Neag Alumnus Jack Hayes Named Athletic Director at Brown

Posted on May 31, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Jack Hayes (’92), currently director of athletics at Hofstra University, has been named director of athletics at Brown University. Hayes will begin his work at Brown July 1, 2012, succeeding Michael Goldberger.

“We have recently affirmed the significant role of athletics at Brown and initiated an important set of improvements to the program,” Brown President Ruth J. Simmons said. “Jack Hayes offers the leadership experience to carry through successfully on the goals that have been set and the measures that have been put in place under the exceptional tenure of Michael Goldberger.”

As director of athletics at Brown, Hayes will have responsibility for 37 varsity teams and their coaches, as well as 17 intercollegiate teams that compete at the club level. The Department of Athletics and Physical Education also supports an extensive intramural program, organizes exercise classes for faculty and staff, and manages the University’s athletic facilities, from satellite fitness centers in residential halls to the ice rink, swimming pool, and varsity facilities. A major new athletic complex, including an aquatic center, fitness center, and varsity strength and conditioning facility, will be put into service soon and dedicated in May.

“During two decades as a university sports administrator, Jack Hayes has developed a deep understanding of the role of athletics — how it can thrive in an academic setting and how it can enrich the campus experience for all students,” Klawunn said. “He is well prepared to help Brown athletics achieve its very promising future.”

Hayes is a native of Providence, graduating from Providence Country Day School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and lacrosse. He attended Providence College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1989 and was a member of the varsity lacrosse team. After graduation, he completed a sports information internship at Brown University, then headed to the University of Connecticut for graduate school, earning a master’s degree in the Neag School of Education with a concentration in sport management.

Hayes has more than 20 years of experience in university sports administration. He served at Fairfield, St. John’s, and Fordham universities before his appointment as associate director at the University of Connecticut in 2001. At Connecticut, he had responsibilities for fundraising, including annual giving, major gifts, and coordination of capital project campaigns. He also represented Connecticut’s Division of Athletics as a public speaker at donor, alumni and community events.

Hayes moved to his current position at Hofstra in 2004. In addition to full responsibility for managing staffing, budget, fundraising, and facilities, Hayes has focused on achieving and sustaining a higher level of academic and athletic achievement. Hofstra varsity teams have averaged greater than a 3.0 GPA during his tenure, with 10 academic all-American honors and 16 conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards. The teams have been competitive, with 21 Colonial Athletic Association championships and 35 post-season appearances, including 26 NCAA tournaments.

“I am thrilled with the opportunity to go to Brown,” Hayes said. “Brown’s tradition of academic and athletic excellence was the principal factor in my candidacy for the position. I look forward to returning to Providence and beginning my work with Brown’s coaches, staff, and student athletes.”

A Teacher at Heart

Posted on May 31, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Wendy Glenn says there are two reasons she will always be a teacher at heart, even though today she is also a Fulbright Scholar, an expert in young adult literature, and associate professor of curriculum and instruction in the Neag School of Education.

“Iʼve always loved books; Iʼve always loved writing,” says Glenn. “The second had more to do with the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with kids.”

One way in which she connects with students is through her interest in Young Adult (YA) literature.

Written for students 12 to 18 years old, YA literature has exploded in recent years as publishers realize that teenagers have more expendable income than in the past. Glenn puts these works through a critical literary lens, showing they can be evaluated like the classics.

“My work now is not only looking at these works from a critical perspective, but also thinking about the readers who will ultimately be picking them up,” says Glenn. “YA lit features voices of people who we donʼt often hear, [who] expose us to the reality that not everybody sees the world the way we do.”

Itʼs that reality that brought Glenn to Norway as a Fulbright Scholar. For 10 months, the Arizona native worked with students in grades 8, 9, and 10 to help undermine the stereotypical portrayal Norwegian students have from watching American television, listening to American music, and reading American newspapers.

With topics like censorship in American public schools, the teenage experience in America and around the world, representations of young people of color in America, and sports, Glenn offered a more complicated view of what it means to be an American living in America.

“I visited probably 45 different schools in every region of Norway,” says Glenn. “From the more urban, densely populated city communities, to tiny, tiny towns where there were 15 students enrolled in the entire school, to schools along the coast, to schools where the polar bears live on the archipelago of Svalbard, religious schools, liberal schools, everything and anything in between. It was unbelievable.”

Glenn also provided professional development for teachers in those classroom communities, modeling different teaching practices for use in their schools. Changing demographics are bringing more immigrants to Norway, and with them come different cultures and languages. “In the U.S., weʼve supported language immersion for a long time,” says Glenn. “How do you teach a group of 20 students when five or six of them speak a language thatʼs not Norwegian as their primary language?”

Now home, Glenn is back in American classrooms co-teaching with former students.

“I think itʼs really important for faculty in teacher education to keep a foot in both of those worlds,” says Glenn. “I donʼt know if we can effectively prepare future teachers if weʼre not aware of the realities of schooling today and what teachers are grappling with. To me, that connection to schools is really important.”

Neag Alumni Society Recognizes Outstanding Alumni

Posted on May 31, 2012July 6, 2020 by

2012 Neag Alumni Awardees — 2012 Neag School Alumni Awardees, pictured L-R, top row: Dr. Anthony R. Artino, Dr. Thomas P. Hebert, Dean Thomas C. DeFranco, Dr. Avron Abraham, Dr. Les Sternberg and Dr. Carol Garber. (bottom row, L-R) Kimberly Ruiz, Claudia Norman, Dr. Marcia Gentry, Mary Duffy Zupkus and Dr. Mary P. Conway.

On the “Rate My Professors” website, where students across the US rate and comment on their professors – both good and bad – Dr. Thomas Hébert has three 5.0 ratings on a 5.0 scale for overall quality, helpfulness and clarity. While his rating on easiness is a 1.5 out of 5.0, he would probably be okay with that, since he is an outstanding educator and strives for excellence. Although the website does not provide scientific data or compare to the academic research that’s conducted by Neag School students, alumni and faculty, it does provide a glimpse to what Hébert represents to excellence in education.

As the Neag School of Education’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year, Hébert has a long history of excellence, and his students at the University of Georgia, where he’s currently a professor of educational psychology, agree: “He is so passionate about gifted students and his work and definitely relays that to his class. He’s a great professor and it does require work, but it’s worth it.”

Another student thinks he’s a “wonderful professor, passionate about the subject. Incredibly useful if you are/will be a teacher. Definitely assignment-rigorous, but he does everything he can to help you.”

His students recognize his expertise, but he’s also a nationally recognized leader in gifted education. Hébert teaches graduate courses in gifted and creative education, as well as qualitative research methods. His research focuses on social and emotional development of gifted students, underachievement in high-ability students, culturally diverse gifted students and problems faced by gifted young men.

Hébert has more than a decade of classroom experience working with K-12 gifted students and almost 20 years in higher education training graduate students and educators.

Neag’s own Dr. Joseph Renzulli, who has known Hébert for all of those 20 years, provided the nomination along with the introduction during the awards ceremony.

“He was an outstanding teacher in a gifted program in Connecticut and in the Department of Defense Schools, is a national expert in gifted education and the social/emotional needs of gifted and talented children,” said Dr. Renzulli in the nomination. “Tom is an outstanding teacher, has exceled in research, and has served in many capacities for the (National Association for Gifted Children), including being a member of the Board of Directors.”

Dr. Renzulli recalled, “From the time he graduated from our doctoral program, he has focused on the identification and development of programs for the gifted and the social and emotional needs of gifted students, gifted males, and culturally diverse students.

“This is clear from the extensive number of publications and invitations to contribute chapters on these topics in books edited by leading scholars in the field,” he continued.

Dr. Renzulli mentioned how Dr. Hébert is a fine teacher, having won multiple teaching accolades and awards including, most recently, the Ira Aaron Award for Teaching Excellence and Collegiality at the University of Georgia.

The key word Dr. Renzulli highlighted is “collegiality.”

“Tom has a keen ability to collaborate with a variety of individuals at his university and in the field at large. His personal skills, his thoughtful and sensitive way of working with colleagues and his graduate students, and his all around ‘nice guy’ demeanor have made him a pleasure to work with over the years,” continued Dr. Renzulli.

“I would unequivocally rank him as one of the top two or three doctoral graduates from our program at the University of Connecticut and a major influence among the current generation of leaders in the field.”

Coming from Renzulli, the national gifted and talented guru, that’s a tremendous compliment.

“This evening was memorable as faculty and alumni gathered to formally recognize the achievements of some of our outstanding graduates,” said Dr. Thomas DeFranco, dean of the Neag School of Education. “Our award recipients are educators who have made significant contributions across all levels of education. We know that you will agree with our outstanding selection of alumni to honor.”

Other honorees during the Awards Dinner included the following:

The Outstanding Higher Education Professional is Dr. Marcia Gentry, Sixth Year Diploma in Special Education ’92, Ph.D ’96, professor of educational studies and executive director of the Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.

The Outstanding School Administrator is Claudia Norman, Sixth Year Diploma in Educational Administration ’98, co-principal of Lewin G. Joel Elementary School in Clinton, CT.

The Outstanding School Educator is Kimberly Ruiz, BS ’99, MA ’00, fourth grade teacher at Dorothy C. Goodwin Elementary School in Mansfield, CT.

The Outstanding Kinesiology Professional is Dr. Avron Abraham, MA ’82, Ph.D ’90, director of the Center for Academic Success and University Studies and associate professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.

The Outstanding Physical Therapy Professional is Mary Duffy Zupkus, PT ’73, president and clinical director of Physical Therapy Associates of Concord, in Concord MA.

The Outstanding Professional is Dr. Les Sternberg, ’68 BA, ’70 MA, ’73 Ph.D, special advisor to the provost of the University of South Carolina (USC), and previously served as dean of the College of Education at USC in Columbia, SC.

The Outstanding Young Professional is Dr. Anthony R. Artino, Jr., ’08 Ph.D, associate professor with the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and commander in the Medical Service Corps of the US Navy, both in Bethesda, MD.

The Outstanding School Superintendent is Dr. Mary P. Conway, Sixth Year Diploma in Educational Administration ’95, Ed.D. ’05, superintendent of schools in Vernon, CT.

The Alumni Distinguished Research Award was given to two individuals:

Dr. Marcia Gentry, Sixth Year Diploma in Special Education ’92, Ph.D ’96, professor of educational studies and executive director of the Gifted Education Resource Institute at Purdue University
Dr. Carol Garber, BS ’75, MA ’83, Ph.D ’96 is associate professor of movement sciences and education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York, N.Y. She serves as vice president of the American College of Sports Medicine.

For more information on the Neag School of Education or the Neag Alumni Society, visit www.education.uconn.edu.

Great Professors: Jim O’Neil

Posted on May 31, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Dr. James O'Neil being interviewed by UConn Today. — Dr. James O’Neil being interviewed by UConn Today.

Jim OʼNeil, professor of educational psychology, raises the bar for exceptional teaching. I took his online course, Introduction to Psychoeducation and Counseling, during the 2012 Intersession. Even though the class was only three weeks long, OʼNeil had a lasting impact on me. It was evident that he loved to teach, and that his main goal was to positively impact the lives of each individual student. Because the class was online, I had never met Professor OʼNeil, but he utilized other methods to facilitate our involvement and personalize the course for each of us.

After finally meeting him this semester, I began to take an interest in his research. He focuses on the psychology of men and created a construct called Gender Role Conflict, which headlines numerous studies on the topic. Furthermore, OʼNeil developed the Gender Role Conflict Scale, a measure used in about 300 studies, in order to quantify the construct he created.

OʼNeilʼs passion for psychology and teaching is visible through all aspects of his work, whether it be through an online course, in the classroom, or in the field. Not only are his teaching methods effective, but OʼNeil goes above and beyond to foster personal growth in every student he interacts with. Now that is what I call a great professor.

For more information, view an interview of Dr. O’Neil.

Neag Alumni Society Launches New Student Scholarship Fund

Posted on May 31, 2012October 17, 2018 by

Neag student in classroom As members of the Neag Alumni Society, the Neag Alumni Society’s main focus is working with the dean and the faculty to advocate for the Neag School of Education and to help advance the School’s core mission. Our other focus is to support the students in the Neag School. The most obvious way is through the offering of financial support in the form of scholarships.

Through the support of the Neag Alumni Society Board of Directors, we have officially launched a new Neag Alumni Society Scholarship Fund. At the May Neag Alumni Society Board of Directors’ meeting, the group voted to support a new scholarship fund. Members of the board generously gave donations, which helped start the Fund.

Since the Neag Alumni Society has one of the largest alumni memberships of any school or college at the University of Connecticut, with more than 1,000 members, we are now seeking support from you – members of the Neag School of Education Alumni Society. We hope to enlist your support to help the best and brightest students offset their financial stress. If half of our membership gave at least $10.00, we would raise over $5,000. That would allow the Society to present five (5) additional scholarship grants of $1,000 next year.

We hope you’ll consider supporting this valuable effort. Please join us in helping a fellow Neag student by visiting www.friends.uconn.edu/neagschool and selecting Neag Alumni Society Scholarship Fund. We appreciate receiving your contributions by September 1, 2012 so we can plan for next year.

If you have questions about how to support this effort, please contact Heather McDonald at (860) 486-4530 or by emailing hmcdonald@foundation.uconn.edu.

We thank you for your support!

Debra Hultgren, ’80 & ’86 William Barney, ’64 Jerry Spears, ’71 & ’81

Neag School Sees New Role in Conversation About Education Reform

Posted on May 31, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Stock image -- classroom When Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed into law this week a landmark piece of education reform legislation, it marked, among other things, the growing role of the University of Connecticutʼs Neag School of Education in helping shape the conversation about one of the most closely-watched public policy issues of the day.

The Northeastʼs top-ranked public graduate school of education has been examining its mission in light of the regional and national discussions about school reform, and will now have a formal role in evaluating part of the program created by Malloyʼs legislation.

“The Governorʼs Education Bill provides a blueprint for educational change for administrators, teachers, and students across this state,” says Thomas DeFranco, dean of the Neag School. “I am excited that the Neag School will be part of the change process and have a role in improving the academic performance of all children in this state.”

One mark of lawmakersʼ confidence in the Neag Schoolʼs expertise is the legislative provision tasking the Neag School with studying the implementation of the teacher evaluation and support pilot program.

Under the law, the state will provide support and resources for low-performing schools through whatʼs going to be called the Commissionerʼs Network. The state Performance Evaluation Advisory Council (PEAC) is currently developing ways to measure categories such as the effectiveness of teachers and principals that will be piloted in 8- 10 districts throughout the state.

The Neag School will study perhaps the most high-profile measurement – teacher effectiveness – and report back to the General Assembly.

“Our role is to evaluate whether the model of teacher effectiveness developed by PEAC is being implemented with fidelity, as well as the validity of the model – that is, how well the model measures what it intends to measure,” DeFranco says.

But the Neag School has a broader role in the overall conversation, one that starts with providing administrators and teachers the skills they need to succeed in contemporary classrooms, he adds: “Our goal is to produce highly effective administrators and teachers who in turn will be part of the turnaround process in low-performing schools.”

Among other ways the Neag School is looking at participating in the school reform conversation are:

Developing a team of faculty committed to conducting research and working collaboratively with educators, parents, unions, legislators, and state department of education personnel to turn around the lowest performing schools in Connecticut;
Incorporating comprehensive and sustained professional development opportunities to improve school leadership and teacher quality;
Providing professional development and technical assistance to help schools establish school climates conducive to learning and meaningful wrap-around services such as parental engagement, after-school programs, mental health and disability supports, community service, and alternative learning programs;
Developing a research agenda around the work of closing the achievement gap, and providing school leaders with the tools and systems to enhance turn-around decisions in support of low-performing schools.

Efforts like Neagʼs are crucial to helping schools in the fast-moving environment of education reform, says Casey Cobb, head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Director of the Center for Education Policy Analysis.

“Itʼs a new frontier in some ways for leaders in this environment,” he says. “Itʼs not necessarily one size fits all. There are magnet schools, charter schools, academies within larger high schools, there are even thematic middle and elementary schools. Weʼre recognizing we have to differentiate our curriculum somewhat to prepare, for example, for students who know they want to be in an urban setting or turnaround school.”

(Note: Stephanie Reitz also contributed to this story.)

Adult Learning Program Helps Professionals Better Educate Other Adults

Posted on May 31, 2012February 17, 2023 by

Stock image -- medical professional Capital Community College nurse educator Bonnie Edelen earned not just a doctoral degree from the University of Connecticut, but an Excellence in Nursing Research Award from the Connecticut Nursing Research Alliance.

The award came from the study Edelen conducted in 2009 to write her dissertation, which showed how reflective journaling can help nursing students better retain information, as well as make better clinical decisions. It was a strategy Edelen learned as a student in UConn’s Neag School of Education Adult Learning program.

“I use the skills I learned at UConn every day,” said Edelen, “and I get really excited when I start talking about it. The critical thinking and reasoning skills I learned in the Adult Learning program, and am now able to pass on to the students I teach, have led to increased test scores and enhanced abilities.”

“Fellow teachers say that strategies like reflective journaling that I learned at UConn, and then passed on to them, have also changed the way they teach–and, more importantly, the way students learn. Test scores are higher, our nursing students practice medicine better, and the ultimate result of that is better patient care. That’s exciting!”

At any given time, approximately 30 graduate students–most of them full-time working professionals–are enrolled in Neag’s Adult Learning program.

Students can earn a graduate certificate, master’s degree or doctoral degree in the program, which provides both the proven principles and practical experience needed to more effectively create learning programs and teach other adult learners in their respective disciplines.

Approximately one-third of students are healthcare professionals like Edelen, who earned her doctorate in 2009. Each class, however, is made up of a diverse range of mid- to senior-level personnel from a variety of fields. A manufacturing executive may sit next to a human resources trainer, or a physician next to a technology specialist or agricultural educator.

Students attend classes at UConn’s Storrs campus, within the Neag School of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership, where they work together to learn the theories and best practices needed to:

Critically assess the learning needs of individual adults, groups and organizations
Design supportive learning environments and systems
Effectively facilitate individual and group activities designed to optimize adult learning
Evaluate learners’ successes and organizational outcomes

Doctoral students take studies a step further, conducting rigorous research and examining methodologies to both identify, and suggest corrective measures for, issues that impact adult learning–something Edelen did when she wrote “Measuring and Enhancing Clinical Decision-Making Ability Among Students in an Associate Degree Nursing Program”–the dissertation that led to both her doctorate and Excellence in Nursing Research Award.

In it, she shows how reflective journaling–the process of reflecting, in writing, on how new experiences relate to prior experiences and knowledge–helps clarify ideas and actions, and promotes changes in perspectives.

“Our students tend to be as diverse as our faculty, which makes our classes interesting and exciting,” said Sandy Bell, Ph.D., a Neag associate professor and section head of the Adult Learning program. “One of the principles of the program is that the knowledge students bring is just as important as the knowledge faculty have to share, so we stress the idea of respecting, and learning skills from, each other. Adult learning is different in that the classes are a bit more relaxed and customized to meet students’ needs, goals and interests. We encourage students to think about how everything they learn is relevant to their profession and the adult learners with whom they’re going to work.”

For Tim Speicher, Ph.D., an athletic trainer and faculty member at several Utah universities, that meant learning not just how to best engage adult students, but understanding why certain techniques and practices do and don’t work.

“The great, extra benefit was that I was also learning more about myself, and how the manner we’re taught impacts what we retain and remember,” said Speicher, a 2010 graduate who used the expertise he gained at the Neag School of Education to found the Positional Release Therapy Institute in Utah. There, he and five other clinicians provide hands on, manual physical therapy instruction to both fellow healthcare providers and the general public.

“One of the things I love about UConn’s Adult Learning program is that for the motivated student, there are no limits. You take the lessons you learn and apply them to your own goals. There’s also no real focus on grades, but instead a focus on making you the best researcher and educator you can be. I spent my time there surrounded by exceptional mentors, scholars and peers.”

To accommodate work schedules, classes take place evenings. Topics range from “Influences on Adult Learning” and “The Brain, Experience, and Adult Learning” to “Strategic Applications of Adult Learning Principles.” Some students have regularly scheduled class meetings; others center on small group research or consulting projects, and may include online learning formats as well. Graduate certificate students take 12 credits; master’s students 24-30 credits; and doctoral students 54-57, including a minimum of nine research credits and 15 to research and write their dissertation. All must maintain a minimum B average.

“As a field of study, adult learning is unique in that it offers opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and values that you can apply to any other academic discipline, profession, or career,” said Bell, who’s recognized as a pioneer in applying adult learning principles to improve agriculture and conservation practices. At its most basic level, it’s a program that teaches the teacher. But instead of just teaching what certain strategies work, we teach why certain strategies work.”

Healthcare professionals can especially benefit, Bell said. Graduates find that the critical thinking and inquiry skills they learn in the program help them make better clinical decisions as caregivers. They conduct more effective research and professional development opportunities, such as those related to occupational health and wellness; and are able to develop effective educational programs for both students in health care professions and large health care institutions.

“Students learn best practices,” said Bell, “and every student brings something unique and different to the program, which only makes the experience richer. Some are new graduate students, others have many years of experience. But their goals are the same: to become the best facilitators possible for adult learners.”

For more information about the program, visit http://edlr.education.uconn.edu/.

States Face Challenges to Improve Writing Standards

Posted on May 31, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Stock image -- classroom According to an initial sample of seven states, the existing standards for teaching writing vary widely in comparison to a new set of common standards that are in the process of being implemented by most states.

Study co-director, Dr. Natalie Olinghouse at the University of Connecticut, along with Michigan State University’s Dr. Gary Troia, said educators and policymakers in many parts of the country will have to make significant changes to bring existing curriculum, materials and teacher training in line with the Common Core State Standards for writing and language.

The new K-12 standards are intended to improve instruction in mathematics and English language arts, including writing, nationwide.

“Everyone needs to know how to write well, and we are not doing a good enough job to prepare students,” said Troia, associate professor of education at MSU. “What we are finding is that states are going to be faced with a misalignment between the content standards and curriculum materials they are using and what the Common Core requires them to cover.”

“It’s important to evaluate the Common Core State Standards because these are the standards that are guiding the majority of K-12 students’ writing instruction,” said Olinghouse, assistant professor of educational psychology at UConn’s Neag School of Education. “Given that this is the first iteration of the standards, I’m not surprised to find gaps. I hope that the architects of Common Core State Standards will consider addressing these gaps when the standards are revised.”

“It is particularly important that we also understand the relationship between previous states’ writing standards and the Common Core State Standards,” Olinghouse continued. “States are transitioning, and there may be many mismatches between their previous standards and the Common Core State Standards. This can cause problems for instruction, curriculum, and assessment during the transition.”

The research team has a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to study writing standards, assessments and student performance in all states except Maryland, Texas and the District of Columbia, which elected not to participate. Their first findings, presented at the American Educational Research Association meeting April 17, reflect an analysis of states representing a range of demographics and writing test results: California, Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, New York and Massachusetts.

The researchers also evaluated the scope and quality of the Common Core writing standards, expected to be implemented in 46 states – including Connecticut — by 2014. They found the common standards are easy to interpret, succinct and balanced in terms of covering content across grades and topic areas. However, some important aspects of writing, such as student motivation, peer and teacher feedback, and mastery of an expanded range of writing purposes, are not included in the Common Core.

“Things that do matter at an early age like spelling and handwriting are not addressed very well,” said Troia. “States have to think about whether they want to add anything to the common standards as opposed to implementing them as is.”

Policy research has shown that content standards affect what is taught and how students perform. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, up to two-thirds of U.S. students are not considered proficient in writing.

“That presents a pretty bleak picture, and yet the expectations for writing in college and the workplace are being ramped up,” Troia said. “The Common Core can provide consistency and a lot of opportunities to enhance instruction, but there are gaps as well and we don’t want those to be ignored.”

The four-year study also is exploring how states’ writing standards and assessments reflect research knowledge about best practices as well as the types of writing skills students are expected to demonstrate after graduation.

“The larger study focuses on identifying features of standards and assessments that are related to increased student writing achievement,” said Olinghouse. “While standards-based reform has been around for a few decades, the field still does not understand how to best design standards and assessments in a way that helps teachers raise student achievement. We hope our study will contribute to this understanding.”

Neag School Hosts 2012 Commencement

Posted on May 31, 2012December 8, 2016 by

Commissioner Stefan Pryor addresses the crowd during Neag School of Education’s 2012 Commencement.

The Neag School of Education recognized graduates from the Class of 2012 during two ceremonies the weekend of May 5-6. The Neag School undergraduate and sixth-year commencement took place at the Jorgensen Auditorium on Sunday, May 6. Commencement for Neag School graduate students took place on Saturday, May 5, at Gampel Pavilion.

The Graduate School commencement speaker on Saturday was Robert Gallo, who discovered that the HIV antivirus is the cause of AIDS. Gallo is founding director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He previously spent 30 years at the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute, where he was head of its Laboratory of Tumor Cell Biology.

The undergraduate and sixth-year ceremony on Sunday featured commencement guest speaker Stefan Pryor, Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education. Before becoming the youngest leader to fill the state’s most influential educational leadership role, he had already made a name for himself as founder of one of Connecticut’s most successful charter schools, the Amistad Academy in New Haven. Pryor is also former deputy mayor for Economic Development in the City of Newark, N.J., and a past president of the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, the post-September 11^th rebuilding agency.

Dean Thomas DeFranco provided insight into Commissioner Pryor’s responsibilities by giving an unofficial job description that included “overseeing around 567,000 K-12 students, approximately 48,000 teachers across 1179 K-12 schools, 18 charter schools and 17 technical high schools in 166 districts. Qualified candidates must have experience with low-performing schools and districts. In addition, this educational leader must be intelligent, dynamic, courageous and politically savvy and will need to work cooperatively with a diverse group of stakeholders.”

“Finally,” the dean continued, “the applicant must dress appropriately. (He must wear) a cape, blue tights with a big ‘S’ across the chest.”

Dean DeFranco acknowledged that while that was not exactly how the official posting for the commissioner’s position read, a person with all those qualifications was selected and “now we are honored to have him as Neag School’s commencement speaker.”

DeFranco also talked about the challenges Commissioner Pryor will face. “On a national level, the most serious challenge involves student achievement and the achievement gap.”

“Over the years, there has been little progress in narrowing the achievement gap … and this is of particular concern in Connecticut. I believe that closing the achievement gap is both an economic and moral imperative for the future of our state, as well as the children of Connecticut,” he said. “Closing the gap will take strong leadership and a commitment to working collaboratively with stakeholders across the state.”

Dean DeFranco offered the following question, “Is Stefan up for the challenge?” He went on to describe him as a collaborator, skilled consensus builder, strong communicator, highly intelligent, outcome-oriented and respectful of people and their opinions – all the qualities needed to close the achievement gap and improve the academic performance and well-being of Connecticut’s children.

After this introduction, Commissioner Pryor welcomed the audience and enthusiastically started his commencement message.

“Today, Connecticut is in the midst of a conversation about how best to revitalize its schools,” he began. “This is a debate about how best to support and empower you – the rising leaders of our classrooms and school buildings. Our educators are our society’s greatest assets as we seek to better the world we live in.

“So in addition to saying congratulations, let me say thank you – for choosing a calling so noble, and so essential, to the future of our state and our country,” he continued. “As the child of two public school teachers, I stand here in deep gratitude for your commitment to serving the next generation of schoolchildren.”

He offered words of support and advice for the graduates as they chart their careers. He suggested they take note of the gravity of the situation before them; that they embrace it as a mandate for change. He also compared his experiences with witnessing disasters like 9/11 to the disastrous educational conditions in Connecticut — and how these conditions can be used to mobilize great people to achieve great things.

“Our state is home to the nation’s largest achievement gap between rich and poor, and between white students and students of color,” he continued, urging graduates to consider dedicating themselves to serving students in greatest need – helping them beat the odds – as a way to maximize both their impact and own sense of professional satisfaction.

He encouraged the next generation of educator-leaders to redefine education reform to what it should be: “a good-faith search for strategies that put educators in the best possible position to transform students’ lives.”

Commissioner Pryor ended with the promise that “if we work together, we can make Connecticut a national model for closing the achievement gap and creative academic excellence for all.”

Prior to Commissioner Pryor’s speech, but before the more than 280 graduates received their diplomas, the platform party was introduced and the Neag Alumni Society President offered a welcome. In addition, four faculty members were recognized with university-wide honors: University Teaching Fellows, Dr. Doug Kaufman and Dr. Catherine Little; University Teaching Scholar, Dr. Renee Roselle; and the Letitia Neag Morgan Endowed Chair for Educational Psychology, Dr. Sally Reis.

After both commencement ceremonies, graduates, family and friends were treated to receptions at the Gentry Building, offering a time for celebration and reflection.

For a slideshow from May 5, visit here. For a slideshow from May 6, visit here.

[CWB1]antivirus or virus??

Op-Ed — School Choice: Grappling With The Parameters Of Education Reform

Posted on May 31, 2012November 8, 2019 by

Renzulli Academy The majority of the brightest and best students at the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut want to teach in high-need schools and focus their clinical experiences and academic work toward that goal. Yet instead of being actively recruited by urban districts, they must wait in the back of the hiring line.

Each April, high-achieving districts come ready to interview and offer contracts. Priority schools attend, but are not able to offer contracts. In high-performing districts, budgets are set early, so leaders can plan. In our most challenging districts, however, budgets get set late and in-district transfers must take place before new teachers are hired. Then, in Bridgeport, Hartford and New Haven, which have agreements with Teach for America, TFA students must be hired first.

So imagine. You’re a fully certified new teacher, holding a boatload of loans because you’ve gone the extra year to be the most qualified. A high-performing district offers a contract in April or May. You want to work in a high-need school, but won’t know until late August if there’s an opening. What would you do? I can tell you what my students who want to work in urban areas do. They go out of state to Boston and New York City, where they are heavily sought after and know they’ll have a job.

We must provide Connecticut’s priority schools with a solid budget in early spring, so they can recruit early. Next, we must employ sound hiring practices with teachers, parents and the principal engaged in the selection. Finally, we must make it a level playing field, where the most qualified candidates get hired first.

Dr. Richard Schwab is a Neag alumnus and dean emeritus in the Neag School of Education. He currently serves as a faculty member with the Department of Education Leadership.