Accolades: Read About the News and Accomplishments from our Students, Alumni and Faculty/Staff

Posted on August 8, 2014March 12, 2021 by

Accolades – below are news and notes from our alumni, faculty, staff, and students. We are proud of all the amazing accomplishments by our Neag family. If you have an accolade to share, we want to hear from you! Please send any news items (and story ideas) to shawn.kornegay@uconn.edu.

Students

Mary Almeida, a graduate student in the Two Summers Program, was honored as Enfield’s Teacher of the Year. She’s a tech-savvy first grade teacher, who utilizes iPads as part of her classroom instructions.

Brittany Larkin, a student in the sport management program, was accepted by TEAM USA for a summer internship with the U.S. Olympic Committee. She is one of 53 minority student leaders from across the US in the program, and she will spend the summer interacting and learning from the professional staff in Colorado as part of the (Finding Leaders Among Minorities Everywhere) Program. The FLAME program provides students with an in-depth look at the Olympic and Paralympic movements and personal exploration of the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. The program also offers a pathway for talented youth to become further involved in the Olympic and Paralympic movements, either through the USOC’s internship program, or other career and volunteer opportunities.

Justis Lopez spent part of his summer break as a policy intern for the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) in Washington, DC. COE is dedicated to furthering the expansion of college opportunities for low-income, first-generation students, veterans and students with disabilities throughout the United States. COE represents the federal TRIO Programs (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Upward Bound Math/Science, Veterans’ Upward Bound, Student Support Services, Educational Opportunity Centers, and the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program) to help students overcome class, social, academic, and cultural barriers in higher education. As the public policy intern, his responsibilities included attending weekly meetings at the White House with the office of public engagement to help draft education proposals on behalf of the TRIO programs to be considered by congress.

Alumni

The UConn Alumni Association is recognizing two Neag alums at the UConn Alumni Association’s Annual Awards Ceremony in October:

Kaitlin M. Roig-DeBellis ’05, ’06, Executive Director & Founder, Classes 4 Classes, Inc. is being honored with the Humanitarian of the Year.
Douglas P. Donaldson ’73, ’78, Vice President and Development Agent, Subway Development Corporation of New England, is being honored with the University Service Award.

The following Neag alums have passed away:

Lina W. Armitage (‘57)

Janice E. Bedell (’66)

Shirley Bratten (’69)

John F. Brosnan (’89)

Nellie M. Duncan (’70)

Roberta K. Feldman (’43)

Ellen D. Gallo (’60)

Anna G. Goulet (’70)

Malcolm D. Gray (’70)

Barbara E. Kelley (’56)

Joann M. Kondash (’76)

Esther Hayes Laubin (’34)

Peter R. LeClair (’86)

Arthur P. Maxson (’60)

Francis P. Pellegrino (’67)

Elizabeth F. Raines (‘60)

Carl E. Van De Bogart (’70)

Edward S. Pira (’50)

Sigfredo Quiones- Crespo (’81)

Mae Y. Rosenstein (’57)

Harold D. Smith, Jr. (’65)

Patricia S. Zapac (’64)

John Livieri (’58)

Margaret E. Wardle (’51)

Gertrude S. Morrison (’70)

Christie Attanasio (IB/M Elementary, ’13) was named the Fairfax County, Virginia Outstanding First Year Teacher. Last year she applied to seven schools and got seven offers.

Elsie Fetterman ‘49, ’60, ’64, ’66 of Amherst received a Daughters of the Revolution grant for the restoration of a temple in Connecticut, that she helped found over 50 years ago.

Amy Labas, ’02 MA, has been named the Coordinator of Athletics and Extra-Curricular Activities for Plainville Community Schools. Labas vacated her post as Lyman Hall athletic director after the school year and recently has been named the Coordinator of Athletics and Extra-Curricular Activities for Plainville Community Schools.

Vanessa Montorsi, director of counseling for Chesire Public Schools, was honored selected as School Counselor of the Year by the Connecticut School Counseling Association.

Saad Toor, ’14 (TCPCG), has a has accepted a job in Saudi Arabia as a history/social studies teacher. He will be moving there in August.

Zato Kadambaya was selected as one of the Coaches for the Connecticut Dream Team. The State of Connecticut has partnered with LearnZillion to develop CCSS high quality lessons and resources. The state chose about 97 teachers and about nine coaches and Zato is coaching for the mathematics. In addition, he is one of the National Dream Team coach for mathematics. He recently had three days of work with the National Dream Team in New Orleans, where they had over 200 educators from 42 states (USA), Singapore, Scotland and Tunisia.

Faculty

The Neag School of Education has two new online certificate programs, sport management and school law

The UConn Mentor Connection received a $20,000 grant from Fairfield County Community Foundation to support five Fairfield County students attending this summer’s program.

Neag School of Education was selected to participate with AACTE’s program to actively recruit students to become minority male teachers.

Faculty in the Neag School hosted a group of teachers for professional development on working with new Common Core standards to teach math through a summer workshop “Bridging Practices among Connecticut Mathematics Educators.”

The Neag School of Education was awarded three projects (with four current faculty represented) out of 48 Institute of Educational Studies (IES) new research awards: Mike Coyne (Co-PI), Teaching the Vocabulary of Comprehension: A Technology-Enhanced System to Enhance At-Risk 3rd Graders’ Acquisition and Application of Essential Vocabulary; Liz Howard (Co-I)Writing for English Language Learners (WELLs): Exploring the Relationship Between Writing Instruction and Student Outcomes; and Sandra Chafouleas (PD, Co-PI), Betsy McCoach (Co-PI), Jennifer Dineen (Co-PI – UConn Public Policy), Amy Briesch (Co-PI – Northeastern U and UConn grad) Exploring the Status and Impact of School-Based Behavior Screening Practices in a National Sample: Implications for Systems, Policy, and Research.

Keith Barker is on the Steering Committee for the New England Conference for Student Success Conference at UMass.

Laura Burton and a sport management Ph.D. alumnus, Jon Welty Peachey, served as guest editors for a special issue in the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport entitled “Ethical Leadership in Intercollegiate Sport.” It includes contributions from some of the leading scholars and athletic administrators in the field.

Joseph Cooper co-authored an article in the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport, entitled “The Transfer Effect: A Critical Race Theory Examination of Black Male Transfer Student Athletes’ Experiences.”

Rachelle Perusse has been asked to serve as a panelist at the White House on the topic of “how we prepare our master’s level school counseling students to provide equity-based career and college readiness.” This was in response to the American School Counselor Association Conference, where First Lady Michelle Obama gave a keynote address on her new initiative titled “Reach Higher.” In her speech, she mentioned that she would be working with the Harvard Graduate School of Education to bring together a select few to convene on the topic of College and Career Readiness. Perusse will be the only counselor educator speaking on this topic.

Suzanne Wilson was selected as a member of a small group of reviewers for the Spencer Foundation’s ambitious new grant program, the “Lyle Spencer Research Awards: Advancing Understanding of Education Practice and Its Improvement.” With this program, they aim to reinforce their commitment to intellectually ambitious research, oriented ultimately to improving the practice of education, and independent of any particular reform agendas or methodological strictures. Annually, through a highly competitive award process, they’ll provide research grants of up to $1,000,000 each to a small number of outstanding proposals. This program is a reaffirmation of Spencer’s well-established tradition of supporting intellectually rigorous education research, but even more it is an effort to create much-needed space for creative and ambitious research projects that promise to advance our understanding of educational practice and its improvement.

UConn Launching New Online Graduate Certificate in School Law

Posted on August 8, 2014February 17, 2023 by

UConn’s Neag School of Education is launching an online graduate certificate in School Law, beginning in the spring of 2015. The 12-credit program is designed to help educators, administrators, policy makers and parents gain the expertise needed to cut through confusing “legalese” and better understand the legal dimensions of K-12 education. Participants will gain the knowledge needed to make decisions that are both legally and educationally sound, as well as to ensure that classroom, school and district educational practices comply with state and federal regulations.

How to interpret and apply special education laws, and effectively advocate for students with disabilities, will also be covered, said Assistant Professor Allison Lombardi, Ph.D., who will teach program classes with lead instructor Professor Preston Green, J.D., Ed.D. Lessening educators’ and administrators’ fear of litigation will also be addressed.

“Surveys suggest that educators often avoid taking actions that they believe are educationally sound to avoid litigation,” Green said. “Noted educational law professor Sarah Redfield also observes that educators often make wrong educational decisions to avoid litigation, when a ‘right’ one would also be legally justifiable.”

“One of the things we want to show educators is that, in many cases, they have a great deal of legal latitude in making educational decisions—more than they are aware of. We’re excited about this program, and the fact that it’s online, because it will provide students with timely training that they can access in a flexible manner,” he continued. “Educational administrators, teachers, psychologists, counselors and policymakers can all benefit from enrolling.”

The curriculum consists of four three-credit online courses offered during the fall, spring and summer semesters. Courses offered this spring 2015 semester, include Legal Issues in School Employment and Legal Issues in Student and Parent Rights.

Legal Issues in School Employment will examine matters related to employment in K-12 education, such as tenure, employment discrimination, due process and collective bargaining. Modules will include certification and licensure, tenure, employees’ speech rights, privacy, due process, employment discrimination and collective bargaining.

Legal Issues in Student and Parent Rights will examine topics as diverse as search and seizure, student discipline, speech and religion, and homeless children. Modules include an introduction to educational law, religion, expression and association, search and seizure, school attendance (including rights of homeless children), instructional program, due process, tort liability, defamation and student records.

“Every day, school leaders and teachers face challenges related to understanding and adhering to state and federal education laws and regulations,” said Neag Associate Professor-in-Residence and Online Program Director Jae-Eun Joo, Ed.D. “This unique and important online learning opportunity will provide educators with both conceptual and procedural knowledge of school law that will help them make both legally and educationally sound decisions. Acceptable user policies for social media and cyber-bullying in the contexts of K-12 education will be among the many current and cutting-edge topics covered, which we believe will be very exciting.”

Students able to take more than one class a semester can complete the certificate in less than a year. Students can also take individual courses at a slower pace. For more information or to apply, visit http://schoollaw.uconn.edu/ or contact Donna Campbell at 860-486-0184 or ecampus@uconn.edu.

Is This Really How We Should Test Reading Development in Kids?

Posted on August 8, 2014April 1, 2025 by Rachael Gabriel

Connecticut has passed legislation that includes new requirements for diagnostic screening tools for reading in kindergarten through the third grade. Word on the street is that the new requirements align well with one assessment in particular: DIBELS, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, an early literacy assessment used in over 15,000 schools nationwide, including many in Connecticut. Why is this a problem?

DIBELS often labels thoughtful readers as needing “intensive remediation” by only considering a reader’s speed and accuracy, in the same way that Body Mass Index (BMI) often misses the boat by, for example, labeling Brad Pit (circa Fight Club years) and England’s entire rugby team “obese” by only considering the ratio of height to weight.

Because DIBELS measures awareness of letter sounds by asking kids to read nonsense words, students who change nonsense words into real words in an effort to make them make sense are often categorized as in need of “intensive” remediation.

Because DIBELS measures progress by the number of words students can read in 60 seconds, students who self-monitor for meaning by slowing down, or those who reread to ensure understanding, are often categorized as in need of “intensive” remediation.   Because DIBELS measures comprehension by the number of words students say when retelling a story, students who are more succinct or simply leave out filler words (because they understand what a summary retell should be) are categorized needing “intensive” remediation for their sophisticated efforts towards comprehension.   Because DIBELS can determine everything from student grouping to teacher evaluation ratings, instructional time is likely lost to a focus on contrived assessment tasks rather than reading thoughtfully for meaning.

This is bad news for students who struggle with reading.   The main benefit of DIBELS (and BMI for that matter) is its efficiency. All alternatives to DIBELS require some teacher judgment and more than 60 seconds, so they don’t meet the state’s new criteria for reading screening tools, which must:

1. Measure phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. (That’s a lot for any single test. DIBELS only measures comprehension and vocabulary only by proxy.)

2. Provide opportunities for periodic formative assessment during the school year. (It’s hard to give a comprehensive assessment more than 2-3 times per year. DIBELS can be used repeatedly since it only takes 60 seconds.)

3. Produce data that is useful for informing individual and classroom instruction. (Comprehensive assessments usually compare students to themselves, not each other. DIBELS can inform grouping and measure progress over time since it has little to do with actual reading.)

4. Be compatible with current best practices in reading instruction and research. (This would require an emphasis on meaning, motivation and engagement, not the often meaning-free tasks of DIBELS.)   So, DIBELS doesn’t meet the state’s new criteria either. Nothing does. As much as we’d love a foolproof, efficient, standardized and valid assessment of reading, that takes less than a minute to administer, it doesn’t exist. We are left with the best-we-have-but-not-that-great logic that underlies everything from standardized tests of academic achievement to BMI.   Is DIBELS one of the best we have for rapidly screening for reading difficulty? Yes, unfortunately.

Is it potentially dangerous because of the way it defines reading for the purposes of assessment? Yes, definitely.

So what are we to do? Proceed with caution.  Supporters of DIBELS argue that it is only ever to be used as a single indicator. But, the last decade of standardized testing has convincingly demonstrated that what is tested will be taught: exactly how it is tested. Similarly, what is suggested by the glossy, colored charts assessment data DIBELS software automatically generates, will be believed.   Just like a 20-minute consult with a doctor is always better than health advice from an online calculator, a one-on-one conference with a teacher or reading specialist will always be better than DIBELS at diagnosing and understanding reading difficulty, ability and progress.   Though I have no doubt that DIBELS will continue to be used for all its glossy efficiency, adults and children must be continually reminded that it should never be the guiding force behind reading instruction. Adults should know better than to rely on DIBELS because children deserve better than an education built around timed tests of nonsense and rapidly read words.

Source: This article first appeared in the Washington Post, in the blog Answer Sheet by Valerie Strauss

DIBELS, or Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, is a set of procedures and measures developed at the University of Oregon for assessing literacy development in students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The DIBELS website says that the measures — one-minute fluency exercises – were “specifically designed to assess the five early literacy components: Phonological Awareness, Alphabetic Principle, Vocabulary, Comprehension, and Fluency with Connected Text,” but critics say its validity is very weak. (Here’s an extensive critique.) Nonetheless, DIBELS has become widely used in schools around the country since 2001 – reaching some 2 million children a year. In this post, Rachael Gabriel, an assistant professor of reading education in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, write about continuing problems with DIBELS and how struggling readers are affected.

Report: ‘Excellence Gap’ Growing Among American Students

Posted on August 8, 2014December 31, 2020 by

The circle of high-achieving American students is becoming a preserve for the white and well-off, with potentially severe consequences for the country’s promise of equal opportunity, according to a new report by UConn professor Jonathan Plucker and colleagues at two other universities.

“Talent on the Sidelines: Excellence Gaps and the Persistence of America’s Permanent Talent Underclass” examines the underreported problem of students from particular racial and socioeconomic backgrounds dominating the ranks of those who perform best on national assessment tests.

While a great deal of attention and resources have been focused on the achievement gap among students, which measures basic proficiency in subjects like math and reading, almost none have been devoted to the “excellence gap” at the highest achievement levels.

The report follows on an earlier study led by Plucker, which was issued in 2010. At the time, Plucker said there was the possibility that the excellence gap might narrow. The new data, however, show that the opposite has happened: the gap between white, relatively affluent students and their poorer, nonwhite classmates has only widened.

“The current study should crush anyone’s optimism about the country’s success in developing academic talent,” says Plucker, professor of educational leadership in the Neag School of Education. “The data we explored for this report, along with a growing body of research, provide considerable evidence that America has a permanent talent underclass.”

The report, which uses data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and state assessments, shows that while the percentage of white students scoring at the advanced level in Grade 4 mathematics increased from 2.9 percent to 9 percent between 1996 and 2011, the percentage of high-scoring black students barely budged, reaching 1.1 percent in 2011.

The changes in math scores based on economic background were even more dramatic, with students who were ineligible for free or reduced-price lunches improving from 3.1 percent in the advanced range in 1996 to 11.4 percent in 2011. Less affluent students, meanwhile, went from 0.3 percent scoring in the advanced range to 1.8 percent.

The report, which Plucker compiled along with DePauw University’s Jacob Hardesty and Michigan State University’s Nathan Burroughs, also tracked reading scores and compared high-achieving American students’ performance to their international peers, a comparison that found U.S. students lagging.

The report also offers state-by-state comparisons, where the lack of non-white and poorer students among the highest achievers can be even more stark than the national average. In North Carolina, for example, the percentage of black students with advanced scores in Grade 4 math rounds to zero, while in Texas, an impressive 17 percent of more well-off students have advanced scores in that category, compared to just 3 percent of students who receive free or reduced-price lunches. Individual state profiles are available at the report website.

The report also contains policy recommendations, ranging from requiring states to include the performances of advanced students in accountability systems, to bringing federal resources – which are now essentially non-existent for excellence education – to bear. Closing the gap will also require an acknowledgement of the role childhood poverty plays in reducing many students’ chance at a quality education.

“If the diversity of our school-age population isn’t represented among our high-achieving students,” says Plucker, “we can make the argument that we’ve failed to achieve either equity or excellence, with serious implications for America’s future.”

Common Core: Public Opinion and Partisan Politics

Posted on August 8, 2014October 17, 2018 by

Thursday, September 4, 2014 | 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Panel discussion will begin at 6:45 p.m.
CASE Headquarters
1307 New York Ave., N.W. | Washington, DC | Map

commoncore The UConn Poll recently shared survey findings about the Common Core initiative and public opinion suggests that people are skeptical. You’re invited to an exciting evening networking, discussion and debate.

Panel moderator Casey Cobb PhD, associate dean and professor in the UConn’s Neag School of Education will lead a spirited discussion among panelists followed by Q & A.

Registration Now Closed –

This program is being co-sponsored by UConn’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Department of Public Policy, the Neag School of Education, and the Alumni Association. Complimentary appetizers and a cash bar will be available. Please contact Caitlin Trinh (caitlin.trinh@uconn.edu or 860.486.1202) with any questions.

Neag Graduate Students Bring Student Affairs Expertise to Scotland

Posted on August 8, 2014February 17, 2023 by

HESA students gathered with UConn Provost Emeritus Peter Nicholls at the University of Glasgow. Pictured L-R Caroline Green, Em Loisel, Eileen Rodriguez, Jackie Lee, Ty McNamee, Dr. Nicholls

“The Glasgow Five” is not the name of a new European rock band or infamous team of criminals, but the nickname adopted by the five Neag School of Education students who recently spent three weeks in Scotland studying how the University of Glasgow could best use social media to recruit, prepare and support international students.

It was the second trip of its kind for UConn students working toward a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs (HESA), but by no means the last, said HESA professor and UConn Provost Emeritus Peter Nicholls, Ph.D., who played a lead role in coordinating the visit.

The first visit, in the summer of 2013, involved a different team of five HESA students working alongside University of Glasgow staff. Their project involved a detailed analysis of expectations of incoming international undergraduates to the University of Glasgow, and the development of recommendations for the University to meet those expectations. This initial visit was such a success that the University of Glasgow was keen to welcome another team in the summer of 2014.

“I don’t think there could be better praise than that,” said Nicholls, “and their job was huge. This was not a vacation. Our students developed research questions, mapped out a methodology, conducted focus groups, analyzed data, interpreted statistics and then presented what turned out to be concise and compelling recommendations for improvements. University of Glasgow staff were very impressed by the analytical approach and the quality of the assessment analysis that our students performed during the summer of 2013.”

HESA students gathered at the University of Glasgow for their research project. Pictured (L to R): Ty McNamee, Eileen Rodriguez, Caroline Green, Em Loisel, Jackie Lee

Using the knowledge they had gained during their first year of study in the 44-credit HESA program, the second group of five students, comprising of Caroline Green, Jackie Lee, Em Loisel, Ty McNamee and Eileen Rodriguez conducted their project on the use of social media by prospective and current University of Glasgow students. As a part of this project, there was regular contact between the five students and HESA faculty in Storrs, who monitored their progress and provided needed support and troubleshooting.

Their findings became a part of the University of Glasgow’s institution-wide social media strategy—a needed part of university marketing that most expect to grow.

“Like in so many areas of life, social media has become an essential part of both Student Affairs and the overall higher education learning process,” said HESA Program Director and Department of Educational Leadership Extension Professor Sue Saunders, Ph.D. “Facebook, blogs, Flickr, Twitter and similar social platforms are redefining how students speak to universities and how universities engage with students, potential students, alumni and other constituencies. All of us involved in higher education, regardless of our roles, need to learn social media practices, which are constantly evolving.”

Because having a global perspective is essential for students considering almost any field today, this Higher Education and Student Affairs International Experience (HESA IE) program will continue, Nicholls said. Brought out of retirement in 2013 to begin the program, Nicholls will spend the rest of 2014 strengthening and expanding the opportunities it provides to HESA students, which he hopes might soon include those at other Universitas 21 schools.

UConn is one of just four universities in the United States to belong to Universitas 21, a global network of 24 research-intensive universities dedicated to fostering global citizenship, advancing institutional innovation and facilitating an exchange of ideas and knowledge that might otherwise never have occurred. The University of Glasgow is also a member.

Like those who traveled to Scotland in 2013 and 2014, future HESA IE students will be tasked with addressing a Student Affairs-related problem posed by the partner institution and, upon their return to UConn, complete a three-credit elective that explores the application of higher education and student affairs concepts in a global context. Nicholls and Neag School Associate Dean Marijke Kehrhahn, Ph.D., will teach the class in fall 2014.

“Like the HESA program and Neag School of Education overall, the foundational pedagogy of the international experience is to connect classroom theories with actual practices by putting students into challenging real-world situations,” Nicholls said.

“The hardest part of the International Experience for our students is to analyze a real world problem, and propose meaningful recommendations for the host institution within a very compressed timeframe and in unfamiliar surroundings,” Nicholls added. “But there’s something really special that occurs when a small group of extremely dedicated, motivated students work together with the mindset that they’re going to make the most of every moment. Add the fact that these students have received outstanding training in research methods, and it all comes together beautifully.”

For student Jackie Lee, that experience in Scotland felt like just a moment ago: “We definitely found the experience to be impactful both personally and professionally. We believe what we’ve learned is beneficial to share with others and hope to keep moving forward, sharing ideas, best practices and supporting fellow student service professionals worldwide.”

Click here to learn more about their research.

Mental Illness Shouldn’t Be Kept In Closet

Posted on August 8, 2014December 7, 2021 by

How special it is when celebrity athletes use their gifts to “win” at causes other than sports.

Royce White is a collegiate-turned-professional basketball player. Like many outstanding college players, White gained national attention in high school, which led to an NCAA career. After his sophomore year at Iowa State University, White entered the NBA draft, eventually playing for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and two teams in the NBA’s D League.

What makes this 23-year-old basketball player different from others? Royce White is fighting a mental illness, and he is using his voice and platform to make a difference for others facing the same challenges.

Diagnosed with both generalized anxiety disorder and pteromerhanophobia (fear of flying), White’s illnesses have caused many challenges related to playing the game he loves.

Instead of trying to hide it, however, he’s opened up a conversation about mental health, standing up for a population that has remained silent for too long. “My advocacy for mental health will be there regardless of whether I’m playing or not,” White told USA Today.

In that same article, White challenged others with mental illnesses to speak up and suggested that major sports organizations like the NBA do the same, becoming advocates for mental health awareness.

The spotlight White casts on mental illnesses needs to not just stay there, but grow wider and brighter.

Last year, as part of my graduate teacher preparation program, I traveled to London where I worked with a young woman who heard as many as seven voices inside her head each day, which even with the best possible treatment made it difficult for her to achieve academic success. On days the voices were quiet, she was able was able to read and write. Other days, when the voices screamed, she could do almost nothing.

Her voices were a part of her identity, but she constantly feared they made her too different to be accepted or understood. Even on quiet days, the idea that peers might reject or laugh at her was debilitating, and it broke my heart. Working with her showed me the importance of acceptance, no matter what a person’s race, culture, disability or illness is.

As many as one in four Americans experiences mental illness. One in 17 Americans lives with serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Mental illness is not something that makes people different and monstrous. It is a part of our human identity.

All of our worlds shook when we experienced the tragic shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown sparked by a young man’s apparent mental illness, and they continue to shake with every school and public shooting that occurs.

President Barack Obama’s recent signing of Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s “Excellence in Mental Health Act” is a progressive step toward positive change. Designed to provide expanded access to community mental health services, the bill represents the first of many things we, as a society, need to do to strengthen, enrich and improve the lives of those with mental illness.

Teachers also need to better understand how to best teach and support students with mental illness. School staff are often the first to identify the possibility of mental illness. I propose that teacher preparation programs include at least an overview of common mental health signs and symptoms as part of in their curriculum. The silence needs to stop. The fear needs to disappear. This is a call to action, because as Royce White said, we’re not doing enough

Only when we acknowledge and work as a team for mental health change, we will all be champions.

Lisa Kivell, 22, of Stamford recently received her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.

New Leadership to Implement Neag School’s Ambitious Academic Vision

Posted on August 7, 2014February 17, 2023 by

Group IMG_0214B&W_web It wasn’t a desire for prestige that motivated Richard Schwab, Ph.D., to accept a second appointment as dean of UConn’s Neag School of Education for the next two years. It was a “passionate” desire to help the school achieve its ambitious academic vision, take the school and University to new heights, and to work with what he believes may be the most talented team of leaders and faculty the Neag School has ever had in place. “It’s more than a job to me,” said Schwab, who first served as dean from 1997-2009. His re-appointment this year makes him the longest-serving dean in the history of the school and the only alum to hold the position.

“I passionately believe in UConn, our leadership team, the faculty we have on board, and the mission we’ve put together,” he said. Outlined in the Neag School’s “Our Time: UConn’s Path to Excellence” academic plan, that mission includes being a state, national and global leader in how teachers are taught, as well as how educational policies and teaching methods are developed and implemented. Created by a diverse, multifaceted team consisting of Neag School administrators, staff, faculty and students, the plan outlines how UConn is uniquely positioned to use its expertise and knowledge base to address state and federal efforts to reinvent public education for the 21st century and address the educational inequalities that President Barack Obama calls “the civil rights issue of our time.” The plan also shows the many opportunities that exist for external funding, research, and collaboration with scholars not just from UConn, but from other universities around the nation and world, such as what occurs through UConn’s membership in Universitas 21, an international network of 21 leading research-intensive universities in 13 countries. It also shines a spotlight on four areas of research strength and scholarship that particularly position the Neag School and UConn as a global leader in education, including:

Equity and social justice
STEM education
Creativity and innovation
Educator quality and effectiveness

Actualizing these goals is Schwab’s top priority.

Schwab_headshot-for-web-256x300 “Education is at the heart of all the of the goals outlined in the University’s strategic plan, because education is at the heart of every job performed in this country,” said Schwab, who chaired the university-wide Academic Vision Committee that designed and produced UConn’s five-year strategic plan. “Without the best educators, we don’t have the best lawyers, engineers or policy makers. Even more fundamental than that, if we don’t have effective, vibrant K-12 teachers, we don’t have vibrant students who believe in their abilities, want to go on to college and make a difference in the world. So ensuring that the Neag School jumpstarts and actualizes its plan is my top priority.”

Among those working with Schwab to, ultimately, improve the way students learn is a team of new and existing faculty members brought together as part of an ambitious hiring plan launched in 2012 by UConn President Susan Herbst. Tasked with re-envisioning how both the Neag School and scholars in the field of education can best improve educational practices and policies, that team includes 17 new faculty members—all of them proven or emerging leaders in their areas of expertise—working alongside already exemplary, existing faculty members.

Included within this highly energized and committed group are experts in school change, education equity and access, large-scale measurement and evaluation, STEM education, and educator preparation. And for Melinda George, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Commission on Teaching & America’s Future, there is no person better than Schwab to lead them.

“The Neag School is so fortunate to have Dr. Schwab return as dean, and I have no doubt his leadership will bring the school to the next level,” George said. “His vision for teacher preparation is one that is modern, effective and needed. He understands not only what is needed on a university campus, but also the current environments that his students will enter as novice teachers. He is building a program that will graduate teacher leaders—new teachers ready to address the challenges of a 21^st century education, and who will make a huge difference in the lives of future students.”

That understanding George refers to comes from Schwab’s more than 40 years in education, which started as an eighth-grade history teacher in Chelmsford, Mass., after earning a bachelor’s degree from Boston University. Earning master’s and doctorate degrees from UConn followed, as did 10 years serving on the education faculty at the University of New Hampshire. He spent the next eight years at Drake University in Iowa, where he served three years as head of its Department of Educational Administration, and then five as dean of the School of Education. In 1997, he returned to his alma mater to serve as dean of the Neag School of Education, where he remained until returning to the classroom in 2009. He was later invested as a Raymond Neag Endowed Professor of Educational Leadership in 2012 in recognition for his leadership and dedication to the Neag School.

This past July, he returned as dean to lead the Neag School in implementing its strategic academic plan, which aligns imperatives related to diversity, equity, access, and public engagement with those established at the state level by Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy and at the national level by President Barack Obama.

Someone who has known Schwab for over 10 years has high regards for his ability to take the Neag School to the next level. “I met him when he first came to the Neag School of Education and for all the time during which he was in a leadership position at Neag,” said Dr. Joseph J. Cirasuolo, executive director of the CT Association of Public School Superintendents. “I was continually impressed with his knowledge of what it takes to prepare educators for teaching and/or leadership positions and his ability to put that knowledge into practice in the policies and program offered by Neag. I am very pleased that he is back in a leadership position at Neag. Given what he has done in the past, I am confident that Dr. Schwab will make major contributions.”

Cirasuolo sees Schwab as a leader catalyst for efforts to build upon an already strong Neag program so that it becomes what is known that preparation programs need to be. “They need to be programs that credential participants not based on the number of courses that are passed but instead on demonstration of the competencies that are needed to be successful educators and educator leaders.”

“What Neag will become under Dr. Schwab’s leadership will make the school a national beacon for educator preparation programs,” he said. “I am excited about what is about to happen at Neag under Dr. Schwab’s leadership and I look forward to working with him.”

Like the academic plan, Schwab stresses his belief in the necessity of developing children’s and adult’s critical thinking skills, creativity and desire for innovation, along with ways for them to access information that will allow them to make informed decisions about themselves and their communities.

“As someone who received a scholarship from UConn as a graduate student, the chance to give back to the school in this way is a great honor,” Schwab said, adding that he hopes to accomplish many things during his tenure. “I’d like to see us steadily increase the quality and amount of research we do. I’d like to see that we’ve increased the number and academic qualifications of our graduate students. I’d like to see that we’ve created new, vibrant undergraduate minors and interdisciplinary programs that allow students from other areas of the University to grow and benefit from our expertise. I’d like to see our rankings continue to rise.”

UConn’s Neag School of Education is currently ranked as the #1 public graduate school of education in the Northeast, and within the top 10 percent of all graduate schools of education in the United States. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Neag School #33 among private and public education schools, as well as ranks three of its programs among the nation’s top 25: Special Education (#12), Educational Psychology (#16), and Secondary Teacher Education (#18).

Widely-known and well-respected for its professional education programs across all departments, including preparing highly sought-after sport management professionals, the Neag School’s rankings and reputation were part of the reason it was selected to join the prestigious Carnegie Corporation Teachers for a New Era network. Schwab predicts more great things to come.

Casey C web The leadership team of new Associate Dean Casey D. Cobb, PhD, and Associate Dean for Research Sandra M. Chafouleas, PhD, are part of the reason why. Cobb takes over for Marijke Kehrhahn, Ph.D. who returned to faculty, to pursue a research agenda in adult education.

“The opportunity to work closely with such bright, talented people that share a common vision, and possess skills that in some cases you don’t have, makes you and your work stronger,” said Schwab, who for 12 years taught for the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education‘s New Deans Institute. He’s also past president of AACTE’s Connecticut chapter. “One of our goals during the next couple of years is to make all of us better, me included. In some way, all of us can be mentors to each other.”

Setting internal benchmarks and assigning accountability will be key parts of that process, Cobb said.

“My top priority is to serve our faculty and students and to support them in ways that allow them to do their best work,” continued Cobb, who accepted his new role after four years serving a department head of Educational Leadership. It was a challenge and opportunity to have an even greater influence on the Neag School. “I plan on becoming acclimated to the new position by learning all about the good work being done by our faculty and academic programs school-wide. I want to be able to make a difference and enhance Neag’s standing worldwide, as well as locally in our own state.”

The Neag School’s Academic Plan also matches Cobb’s professional interests and background, in particular in regard to the expansion of the Neag School’s Center for Education Policy Analysis into a world-class research center. “The other strategic area that especially excites me is our desire to promote social justice and educational equity through our programs, practices, and scholarship. I would like Neag to take the lead in developing a ‘social tech park,’ which is an idea named in UConn’s Academic Vision.”

Plans to increase the number of full-time graduate assistantships in doctoral programs, develop a coordinated outreach strategy and promote the “fantastic work” of faculty, staff, and students also excites him: “I want to help the Neag School grow in areas where we have burgeoning expertise and can make a real difference in our world.”

Sandy C web Chafouleas, whose role is a new position, has a similarly impressive agenda, beginning with leading the Neag School’s research enterprises and efforts to maintain organizational accountability. “My top priorities include enacting the Academic Plan in relation to research and scholarly productivity. This means working to strengthen the research infrastructure, including both pre- and post-awards and faculty development.”

“I’ll be focusing on building the research infrastructure and associated operational procedures, so all can efficiently understand and work with our systems,” Chafouleas continued. “I would like to end the first year with a good start building the infrastructure and operational procedures, as well as have clearly articulated goals to be accomplished over a three- to five-year period.”

Chafouleas said she accepted the associate dean for research position to be part of this “very exciting, yet very important,” time at UConn. She believes her expertise matches the Neag School’s and University’s ambitious plans for growth and achievement. “Given my prior role as associate dean of The Graduate School at UConn, I have good understanding as to how Neag can play critical roles in facilitating the success of the University Academic Plan, particularly with research and scholarship,” she said.

Even while at The Graduate School, Chafouleas served as a faculty researcher at the Neag School, overseeing projects funded by more than $6 million from the Institute of Education Sciences, along with additional proposals.

“It’s important to me personally to see the outcomes related to research infrastructure and growth realized,” added Chafouleas, who will continue her work as a research scientist with the Center for Behavioral Education and Research in addition to advancing the Neag’s School’s priorities.

“We are excited to be working together to do whatever is needed to accomplish the vision,” Chafouleas added. “We collaborate to set smart goals, we divvy up the work and then attack it. As Dean Schwab said, our focus is to move in one direction.”

Linda Darling-Hammond, Stanford University’s Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education and co-director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education, has no doubt it will happen.

“Richard Schwab is highly respected across the country for his contributions to teacher education research and reform efforts, as well as for his success in leading implementation of the new and rigorous programs,” said Darling-Hammond said. “I expect his strategic vision will elevate the Neag School of Education to new heights and positively influence education reform and policy both in Connecticut and nationwide for years to come.”

UConn Joins National Program to Recruit Minority Male Teachers

Posted on August 5, 2014December 31, 2020 by

Mark Jenkins Jr. ’13 (CLAS), ’14 MA speaks at a Neag School of Education event about the importance of having minority teachers in the classroom to inspire students. (Photo courtesy of Neag School of Education)

The Neag School of Education at UConn has been selected to participate in a national program aimed at recruiting more black and Hispanic men into teacher preparation programs.

UConn is among 10 universities from the 800-member American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) selected to participate in the organization’s first Networked Improvement Community project, which seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s teacher candidate pool.

According to data collected by AACTE, 80 percent of PK-12 teachers are white, middle-class women, and more than 40 percent of public schools have no teachers of color at all. Studies by the National Center for Education Statistics report that 2 percent of public school teachers are black males and fewer are Hispanic males.

Saroja Barnes, senior director for professional issues at AACTE, says universities were selected for the program based on great diversity within the school districts and community they serve, alignment of the project’s goals to the existing strategic initiatives and mission of the institution, and strategic attention to enrollment trends.

“AACTE is committed to working with our members to support innovative practices and the dissemination of those practices to the larger professional community,” says Barnes. “Our goal is to ensure the innovations that emerge from the work of this small group will be shared with the entire AACTE membership.”

Dean Thomas DeFranco says goals for expanding the diversity of teacher preparation within the Neag School of Education align closely with the objectives of AACTE.

“Given both the urgent need to address Connecticut’s achievement gap and the number of concerted efforts we have made to address this gap, I believe we are poised both to make significant contributions to AACTE and to engage in significant improvement efforts through our collaboration with [Networked Improvement Community] members,” he says.

Efforts by the Neag School of Education to expand the diversity of students enrolled in teacher education programs include the creation of the Teacher Prep Academy in Bulkeley High School in Hartford; designation of an academic advisor specifically charged with recruiting minority students into the Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s Program; and providing a variety of scholarship opportunities, such as the Connecticut State Minority Teacher Incentive Grants.

Dorothea Anagnostopoulos, director of teacher education in the Neag School, says a multipronged approach through the collaboration of a group of institutions will help to address the challenge of developing new approaches to expanding the teacher candidate pool.

“This Networked Improvement Community that we’ll be part of will help us collect data on whether those initiatives are working, how they are working, and provide us with insights and feedback where they are working,” says Anagnostopoulos. “The AACTE objective is on a parallel path with the Neag School. We hope to put our school at the forefront of these initiatives and get some cutting-edge research on these initiatives. It’s a complex terrain. That’s why we need a number of initiatives.”

Among the challenges to diversifying the teaching profession is the fact that students of color do not see themselves represented in front of the classroom, a point noted in a speech on campus last fall by Mark Jenkins Jr. ’13 (CLAS), ’14 MA, who completed his master’s degree in curriculum and instruction in the Neag School. His remarks were later published in The Hartford Courant.

“Low expectations and lack of both role models and support are what keep African-Americans from becoming teachers,” Jenkins said. “Children learn what they live. So how can they be expected to pursue – or believe they’ll receive support from – a field where few people look, sound, or come from places like they do?”

Jenkins also noted that teachers place low expectations on minority students, and that is “strangling the relationship they have with education.” Still, he was hopeful that the situation could change. He described how one of his students, an African American male, told another they would have to meet their teacher half way to get help in the classroom, and that they were also responsible for their own future.

“These words sparked the realization that my students knew I held them to the highest standard,” Jenkins said. “That they were responsible for their own educations, and that I was there for them to provide guidance and support.”

First-Grade Teacher Uses Neag School’s Learning Technology Program to Earn 6th Year Diploma, Excite Her Classroom

Posted on August 5, 2014February 17, 2023 by

Enfield's teacher of the year is Mary Almeida, who has taught at the Hazardville Memorial School for 11 years. (Jim Michaud / Journal Inquirer) — Enfield’s teacher of the year is Mary Almeida, who has taught at the Hazardville Memorial School for 11 years. (Jim Michaud / Journal Inquirer)

Students in Mary Almeida’s first-grade class at Hazardville Memorial School in Enfield use iPads to practice spelling, create digital stories, submit subtraction quizzes and follow QR code-driven scavenger hunts. They also locate and use live texts and, through an app called ClassDojo, Almeida provides parents with real-time updates on their child’s behavior.

While some may find this use of technology surprising, to Almeida it only makes sense: “Exposure to technology is happening in more and more homes prior to children even entering school. By positioning it as a learning tool, and not just a gaming device, students are provided with resources and practice that extend beyond the classroom.”

Guiding Almeida’s efforts to use technology to make learning not just rich, but rigorous, are the experienced UConn faculty members overseeing the Neag School of Education’s Two Summers Master’s or Sixth Year program in Learning Technology within the Department of Educational Psychology. As the name suggests, the Two Summers Program takes places over two summers, designed to help working K-12 teachers learn how to wisely and effectively integrate learning technology into classroom instruction.

Participants attend classes at UConn’s Storrs campus for one week during two summers and complete the rest of the coursework online during the Fall and Spring semesters. At the end of the second summer session, as Almeida will do this July, graduating students present a capstone project.

When that occurs, Almeida, who in June was named Enfield Teacher of the Year, will have earned her Sixth Year diploma. She will also be part of a group of like-minded colleagues that, in her words, “I can always turn to.”

Because program cohorts are limited to no more than 20 students who all follow the same course of study, friendships and support systems form as cohort members explore digital literacy and learning strategies, develop research methods, analyze effective instructional design principles and participate in online communities. They also learn how to use technology for the professional development of teachers, as well as about assistive technology available for students across the K-12 spectrum.

Founded in 2006, the program has a more than 90 percent completion rate, said Two Summers Learning Technology Program Director Michael Young, who served as Almeida’s advisor.

“Like many districts, Mary’s works within many technological constraints, yet she’d been able to take what she’s learned in the program, apply for grants and integrate technology in a way that enhances student engagement and learning,” Young said. “And her enthusiasm is infectious. Like many of the teachers in the Two Summers program, she sees the integration of technology as an opportunity for risk taking and creativity in the classroom.”

Part of the Enfield School District’s iPad Consortium, which ensures that every child in Almeida’s class has an iPad to use during the school day, Almeida has used her Learning Technology experience primarily to enrich her first-grade classroom. However, two peers in her cohort have used it to change jobs and become district-level technology coordinators.

Almeida’s classroom is also outfitted with a SmartBoard and Apple TV, and though she has no immediate plans to leave it, it’s exciting, she said, to know that her ongoing education has provided her with more versatility within her career.

“Building a strong foundation and a passion for learning is not only exciting, but something I feel strongly about. The option to have mobility with the degree—either as a coach, teacher or district coordinator—will be a benefit later in my career. I would love to share what I’ve learned about incorporating technology effectively in support of the curriculum. As [Education Professor and John and Maria Endowed Chair in Literacy and Technology Donald] Leu has said and written, no one person will know every new literacy. Collaboration and peer modeling is a key component to being an effective practitioner.”

She also believes in the importance of students being pushed outside their comfort zone, something she knew the Neag School of Education would do for her.

“UConn’s teacher education programs have amazing reputations, and when I came across the Two Summers Program, I knew that it was the perfect fit for me,” Almeida continued. “Course work hasn’t been about mastering the content in the syllabus, but about approaching new situations with a critical eye, creativity and forethought about how it will be effective for my learners in the future. I also found such value in the knowledge my peers brought to discussions. Whether you shared the same vantage point or not, we were able to feed off of one another’s ideas and mold them into something that worked for each of us. I love being a lifelong learner.”

Equally important, she loves to inspire her students to navigate their own learning: “My students are my family. I love that I get to shine light on the amazing things 6- and 7-year-olds can accomplish. Their curiosities fuel and inspire me when creating new learning experiences for them.”

To see a video on Ms. Almedia produced by the Enfield School District, click here.

To learn more about her program, visit the Neag Online Program website.