Dedicated Research Cluster Takes First Key Steps Toward Goal of Closing Resistant Achievement Gap

Posted on October 22, 2013February 17, 2023 by

New education faculty members, from left, Bianca Montrosse-Moorehead, Jennifer Freeman, Shaun Dougherty, Jennie Weiner, Hannah Dostal, and Tamika La Salle. (Peter Morenus/UConn Photo)

The enormous challenge of closing the gap between successful, high-performing students and the often multi-challenged, low-performing ones won’t be overcome by one, large sweeping change, but many small, effective, and strategic ones.

“We’re excited and determined to discover the smallest changes that can have the greatest and most durable results,” said the Neag School of Education’s Center for Behavioral Education & Research Director George Sugai, PhD. He coordinates the newly formed research group charged with identifying achievable, evidence-based strategies and practices that schools can use to help underachieving students succeed.

The “we” Sugai refers to are six faculty members working together to conduct the research which will specify best practices, and inform professional development, technical assistance, and consultation. All six are new faculty who’ve come to UConn as part of the University’s ambitious cluster hiring plan, which brought 18 new professors to the Neag School to both teach and work in teams, or “clusters,” to perform the research needed to solve problems critical to the future of education.

With a focus on research and evaluation, this team has named itself the “Collaborative on Strategic Education Reform,” and has initiated efforts, for example, related to cultural equity, school climate, teacher and administrator evaluations, professional development and accountability, English language learners and teacher quality, and teaching incentives and personnel preparation.

“In Connecticut and throughout the nation, finding ways to help low-achieving students catch up to their peers has been a persistent and resistant problem for many decades,” said Sugai, a Special Education professor and UConn’s Carole J. Neag Endowed Chair. “What’s extremely unique and exciting is that UConn has invested in some of the United States’ best and brightest young educational researchers, who will attack this problem in a collaborative manner but from multiple perspectives.

“Our focus won’t necessarily be to discover new practices,” Sugai continued, “because I think most experts already agree on what changes need to happen for improved learning to occur. Our focus will be on how best practices can best be implemented—how we can not just get practices to teachers, but ensure educators have the systems and supports they need to accurately and consistently implement them.”

Representing three departments—Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Psychology and Educational Leadership—and meeting weekly since late summer, the Neag faculty come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring research and applied expertise in school success and student achievement. In addition to Sugai, they include:

Assistant Professor of School Psychology Tamika La Salle, whose previous research efforts on the effects of culture and school climate were at least partly inspired by her own school years: “I was a military brat, which means I moved around a lot and had to adjust to several different school settings throughout grade school. Having a positive school climate, and making connections based on both cultural differences and similarities, really made a difference in the experiences I had in school,” said LaSalle, a former educational consultant in Mississippi and Pennsylvania. “I want to affect research and practice aimed at making schools culturally responsive environments that seek to promote positive social, behavioral and academic outcomes for all students.”

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Shaun Dougherty, who’s currently conducting an in-depth follow-up study on how quick, personalized communications with parents and student can lead to greater classroom achievement. “It’s a proactive approach that requires a slightly larger investment of up-front time by the teacher, but that pays off in the long run,” said the former Harvard Graduate School of Education Center for Education Policy Research fellow. His focus and interests include analyzing how data systems can be used to create best practices and policies.

Assistant Professor of Special Education Jennifer Freeman, who as a former consultant and elementary and middle school teacher fought for students to have equal opportunities and access to a meaningful education. “I often ran into situations where we had a pretty good idea what interventions or practices might help a student, but school or state barriers affected how well they could be implemented. To ensure all students really do have equal access and opportunities in schools, we need to better understand how to support school systems to develop strategic reform plans that build on what schools do well and remove the barriers that prevent teachers from being able to help all students reach their full potential.”

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership Jennie Weiner, who most recently served as a Boston University School of Education adjunct and Prescott College doctoral mentor. “So much of the rhetoric around educational reform focuses on finding a source of blame for current outcomes— blaming students, blaming families, blaming teachers. However, research tells us that rather than there being a few ‘bad apples,’ the real source of underperformance comes from systematic issues of inequity, particularly as they relate to teachers knowledge, skills and abilities to provide the best learning opportunities for all kids,” said Weiner, a former senior research associate for the Milken Family Foundation’s Teacher Advancement Program. “Taking an interdisciplinary and strategic approach to research will allow us to support a new and more effective way of engaging in reform that helps exploit current—though often latent—strengths to maximize both educators’ and students’ potential.”

Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, whose work has included advancing educators’ understanding of the impact of K-12 policies, practices and programs in chronically under-performing and under-served schools. “My passion, drive, and desire to be a part of this work comes from a deeply held belief in educational equity, a concept rooted in both the idea of fairness and the right for everyone to have access to a free and appropriate public education,” said Montrosse-Moorhead, formerly an assistant professor of educational research at Western Carolina University. “My excitement about the work of this group is that we are drawing on our individual strengths, as well as the strengths of those that we are and will collaborate with, to really figure out how we can best meet the educational needs of all kids.”

Assistant Professor of Special Education and Literacy Hannah Dostal, who bring extensive leadership experience as a professor, writing intervention coordinator and special education consultant. Her background includes serving as an instructional consultant for the American School for the Deaf and teacher at the Tennessee School for the Deaf. “As a former teacher, I am intimately aware of the power and possibility of quality instruction, as well as the layers of barriers that face traditionally underperforming populations,” Dostal said. “As a researcher, my commitment to equity is grounded in my belief in every child’s potential to develop powerful literacies and a desire to understand and remove barriers to the full expression of that potential.”

Sugai, who came to UConn from the University of Oregon in 2005, said he is excited to work with these “curious, motivated” professionals, all of whom are passionate about making a difference for students in Connecticut and throughout the nation.

“How can we provide powerful, strategic practices that schools and districts can use to create durable change,” asked Sugai, adding that one of the group’s immediate projects is to create a one- to five-year action plan that maps the studies they conduct, the grants they’ll pursue, and how they’ll then present research findings. Their current course is to complete at least three studies this first year.

“Much work was being done behind the scenes by Neag Dean Thomas DeFranco and others so that buckets of opportunities were ready to be explored as soon as the teams were assembled,” Sugai added. “Sooner, rather than later, we want to be able to tell schools ‘Here are some of the most effective and relevant things you can do, and here are how they can best be implemented.’ Our research will be designed to document, demonstrate, and disseminate what works, so students will benefit, exemplar policies will be developed, and school functioning will be more effective and efficient. We are excited about the possibilities and potential of this work.”

How Schools Are Preventing Athletic Emergencies

Posted on October 22, 2013December 31, 2020 by

Photo source: ThinkStock images. — Photo credit: ThinkStock images.

With the start of football and the rest of the 2013-2014 school athletic calendar, districts are looking at new laws and training recommendations to help avoid deadly health problems among the 7.5 million students who will play high school sports this year.

Experts say that deaths from heat stroke and sudden cardiac arrest—the medical emergencies that most commonly kill students during athletic practice and events—are largely preventable. “Kids who participate in high school sports or at any level have the right to be in as safe an environment as we can provide,” says Jim Thornton, president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), which issued recommendations in June to prevent sudden death in secondary school athletes.

NATA offers guidelines on treating and preventing concussions, sudden cardiac arrest, and exertional heat stroke. It also recommends schools have emergency action plans (EAPs) that include the location of life-saving equipment, such as automated external defibrillators (AEDs). “If you don’t have an EAP for each venue, season, and sport, then you’re really behind the eight-ball. Nobody will know what to do,” says Douglas J. Casa, who chaired NATA’s task force on preventing sudden death. “Often the deaths that happen are completely preventable.”

Earlier this year, The Youth Sports Safety Alliance, created by NATA and composed of 112 organizations, launched the first-ever “National Action Plan for Sports Safety,” which recommends all schools have a comprehensive athletic health care program and a health care team. The alliance also released a student athlete “bill of rights,” which include 10 recommendations. One such tip is having access to safe playing surfaces and “immediate, on-site injury assessments” by sports medicine professionals.

The National Football League and National PTA will launch this fall the “Back to Sports” initiative to educate parents and community leaders on topics such as concussions and nutrition. And South Carolina is the 49th state with a youth concussion law.

Without a national governing body for high school sports, ensuring safety often rests with states. For example, every state but Mississippi has youth-concussion laws, many spelling out when and how students may return to play. New Jersey requires AEDs for athletic events and EAPs for sudden cardiac arrests. And Washington requires high school students be offered CPR instruction.

“We’re definitely headed toward more legislation if legislators don’t feel schools are taking appropriate measures,” says Judy Pulice, national manager for state legislative and regulatory affairs for NATA. “Nobody wants to do away with sports, and a lot can be done, and done inexpensively, to keep athletes safe.”

Before play

Most high school athletes get a physical before each season begins. There are no national standards for these exams, but as more student athletes suffer sudden cardiac arrest, experts have suggested including a resting EKG (electrocardiogram).

An EKG can detect heart muscle disease such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is a leading cause of death in young athletes, says Dr. Jonathan Drezner, immediate past-president of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMSSM).

The American Heart Association recommends EKGs, typically a $25 procedure, only when a physical shows a problem, such as a heart murmur. Drezner says that while offering EKGs would be ideal, it’s not feasible to screen every athlete in the country until there are enough doctors to interpret those tests.

“AEDs are where everyone needs to focus first,” says Drezner, a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. “AEDs save lives, but they must be accessible, and not locked in an office or cabinet. If your school doesn’t have an AED, CPR-trained staff and emergency action plans, you’ve got to clean that up. In 2013, that is the standard of care.”

Drezner led a two-year study of more than 2,100 high schools and found the rate of student sudden cardiac arrest from August 2009 to July 2011 was 1 in 80,000 per year. More than 80 percent survived when treated with CPR and AEDs, which can cost as little as $700.

A decade ago, media reports reported that 1 in 200,000 high school athletes suffered sudden cardiac arrest, but that may be an underestimate, he says.

Both NATA and AMSSM recommend AEDs in schools. “Historically, schools—both K12 and higher ed—have been immune from liability under the concept of sovereign immunity,” says Pulice, the legislative expert at NATA. “That, however, is breaking down now, and we believe that as more states and more schools adopt various standards, those without them are extremely vulnerable legally.”

Heat stroke

Among the most preventable and treatable causes of death in high school athletes is heat stroke, often brought on by intense activity in hot conditions, says Casa, who also is chief operating officer of the Korey Stringer Institute, named for the Minnesota Vikings lineman who died in 2001 from heat stroke. The Institute is at the Neag School of Education at UConn.

“Heat-related incidents are 100 percent survivable if you rapidly cool the athlete,” says Casa.

Thirty-one high school football players died of heat stroke complications between 1995 and 2009, according to research at the University of North Carolina. In 2011, the latest year for statistics, six high school players died, Casa says.

Common signs of heat stroke include confusion, irrational behavior, and finally, collapsing. “You basically have 30 minutes to get the temperature under 104 to guarantee survival,” Casa says. “Cold water immersion is best. You also can use wet towels or douse them with cold water from a hose or locker room shower.”

Casa says to avoid heat stroke:

Slowly get acclimated to the heat, by starting with shorter workouts and not using helmets or pads, then gradually increasing the duration and intensity of workouts and use of equipment;
Be fit—get in shape before pushing even harder in the heat;
Hydrate before, during and after typical workouts;
Rest in shade and remove helmets or other equipment when resting;
Use cold wet towels or mist.

Concussion tests

According to a 2011 study in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, high school athletes suffer 300,000 concussions a year. The number increased 16 percent a year from 1997-1998 to 2007-2008.

State legislative response to concussion statistics began in 2009 when Washington passed the first concussion-in-sports law, which requires students suspected of having a concussion be removed from competition and have written clearance from a healthcare provider before returning to play.

The Centers for Disease Control’s “Heads Up” program offers free videos, online training, and other information about concussions.

“The first line is education, vigilance, and proper technique to prevent injuries,” says Mark Herceg, Ph.D., director of neuropsychology at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, N.Y. “When students do sustain a concussion, the impact on their behavior and mood is just as important as whether the person comes back to play symptom-free.”

The most popular tool used to assess readiness to play is ImPACT—Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing. This 20-minute, computerized test, which is in more than 7,400 schools, uses questions and games to measure attention span, memory, and reaction time. The tests should be given before and after injuries in consultation with neuropsychologists, Herceg says.

“Even though an athlete may be physically fine, if ImPACT scores have not returned to baseline levels, they will not be cleared to play,” Herceg says. “That happens quite often and shows the subtleties of concussions or mild traumatic brain injury. A lot of physical and sensory forms come back, but the cognitive—thinking, processing—take more time.”

Herceg suggests also using the “Sport Concussion Assessment Tool-3rd Edition,” a pen-and-paper test. This tool helps trainers perform a systematic and comprehensive sideline evaluation of each athlete with a suspected concussion. The player answers questions such as “What month is it?” or “Are you dizzy?” while a certified athletic trainer checks the player’s range of motion and balance.

At Newcastle High School in Oklahoma City, sensors installed recently in player’s helmets send concussion data to an iPad on the sidelines, according to WVNSTV.com.

Helmets and similar equipment do not prevent concussions but can reduce severity, Herceg says. The federal Youth Sports Concussion Act—which would ensure equipment manufacturers don’t falsely claim to prevent concussions—was introduced in the U.S. Congress earlier this year, and is now in committee.

Exertional sickling

Often confused with heat illness, exertional sickling happens to people with the sickle cell trait, which causes blood cells to change shape, or sickle, during intense activity and restrict blood flow.

“Since 2000, exertional sickling is the leading cause of non-traumatic deaths in division one (college) football,” says Scott Anderson, head athletic trainer at University of Oklahoma. “There have been four cardiac deaths, one exertional heat stroke death, one asthma death, and 10 exertional sickling deaths.

“Intensity is the issue,” Anderson says. “So you mitigate the intensity and control the sustained activity, and sports become relatively safe.”

While every state tests for the trait at birth, the information is rarely shared with parents and therefore, coaches. So Anderson and colleagues have been working to educate pediatricians, parents and athletes.

Symptoms include fatigue, lower extremity weakness, pain, cramping, shortness of breath and chest pain.

“Coaches need to instill in their program an appreciation and accommodations for an athlete with sickle cell trait, so if the athlete complains “I can’t catch my breath,’ the coach doesn’t say, ‘Suck it up and finish the workout,’ “ Anderson says. “Instead, the coach needs to say, ‘Go rest and recover,’ and then monitor the athlete with the understanding it can develop into a medical emergency.”

Model programs

Stephenville (Texas) ISD and Ewing (N.J.) Public School District have model student safety programs, says Casa. In Stephenville, AEDs are in every building and at every sporting event, including practices. All coaches are certified in CPR and first aid.

Ice baths are located outside with teams during practice and games. Sideline tents have cool mist fans, ice towels, and water. And the football team follows the state’s newly enacted heat acclimatization procedures, including starting with shorter workouts and phasing in the use of helmets and pads.

“We figure out a way to (finance all costs associated with safe sports), including having athletic trainers,” says Mike Carroll, assistant athletic director and head athletic trainer. “It’s hard to quantify the value of an athletic trainer, but when we are preventing or dealing with injuries and keeping athletes safe, that’s one less phone call the athletic director or principal has to take.”

Ewing athletic trainer David Csillan runs a similar student safety program, including following state heat acclimatization procedures and weighing athletes before and after practices. Carroll and Csillan say a key step in keeping students safe is sidelining athletes until they regain water weight lost during activity.

“If you don’t have enough fluids, your body is going to start shutting down,” says Csillan, who oversees 250 athletes. “You’ll be more fatigued, your brain won’t function as well, and you’re at a high risk for exertional heat stroke.”

Regina Whitmer is a freelance writer in New Jersey.

Reprinted with permission from District Administration. Sept. 2013

Hartford Public Schools and Neag School of Education Partner in Educational Leadership Program

Posted on October 22, 2013March 12, 2021 by Shawn Kornegay

Richard Gonzales IMG_3443 copy — Richard Gonzales from the Neag School serves as coordinator and a faculty member of the UCAPP+ program.

Hartford Public Schools and UConn’s Neag School of Education have signed an agreement to collaborate in preparing a select number of Hartford teachers for careers as school principals.

The agreement creates a tailor-made principal certification program called Preparing Leaders for Urban Schools (PLUS) that addresses leadership competencies and challenges that are specific to the Hartford Public Schools.

PLUS, which launched in August, is modeled after the nationally recognized University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP).

Candidates for the program are jointly recruited and selected through a competitive process created by the district and officials of the Neag School.

“I am thrilled that we have reached an agreement with the Neag School on creating a path by which a cadre of highly effective teachers with a shared vision can advance to the administrative ranks,” said Superintendent Christina M. Kishimoto. “As such, the PLUS program will go a long way toward fulfilling our ultimate mission of closing the achievement gap and preparing every student for college and career success.”

The first cohort of nine students, guided by experts in the field of urban education and leadership, are working together as a community of practice to synthesize and apply the knowledge and skills they acquire through the program to the context of the Hartford Public Schools. They are expected to complete the program by July 2015.

“The selection process was extremely rigorous,” said Casey Cobb, educational leadership department head at the Neag School of Education. “Hartford Public Schools asked each principal in the district to nominate people in their building who had strong leadership potential and who would be good candidates for the program. They collected that information and we contacted those nominated, inviting them to an information session.”

Graduates of the PLUS program are eligible to serve as administrators in Hartford Public Schools.

“We are excited to be partnering with UConn and the Neag School of Education,” said Jennifer Allen, the Chief Talent Officer for HPS. “Our collective goal is to provide quality professional learning that supports our most effective teachers who have demonstrated leadership capabilities as they transition from the classroom to building or Central Office leadership roles. This program is an essential component of our career pathway and talent retention strategy.”

“PLUS is a groundbreaking program that will help identify, prepare, and induct future leaders of the Hartford Public Schools,” Cobb said. “It is a true partnership between Neag faculty and HPS practitioners, who will work side by side to deliver a program tailored specifically to the Hartford district context. I can’t think of many initiatives more important than developing talent to lead Connecticut’s urban schools.”

For more information on UCAPP, visit http://edlr.education.uconn.edu/programs/ucapp/ucapp/overview/

For more information on HPS, visit http://www.hartfordschools.org/

Casual but Regular Teacher-Parent, Teacher-Student Communications Can Increase Both Engagement and Performance

Posted on October 3, 2013February 17, 2023 by

Students with teachers who make brief, but regular phone calls to parents are more likely to complete their homework, less likely to need to be redirected in class, and may even view the classroom as their “second home.”

Greater participation, fewer behavioral problems and stronger teacher-student relationships are also benefits that may occur when teachers increase causal, personalized communications and regularly reach out to parents and students, said Shaun Dougherty, a Neag School of Education assistant professor of Educational Leadership & Policy. His study “The Effect of Teacher-Family Communication on Student Engagement: Evidence From a Randomized Field Experiment” was recently published in the Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.

Co-authored with Matthew Kraft, an assistant professor of Education at Brown University, the article is the result of research conducted while the two were fellows at the Harvard Graduate School of Education Center for Education Policy Research. Both are also former high school teachers who saw the increased student engagement that came from their own periodic calls to students’ home.

“The idea seems almost too easy, but at the same time can be a bit overwhelming for the teacher,” said Dougherty, who came to UConn in August as part of the University’s recent cluster hiring plan. This ambitious undertaking brought 18 new faculty members to the Neag School to not just teach, but to work in teams or “clusters” with existing faculty to perform research in areas critically important to the future of education.

With a doctorate in Quantitative Policy Analysis in Education from Harvard University, Dougherty’s interests include looking at how data can be used to create educational policies that require “small effort, but can have huge results”—particularly those that can help close the achievement gap.

“Teachers already have such full days. But just a 2- to 3-minute phone call at the start of the school year, followed by two to three more over the course of the school year, could make a huge difference. It shows parents that teachers want them to be involved; that parent participation is welcome; and that for the student to become her or his best, school and family need to work together.”

Among other data, the study provides teachers with suggested strategies to communicate with students directly, as well as evidence of the impact a strong student-teacher relationship can have on motivation and engagement.

Conducted during a mandatory 2010 summer academy at Boston’s Match Education charter middle and high schools, the study focuses on sixth- and ninth-graders during a concentrated period when their parents received regular calls from English teachers. The teachers also periodically reached out to the students themselves, using written notes, emails or text messages to send short, encouraging messages.

“The phone calls to parents don’t have to be lengthy,” Dougherty explained. “They should be quick calls to say ‘Hello, here’s an overview of what’s going on, here are Johnny’s current strengths, here are Johnny’s current challenges, and here’s how I hope we can work together.’ Notes to the kids can also take less time, and be more effective, than keeping a child behind after class, or pulling him or her aside. The note can be as simple as ”I really appreciated your attentiveness in class today’ or ‘I’ve noticed the way you’ve turned things around. Good job.’ ”

“Most kids prefer this method of communication,” Dougherty continued, “and for the teacher, it’s expedient. It doesn’t take away from class time, and it can have a huge effect.”

Indeed, according to the study, improvements seen among Match schools students—many of whom are low income and low performing—included:

40 percent increase in student homework completion
25 percent fewer instances of students needing redirection
15 percent increase in class participation

According to one student, receiving encouraging notes from his teacher made him feel like school “was my second home” and as if his teacher was “a sister or mother giving me support.” If there was a problem, the student said, he knew “she could help me fix it.”

Match teachers were equally pleased. “I was able to look students in the eye in class and remind them of what I spoke to them about the previous evening on the phone, or spoke to their parents about on the phone,” a ninth-grade English teacher reported. “The students knew that I noticed everything and that I was going to hold them accountable for their actions. I found students more eager to appear vulnerable in class, less reticent, and more compliant to rules and procedures.”

Dougherty said he and Kraft focused their research on the secondary level because as students get older, home-school communications typically become more infrequent. Mass emails and phone calls from principals are common, but not the kind of personalized notes and phone calls from teachers that tend to be used on a regular basis during elementary school.

“At the secondary level, parents generally only hear from the school when something has gone wrong, and that can actually create a disconnect,” Dougherty said. “But when the school calls to say ‘Hello, we’re going to regularly reach out to you about your child, and we want you to always feel welcome to reach out to us,’ that creates a connection and shows parents that their involvement is key; that they and the teacher are a team.”

To strengthen and expand upon on the findings of the Match school study, Dougherty and Kraft are currently conducting a second, expanded study in a large urban district, where there are more schools in traditional educational settings. Like the Match Charter School study, it will be a randomized field experiment, but it will span an entire school year, rather than focus on a short, concentrated period.

“Quick, simple, personalized communications are a way for teachers to take a proactive approach to showing students and families the teacher really cares and both wants and expects the student to be engaged,” Dougherty said. “It requires a slightly larger investment of up-front time by the teacher, but it’s clear that it can pay off in the long run.”

Nominations are Open for Neag Alumni Society Awards

Posted on September 30, 2013December 9, 2016 by

IMG_5496 group shot cropped Do you know any outstanding Neag alumni? The Neag School of Education is seeking nominations for the annual Neag Alumni Society Awards. You are invited to nominate individuals for any of the eight prestigious awards. Click here for specific award categories, qualifications and the nomination form. See video of last year’s winners.

All nominations are due no later than Tuesday, November 12, 2013.

Awardees will be honored at the 16^th annual awards dinner on Saturday, March 22, 2014. All Neag alumni are invited, so mark your calendars and come celebrate with us as we honor our outstanding alumni. Event information coming soon. For questions, please contact Robyn at robyn.wilgis@uconn.edu.

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

Posted on September 30, 2013December 7, 2021 by Shawn Kornegay

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.

Students

David R. Hooper, a doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, won the Doctoral Student Outstanding Podium Presentation at this year’s annual meeting of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, held in Las Vegas NV in July 2013. It was a competition among all doctoral students whose abstracts were accepted for presentation worldwide.

Tunde K. Szivak, a doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, won one of the Women’s Scholarship Awards at this year’s annual meeting of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, held in Las Vegas NV in July 2013 It was a competition among all graduate students who applied worldwide.

Alumni

Michael S. Allen ’93 MA in kinesiology, ’97 PhD in kinesiology was appointed to vice president for student affairs at The Catholic University of America. Prior to that position, he was associate vice president and director of athletics at the university. Allen has served for eight years as the University’s athletic director and spent a dozen years before that working in student-centered support programs at Florida Atlantic University and UConn.

Merrilyn Cummings ’68 BS in home economics education, was honored by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) with a Distinguished Service Award. A 45-year member of AAFCS, she is a dynamic, highly respected family and consumer sciences (FCS) leader. Cummings has sustained commitment to the FCS profession from her early years as a Connecticut 4-H member through her retirement.

Lawrence M. Fenn, ’70 BA, ’83 Ph.D. both in educational administration, joined the Franklin Board of Education as a part-time superintendent. For the past five years he served as a consultant and administrator in Long Island, New York. Prior to that time, he served for 22 years as the Lisbon Public Schools Superintendent and prior to that as a principal in Windham for nine years.

Mary Beth Kelliher ’05 MA in curriculum and instruction and bilingual bicultural education received the Accelerated Reading Model Classroom Certification Award. She is a language arts literacy lab instructor at Goodwin Technical High School.

Jim Penders ‘67 BS in physical education was inducted to the Hall of Fame’s UConn wing by The Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame. Penders, who is the father of the current UConn baseball coach, also named Jim, was a co-captain outfielder for 1965 team that reached the College World Series. Penders, who played three years for the Huskies, scored the winning run against Holy Cross in the ’65 New England Championship game played at Fenway Park that sent the Huskies to the field of eight in Omaha.

Kelly Sanders ’13 Sixth Year Diploma, is the new principal at Noah Wallace. Sanders recently worked as a literacy specialist at West District School before becoming principal. She was last year’s Teacher of the Year in Farmington. Prior to serving as a literacy specialist, she worked as a first grade teacher and a reading recovery teacher at Union School. She said she was hired by former Superintendent Bob Villanova to work as a kindergarten teacher at West District after finishing her master’s degree at Smith College.

Gary Valentine ’80 BA in business administration, ’83 MA in kinesiology was crowned world champion at the International Weightlifting Federation World Masters championships in Torino, Italy. After earning his Master’s degree in exercise science from UConn in 1983, Valentine worked in the field of cardiac rehabilitation for 24 years. In 2009, he formed Valentine Strength, LLC, a strength and weightlifting consulting firm offering seminars and private instruction in Olympic Weightlifting.

Thomas J. Van Hoof ’96 MA in educational administration, was recognized with the following awards: Teaching Promise Award, UConn Chapter, American Association of University Professors and Friend of Nursing Award, Mu Chapter, Sigma Theta Tau International. He also recently received a grant award for an educational computer simulation through the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation. He’s an associate professor at UConn’s School of Nursing.

Faculty

Dual Degree was a wonderful initiative that came out of TNE. 100% of our students in World Language graduated with the dual degree in 2013. It was five students, 4 in Spanish, 1 in French.

Neag’s Postsecondary Disability Training Institute held its 25^th annual training institute. This year they were in Boston, with a record crowd of 333 attendees.

Middle School teachers from Willington, Shelton, Glastonbury, Ridgefield, and Sharon joined the Neag School of Education this summer to develop curriculum for the New England Board of Higher Education’s NSF-funded problem-based learning project. Many thanks to Peg, Matt, Erica, Beth, and Eddie for their enthusiasm and expertise, and to the PBL team for your leadership!

Miligros Castillo-Montoya was the recipient of the 2013 K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders Award provided by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). It’s a competitive award and last year they had 260 nominations, of which, only seven people were chosen for the award.

Wendy Glenn was recently appointed to serve as a member of the Standing Committee Against Censorship for the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Her three-year term will begin after the 2013 Annual Convention scheduled for November 21-26, in Boston. She was also recognized as a recipient of an NCTE Research Award for a paper published in English Education.

Coventry Public Schools is delighted to be collaborating with Jae-Eun Joo. Joo has been working with them this summer, providing iPad training for teachers and administrators. According to their superintendent, David Petrone, “Our experience with this newest partnership with UCONN has been outstanding. Thank you for your collaboration and generosity.”

Alison Lombardi was recognized with an Emerging Diversity Scholar citation from University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity.

Joe Renzulli was an invited keynote speaker to 600 guests on “Intelligences Outside the Normal Curve: Factors That Contribute To The Creation Of Social Capital And Leadership Skills In Young People And Adults” for the International Conference of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Louisville, KY. He was a keynote speaker for 350 guests on “The Importance of Promoting Gifted and Talented Programs In Developing Countries” for the Department of Psychology, Entrepreneurship Center, University of Ciputra, East Java, Indonesia.

George Sugai is being honored by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on School Health (COSH) with the 2013 Milton JE Senn Lectureship Award. The Senn Award recognizes distinguished national service in the field of school health and/or contributions to the AAP Council on School Health that have significantly improved the welfare of school children. George will be recognized, along with his colleague Robert Horner, at the 2013 AAP National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) in Florida in October.

Suzanne Wilson has been appointed to the Inquiry Brief (IB) Commission/Accreditation Council with Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). This is an unprecedented opportunity to truly shape CAEP as the new accrediting body for educator preparation through service within its first permanent governance structure. The Accreditation Council and its commissions will be having their initial in-person meeting October 20–24, in Washington, DC.

Mary Yakimowski, Marijke Kehrhahn, Dorothea Anagnostopoulos and Robin Hannds had a proposal accepted from the 2013 NNER Conference in Alberquerque. The presentation is “Assessment Activities with Purposive Partnerships: Solidifying the Map for Continuous Improvement.”

UConn Holds Memorial Service for H. Fred Simons

Posted on September 27, 2013December 9, 2016 by

Simons gives an acceptance speech for the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Neag Alumni Society.

A memorial service for former Student Affairs Vice President and Neag Alumni Award winner H. Fred Simons (Ph.D. ‘72) celebrated the life, commitment and legacy of a man committed to advancing multicultural education and UConn’s racial and ethnic diversity.

Part of the UConn community since the early 1970s, Simons served as a program director, university administrator and finally Student Affairs vice president. When he retired in 1989, he was presented the highest honor the university bestows, “The University of Connecticut Medal of Honor.” The African American Cultural Center was also renamed the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center.

Held Sept. 5 at the Student Union Theater, Simons’ memorial service included comments by H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center Director Dr. Willena Kimpson Price and current Student Affairs Vice President Dr. Michael Gilbert, who spoke about Simons’ legacy and significant contributions.

Looked upon as a father figure and role model by UConn students, Simons was instrumental in establishing a six-week summer college preparatory program and first full university scholarship for minority students. His consensus-building leadership style helped UConn establish its emerging commitment to attract, retain and graduate minority students, as well as to meet its strategic goal to expand racial and ethnic diversity.

In 2008, Simons was honored for a lifetime of service to both the field of education and UConn at the Neag School’s Annual Awards Dinner.

Simons passed away in his sleep on April 10, 2013, at Rockville General Hospital in Rockville CT, shortly after watching the UConn women’s basketball team win the national championship. He was 87.

A native of North Carolina, Simons served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He received his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State College, where he later earned a master’s degree in education and public school administration. Prior to coming to UConn, he was a high school teacher, assistant high school principal and high school principal.

Simons is survived by his wife of 67 years, Alice, their three children, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Individuals interested in honoring Simons by supporting the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center can contact Heather McDonald at hmcdonald@foundation.uconn.edu or 860-486-4530.

Neag School Undergrad Student Leader Believes in Community Involvement and Giving Back

Posted on September 27, 2013December 1, 2021 by

Senior Justis Lopez expected the Neag School of Education to show him how to become a social studies teacher. He did not expect it to shape him into a leader.

“One of the many things I’ve learned is how important it is to learn about yourself and find your own identity—how important it is to know what you can bring to the table to impact the world,” Lopez said.

A Manchester, CT native, Lopez’s transformative journey began in 2010 when, as a freshman, he became a member of the Leadership Learning Community, one of 17 undergraduate learning programs run by Student Support Services that allow those with similar interests to live and take classes together, as well as to take part in group team-building activities, community service and other projects.

It was in this community, Lopez said, that he began to more clearly see his talents and potential. Among other abilities, he learned he was a strong and energetic program organizer, as well as a comfortable public speaker. Indeed, he became the first-ever freshman to serve as master of ceremonies of the Asian Nite event that packs the Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts with students, parents, friends and others—an experience Lopez remembers as “thrilling.”

Since then, Lopez has emceed, organized and hosted a variety of other events, including various Learning Community kick-offs and campus-wide talent shows, homecomings, lip syncs and poetry slams. His involvement in the Leadership Learning Community and UConn overall only deepened when he became a residential assistant and began the dual work of helping new students adjust to college life and creating student leadership programs. The latter allowed him to work with many within the larger community, including ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen.

“All of my roles at UConn helped shaped who I am today, whether being a student, a mentor, an emcee or a residential assistant,” said Lopez, who spent part of this past summer in Europe as part of UConn’s Global Educators Study Abroad program that provides students with a first-hand account of how Europeans experienced World War II. It included time in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, where among other sites they visited Nazi headquarters.

According to Neag Associate Professor Alan Marcus, trip organizer and one of Justis’ favorite professors, “On our trip to Europe to visit WWII historic sites and museums Justis started each day with the words ‘I can’t believe we are here, I can’t believe I’m standing where …’ He was like a sponge absorbing new ideas and new perspectives.”

“The trip provided Justis with the opportunity to see historic events from a more global perspective which he is now using to be a more effective social studies teacher,” continued Marcus.

The first member of his family to attend college, Lopez’s dedication to service and excellence led to him being selected for the Leadership Legacy Experience, a year-long enhancement program that allows 14 exceptional students to build on their college experiences and prepare to become lifelong leaders.

Marcus is impressed with how Justis has become one of the most dynamic student leaders on campus. “He not only leads by running events and enthusiastically participating in activities, he leads by modeling. He is also a good listener and is open to ideas and perspectives.”

“He is a transformational leader in that he provides leadership that improves the lives of others, but also modifies his ideas and actions in response to others’ needs and feedback,” said Marcus.

“I’m so thankful to everyone who helped me get where I am today,” said Lopez, adding that he’s looking forward to the day when he can give students some of the same opportunities he received. “I’m excited to become a teacher.”

Brazilian Visiting Scholar in Kinesiology Paves Way for Future Collaborations with UConn

Posted on September 25, 2013January 3, 2017 by

Dr. Pescatello provides input on Hayley Macdonald's doctoral research while Dr. Farinatti listens. — Dr. Pescatello provides input on Hayley Macdonald’s doctoral research while Dr. Farinatti listens.

Kinesiology researchers at the Neag School of Education Human Performance Laboratory have been enjoying the collegiate company of a Brazilian visiting scholar. Dr. Paulo de Tarso Veras Farinatti, an associate professor from Rio de Janeiro State University’s Institute of Physical Education and Sports, arrived in late June through Brazil’s Science Without Borders program and has been working closely with UConn Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology Dr. Linda Pescatello on her leading research projects in hypertension and exercise.

Funded by the Coordinating Office for the Advancement of Higher Education (CAPES) and National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)—two organizations within Brazil’s Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science & Technology—Science Without Borders funds undergraduate students and senior researchers like Farinatti to study abroad at the world’s top universities as a way to promote scientific research and increase international cooperation within science and technology.

This exchange will allow Farinatti and Pescatello to work together for six months, though it won’t be their first collaboration. After meeting in 2009 in Brazil at the 13^th International Symposium of Physical Activity and found they share similar research interests, the two published two research papers together. Science Without Borders, however, allowed them to morph their long-distance collaborations into in-person ones.

Dr. Farinatti and doctoral student (name) listen to research updates from members of the Human Performance Laboratory. — Dr. Farinatti and doctoral student Garrett Ash listen to research updates from members of the Human Performance Laboratory.

Since arriving in Storrs, Farinatti has been involved with Pescatello’s ongoing “Generating Reductions In Pressure” project, which is studying people’s blood pressure response to isometric handgrip and aerobic exercise. Working with Pescatello and graduate students, he’s also contributed to the “Syntheses of Prevention Intervention Research in Exercise” (SPIRE) project designed to examine the blood pressure response to exercise, with a focus on arterial stiffness, an emerging important risk factor for hypertension and cardiovascular disease, while using meta-analysis techniques.

“I’m very excited about what I’ve learned and experienced since I came here,” Farinatti said. “Once I’m back in Brazil, I’ll be able to introduce the research techniques and trends I’ve learned to my students, propose similar projects in my institution or in collaboration with UConn, and hopefully continue the cooperation between our two institutions.”

One of the evolving ideas, Pescatello said, is to develop research exchange opportunities through Science Without Borders that would allow UConn and Rio de Janeiro State University graduate students to travel, collaborate and add hands-on global perspectives to their work.

“Both institutions would hugely benefit,” Pescatello said.

Pescatello, in fact, is excited about the potential that future collaboration can bring: “A lot of researchers interested in the blood pressure response to exercise, what Dr. Farinatti particularly wants to learn more about, are located in Brazil, so collaboration has the potential to not just build bridges, but expedite the efforts of our study and research.”

In addition to learning new research techniques, Farinatti’s time with Pescatello has exposed him to the many facets of U.S. academia. Among other experiences, he has sat in on Pescatello’s graduate classes. He’s also shared many of his own classroom and research techniques.

“Our countries’ academic philosophies are quite different,” Pescatello said. “The chance to experience some of these differences will only help strengthen future collaborations.

One area ripe for collaboration, Farinatti said, is within a project sponsored by the City of Rio de Janeiro’s Secretary of Healthy Aging and Quality of Life, called 3^rd Age Academy. Researchers from the Rio de Janeiro State University are conducting a project aimed at studying elderly peoples’ blood pressure responses to exercise in public physical activity facilities called exercise machines set up in almost 200 public squares. The prospect of UConn and Rio de Janeiro State University collaborating on—and helping expand—this kind of exciting project has only the potential to “fireball,” Farinatti added.

“Observing different cultures and ways of life really add a perspective to a person’s thinking,” Farinatti continued. “The benefit of our future collaboration will definitely reach beyond a scientific perspective, especially for young students. I can’t even measure the value of that.”

Neag Professor Brings Rehabilitation Psychology Expertise to Turkey

Posted on September 24, 2013February 17, 2023 by

Neag School of Education Professor Orv Karan, Ph.D., is using his more than 40 years of experience as a rehabilitation psychology and special education specialist to help medical, educational and social service providers in Turkey successfully transition youths with intellectual and developmental disabilities into the community.

So far, the Neag School Counseling Program coordinator has been to Turkey three times, the last trip in February at the request of Turkish leaders working to abolish the traditional practice of committing youths with low IQs and limited daily living skills to institutions. During his most recent visit, he gave two invited lectures: one on “Preparing students with disabilities for adulthood,” and the other on “Building skills for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities.”

The lectures and case studies showed how it really does take a village to care for youths with disabilities, Karan said, but that the results can be life-changing for all involved.

“Young people who receive appropriate treatment and support from their families, professional caregivers and the community can experience amazing turnarounds and live rich, happy, productive lives as active members of their communities,” Karan said. “But it’s not one single fix that makes this kind of support available. It’s many fixes, in many areas, that create a totally new ecology and culture for how people with disabilities are viewed and cared for. Hospitals, schools, community leaders and parents are among the many aspects of society that all play a part.”

Although Karan has traveled throughout much of Turkey—roughly the same size as Texas—to meet as many people as possible, most of his interactions have taken place in or near the major cities of Istanbul and Ankara. To give all Turks access to Karan’s expertise, Turkish leaders have distributed subtitled videotapes, as well as translated copies of Karan’s lectures, to interested parents and caregivers across the country.

“So many things the United States does on behalf of children with disabilities and their families are still not even close to being a reality in other countries,” Karan explained. “Turkey is one of the most modern countries in the Middle East, yet for people with disabilities, there are few educational and healthcare services, and even fewer opportunities to become a part of their communities.”

Karan said it’s a professional passion to help people “in a real and lasting way” that led him to accept the Turkish government’s request to act as a consultant—and conduit—for disability care change. However, it was a personal interest that caused him to first get involved.

“About 13 years ago, I began working with a Turkish girl with extreme intellectual, emotional and behavioral disabilities,” Karan explained. “In Turkey, her family exhausted all available services seeking a solution, and it appeared an institution was the only option. But her parents had connections to Yale and could afford to bring her here, so they came to Connecticut for treatment, and that’s when I became involved. She now lives in her own home with support and enjoys a high quality of life. But it got me thinking. ‘What happens to the children of Turkish families who can’t afford to fly to the U.S. for treatment?’ ”

To find the answer, he decided to spend three weeks of his Spring 2011 sabbatical in Turkey.

“I visited programs serving children and youth with a wide variety of disabilities,” Karan said. “One of the things I stressed to the professionals and families I met was ‘As you may know, it wasn’t that awfully long ago that the U.S. believed institutionalization was the best way to care for adults and kids with developmental disabilities.’ But we’ve done much to change that in a relatively short time, and those in Turkey committed to making the same change can do it, too.”

Dr. Karan gathers with conference attendees in Turkey.

Today, as a consultant, Karan talks with Turkish professionals via Skype roughly once a week. Conversations tackle everything from how Turkey can best enforce special education laws and dispel myths about disabilities, to how educators should integrate children with intellectual and emotional disabilities into public school classrooms.

“This work? It’s my passion,” Karan said simply. “Too often, people are held back because others don’t see their possibilities. But I look at people from a very different perspective. Often, my heart says ‘Try!’ when my brain says ‘It won’t work.’ Thankfully, I’ve proven my brain wrong on more than one occasion. I’m also thankful to UConn and so proud the school wants to share our expertise to make a difference in the lives of people thousands of miles away. That’s pretty incredible.”