Neag School Hosts 35th Year of Confratute at UConn

Posted on September 27, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Confratute Participants — Confratute participants Allison Epstein and Elizabeth Cartier learned about how science works – versus science facts — in a hands-on lab. Photo credit: Shawn Kornegay

For the past 35 years, Storrs, Connecticut, has attracted more than 20,000 worldwide educators for a highly acclaimed, enrichment-based program sponsored by the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. The week-long program is geared toward providing educators with research-based, practical strategies for engagement and enrichment learning for all students, as well as meeting the needs of gifted and talented students.

Attended by more than 600 educators from across the U.S. and 15 other countries, this year’s Confratute was a blending of educators interested in gifted education, differentiation of instruction and curriculum, and creativity and innovation in education. Sessions included Math for Those Who Think They Can’t Do Math; Storytelling, Mime and Movement; CSI: Forensic Science in the Classroom; Books That Inspire and Guide; and numerous other topics.

This year for the first time, Confratute hosted the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) Leaders Forum, an intensive week for principals interested in school change using a philosophy of enrichment learning and teaching. While Confratute has always offered workshops for administrators, the SEM Leaders Forum was a conference-within-a-conference, designed specifically for school leaders.

Confratute, founded in July 1978 by Neag School of Education professor Joseph Renzulli, is the longest-running summer institute of its kind. Through exposure to differentiation, talent development and enriching learning experiences, the community of adult learners is able to share similar interests, as well as foster professional growth.

“A unique part of the Confratute concept is that it is more than a summer course, more than formal instruction, for it is a careful blend of a conference and an institute with a good deal of fraternity in the middle,” said institute Director Dr. Sally M. Reis.

“Confratute is total immersion and involvement in enrichment, teaching and learning,” she said. “It’s the excitement of new ideas, the satisfaction of hard work, the joy of creating and producing, and the happiness that comes from making new friends, having fun and learning a little bit more about yourself.”

The informal learning environment provided in over 50 hands-on class strands also fuels interactions between passionate participants, keynoters and faculty members alike.

Dr. Reis attributes much of the program’s success to the enthusiastic and dedicated participants who collectively bring thousands of years of diverse experience in education. Indeed, she said, it is the acknowledgement and celebration of differences that make Confratute so memorable and special.

For more information on the program, visit http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/confratute/. To see a photo album from the week, click here.

Joe Smey Retires After 40 Years at UConn

Posted on September 27, 2012April 12, 2018 by

Smey The year was 1972. The Watergate scandal had broken, The Brady Bunch was popular on TV, and Mark Spitz won a record seven gold medals at the Munich Summer Olympics. That was the same year Dr. Joe Smey joined the physical therapy faculty at UConn. Forty years later, Dr. Smey has retired after a long and successful career at the university, having become an icon to physical therapy students across Connecticut and beyond.

Smey, also an UConn alum, said he has always loved the Storrs campus, but never imagined he would spend 45 years of his life here.

He first set foot on the UConn campus in 1963 to begin his undergraduate education. Originally from Naugatuck, CT, he was a member of the UConn football team as well as the second family member to become a Husky, following the footsteps of his sister, Barbara.

While he considered several majors, his personal interest in athletics and sports medicine steered him toward physical therapy. Growing up with a cousin with polio also affected his choice. But the defining moment, he recalled, was when he was being treated for a football injury by the UConn athletic trainer and struck up a conversation with the team quarterback, who was taking courses in physical therapy.

“That talk, and the field itself, really resonated with me,” Smey said. “Looking back, I can say without a doubt that taking the physical therapy path became the best decision I ever made.”

Smey joined the U.S. Public Health Service after graduation and was afforded the opportunity to serve as a staff physical therapist in an outpatient clinic in southern California while simultaneously earning a MA in physical therapy from the University of Southern California. He was subsequently assigned back home in Connecticut as chief physical therapist at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London. After holding a similar role at Lawrence and Memorial Hospitals, he joined the University of Connecticut as an assistant professor in physical therapy and spent the next four decades making a local, regional and national impact in the physical therapy field.

Smey built a successful career, first starting in the faculty and progressing into leadership roles, including becoming director of the physical therapy program and later associate dean and dean of the School of Allied Health. Along the way he earned his EdD from Clark University in education and program management and served as Director of Rehabilitation at John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington. He did this while simultaneously running the PT academic program in Storrs. The position at John Dempsey helped him learn more about clinical practice and the management side of physical therapy. He also served various leadership roles in both the Connecticut Physical Therapy Association and American Physical Therapy Association. When physical therapy transitioned from the School of Allied Health to the School of Education, Smey happily returned to the classroom and taught in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program.

“Fred Adams, the first dean of the School of Allied Health and the first African-American dean at UConn, helped the younger faculty in physical therapy realize the value of diversity,” Smey said. “I learned a lot from him and the team of leaders brought to the school.” Early in his career, as President of the Connecticut Physical Therapy Association, Smey indicated that he knew just about every physical therapist in the state. He began to become increasingly concerned about issues of diversity and gender equity in physical therapy and began to use his contacts locally and nationally to encourage a more diverse population to consider physical therapy as a career. He also spearheaded an initiative nationally to eliminate economic and career barriers recognized to exist for women in the field. He went on to serve on national task forces, and participate in nationwide workshops, focusing on racial diversity and gender equity in physical therapy and allied health.

Smey acknowledged his love for teaching from the very beginning. He realized he had a lot to learn, but he always valued getting to know the students as well as he could. “I include humor in anything I’m teaching. Whether it’s neurology or management, it’s been a long-term interest to use humor as a way to connect with the students.”

“I try to be participatory in a sense of knowing the students,” he added. “I’ve had such pride in my teaching, and I’ve always felt I’ve done a good job.”

Faculty member and PT alumnus Dr. Pamela Roberts was one of many students affected by Smey’s work as PT Program director.

“I was co-teaching and had courses of my own, in addition to clinical experiences I coordinated. As an adjunct faculty member, I was working full-time hours,” Roberts recalled.

“Joe mentored me toward applying for a full-time tenure track position. My interview was just days after my second child was born. Joe was thoughtful and moved the interview to the ground level.”

Roberts ended up getting the position and worked along-side Smey for many years. She said he supported and encouraged her through her tenure years, including suggesting that she continue her education. Years later, when Roberts worked for the State

Department of Education for therapy services in schools, she ran into a lot of PT alumni. “Invariably, their first question had something to do with Joe Smey. They share stories of Dr. Smey and site him as the motivator, the challenger, the supporter, the leader they wanted to become. They ask about other faculty, but the first question is always about Dr. Joe Smey.”

Another student dramatically impacted by Smey was Roland Perreault, who finished the program in 1982 and stayed in contact with Smey throughout the years. As members of the Connecticut Physical Therapy Association, they would often encourage one another on critical issues related to their profession.

“Dr. Smey ran for the APTA Board of Directors, and I was there to support him. Throughout this time, Dr. Smey served as mentor to me and countless others regarding our duties and responsibilities as members of the professional association,” Perreault said.

Perreault also mentioned the legacy of Smey: “Dr. Smey has been the face and name of the PT program over these many years, and the evolution of the program. For so many graduates and friends of the program, that identity will be greatly missed.

“(He) has been a leader because he allowed himself to grow and evolve into a socially and culturally aware person and has been willing to take on the challenges affecting the underrepresented and the most needy.”

“I am proud to have him as a teacher, mentor, colleague and friend,” said Perreault. “He has remained committed to causes of the profession and social action. His insight has influenced many of his students and encouraged a culture within the program toward awareness and service to others.”

Smey’s impact on students was monumental from day one, according to Chuck Cota, who was in Smey’s class the first year he taught at UConn: “He was young, not much older than the students he was teaching. Yet from those early years, he was a dynamo, very enthusiastic about the PT profession and passionate about his love for UConn,” recalled Cota.

Smey’s lectures were also sprinkled with personal experiences that always made the subject matter easier to grasp, Cota said. “At the end of those first classes, Smey would always ask us if he was doing okay. He wanted so much to help us be good clinicians and ambassadors for the school.”

As the years went by, Smey would take great pride to hear of the accomplishments of his former students—and never missed the opportunity to brag about them, Cota said.

Cota’s three sons would also eventually go on to UConn and study under Smey. “They are grateful for Joe’s guidance while in school. He was never too busy to advise them in their careers or take the time to listen,” said Cota.

“It seems fitting that I was in Dean Smey’s first class and our son Kevin (DPT ’12) was in his last graduating class of therapists,” Cota said proudly. “Joe’s career has spanned generations of physical therapists, and his impact on the profession for years to come. Joe is a ‘rock star’ in the work of physical therapy.”

In lieu of a retirement celebration, Dr. Smey requested that folks who wanted to honor him should consider supporting his scholarship that will help future PT students. The scholarship was started by his former students. To support the Joseph W. Smey, ’68 EdD, PT Endowed Scholarship in Physical Therapy, click here. Be sure to include fund name on the form. For any questions, contact Heather McDonald at hmcdonald@foundation.uconn.edu

Save the Date – Homecoming 2012

Posted on September 27, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Come home to UConn and show your true Husky spirit! Go Huskies!

The UConn Alumni Association invites you to reconnect with UConn during Homecoming 2012. All alumni, families, and friends are welcome during this weeklong celebration. The festivities include such traditions as the Homecoming Parade and the Annual Student Lip Sync contest. The excitement and momentum build toward the game against Temple University and the Spirit Village & Tailgate BBQ on Saturday, Oct. 13. We hope to see you there!

You’re a true-blue Husky if you:

Sing along to “The Husky Fight Song” ringtone.
Wear your lucky Huskies T-shirt under work attire.
Block an entire week for UConn Homecoming fun!

For more information and to RVSP, visit here.

UConn Hosting Info Sessions for One-Year Teacher Certification Program

Posted on September 27, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Lorna Carrasquillo studied chemistry as an undergrad. After working as a chemistry tudor, she decided she wanted to be a teacher. UConn’s program helped her realize her dream. Source: UConn

Do you know someone looking to make a career change? Do you know someone who wants to become a teacher with the help of UConn’s nationally acclaimed Neag School of Education? Graduates of Neag School’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates earn an MA, state certification and the know-how to make a difference in the lives of middle and high school students.

Each year, 70-80 new certified teachers graduate from UConn’s one-year, accelerated Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates. A bachelor’s degree is one of the primary entry requirements.

Information sessions at UConn’s three Teacher Certification Program locations will take place in September and October in West Hartford, Waterbury and the newest location, Avery Point. The Avery Point program will lead to an additional 20 teachers certified annually in math and science.

Information sessions will include:

Avery Point (math and science focused)

Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m.

Academic Building, Room ACD 308

For more information and to RSVP:

ellen.clinesmith@uconn.edu or 860-420-7653.

Greater Hartford Campus, West Hartford (all subject areas)

Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m.

Library Building Auditorium

For more information and to RSVP:

monica.gat@uconn.edu or 860-570-9283

Waterbury Campus (all subject areas)

Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Multi-purpose Room 113

For more information and to RSVP: ann_marie.niesobecki@uconn.edu or 203-236-9926.

Applications for the Teacher Certification Program will be accepted until Dec. 1, 2012. Each location will be comprised of a cohort of students, entering the following summer and attending full time. Part time students are not accepted.

“It’s a rigorous program, but the benefits are clear,” said David Moss, interim director of Teacher Education. “Not only is UConn’s Neag School of Education the No. 1 public school in the Northeast, but we frequently get feedback from superintendents who say Neag grads are their first choices for hires. Our graduates are exceptionally educated and tend to stay in education far longer than the state or national average. What we do for teachers, students and really education as a field is pretty special. There’s definitely a Neag difference.”

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

Posted on August 27, 2012December 30, 2016 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.

Alumni

Cynthia Costanzo ‘88 was named executive director of recreational services for the University of Connecticut.

Lynda Mullaly Hunt BA in elementary education ’88, MA in elementary education ’96 came back to campus for an author reception and booksigning during Confratute. She recently published her first book One for the Murphys.

Daniel Mosher Long has an exhibit of unique accumulations of objects, which he then photographed, on display in the Homer Babbage Library.

Jenna Masone is the new assistant principal at Hindley School.

Dirk Olmstead UCAPP ’08 was named principal at Parkville Community School for Hartford Public Schools.

Bethany Royer BA in agriculture education ’05, MA in curriculum instruction ‘06, was chosen as 2012 Agriculture Teacher of the Year.

Paul K. Smith Sixth-Year Diploma in educational administration ’98, formerly Bolton Public Schools superintendent, was appointed to a superintendent position in the Griswold public school system.

Faculty/Staff

Gifted and Talented won the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Curriculum Award for their kindergarten geometry unit, “Exploring Shapes in Space: Geometry and the Frogonauts.” The purpose of the competition was to identify different curriculum units, for heterogeneous classrooms and gifted education programs that can be shared with other educators as models of exemplary curriculum.

Assessment — A sell-out crowd of 500 individuals attended the third annual statewide forum for K-12 school staff entitled, “Transition to the Connecticut State Standards and System of Assessments.” This forum, sponsored by the Connecticut State Department of Education and the Neag School of Education, was held August 13 and August 14 at the Crown Plaza, Cromwell. The first day Dr. Sharon Lynn Kagan provided the keynote address, while Dr. Don Leu provided the plenary session to opening the second day. The PowerPoints of the presentations are available at: http://assessment.education.uconn.edu/.

Catherine Whall Smith (retiree) has an exhibit of quilts in the Homer Babbage Library.

Sandra Bell, Marijke Kehrhahn and Doug Casa co-authored an article (in press) “Case-based analogical reasoning: A pedagogical tool for promotion of clinical reasoning” in Athletic Training Education Journal.

Anjana Bhat received a $20,800 Faculty Large Grant entitled “Embodied Rhythm Interventions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders” from UConn’s Office of the Vice President for Research.

Laura Burton was invited to serve a three-year term on UConn’s Individualized Major Advisory & Admissions Committee. She authored “Making a mistake as an AD: Do gender-stereotypes influence evaluation of leaders in intercollegiate athletics?” for the North American Society of Sport Management. She also co-authored “The mediating effect of organizational culture on the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment, turnover intentions and job search behaviors in NCAA Division I athletic departments” for the same organization, North American Society of Sport Management.

Laurie Burton and Stephanie Mazerolle published “They cannot seem to get past the gender issue: Experiences of young female athletic trainers in Division I intercollegiate athletics” in Sport Management Review.

Doug Casa was recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association with the President’s Award in July. He also recently hosted the Korey Stringer Institute’s inaugural Kick-off Fundraiser at the NFL Headquarters to recognize the achievements of educators and medical professionals who have made significant contributions in preventing sudden death in sport.

Tutita Casa published a top paper in Teacher Children Mathematics (the top practitioner journal in elementary mathematics education), which she wrote with a former IB/M student. The paper shared results from her inquiry project where she investigated how her first-grade students utilized the talk frame, an instructional tool that she developed to support communication about mathematics. Maddie now is a third-grade teacher at Goodwin in Mansfield.

Casey Cobb was appointed to the editorial board of Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. He also co-authored an article (in press), “Intergroup Relations in Integrated Schools: A Glimpse Inside Interdistrict Magnet Schools” in Education Policy Analysis Archives.

Morgaen Donaldson authored “Coaching for Instructional Improvement: Conditions and Strategies that Matter” in The Cambridge Handbook of Implementation Science for Educational Psychology. She published “An Evaluation of Disparities in Instructional Quality Across Connecticut School Districts” for the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Finance. She also published “Teachers’ Perspectives on Teacher Evaluation Reform: Findings from One Reformist District” for Center for American Progress in Washington, DC.

Michele Femc-Bagwell and Mallory Bagwell published the A.S.P.I.R.E. Survey: Six Points of Engagement for School Communities. It is an instrument that assesses the collective resource pool of all parents and adults associated with a school community as well as the assets and traits of the community itself. A.S.P.I.R.E. Survey work at Bassick (2011-2012) was just accepted in the new edition of Promising Partnership Practices 2012 (National Network of Partnership Schools/Johns Hopkins University). It was recognized as one of 80 best practices from 16 states.

Wendy Glenn has several publications in press, “Omdefinerer en Norsk Norge: The influence of changing demographics on Norwegian schooling for social democracy” in Equity and Excellence in Education Special Theme Issue, Global and Local Perspectives on Social Justice Pedagogy: History, Policy, and Praxis. She co-authored “Looking into and beyond time and place: The timeless potential of young adult literature” in The ALAN Review. The other article, “Developing understandings of race: Pre-service teachers’ counter-narrative (re)-constructions of people of color in young adult literature,” in English Education came out in July.

Richard Gonzales authored his first article (in press) “Planning University-District Partnerships: Implications for Principal Preparation Programs in Educational Planning. He was a co-author with three colleagues at UT. His second article (in press), “A Rigorous Recruitment and Selection Process of the University of Texas at Austin Principalship Program” is a chapter in Advances in Educational Administration (Vol. 17). He co-authored the article. He’s also the founding member of the UCEA Graduate Council that’s producing the first annual Graduate Student Summit at UCEA 2012 in Denver.

Anysia Mayer was elected to treasurer in addition to her current role as registrar of the Sociology of Education Association (SEA). She was also elected to AERA program chair for the Tracking/Detracking SIG for 2013-15. In addition, she developed new programs for ELL students at CREC schools.

Anysia Mayer authored (in press) “Misinterpreting School Reform: The Dissolution of a Dual Immersion Bilingual Program in an Urban New England Elementary School” in Bilingual Research Journal. She also co-authored a report with Kimberly LeChasseur “English Learners and Language Policies in Connecticut” for the Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Finance on behalf of the Center for Education Policy Analysis.

Stephanie Mazerolle and Laura Burton co-authored a paper, which was accepted. “The professional socialization of college female athletic trainers: navigating experiences of gender bias” will appear in Journal of Athletic Training.

Joe Renzulli, on the recommendation of International Center for the Study of Giftedness board of directors, was invited to become a member of the international Scientific Advisory Board of the International Center for the Study of Giftedness (ICBF).

Del Siegle was recently named “2012 CAG Friend of the Gifted” by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted for his contribution to the field of gifted education over the past 30 years. He will be officially recognized at a later event.

George Sugai was invited to present at two national events by the federal government (OSHS Institute on School Discipline). He presented at the “Third Annual Bullying Prevention Summit” and “Education Experts Discuss Alternatives to Traditional Disciplinary Strategies.” Both were televised by C-SPAN.

Bob Villanova was invited to serve on the Educator Preparation Advisory Council (EPAC), co-chaired by Dr. Robert Kennedy (president of the Board of Regents for Higher Education) and Commissioner Stefan Pryor. EPAC was established on by the State Board of Education to develop a system for the approval, quality, regulation, oversight and accreditation of Connecticut educator preparation Programs.

Sarah Woulfin was appointed to the editorial boards of Reading Research Quarterly and Education Policy Analysis Archives. She also authored (in press).“Equity-oriented instructional leadership: Turning up the volume for English Learners” in Re-imagining Education Reform.

Spotlight on Assessment – Early Fall Priorities

Posted on August 27, 2012December 30, 2016 by

Together, we are embracing and promoting an assessment culture characterized by evidence-based decisions, with the intended purpose of providing a more challenging, learner-centered academic community that advances knowledge and improves vitality in all aspects of the School. Together, using assessment, all of us can make a difference.

Now that we have kicked off the fall 2012 semester, assessment is on the minds of almost everyone. While students are getting adjusted to the assessment requirements of each class by reading the syllabus and listening to the information shared by the faculty, at the school level there is so much planned regarding assessment. Noted below are some September and October highlights.

Neag School of Education’s Common Entrance Surveys for our new candidates in four of our programs – IB/M and TCPCG Teacher Education, School Counseling, School Psychology, and UCAPP – was administered in September. Reports of these survey results will be posted by October 15 at:http://assessment.education.uconn.edu/reports/program-reports/

Did you graduate from our Teacher Education program in 2010 or 2012? If so, we need you to let us know two things. First, are you are in a certified teaching position? Second, if you are in a certified position, what school and district employ you? The aggregate statistics will be supplied on the form submitted to US News and World Report. In turn, this organization ranks the schools of education across the nation. We hope to be ranked as highly as last year. Please provide your answers to these two questions to Mary.Yakimowski@uconn.edu.

Did you graduate from our Teacher Education, UCAPP, School Counseling, or School Psychology program in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011? Please anticipate receiving an email which invites you to respond to a specially designed alumni survey. This survey will help us see what individuals reflect upon that was exceptional about the program; and, more importantly, point us in the right direction to what further needs improvement. We look forward to your responses.

We are kicking of our 6^th academic year with our Neag School of Education’s Colloquium Series. These are free of charge sessions on assessment, evaluation, and/or research. This year’s offerings are promised to be top-notch. (Some sessions will even include a free lunch.) Anyone can attend but registration is necessary as they are first come, first serve as there are room space requirements. The session descriptions and registration information may be found at: http://assessment.education.uconn.edu/colloquia/. Sessions commence in early October.

We hope to see you at the colloquia or hear from you soon.

Small Grant Makes Big Difference for Neag Alumna

Posted on July 19, 2012March 31, 2016 by

As a graduate student 35 years ago, Paula Ivaska Robbins received a $500 grant from the UConn Research Foundation to provide funds for her Ph.D. dissertation.

The grant allowed her to travel around New England, interviewing businessmen who had successfully navigated midlife career changes. It was a relevant topic for Robbins who, as director of career counseling at Trinity College, counseled graduates returning for advice because of layoffs triggered by the 1970’s recession. She wanted to understand how some people managed to adapt to major life changes so she could share the information with future clients.

It turned out to be a hot topic for the general public as well, popularized perhaps by Gail Sheey’s best-selling book about life transitions, Passages, which had been published in 1974. Robbins’ research was featured in an article in The Hartford Courant on a Sunday morning shortly after she received her degree. Within hours she received telephone calls from media outlets around the country. The buzz gave her the idea of turning her research into a book. Successful Midlife Career Change based on her interviews of more than 90 men between the ages of 35 and 50, was published in 1978 and in paperback in 1980 by the American Management Association.

“It was so successful that royalties covered the tuition costs of my Ph.D.,” says Robbins, who worked as assistant director of the graduate school at Fitchburg State College and assistant dean of the Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, before successfully switching her own career. After experience a layoff herself during the recession of 1990, Robbins turned to medical editing and, ultimately, writing novels and biographies.

The grant, though small, was pivotal to her career; and this spring, she repaid it, sending a check to the UConn Foundation.

“I always wanted to pay back my grant to ensure that others could benefit as I did,” says Robbins. She is also in the process of repaying Vassar College for a scholarship for her undergraduate education.

“We were delighted to hear from Dr. Robbins,” says Heather McDonald, director of development for the Neag School of Education. “UConn’s strength has a lot to do with the success of its alumni and their generosity in paying it forward.”

Tomorrow’s Teachers in Action Today

Posted on July 19, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Kayla Everson and Sarah Harris have been busy shaping a successful future – for others, that is. Both seniors have been working with the academic intervention program UConn Connects to help their peers succeed.

Kayla Everson '12 (ED) — Kayla Everson ’12 (ED), a facilitator at the Academic Achievement Center. (Ariel Dowski ’14 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)

UConn Connects, which is part of the Academic Achievement Center, offers help to students who are struggling academically. This semester, more than 400 students participated. Each participant is paired with a peer facilitator.

Everson and Harris began at UConn Connects as facilitators in 2009, and worked their way up to the title of ʻexecutive master coaches.ʼ

The program appealed to Everson as a place to work on campus, since it related to her career goal of becoming a teacher. The Newington, Conn. native is majoring in secondary English education in the Neag School of Education. She hopes to teach 7th or 8th grade because, she says, “these two grades are important in a childʼs life. It is when he or she is discovering who he or she really is. I want to help facilitate that process in a healthy way.”

She signed up as a facilitator with the hope of assisting first-year Huskies with their college transition.

Like Everson, Harris was also drawn by the opportunity to guide peers. Harris, who is from Portland, Conn., is studying secondary social studies education, psychology, and history and would like to teach at the high school level.

Sarah Harris ’12 (ED), a facilitator at the Academic Achievement Center. (Ariel Dowski ’14 (CLAS)/UConn Photo)

“As a future teacher, I was intrigued by the programʼs peer focus,” Harris says, “and recognized that, as a high school teacher, it would be helpful to have had the opportunity to observe the challenges that students face upon entering college, in order to better prepare my future students for the academic transition.”

Each UConn Connects facilitator works with four to six participants on a one-on-one basis, meeting weekly throughout the semester. These meetings provide students with the tools and resources to develop strong note-taking and study skills that can be applied in any academic discipline.

Kevin Sullivan, director of academic support, who oversees the Academic Achievement Center and UConn Connects, describes Everson and Harris as “model helpers who demonstrate that UConn students can establish high standards for their academic, personal, and social growth, and then work consistently and tirelessly to achieve their goals.”

When the Academic Achievement Center was established, incorporating and building upon UConn Connects, Everson and Harris decided to get involved in the new center. Sullivan says the center was created to help all students, not just those who are struggling or on probation. Students who need to perform at the highest levels to be eligible for competitive scholarships, majors, or postgraduate opportunities can find appropriate assistance there. The center is staffed by undergraduate coaches who have previously been facilitators for UConn Connects.

Sullivan says Everson and Harris soon became key players in the new center: “They were instrumental in the structuring of the organization, providing key contributions to our weekly design meetings.”

They say their involvement in academic support programs was helpful in their own education, too. Says Everson, “I had the opportunity to teach time management skills, stress management, test-taking methods, and more. It kept my coaching skills fresh.”

Adds Harris, “Our common desire to teach made us a good team. We worked together to develop new ideas for the UConn Connects curriculum.”

In spring 2012, both seniors began student teaching off campus as part of their degree program and were no longer able to work on campus. Everson has been teaching an 8th grade English class at East Hartford Middle School, and Harris taught 10th grade world history and two 12th grade psychology courses at Manchester High School. Both will go on to complete the Neag School of Education Integrated Bachelorʼs/Masterʼs Degree program next year as masterʼs students.

Sullivan says he is proud of the pair and their contribution to academic support programs: “Leading by example, with their own immense GPAʼs and involved campus life, Kayla and Sarah modeled all of the strategies, techniques, attitudes, and cognitions necessary to produce consistent academic excellence.”

Forum on Education Reform Law: ‘The Whole Climate Has Changed’

Posted on July 19, 2012December 8, 2016 by

The landmark education reform bill signed into law last month by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy means sweeping changes for schools across Connecticut, a top lawmaker told a group of prospective teachers in the University of Connecticut Neag School of Educationʼs Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates at the Waterbury campus on Wednesday night.

Among other things, that means educators have to be closely attuned to the world outside their classroom, House Minority Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk, told the students.

“All of you in education, regardless of what you do, if youʼre going to be good in your profession, you have to be cognizant of whatʼs going on outside the classroom door,” he said.

Cafero came to Waterbury at the invitation of Michael Marotto, a lecturer in the Neag School certification program, specifically to talk with students about the most major changes to Connecticut education in a generation.

“The whole climate has changed,” Marotto, a veteran teacher in public schools, said. “The things Iʼm teaching this cohort are different from the things I taught even a year ago.”

Thatʼs because of the education reform law, which passed unanimously in the state House of Representatives and overwhelmingly in the state Senate.

Cafero outlined the implications of the law for teachers, including a new methodology for evaluating the performance of educators in the classroom. The law also focuses on under-performing schools in the state, providing resources and assistance to help them turn around, but with the possibility of significant consequences if they donʼt.

“We passed the law so that those 25 lowest-performing schools will be put to the task of turning around, and if not, theyʼre going to be literally reconstituted,” perhaps as charter schools or other types of non-traditional environment, Cafero said.

Students in the program, which awards teacher certification and a masterʼs degree after a rigorous one-year course of study, had clearly stayed informed of changes in the law. Those attending the forum peppered the veteran lawmaker with detailed questions ranging from the fate of standardized tests under the new system to whether the law creates a disincentive for teachers looking to work in under-performing schools.

Students in the Neag School of Education's Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates a — Students in the Neag School of Education’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates attending a forum at UConn’s Waterbury campus on the state’s education reform had many questions about the new laws. (Shawn Kornegay/UConn Photo)

A persistent concern was exactly how teachers will be evaluated under the new guidelines, a question that UConnʼs Neag School will play a role in answering. The state Performance Evaluation Advisory Council is currently developing ways to measure categories such as the effectiveness of teachers and principals that will be piloted in 10 districts throughout the state.

The Neag School will study the most high-profile measurement – teacher effectiveness – and report back to the General Assembly before the evaluation procedures are rolled out to other schools.

Despite uncertainty about such significant changes, Marotto said the reforms actually present an excellent opportunity for teachers to use the kinds of skills taught in the Neag School certification program.

“This is an exciting time to be a teacher,” he said. “You need innovation, creativity, sensitivity, and awareness, and thatʼs what I see in these students.

Michael Marotto, lecturer in the Neag School of Education’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates and a veteran public school teacher, says it’s an exciting time to be a teacher. (Shawn Kornegay/UConn Photo)

“Just to get accepted into this Neag program is a very tough screening process,” Marotto added. “These students are very aware of what they need to do to succeed.”

Teaching: A Family Tradition

Posted on July 19, 2012December 8, 2016 by

At six years of age, Rachel Buck ʼ01 (ED), ʼ02 MA already knew she wanted to be a teacher. A graduate of the Neag School of Educationʼs Integrated Bachelorʼs/Masterʼs (IBM) program, her five-year-old daughter now tells Buck that she wants to be a teacher when she grows up.

“My children can do whatever they want to do, as long as they want to go to UConn,” says Buck, who is part of a family of educators. Her father is Keith Barker, professor of computer science and engineering and former longtime director of UConnʼs Institute for Teaching and Learning. Her mother worked with special needs students, and her two brothers have taught at universities.

Buck graduated from high school at 16, applying only to UConn, and won a Nutmeg Scholarship. When she was not studying, she was a member of the UConn Marching Band, where she met her husband, Christopher Buck ʼ02 (BUS), who is now vice president of Buckʼs Ice Cream, a family-owned business based in Milford, Conn.

Buck has taught math at the Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy in East Hartford, Conn., for nearly a decade. “I thought about teaching at the college level, but one of the things I really like about high school is that students have to come to school,” Buck says. “I like getting them at the point where Iʼm preparing them for college.”

And her students are very well prepared. In 2010, Buck received her own magnet schoolʼs Teacher of the Year award. Last year, the Neag School of Education awarded her the Outstanding School Educator Award, while the East Hartford Rotary Club recognized Buck as a Paul Harris Fellow for Exemplary Service.

The curriculum Buck teaches is based on the requirements of the International Baccalaureate organization, a nonprofit foundation based in Wales. “The emphasis is 100 percent on trying to get kids to be global citizens who are caring, knowledgeable, and inquisitive,” she says.

Students are continually raising money for charities, often at events that Buck oversees. She serves as advisor for the Student Advisory Board and Interact Club and an advisor for the schoolʼs community service program: Creativity, Action, and Service. “As many hours as I put in, the fact that kids appreciate it and remember me – telling me years later whatʼs happening in their lives – is why I love teaching. Iʼll get an email: ʻJust wanted to let you know Iʼm sitting in this college math class, and I really appreciate what you taught me.ʼ ”