shelters, parks, gardens, shelters, and schools. We value every hour people give of their time, and if it’s just once a year that people can volunteer for one hour, that’s still meaningful. You still have the opportunity to make a connection with someone whom you may never have had the chance to meet.
We’ve had people from all over the world come to us because they’re in New York for a week and want to see what life is like for people throughout the city, so it’s not limited to residents of the city if you want to get involved. We engage companies in customized service opportunities and are an integral part of disaster response, so there are a multitude of options for anyone looking to volunteer. We run more than 1,000 opportunities each month and engage more than 64,000 volunteers each year in service.
What have been some of the most rewarding moments at your job? Any time I am able to get to a program to spend time with the kids and volunteers is a great reminder of the significance of our work. We hear things like ‘This is the best day ever!’ from kids when we take them on trips or have volunteers in their classroom. Even though there can be days that are difficult, remembering that there is a person on the other side who is being impacted by your decisions puts it all into perspective. And the thank-you notes that the kids send to us are still hanging up in my office. They just have this enthusiasm for life and meeting new people that makes it all worth it.
In my work, I get to see the best side of New Yorkers, who are stereotyped as cynical and uncaring, but it’s really not the case. People are busy, stressed, and on the go 24/7 — that’s true — but they also find ways to get involved with their communities as a way to get to know their neighbors better or because they feel it’s the right thing to do. The motivation of kindness drives people to give even in the most difficult situations. It bridges the gap in socioeconomic status and allows the recipients of service to be empowered to also teach the volunteers.
“In my work, I get to see the best side of New Yorkers, who are stereotyped as cynical and uncaring, but it’s really not the case,” Agne says.
What are some challenging moments you’ve had while working at New York Cares? The biggest challenge had to be Superstorm Sandy. Our office is in the Financial District, which had storm surges (we are right near Battery Park and the Battery Park Tunnel, which was completely underwater), so we were doing work remotely across the tri-state area. It was a true test of our systems in terms of keeping in touch with co-workers, as well as volunteers and partners.
A week after the storm hit, we were able to get back into our office because the subways finally reopened. We had 16-18 hour days from Oct. 29, 2012, until December of that year. Partners would call us at all hours, and we would post projects for people to volunteer at food distribution sites, as well as canvassing housing complexes to ensure that residents were safe and able to get their medicines, especially the elderly and those unable to take stairs.
Four years later, I can still remember it like it was yesterday, but it is a powerful reminder of what people deal with in the wake of disaster. For people in the flood zones, they’re still working to get back what was lost.
What were some of your favorite moments at UConn? As an undergrad, I worked for The Daily Campus as a sports beat writer and covered the women’s basketball teams in 2007-08 and 2008-09. We got to travel to the women’s tournaments, and I got the chance to see the best women’s basketball program courtside. That experience also taught me that I didn’t want to pursue a career in sports journalism, which was my original plan when I entered college, but it gave me a greater appreciation for the work that journalists do and the value of having trained journalists in a world of blogs and social media. I also loved Oozeball and the concerts that SUBOG put together.
Of course, my time with Husky Sport is also high up there with my favorite memories, particularly spending time in Ms. Vargas’ bilingual 3rd-grade class at Wish [school in Hartford], reading with her students and seeing how excited they were for nonfiction work, and Ms. Ziplow’s 6th-grade class, discussing current events.
What are your favorite things about New York City? There is such a diverse group of people that you interact with on a daily basis, regardless of where you go in the city, so there are times when you feel like you’ve stepped into another country. It gives a real sense of appreciation for the cultures of the people in that particular neighborhood. There’s also always something to do, and if you’re creative enough, you can find many things that are free to the public. With work, I get the chance to explore places a bit more with field trips and projects throughout the city.
Protesters attend a 2016 rally in Melbourne, Australia, in support of the Hands Off Safe School, designed as a resource for teachers and students to assist with issues of homophobia and bullying. (Photo by Chris Hopkins/Getty Images)
Editor’s Note: Loretta Waldman of UConn Today, the University of Connecticut’s news website, recently sat down for some Q&A with Brandi Simonsen, associate professor in the Neag School and co-director of the Center for Behavioral Education and Research. View the piece as it originally appeared on UConn Today.
A day after the November election, a teacher at a Michigan junior high school noticed two students lying on the ground before class. When asked what they are doing, they said they were forming a wall, as a joke. Later the same day, a larger group of students at the same school locked arms and prevented other students from passing in the hallway. “Let’s build a Wall,” they shouted, telling one Latina student she should go back to Mexico. Closer to home, anti-Semitic incidents at a school in Amherst, Mass. prompted the principal to schedule assemblies to address bullying, harassment, and anti-Semitism and, for a week, students engaged in a curriculum about the history of anti-Semitism.
These incidents illustrate the dangerous effects of hate being modeled and reinforced on a national stage, according to a team of UConn school climate and behavior experts. Now spilling into classrooms and schools across the nation, these developments are presenting educators, parents, and communities with significant, immediate challenges as they seek to support students, while faced with their own feelings of stress, confusion, and lack of preparedness.
The support being offered in the media focuses largely on how to respond when such an incident occurs, but a positive, proactive approach has been proven to be a far more effective strategy, says one of the experts, associate professor Brandi Simonsen. She and fellow faculty members George Sugai, Jennifer Freeman, and Tamika LaSalle at UConn’s Center for Behavioral Education and Research in the Neag School of Education recently authored a paper outlining empirically supported, high-impact practices that school leaders and educators must employ now to bolster school climates before incidents occur. More than 23,000 schools across the country have already implemented Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) practices, says Simonsen, who is co-coordinator of the Northeast PBIS Network and a partner in the PBIS National Technical Assistance Center run by UConn, the University of Oregon, and the University of Missouri. In this interview with UConn Today, she explains why there should be more.
Q. What is the current climate you are seeing in public schools around bullying and hate messages?
A. We don’t have clear and reliable national data to describe the number of incidents truly happening in schools, but we are hearing many anecdotal stories. For example, we’re seeing news media and social media reports of hate speech being written as vandalism in schools, we’re hearing about hate speech being used from student to student.
In addition to that, we are hearing reports – and again, we don’t have great national data to say how often or how many – about some students experiencing increases in anxiety or worry about the national scene. Kids are worried about deportation; students from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender families are worried about their family composition and what’s going to happen to them; and kids in different racial and cultural groups are concerned about how they are being treated and how they will be treated.
So we’re seeing these sorts of flare-ups of hate, and we’re also seeing these reactions of fear from students. Students say they are arriving at school anxious, upset, scared, stressed, or angry. While some students will successfully and productively move through their day, others display signs of withdrawal, anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns. In addition, students may bring hurtful speech and actions into school, be on the receiving end of hurtful conduct, or be bystanders witnessing such disrespectful behavior.
Q. Have you seen an increase in these incidents in schools as a result of the 2016 election?
A. Incident reporting does seem to be increasing; however, we don’t know for sure whether the increases in incident reporting is caused by election results, heightened media exposure of specific incidents, increased reporting of incidents that have not been reported in the past, etc. Regardless of the prevalence rates, we have an obligation to be prepared to respond to and prevent future incidents of inappropriate behavior and victimization, which are unlikely to be totally eliminated. Although we can never prevent all possible types of events, doing nothing runs the risk of us being unprepared and sitting on our hands if students, teachers, and/or family members experience a serious incident.
“We have an obligation to be prepared to respond to and prevent future incidents of inappropriate behavior and victimization, which are unlikely to be totally eliminated.” Associate Professor Brandi Simonsen
Q. What prompted you and your colleagues to call for action now?
A. We’re worried that the recent stories could be the beginning of a more significant increase in these behaviors. We also know that schools often serve as the de-facto mental health support system for students. Providing all students with a safe, predictable, and positive environment is critical in effectively addressing many mental health concerns. Basic positive and proactive practices work. When these key practices are implemented well, students’ social and emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes improve. By implementing positive, proactive practices, schools can effectively support students who may experience greater difficulties and require additional support.
Q. What has been the general response so far at schools?
A. Most of the responses I see coming out in the media are just that – they’re focused on how to respond to bullying or other negative behaviors. In other words, they are reactive – waiting for the problem to show up, and then giving schools, families, or community members strategies to react. Traditionally, when schools react to problems, they resort to zero tolerance policies and different punishment strategies to try and decrease the problems. Those responses are typical and they have happened for decades. But the problem is that they miss the opportunity to be proactive and positive, and they may have negative, unintended consequences.
Q. What responses to bullying and hate speech work and don’t work?
A. As we look at the national landscape, schools have access to a really clear, systematic, and empirically validated approach to address problems like this. And so, rather than waiting for a problem to show up, we advocate that now is the time for schools to make sure a positive and proactive approach is applied across all students, staff, and sub-groups in the building, so that all kids both behave respectfully toward others and are respected by other students and by staff.
In classrooms and schools, there is clear evidence that when teachers implement positive and proactive practices, students benefit academically and socially. There is also clear evidence that in the absence of these practices, students engage in more disruptive behavior, which decreases teachers’ ability to teach. Disruptive behavior affects both the classroom process and academic outcomes, because teachers are losing instructional minutes to manage behavior. For individual students with more intense behavioral issues, these outcomes are magnified; kids who struggle with behavior experience the most reactive management and the least positive and proactive support, so it’s not surprising that they have some of the worst outcomes.
Q. Can you highlight the best practices that school leaders and educators can employ to head off bullying and hate speech?
A. Establish positively stated expectations that explicitly communicate respect for all students, and that value and embrace diversity among students as well as adults.
Clearly describe how students and adults can display observable expectations in each classroom routine and school setting that contribute to a common language and a predictable, respectful, and safe experience for all.
Explicitly and purposefully teach expectations across all classroom routines and school settings. Specifically define, model, and practice each expectation, and use positive and negative examples so that students see the line between appropriate and inappropriate behavior and actions. Also, teach students specific problem-solving strategies for instances in which they experience or see disrespectful behavior. Create a school-wide “stop signal” for disrespect, and teach students to use that signal to walk away from disrespectful acts.
Use data to monitor implementation, and screen for students who require more intensive support. Monitor how lessons are provided and how students respond to the behavior of their peers. Utilize school climate data to examine the experiences of groups of students who may be more personally affected by the national conversation, including students who identify as Muslim, Jewish, Black, Latino, or LGBTQ; have disabilities, a history of trauma, or mental health challenges; or represent other diverse backgrounds. Diversity is a positive quality; embracing and valuing diversity requires a safe, respectful environment, and a deliberate approach that supports all students, families, and staff members.
Q. Do educators play a role in reducing bullying not just within the walls of the school but beyond?
A. Educators, like any citizen, have a role within and outside the classroom to (a) model effective, prosocial behaviors that prevent occurrences and escalations of inappropriate behavior; (b) be an effective bystander by supporting victims or potential victims of inappropriate acts; (c) voicing opposition to hateful behavior; (d) encouraging students to be effective bystanders who support individuals who are being victimized; and (d) reinforcing and recognizing other individuals who display heroic non-discriminatory behavior and acts. Educators have a responsibility to inform family members about the prosocial skills that are being encouraged at school to maintain safe and respectful learning environments and reduce the likelihood of inappropriate behavior and acts.
Q. What role do parents and the community play?
A. I think many of the strategies we talk about in school make sense in families and communities. Parents and community leaders can communicate clear expectations and actively teach how to be respectful and kind to all others. They can draw on local examples from their families and communities, and they can identify what to do if someone is not respectful and kind. For example, my son is in kindergarten and my daughter is in preschool. We have this conversation regularly at our dinner table: We talk about how to be kind to others, and we also discuss what steps they can take if someone isn’t kind to them. Hopefully, that’s also happening at their schools, but it’s important that we talk about it at home to reinforce what they are learning, teach them to be kind, and help them be successful if something does come their way.
ACSD Express (Neag School’s Shaun Dougherty co-wrote a report with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute on the impact of career and technical education programs)
The Neag School Alumni Awards Celebration will be held on March 18, 2017, on the UConn Storrs campus. Register online at s.uconn.edu/neagalumni2017.
The Neag School of Education and its Alumni Board are proud to announce the 2017 Neag School Alumni Award honorees. Six outstanding Neag School graduates will be recognized at the School’s 19th annual Alumni Awards Celebration in Storrs, Conn., on Saturday, March 18, 2017:
Outstanding School Educator — Shamim S. Patwa ’97 MA, ’00 6th Year, ’03 Ph.D.
A school psychologist for more than 15 years, Patwa joined Goodwin Elementary School at Mansfield (Conn.) Public Schools in 2013. There, she provides group and individual counseling sessions with an emphasis on problem-solving and conflict resolution, as well as social skills instruction, across all grades. Prior to joining Goodwin, she was an adjunct professor-in-residence of educational psychology at the Neag School of Education, where she taught doctoral and master’s level school psychology students.
Outstanding School Administrator — Carter Welch ’99 (ED), ’11 Ed.D., ’12 ELP As principal at Jerome Harrison Elementary School in North Branford (Conn.) Public Schools since 2014, Welch is responsible for instructional leadership; student learning and assessment; evaluation and professional learning; school climate and behavior; and parent and community involvement. Prior to leading the school, he served as the assistant principal at North Branford High School and has held various posts at North Branford Public Schools for eight years. Welch has also served as a coach and research affiliate with the National School Climate Center and an adjunct professor at Southern Connecticut State University.
Outstanding School Superintendent — Alan Addley ’07 ELP, ’14 Ed.D.
For the past eight years, Addley has served as superintendent of schools for Granby (Conn.) Public Schools, where he is the chief executive officer for five schools and 2,000 students. Addley has put Granby on the map with initiatives such as professional learning communities, full-day kindergarten, and elementary world languages. Prior to that role, he served as the principal at Granby Memorial High School and has held various leadership posts at schools throughout Connecticut for 17 years. An avid community leader, Addley also serves as president of the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS).
Outstanding Professional — Alan Kraut ’73 (ED)
Kraut serves as the executive director of Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), where he provides oversight and development of a new independent accreditation system for clinical psychology. Prior to that role, he was the executive director of the Association for Psychological Science (formerly American Psychological Society) for more than 25 years. Kraut also served in leadership roles for the American Psychological Association and was an assistant professor of psychology at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Outstanding Higher Education Professional — Maria D. Martinez ’83 MSW, ’96 Ph.D.
Martinez is the assistant vice provost at UConn’s Institute for Student Success, where she has provided strategic and operational leadership for the past five years. Concurrently, she also serves as director of UConn’s Center for Academic Programs, where she has managed the daily operations of the TRIO Programs (Student Support Services, Upward Bound, and Talent Search) for the past 20 years.
Lifetime Achievement Award — Melvyn L. Reich ’69 Ph.D.
Reich was a special education faculty member for the Neag School of Education for 22 years, and now a professor emeritus. Since his retirement from the University in 1992, he spent the next 25 years serving as director of special education programs in public and private schools in Connecticut, and later in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. During this same time, he continued to provide consulting services to a number of private and public organizations.
The Neag School Alumni Awards Celebration on March 18 begins at 5 p.m., followed by dinner at 5:30 p.m. Attire is business formal. No-host bar. The cost of the dinner is $50 per person.
