A 21st-century Approach to Teaching Social Studies

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Alan Marcus, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, visits London Bridge. Marcus takes UConn education students to Europe to learn more about the global community.
Alan Marcus, associate professor of curriculum and instruction, visits London Bridge. Marcus takes UConn education students to Europe to learn more about the global community.

Connecticut education officials recently approved the biggest change in social studies instruction in more than 15 years, designed to help teachers develop student skill sets essential to understanding a networked world of growing cultural and historical complexity.

In January, the State Board of Education voted to adopt the proposal – called the Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Frameworks – as a guide recommended for use by local school districts. The framework, as spelled out by the State Department of Education, specifies that social studies instruction should be more than a teacher telling students what they need to know. Instead, teachers must guide students through history, economics, geography, and civics, helping them develop their own questions and conduct their own inquiry.

Alan S. Marcus, an associate professor of curriculum and instruction in UConn’s Neag School of Education, was a lead writer for the state’s new Social Studies Frameworks. Marcus, who is the advisor for the secondary history education program at UConn, taught high school social studies for seven years and is a University of Connecticut Teaching Fellow, whose research focuses on social studies education, specializing in museum education and teaching with film. He is also past president of the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies. UConn Today asked Marcus to share his insights on the impact the new frameworks will have on social studies instruction.

Q: Why is social studies so important that Connecticut wanted to overhaul how the subject is taught?

A: Social studies are about how our society functions, from our local town to the global community. If we expect our children to become adults who work for the common good of society and if we believe in maintaining our democratic way of life, then we need social studies frameworks that prepare them for success in civic life.

Q: What makes the new frameworks different from what teachers have been using in the past? How unique is Connecticut in this approach?

A: The frameworks place Connecticut as a national leader in social studies education through four innovative features. First, an inquiry process where students ask questions based on their own curiosity, develop positions grounded in evidence, and take informed action. Secondly, they use compelling questions such as “How do Americans define freedom and equality?” and “How can people make a difference in society?” to make content more engaging. The frameworks also use themes such as the role of geography in history or the impact of science and technology on society, to move beyond a parade of facts. Of course students can’t answer questions without knowing facts and dates, but the emphasis is on knowing facts and dates toward a larger purpose, rather than as an end in and of themselves. Thirdly, the frameworks emphasize a more interdisciplinary approach that includes history, geography, economics, and civics in every year, K-12. Finally, the frameworks do more to include local and state history throughout the K-12 social studies experience.

Q: There is a lot of controversy about the Common Core curriculum and testing. Do the new frameworks have an impact on the current testing system in Connecticut?

A: The frameworks are not part of Common Core and are not associated with any new test. The frameworks are a guide, not a mandate. Ultimately, local districts and schools decide the specific curriculum and content for social studies. There is an expectation that districts will have some level of fidelity to the frameworks, but the frameworks do not provide specific content to be covered.

Q: Social studies typically include topics that may reflect a point of view, so that how they are taught may influence students’ perspectives. How do the revised curricula strive to remain impartial?

A: The aim is to help students consider multiple perspectives on important issues. Take for example, contemporary issues such as immigration policies, our relationship with Cuba, how to respond to terror threats, and tax reform … It is imperative that teachers include these issues as part of the curriculum, but in a way that presents a balanced array of evidence and prompts students to weigh the evidence and reach their own conclusions. Tackling these issues head-on is precisely what the frameworks do – encourage the deliberation of important “difficult” issues both from today and from the past.

A tall ship docked at Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport. The new social studies frameworks emphasize local community and culture, and ‘spiral out’ to the global context. (Alan Marcus/UConn Photo)
A tall ship docked at Connecticut’s Mystic Seaport. The new social studies frameworks emphasize local community and culture, and ‘spiral out’ to the global context. (Alan Marcus/UConn Photo)

Q: In today’s highly interconnected world, there are calls for “globalizing” U.S. education. Do the new social studies curricula give Connecticut students a deeper understanding of the United States in our modern, networked world?

A: Absolutely! Global connections – economic, political, cultural, environmental, military, human rights – are critical in today’s society. However, everything starts with the local community. From there the frameworks examine state history, U.S. geography, followed by U.S. history and global studies. By starting with the local and spiraling outward, students will appreciate the connections among the local, regional, national, and global spheres.

Q: Is the new social studies curriculum designed to enhance students’ appreciation of cultural complexities and their understanding of international perspectives?

A: Again, it begins with the local and spirals out to the global. The frameworks start right away with the theme of “Diversity and Culture in the World,” repeated across Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. In third grade, that becomes “Cultural Diversity and a Connecticut State Identity;” and by middle and high school, possible themes include “Cultural Diversity and an American National Identity.” We are a better society when we better understand and appreciate each other’s similarities and each other’s differences.

Q: Who was involved in creating the frameworks and what was that process like?

A: The frameworks were created in a partnership between social studies teachers from all over Connecticut, university faculty, and the State Department of Education. There was also tremendous support from the State Board of Education and other stakeholders, including the Connecticut Council for the Social Studies, the museum community, and school superintendents. We spent more than a year discussing, debating, and writing, based on the latest educational research about how students best learn. We hope the process can serve as a model for the way teachers, the state, and universities can partner to improve K-12 education for our children.

Link to the new frameworks.

Neag Faculty and Graduate Students to Present at AERA Annual Meeting in April

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More than 60 faculty researchers and graduate students from the Neag School of Education will be attending this year’s American Educational Research Association (AERA)’s Annual Meeting, taking place Thursday, April 16, through Monday, April 20, in the heart of downtown Chicago.

Chicago
More than 60 faculty researchers and graduate students from the Neag School will be taking part in the 2015 AERA Annual Meeting in Chicago this April.

The Neag School’s attendees will be presenting academic papers, serving as invited speakers, participating in roundtable discussions, leading professional development courses, and accepting awards conferred to them by various divisions of AERA.

View a complete listing of the Neag School’s faculty and graduate student AERA sessions at s.uconn.edu/aera.

The theme of the 2015 AERA meeting is “Toward Justice: Culture, Language, and Heritage in Education Research and Praxis.” Attendance is expected to top 14,000, with more than 2,600 sessions scheduled over the course of the five days.

The AERA Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of scholars in the field of education research, showcasing groundbreaking, innovative studies in topics as diverse as digital learning, adolescent literacy, teacher preparation and evaluation, and creativity.

Access a PDF of the Neag School’s sessions here, which lists the dates, times, and other details regarding those sessions that feature attendees affiliated with the Neag School of Education.

The full AERA program, listing all sessions featuring participants from across the country, is available online on the AERA website.

Collective Uplift: How Research Could Reshape the Educational Experiences of Black Male Student-Athletes

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Growing up in North Carolina and idolizing the likes of Michael Jordan and legendary college basketball coach Dean Smith, Joseph Cooper says he was not unlike many other kids raised in “basketball country” – throughout his childhood, he had his sights set on playing sports professionally. Even up until he started his undergraduate years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Cooper dreamt of making it to the NBA.

Neag Assistant Professor leads a panel discussion featuring UConn student-athletes of color on March 12, 2015.
Neag Assistant Professor Joseph Cooper leads a panel discussion on March 12, 2015, titled “Behind the Face Masks: The Voices of Black and Latino Male Student-Athletes,” featuring participants of Collective Uplift, an organization founded by Cooper this past fall to support student-athletes of color.

Quickly realizing, however, that “it wasn’t going to be my career trajectory,” Cooper found himself at a loss. “I had an identity crisis when I stopped playing basketball,” he says. “I started to ask questions like: Why do individuals like me feel this way when a certain aspect of our lives is no longer salient?”

And although he struggled to pinpoint a major that felt right to him at the time – changing his mind nearly half a dozen times – Cooper began to find his footing through extracurricular involvement outside of the athletics realm.

Co-founding a minority service organization at UNC known as Gentlemen of Leadership and Distinction and Ladies of Virtue and Excellence (GOLD-N-LOVE), which is still active today, Cooper says: “I started to understand that I had skill sets outside of playing basketball, and really believing that. It’s one thing to possess those skills and to perform on them – and another thing to internally believe that you have value in that way.”

Ultimately, this emerging sense of self-discovery guided Cooper down a winding path to the world of academic research. Now an assistant professor of sport management at UConn’s Neag School of Education, Cooper is taking the same kinds of questions he long wrestled with and is not only exploring them through qualitative and mixed methods research studies – but also applying his findings directly in reaching out to young black male student-athletes who face the same stereotypes and stigmas he once encountered himself.

Valuing Student-Athletes – Beyond Athletics

Throughout his academic career, Cooper has focused on the experiences of black male student-athletes, uncovering the ways in which they are stigmatized as intellectually inferior within educational spaces, constrained to think of themselves as valued only in an athletics context.

“When I see a lot of students of color, particularly student-athletes of color, not feeling comfortable in educational spaces, I understand that, and I think that’s a big part of the disconnect taking place in our educational pipeline,” he says. In addition to many student-athletes of color lacking role models in the educational realm, he adds: “What I found through the research was that many black student-athletes weren’t involved in campus organizations. They aren’t getting the full college experience; it seems like they’re in a silo.”

“I just felt like there should be a space, something that is intentionally designed to take into account their unique experiences as black males and foster their holistic development.”

—Assistant Professor Joseph Cooper, founder of Collective Uplift

His work also exposes the stark differences between graduation success rates of black male student-athletes and their peers. According to data published by the NCAA this past fall, for instance, black male student-athletes are graduating at a disproportionately lower rate (65 percent) than that of white male student-athletes (85 percent) – a gap that has persisted over time. Cooper believes there are long-standing, systemic inequalities that play a role in these differences. “There’s a lot of exploitation of black student-athletes,” he says. “Ultimately, athletics is at the core of a lot of the decisions that are made.”

UConn football offensive lineman Gus Cruz '14 (CLAS) answers questions from the audience on March 12, 2015, during a panel titled "Behind the Face Masks: The Voices of Black and Latino Male Student-Athletes," featuring participants of Collective Uplift, a group of student-athletes of color founded by Neag assistant professor Joseph Cooper.
UConn football offensive lineman Gus Cruz ’14 (CLAS) answers questions from the audience on March 12, 2015, during a panel featuring participants of Collective Uplift.

While Cooper acknowledges the dedication of UConn’s own athletics staff in supporting their students, he also feels there is an opportunity to offer targeted support for black male student-athletes to build on the current support systems within the athletics department.

“I just felt like there should be a space, something that is intentionally designed to take into account their unique experiences as black males and foster their holistic development,” he says.

A New Grassroots Effort

This past fall, Cooper turned that idea into an active outreach effort. He began reaching out to black male student-athletes at UConn, gathering them for weekly meetings as part of a new grassroots effort he calls Collective Uplift. The purpose behind Collective Uplift, Cooper says, is to empower, educate, and inspire ethnic minorities at UConn to maximize their full potential as holistic individuals, not exclusively in the realm of athletics, but also beyond.

The group – which now regularly comprises up to 10 UConn student-athletes of color – meets to discuss such topics as leadership development skills, resume building, and career options in the field of education, as well as to talk openly about their day-to-day experiences on campus and any other issues important to them.

“I’m not their coach; I’m not going to take away their scholarship. I’m not their advisor or professor; I don’t have control over their grades,” Cooper says. “They have a space to express themselves free of that type of judgment or any type of penalty. Ultimately, the goal is to help them view themselves as holistic individuals and nurture those holistic identities.”

Holistic development and empowerment, he says, are the core themes of Collective Uplift. “Those two things will facilitate their success in life – way beyond athletics.”

Neag Assistant Professor Joseph Cooper, right, poses questions to a panel of UConn student-athletes at the African American Cultural Center on March 12, 2015. The athletes are participants in an organization Cooper established this past fall called Collective Uplift.
Neag Assistant Professor Joseph Cooper, right, poses questions to a panel of UConn student-athletes at the African American Cultural Center on March 12, 2015. The athletes are participants in an organization Cooper established this past fall called Collective Uplift.

Yet keeping in mind the many hours these student-athletes must dedicate to their sport, Cooper offers them an analogy: “I tell them: The repetitions that you do with lifting weights, practicing your moves on the field, we need to be just as vigilant about repetition in developing you. Every week, this is our training session.”

Unlike similar organizations across the nation, such as the NCAA CHAMPS Life Skills program, which supports the development of student-athletes at several NCAA member institutions, Collective Uplift is unique in that it focuses specifically on the experiences of black male student-athletes.

“You’ve got to have a testimony. You’ve got to have something to speak to, a lived experience that informs why you feel the way you feel about certain things …”

—Assistant Professor Joseph Cooper, founder of Collective Uplift

Ultimately, Cooper says he would like to see this kind of support system adapted nationwide to serve the needs of other subgroups within University student-athlete populations. “There are some unique challenges that student-athletes of color are facing,” he says; just as other campus services are designed to meet the needs of specific groups of students, this program could likewise be “mimicked with the guidance of research on different subgroups.”

10,000 Hours

Cooper’s academic research has, undoubtedly, informed his approach to Collective Uplift. His findings over time have led him to outline what he refers to as holistic development principles – a set of six qualities he says play a key role in an individual achieving his or her goals. Originally termed by Cooper as critical success factors, these six qualities had consisted of personal development, social harmony, engagement with a strong support system, career aspirations, time management skills, and spirituality and/or organized religion. More recently, Cooper has coined them as holistic development principles, updating them to include the following components: self-identity awareness, positive social engagement, active mentorship, academic achievement, career aspirations, and balanced time management.

UConn student-athletes Marquise Vann, left, and Gus Cruz, right, participate in a panel discussion about the stereotypes faced by student-athletes of color.
UConn student-athletes Marquise Vann, left, and Gus Cruz, right, participate in a panel discussion about the stereotypes faced by student-athletes of color.

At the same time, he points to the importance of his own experiences in shaping his research interests – as well as in understanding the needs of Collective Uplift participants. “You’ve got to have a testimony,” he says. “You’ve got to have something to speak to, a lived experience that informs why you feel the way you feel about certain things and why you’re engaged in the type of work that you’re engaged in.”

For example, when Cooper talks about the critical success factor of personal development, he is quick to emphasize the influence of his mother, who encouraged Cooper and his brother, whom she raised alone, to stay involved in activities outside of sports.

“Whether I knew it or not, my mother definitely knew what she was doing. She was creating an identity for me, nurturing an identity that wasn’t connected to sport,” he says. “She knew that eventually the ball would go flat, the time on the clock would expire, and I would need to be prepared to excel in life outside of that.”

Cooper also remarks on the impact that the many books he has pored over throughout the years have had on his research ideas and his work with Collective Uplift. For instance, in reading best-seller Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, Cooper says he began to consider an additional layer integral to the idea of time management.

“Gladwell talks about the idea that anybody who spends over 10,000 hours on something is an expert. I started to put that together,” Cooper says. “A lot of black males are celebrated for their athletic prowess … but a lot of that is just time spent on the activity. So if we can apply [in these student-athletes] that same mentality, that same time and effort and cultural support for academic endeavors, you’ll see the same success.”

Even as he continues to fine-tune the fundamentals of his six holistic development principles, Cooper shares his findings with the Collective Uplift participants, encouraging discussion around the ideas of academic achievement, career aspirations, and self-identity. The takeaway for these student-athletes, he hopes, is “to pay it forward, find their purpose and passion, and make a positive impact on the world. The more of us that are doing that, the less exploitation we’re going to see.”

For an insider’s look into Joseph Cooper’s ongoing efforts with Collective Uplift, check out this video.

Neag School Moves Up in 2016 U.S. News & World Report Rankings

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Neag_New FacultyU.S. News & World Report released its annual national rankings of graduate schools of education on March 10, with the Neag School of Education ranking No. 31 in the nation, up two slots this year from No. 33.

Among public graduate schools of education, Neag ranks at No. 21, up from No. 24. University of California, Irvine, also a public institution, is tied with the Neag School.

The 2016 U.S. News rankings also ranks several of the Neag School’s specialty programs among the top in the nation:

  • Special Education, No. 14
  • Educational Psychology, No. 16
  • Educational Administration and Supervision, No. 18

The methodology used for the U.S. News rankings of specialty programs differs from overall rankings, in that the former are based solely on nominations by education deans and education school deans of graduate studies.

“While there are a number of different types of rankings systems in use today, we remain incredibly proud of the strength of our programs here at the Neag School and of the recognition we have received in the latest U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings,” says Dean Richard Schwab. “Our current standing within these rankings demonstrates the talent and level of productivity of our faculty as well as the high caliber of students we are attracting each year, and we will continue to dedicate ourselves to excellence across each of our programs.”

Graduate education programs at 357 schools granting doctoral degrees were surveyed in the fall of 2014; 253 responded, and 246 provided data needed to calculate rankings based on 10 specific measures, including student selectivity and research activity. Complete information regarding U.S. News rankings methodologies for 2016 can be accessed here.

For a complete list of the 2016 U.S. News & World Report rankings, visit usnews.com/colleges.

Charter School Reform Must Become Part of National Education Reform

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Charter schoolsMore than 2.5 million students attend an estimated 6,400 charter schools in 42 states, with the number of these “independent public schools” — as President Barack Obama called them in his National Charter Schools Week proclamation last year — increasing dramatically. For the 2013-14 school year, more than 600 new charter schools opened their doors nationwide, while 70 more are slated to open in North Carolina alone.

But as the charter school model of education grows, so does the likelihood for fraud and mismanagement. In just the past 18 months, operators of charter schools in at least 10 states were charged with embezzling funds, failing to report suspected child abuse, and committing fraud through such practices as having staff enter lunch codes for meals not eaten. At one New Jersey charter school, it was discovered that only 25 percent of employees had undergone the federal criminal background checks required to work with schoolchildren, while another failed to provide the special education services state and federal law require. Another charter school in Florida charged the state $101,000 for students who never attended. This past fall, the New Mexico State Auditor’s office discovered that two Albuquerque charter schools paid more than $1 million to a private company owned by the schools’ top administrator and another school official.

“This is not the first time an industry has outgrown its regulatory safety nets or realized it was operating without the regulations needed for true public accountability.”

—Preston Green, John and Carla Klein Professor
of Urban Education, Neag School of Education

Charter school proponents have argued that these and similar ethical and criminal violations are isolated issues of mismanagement performed by “rogue” operators who do not represent a systemic problem. However, recent research indicates incidents of charter school failure, deceit, and misconduct may be more common than people think. For naysayers, the “Charter School Vulnerabilities to Waste, Fraud and Abuse” report issued last spring by the Center for Popular Democracy and Integrity in Education well illustrates how waste, fraud, and dangerous conditions have led to charter schools losing or misusing more than $100 million in taxpayer money.

Charter school reform must become part of the overall education reform efforts taking place in our country right now. It is the only way to ensure that all students, in all schools, are being provided with the academics, atmosphere, and opportunities needed for their future success.

This is not to suggest that charter schools should not exist. There is a real need in education for the type of innovation and progress that well-conceptualized and well-managed charter schools can provide. Their design to serve as a place for educators to explore new teaching methods that could one day be used to improve public schools is also a good one.

It also makes sense that, as hybrids, charter schools should be allowed some flexibility and differentiation regarding oversight and regulations. But they should not be allowed to be public for funding, but private for reporting purposes. The establishment of regulations that require financial transparency and oversight by state government bodies independent from the education management organization running a charter school should be non-negotiable.

Independent charter school boards and charter school authorizers should also be required to receive the training needed to review charter contracts effectively. This will give them the ability to act as watchdogs against fraud and mismanagement, preventing the kind of scathing reports of poor academic performance and misuse use of funds.

This is not the first time an industry has outgrown its regulatory safety nets or realized it was operating without the regulations needed for true public accountability. The banking industry is still struggling with accountability issues. So perhaps it is not surprising that the reaction to the charter school fraud and mismanagement uncovered thus far has also been slow, unsystematic, and reactive.

Families and communities should not have to wait until more students have been harmed, or millions more in taxpayer dollars stolen or lost, before these regulatory problems are addressed. Increased transparency, monitoring of services, standards for school operators, and public reporting requirements are all overdue.

The public deserves common-sense laws that protect their children and tax dollars from incompetent or unscrupulous charter operators. Debate taking place in legislative halls should not be whether or not to regulate the industry, but how, and how soon.

Preston Green, JD, Ed.D., whose research has focused on legal issues related to charter schools, is the John and Carla Klein Professor of Urban Education at UConn’s Neag School of Education, as well as a professor of educational leadership and law.

Neag Alumni Society Announces Annual Honorees, Invites Guests

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alumni awards Click here for directions or here for the UConn campus map.

Faculty, alumni, and guests will gather to formally recognize the achievements of some of our outstanding graduates. Our award recipients include educators and professionals who have made significant contributions across all professions:

The Outstanding Early Career Professional is Ashley M. Combs, ’14 MS in sport management, executive assistant to senior vice president, basketball & client services manager, at Excel Sports Management in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The Outstanding School Administrator is Peter M. Dart, ’09 6th Year in educational leadership, principal of Environmental Sciences Magnet School at Mary Hooker in Hartford, Conn.

The Outstanding School Superintendent is William J. Hull, ’79 BA in history/ secondary education, ’86 MA in education, and ’06 executive leadership certificate, superintendent of Putnam Public Schools in Putnam, Conn.

The Outstanding Higher Education Professional is Jack F. McManus, ’69 Ph.D. in educational psychology and evaluation, professor of education at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif.

The Outstanding Professional is Susan M. Baum, ’85 Ph.D. in special education, director of the 2e Center for Research and Professional Development at Bridges Academy in Studio City, Calif.; co-director of the International Center for Talent Development; and professor emeritus at the College of New Rochelle in New Rochelle, N.Y.

The Distinguished Alumnus is John J. Connolly, Ed.D., ’63 MA in education, president and chief executive officer of Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. in New York, N.Y.

Come and bring others with you to honor your colleagues and friends who are so influential in the field of education. The evening begins with a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Attire is business formal. No-host bar. The cost of the dinner is $60 per person. Reservations can be made by visiting www.regonline.com/neagalumniawards2015 or by calling University Events & Conference Services at (860) 486-1038 by Monday, March 16, 2015. For additional questions pertaining to the evening, please contact Robyn Wilgis at (860) 486-6044 or robyn.wilgis@uconn.edu.

We look forward to greeting you on March 28.

 

State Rep. Fleischmann Visits Neag, Shares Thoughts on Future of Education in Connecticut

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Representative Fleischman provides comments on education policy updates with the State.
Representative Fleischmann shares education policy updates with the State. (Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay, Neag School)

The Neag School of Education’s Center for Education Policy Analysis (CEPA) hosted “A Conversation with Representative Andy Fleischmann” this past November at the Storrs campus. As the chairman of the Education Committee of the Connecticut State Assembly, State Rep. Fleischmann (D-West Hartford) spoke about the future of education in Connecticut schools and how education policy research could better inform policy making in Hartford and beyond.

Hosted by CEPA, this was the first time Fleischmann was invited to the Neag School of Education since he assumed office in 1995. As a major advocate for children and education, Fleischmann has worked on the state and national levels to help ensure that children are receiving the highest quality of education through research and policy implementation.

“One of the things that I would love to come out of this dialogue would be ideas, research, facts, and concepts about what Connecticut can do to make sure it has the most effective teachers, most effective principals, and the most effective superintendents,” Fleischmann said at the event.

“Neag is really trying to jump-start into being the center of policy analysis, and we want to move it into a new realm of influence,” says Morgaen Donaldson, Neag associate professor of educational leadership and the director of CEPA, which works with educational leaders and policymakers on issues related to the development, implementation, and consequences of education policies. “Fleischmann is one of the most influential policymakers in the state. To us, inviting him was a clear choice,” she says.

Audience members share thoughts and questions for Rep. Fleischmann.
Audience members share thoughts and questions for Rep. Fleischmann. (Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay, Neag School)

Faculty from Neag and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as local citizens, current undergraduate and graduate UConn students, and even area high school students visiting the University filled the seats.

Ensuring Academic Excellence

Fleischmann spoke at length about developments following the midterm elections and how they will impact schools. He said that it is important for educational researchers to conduct relevant research to support policy changes and new initiatives. Given the recent federal level and statewide elections, he also questioned how policymakers will implement the new actions based on the educational research available.

Fleischmann said that, since 1995, Connecticut has put excessive amounts of money into school readiness programs across the state without conducting any longitudinal studies to gauge the effectiveness of these programs. He said that there should be more communication and more partnering to achieve that success.

“Ideally, we should get new people in the room and have the right type of data collected for longitudinal study designs. This way, we won’t continue to wonder, ‘Gee, how did it go?’ but rather, we will be proactive about these studies,” Fleischmann said.

Given the strong connection between education and politics, Fleischmann emphasized that research from schools such as UConn is essential to policymaking in Hartford. If teachers wanted to see something changed in the classroom, it would first have to begin with some kind of research to show why changes need to be made, he said.

“The No. 1 factor for a student excelling is the quality of the teacher; the second is the school leader. Wouldn’t it be neat for us to figure how to implement the best policies to ensure academic excellence?” Fleischmann said.

CEPA plans on having other key figures come to the Neag School for further discussion on education research and policymaking. In the upcoming semester, Donaldson says she hopes to invite other state representatives as well as members of the Connecticut Education Association, Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents, and similar groups.

“I hope that by bringing in researchers to talk to us about their research on policy creation and implementation, it will foster a community of like-minded individuals who can make a change,” Donaldson says.

 

 

Neag Hosting Information Session for Executive Leadership Program

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Students in the ELP program listen to a discussion on superintendent leadership trends.
Students in the ELP program listen to a discussion on superintendent leadership trends. (Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay, Neag School)

The Neag School of Education’s Executive Leadership Program (ELP) is hosting an information session on Tuesday, March 10, from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS), located at 26 Caya Ave. in West Hartford.

The 13-month ELP prepares prospective superintendents and other district leaders to meet the challenges of 21st-century district leadership. More than 50 current Connecticut superintendents have participated in the program.

“We encourage principals and district leaders with an established record of effective school or program leadership to consider this program. We continue to make a special effort to increase the diversity in each year’s ELP cohort,” says Robert Villanova, associate research professor and ELP director.

The program’s goals include providing prospective superintendents with the background and knowledge necessary to meet the challenges of 21st-century superintendency; providing course work and structured clinical experiences that prepare participants to demonstrate mastery of the Connecticut School Leaders Standards; and preparing participants for a UConn Institutional endorsement for the Connecticut 093 superintendent certification.

“The Neag School of Education’s Executive Leadership Program is highly regarded by school system leaders in Connecticut,” says Joseph Cirasuolo, executive director of CAPSS. “A very high percentage of graduates of the program go on in their own right to be highly effective school system leaders. … Anyone who aspires to school system leadership should give serious consideration to enrolling in the program.”

“The Executive Leadership Program – through both the academic work and the internship experience – provided me with a broader lens and enhanced skill set to cultivate teaching and leadership throughout the school system,” says Karen Baldwin, a superintendent in Ridgefield, Conn. “It provided me with a synthesized and coherent view of the role of the superintendent, which informs my leadership practice today.”

Wolcott Superintendent of Schools Joseph Macary calls ELP “the best professional learning experience” in his educational career.

“Not only does it prepare you to be a superintendent, the program and the full-year internship in particular provides you with the district leadership insights from multiple perspectives to be a successful district leader,” Macary says. “I continue to refer to course resources and build on the collegial relationships from the Executive Leadership Program in my work today.”

For questions and to RSVP, please contact Kimberly Shirshac at kimberly.shirshac@uconn.edu. For additional information on the Executive Leadership Program, visit the website at http://executive.education.uconn.edu/.

 

 

Neag Twin Alums, and Longtime Donors, Return to Campus for First Time in 50 Years

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Elaine and Eleanor Demarjian visit UConn for the first time in 50 years this past fall.
Elaine and Eleanor Demarjian visited UConn for the first time in 50 years this past fall. (Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay, Neag School)

Twins Elaine and Eleanor Demarjian (’64 MA) have traveled the world together. Having visited more countries than they can count, they prefer to list the places they have not seen. One of their favorite trips was not to some faraway land, but to UConn, to which they recently returned for the first time in 50 years.

“The whole layout of the campus, all the changes that were made, really surprised us. The expansion of the University is remarkable. It truly overwhelmed us,” Eleanor says.

Although this trip was their first time visiting the University in half a decade, that has not stopped the Demarjian twins from donating generously to the University for many years. Their trip to UConn in August was the first time they were able to see firsthand how their donations have made an impact.

“We’re glad that our support will provide some life-changing results for the future students coming in. That idea spurred us on to support the school even more so. We try to give as much as we can,” Elaine says. “We have always considered ourselves to be very lucky to have been a part of this University.”

“When Neag came into existence, we supported it and just embraced its goals and ideas completely. We knew that this School could do great things for students, and we were happy to see that we were right,” Elaine says.

Full Circle

twins 2Elaine and Eleanor, both Rhode Island natives, were working as teachers at different schools when they first heard about the University of Connecticut graduate education program in the Neag School. The principal of the elementary school where Eleanor taught approached her one day and insisted that she apply for the master’s degree program at UConn.

“He had two application forms – one for me and one for Elaine – and urged us to fill them out. I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do this, and he could tell I had my doubts. I guess the principal got into cahoots with another teacher and locked the doors of the school. They wouldn’t open them until I filled out the application,” Eleanor says, laughing.

“I am very happy we filled out that questionnaire. We never regretted it for a second,” Elaine says.

While the trip from Rhode Island to Connecticut was lengthy, their car rides to and from class provided the sisters ample time to review for exams, debate topics, and think of new questions to ask their professors.

“It took us 3½ years to get our degrees. We’re the type of people who don’t give up. Once we start a certain thing, we go all the way,” Eleanor says.

Upon graduation from UConn, Elaine’s and Eleanor’s teaching careers came full circle as they both taught English at Woonsocket Middle School, the school they had attended themselves as children. While their students had no trouble telling them apart, the adults had a much harder time.

“The principal of the school could not tell us apart at all. Even to this day he still has trouble!” Elaine says.

“Working at the same school was an enjoyable experience because we were able to practice some of the ideas we picked up from UConn. We took what we learned and had some fun with it. One summer, Elaine and I decided to do team-teaching. We developed an advanced curriculum for the better-than average students in grades 5 and 6, and it worked out extremely well,” Eleanor says. “The students were able to go above and beyond and really challenge themselves. It was a really rewarding experience.”

Adventurous Spirit

Since retiring from teaching, Elaine and Eleanor have lived together and kept each other busy by reading, doing crossword puzzles, and volunteering at the local hospital.

“We love to give back to the community. We manage to get out every so often. We don’t sit in front of the TV at all. We are no couch potatoes!” Elaine says.

The twins are currently planning their next trip to Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast, preferring to travel to smaller cities where they can see the culture firsthand.

“We never like to be pinned down, we are constantly on the move,” Elaine says.

And just as the twins applied on a whim to the University of Connecticut many years ago, Elaine and Eleanor continue to live by that same adventurous spirit.

“Whenever an opportunity comes along, we’ll always grab it,” Elaine says.

“Always,” added Eleanor.

CRT Production Prompts Neag Faculty to Weigh in on Competition in the Classroom

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Ryan Shea ’17 (SFA) steps up to the microphone, while Whitney Andrews ’15 (SFA) looks on, in the Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s production of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ (Gerry Goodstein for UConn)
Ryan Shea ’17 (SFA) steps up to the microphone, while Whitney Andrews ’15 (SFA) looks on, in the Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s production of ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.’ (Gerry Goodstein for UConn)

The history of spelling competition goes back to Elizabethan times, when an English schoolmaster wrote a book that included an exercise in which two students squared off against each other to spell words correctly. In the United States, references to a spelling bee can be found as early as 1850, and over time, such competitions led in 1925 to the establishment of the National Spelling Bee.

Today the National Spelling Bee, which in 2014 had 281 spellers competing in the preliminary and final rounds, is televised by the international sports network ESPN.

As the characters moved through the backstory of their lives in flashbacks during the spelling bee, the theme of competition was ever-present in the setting – a school gymnasium, with its floor lined as a basketball court.

Pros and Cons: Competition in the Classroom

University faculty say that competition in the classroom and on the playing field can provide many lessons to students, although it may have a downside for some.

“The positive side is that competition can enhance success, help us to perform better in some cases, where you may not realize you have the resources inside you,” says Adrienne Macki-Bracconi, assistant professor of dramatic arts in the School of Fine Arts. “The competitive spirit drives you to overcome those obstacles. On the other hand, it can provide anxiety, and cause you to underperform.”

Scott Brown, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology and UConn’s NCAA faculty athletics representative, says competition surfaces in many parts of life – for grades, for jobs, for grant proposals, or for a starting position on an athletic team.

“Competition teaches us about motivation,” Brown says. “It drives us, develops a work ethic, because if you’re competing for something, you’re looking around seeing there are other people working toward that.”

He says learning how to cope with failure is as important a part of the competitive process as success. “As teachers we frequently get in front of students and show them the model problem-solver. It’s also important for us to show students – whether undergraduates, K-12, or graduate students – what you do when you fail.”

“It’s important for us to show students … what you do when you fail.”

—Scott Brown, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor
of Educational Psychology, Neag School of Education

Joseph Renzulli, director of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education, points to the role of individual choice in deciding to take part in a competition such as a spelling bee.

“Almost all people involved in competitions choose that area; that’s an important part of it,” says Renzulli. “There’s a difference between football and chorus. That’s an element that doesn’t exist in about 98 percent of school learning. You’ve got to go to math class, and you’ve got to compete in math to get a good grade.”

He adds that another part of deciding to participate in specific competition is that an individual feels he or she has not just an interest in a particular subject, but also a strength in that area.

Learning new skills for a competitive activity that can transfer to other areas of life is also important, notes Justin Evanovich ’04 (CLAS), ’06 MA, ’11 Ph.D., assistant clinical professor of educational leadership in the Neag School who was a member of UConn’s 2004 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship team.

“You’re finding your way through competition, trying to navigate that process and understand yourself,” says Evanovich, who is also managing director of Husky Sport, UConn’s sport-based youth development program in Hartford. In competition, he adds, participants learn to be more self-aware and develop life skills that transfer to everything else they do.

Are Spelling Bees Beneficial?

But when it comes to teaching a child how to spell, is a spelling bee beneficial?

“I look at a spelling bee as something that is apart from the acts of learning how to write and to spell,” says Douglas Kaufman, associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Neag School and a specialist in reading and writing instruction. “You train and train to do something nobody else in the world can do. But in terms of the actual education of children it’s peripheral, in my mind.”

Kaufman says competitive spellers can be viewed like athletes training for a sport. They learn rules, the nuances of language, and the etymology of specific languages.

“But it’s not something we would bring into the classes in order to make kids better learners,” he says. “We’re looking at spelling as a convention, which is the concept that we all have an agreed upon way of expressing something. Teaching spelling in its own right, decontextualized from the act of making meaning, is not only ineffective, it’s sometimes counterproductive because kids begin to equate spelling with writing. Spelling is at the service of writing, it’s not the be-all and end-all.”

That is why it is helpful for a competitive speller to ask for how a word is used in a sentence: It can be helpful in trying to spell an unfamiliar word. At that moment, Kaufman says, the visual component of writing and spelling comes into play.

“If you are totally afraid of failing, you’re not ever going to attempt it.”

—Associate Professor Douglas Kaufman, curriculum
and instruction, Neag School of Education

“From what kids tell me, they’re looking at the sentence on a little screen in their head so they can see it,” he says. “That context is really important if you’ve been going over words and sentences and you understand the provenance of these words.”

Kaufman agrees that, like athletes, competitive spellers can benefit greatly from their preparation for a spelling bee.

“You have to go in recognizing that complete failure is a viable outcome. If you accept that, you can just plunge in. If you are totally afraid of failing, you’re not ever going to attempt it,” says Kaufman, who competed as a college soccer player. “It’s a cliché, but I think that a lot of joy is in the journey, pushing yourself to the total limit and seeing how far you can go. I don’t expect any of these great spellers to become famous novelists, but they have developed a skill set, an attitude, motivation to overcome real struggle, which will serve them across several venues in their lives.”