Norwich Principal’s Efforts Win Notice

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Kelly Middle School Principal Michael Cain visited with student Michael Boyce during the sixth-grade lunch period on Friday. Cain will receive a local NAACP Excellence in Education award.
Michael Cain, a graduate of the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) at Neag, visits with student Michael Boyce during a sixth-grade lunch period. Cain received a local NAACP Excellence in Education award. Photo courtesy of Dana Jensen/The Day

Norwich, Conn.– Kelly Middle School Principal Michael Cain arrived early last Friday for a meeting to review data on students’ reading progress and arrange for tutoring for those who need it.

He stayed late on Thursday to supervise and enjoy the “Back to School” dance attended by more than 300 students, some of whom earned discount reward coupons for their compliance with the school’s new uniform policy and hallway discipline practices.

Cain is three weeks into a busy fall at Kelly, which will open one wing of its $40 million expansion and renovation project in mid-October.

He now has to add another date to his crammed calendar. On Oct. 15, Cain will receive the Excellence in Education Award from the Norwich branch of the NAACP at its annual Freedom Fund Dinner at the Grand Pequot Ballroom at the Foxwoods Resort Casino.

“He has really done a lot in the field of education,” said Jacqueline Owens, president of the NAACP branch. “He has gotten it to the point where the kids are really excited about coming to school and motivated to learn.”

Owens said NAACP awards committee members had spoken to Kelly students and Norwich school administrators in considering Cain for the award.

“They just gave him an excellent recommendation,” Owens said.

Cain said he was honored to be chosen and said the recognition belongs to Kelly staff members, students and parents, all of whom have worked hard to improve the school.

“I’m very happy the NAACP considered me for any type of award,” Cain said, “but any award anyone gives to me comes from the people around me.”

Cain is starting his third year as Kelly principal. He previously served as assistant principal at Wethersfield High School and as a social studies teacher at East Hartford High School. He said he was attracted to the Kelly position because Norwich administrators were asking for someone with a specialty in literacy – a focus for the district, which is trying to improve state test scores.

Cain had earned a master’s degree in reading education from Central Connecticut State University and worked on reading strategies in East Hartford.

Cain credited Kelly teachers and a new method called research based decision-making for improving student performance. By constantly reviewing data on student progress – like Friday’s early morning meeting – teachers learn much more quickly why a student is struggling. Tutors and small-group lessons address the problem early in the school year.

Connecticut Mastery Test scores at Kelly had been disappointing in recent years. The school had been on the state’s “In Need of Improvement” list for four years. Results of last spring’s tests were announced in July, and this time, Kelly celebrated.

Scores improved in nearly every category, the improvements significant enough to lift Kelly into “Safe Harbor” status, exempt from remedial actions by the state.

In mathematics, Kelly students improved by 5 percentage points, with 79.9 percent reaching proficiency, just short of the state goal of 82 percent. In reading, 78.1 percent of Kelly students reached proficiency, a 4 percent jump and just 1 percent shy of the state goal. Economically disadvantaged students, a subgroup watched closely by the state, improved by 6 percent in reading at Kelly.

“In the middle of doing a $40 million building project and moving people around and being a school in need of improvement, he provided some stability there and clear guidance and goals for the school,” superintendent Abby Dolliver said.

Cain loves the new middle school discipline program, Positive Behavioral Supports, but doesn’t take credit for it. William Peckham, principal at Teachers Memorial Middle School, had worked on the program before Cain started at Kelly, and it was implemented during Cain’s first year.

Middle school students spend the first week of school practicing good behavior. They walk to lunch in lines, walk directly and efficiently to their lockers and to their next class.

The lesson can be a challenge, especially for eighth graders who might feel they don’t need to be led through the hallways. But Cain said the behavior becomes habit.

Standing outside the cafeteria Friday morning, Cain watched sixth graders file into the recently renovated, brightly lit room. One boy started to run.

“No running in the hallways,” a teacher said, “Right, Mr. Cain?”

One boy spoke directly to Cain, telling him another boy had punched him and he wanted to chase him.

“I’ll take care of it,” the principal responded.

Cain walked up and down the rows of tables, asking students about their day, their class work and their families. He picked up a notebook and read one girl’s poem about how much she loved fall. Cain beamed. The girl smiled shyly.

“For Mr. Cain, it’s always about the kids,” Dolliver said. “He’ll say that a number of times and you can see that in his actions. He believes it.”

This article was originally published September 27, 2010 in The Day. Reprinted with permission.

Neag School’s Educator Preparation Receives National Recognition

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Charles B. Gentry building at the UConn Storrs campus. Home of the Neag School of Education.
Charles B. Gentry building at the UConn Storrs campus. Home of the Neag School of Education.

The Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut has been reaccredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and received national recognition for its commitment to producing quality teachers for the nation’s children by continuously improving its well-designed and executed diverse clinical and field experiences for its students in educator preparation programs.

According to Thomas C. DeFranco, Dean of the Neag School of Education, “I am extremely pleased with results of our NCATE report. In all cases we have met or exceeded the rigorous standards set by NCATE. This report is a testament to the scholarship and hard work of faculty and staff over the past few years in preparing the next generation of highly effective K-12 teachers.”

The NCATE has chosen to highlight UConn’s clinically based preparation programs at its national meetings and in a special session at the 2011 convention of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

The NCATE’s site examiners reported that the Neag School has demonstrated through evidence that its students have acquired “knowledge and skills, and in particular dispositions to help all students learn.”

Further, students and alumni “uniformly spoke about student learning affirmatively and with confidence of having made an impact on student learning.”

The clinical-based preparation programs allow the students to “have experience in both suburban and urban settings and address the needs of students with diverse linguistic and learning needs and those who come from diverse racial/ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.”

“Teacher quality is the most important factor in P–12 student achievement,” said Neag Assistant Dean Yuhang Rong. “Research indicates that a key element for successful learning is the opportunity to apply what is being learned and refine it. Carefully constructed clinical and field experiences can enable students in educator preparation programs to reinforce, apply, and synthesize concepts that they are learning in coursework. A clinical-based educator preparation program enables us to know that our children’s teachers enter the classroom ready to help them learn.’

NCATE, the organization responsible for professional accreditation of teacher education, currently accredits 623 institutions, which produce two-thirds of the nation’s new teacher graduates each year.

“NCATE-accredited schools must meet rigorous standards set by the profession and members of the public,” said Dr. James Cibulka, President of the NCATE.

According to Dr. Cibulka, “The NCATE revises its standards every five years to incorporate best practice and research in order to ensure that the standards reflect a consensus about what is important in teacher preparation today. In the past decade, NCATE has moved from an accreditation system that focused on curriculum and what teacher candidates were offered, to a data driven performance-based system dedicated to determining what candidates know and are able to do.”

Dr. DeFranco, agrees. “NCATE has taken a leadership role regarding accountability in teacher preparation by shifting the conversation from inputs to outputs, from coursework to competencies. They are requiring teacher preparation programs to provide evidence that their candidates have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to be highly effective teachers and demonstrate their effect on pupil performance.”

“As a result of the new and rigorous NCATE standards, teacher preparation programs have redesigned their assessment systems and have become evidence-based in response to this trend, using continuous feedback to make necessary changes to enhance programs and improve accountability,” said Dr. DeFranco.

In the 2009 to 2010 school year, 165 out of 166 school districts in Connecticut employed a total of 3,090 Neag School graduates. A Neag School internal study indicates a majority of its teacher preparation graduates (73 percent) stay in the classroom for 10 years or more and in far greater numbers than their colleagues nationwide (50 percent).

Desi Nesmith, Principal of the Sand School in Hartford, completed his elementary teacher preparation and administrator preparation programs at the Neag School. The Sand School was recognized as Hartford’s most improved elementary school in the past year. Nesmith was recognized by the Connecticut Association of School in 2010 as the First Year Principal of the Year.

“Teacher candidates must have in-depth knowledge of the subject matter that they plan to teach as well as the skills necessary to convey it so that students learn,” Nesmith said.

“As a graduate from two programs at the Neag School of Education, I know it has a dedicated faculty, who carefully assess knowledge and skill of its candidates. The Neag School partners with Connecticut P-12 schools to design and implement the clinically based preparation, which has enabled me to develop the skills necessary to help students learn.”

“I can tell you from my own experience, that the graduates of the Neag School are prepared to understand and work with diverse student populations,” continued Nesmith.

Neag’s Doctoral Program in Kinesiology Again Ranked No. 1

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The Department of Kinesiology in the Neag School of Education has received one of the highest honors in its field. For the second consecutive time, the National Academy of Kinesiology (NAK) has ranked the doctoral program in Kinesiology No. 1 in the U.S. The No. 1 ranking stands for five years.

“We are extremely proud of this continued success by our kinesiology department,” says Thomas C. DeFranco, Dean of the Neag School of Education. “The competition was fierce and we are in good company in the rankings.” Doctoral programs in kinesiology are offered at 66 institutions of higher education. Among the top 20 programs are Pennsylvania State University (#2), Columbia University (#4), the universities of Maryland (#3), Massachusetts (#5), Virginia (#6), Illinois (#7), Texas (#10), Michigan (#12), Florida (#13), Georgia (#17) and Ohio State (#20).

“This honor is not only important to the kinesiology department in terms of highlighting the quality of its faculty, research, and students; it reflects well on the whole school,” Dr. DeFranco says. “Carl Maresh and his team have continually worked hard to achieve our mission by raising standards and recruiting some of the field’s top researchers and students.”

The National Academy of Kinesiology (until recently called the American Academy of Kinesiology and Physical Education) is dedicated to educational and scientific advancements in the field. The most recent evaluation, based on data from 2005-2009, took into account 16 performance metrics involving faculty (nine indices) and students (seven indices).

Among the factors weighed in the evaluation were students’ GRE scores, percentage of students on research support, student placement in postdoctoral positions, faculty publications in refereed scientific journals, external grant funding, editorial boards served on, and fellowships in professional organizations.

“It’s wonderful that our efforts are reflected in objective performance metrics,” said Dr. Carl Maresh, Professor and Department Head of Kinesiology. “We’ve been working hard and we’ve improved on things since the last rankings were released in 2005. We made concerted efforts to specifically improve in grant funding, students placed in post-doc positions and research publications. These rankings provide a great way for programs to measure themselves in comparison to other highly successful programs and conduct strategic planning to become better.”

The department offers two areas of doctoral study: exercise science and sport management. Both of these have dedicated research laboratories. The highly acclaimed Human Performance Laboratory brings together the exercise science team, with access to sophisticated research technologies.

Eleven tenure-track faculty members are involved in the kinesiology doctoral program. Dr. Maresh says the faculty is highly productive, and has also benefited by developing successful research collaborations both at UConn and other universities. As a result, NAK determined that over the last five years UConn led in the nation in the number of peer-reviewed publications generated from their research, along with the number of scientific presentations.

Dr. Maresh and his faculty are already looking ahead, however, to what it will take to stay on top. He hopes to build upon current success, where and however possible, with strategic faculty placements, starting new research initiatives, and facility improvements, to bring the program to pre-eminent levels.

Champion Coach Speaks to Neag Grads

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Geno Auriemma, coach of the NCAA women’s basketball champions, encouraged more than 200 Neag School of Education graduates to merge the arts and sciences into their approach as teachers.

“Take the science that you learned, add the creative art that’s in your soul, and I think you’re on your way to become a good teacher,” Auriemma said to the Mother’s Day crowd in the Jorgensen Auditorium. An audience member punctuated his point with a loud handclap, and Auriemma responded, “Yeah, I like that, too.”

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame coach was introduced by Neag Dean Thomas DeFranco, who outlined Auriemma’s prowess on the court – seven NCAA titles, 78 straight wins, four undefeated seasons, five-time national coach of the year, and “more importantly, inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame,” the dean quipped about their shared heritage.

DeFranco relayed an anecdote about the coach’s generosity in helping the dean recruit a top specialist to Neag and praised Auriemma as an educator. “Every recruited freshman on the women’s basketball team who has finished her eligibility at Storrs has graduated with a degree. I’m sure he is equally proud of that statistic as he is about seven NCAA titles,” DeFranco said.

As if to punctuate the point, Auriemma started his talk by calling out to Jacquie Fernandes, a senior guard on his team who was earning a Neag degree that day.

Auriemma, an immigrant to the United States from Italy at the age of 7, spoke of the impact of teachers on his life. “The most important people in my life were my teachers. If it wasn’t for them I would not have been able to assimilate myself into this culture and to help my parents assimilate themselves into this culture. My teachers taught me everything that I know to this day.”

Later he returned to this theme, saying, “What I’m going to encourage you to do is to be for some of the people, if not all, that you come in contact with …that when they are 56 years old – my age – they will remember you as the biggest impact on their life.”

The coach’s speech was peppered with his trademark humor. He noted the on-stage presence of the president of the Neag Alumni Society Sandra Justin, apparently to establish the graduates’ initiation as alumni. “You’re a Husky forever,” he joked, “as long as your checks don’t bounce.”

But his message overall was straight from the heart, straight from his own experience.

He asked the graduates if their responsibilities once they become teachers would be to the principal, the parents or the school board. “No. Your responsibilities, the way I look at it, is every student that comes to your class either has the potential for greatness, and it’s up to you to make sure they’re great, or they have the potential to be good, and it’s your job to make sure that they’re good. If you have any other responsibilities other than that, then I think you’re in for the wrong reasons.”

Then he delivered his parting advice: “Don’t ever take no for an answer. When someone says you can’t do this, that’s your first step in getting it done.”

 

Eight Neag Alumni Honored for Career Achievements

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Eight outstanding graduates of the Neag School of Education, including the first recipient of the Promising Young Professional Award, were honored in May by the Neag Alumni Society at its 12th Annual Awards Dinner. Lynne Allen, the Neag alumni coordinator who is retiring, also was honored by alumni and faculty at the May 15 event.

Lisa Landa, already designated Teacher of the Year in Madison, CT, picked up the Neag honor for Outstanding School Educator. Landa, B.S. 1973 and M.A. 1978, teaches English at Daniel Hand High School and was nominated by her assistant superintendent, Anita Rutlin.

Landa, who banks books during the school year to read on her summer break, works hard to pass along her passion for literature to her students. Last year she taught a class of 10 boys with varying learning challenges and turned them on to Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men.”

“We absolutely loved this class,” she said. “They connected so much with Lenny, this misunderstood person who was certainly not a bright man and couldn’t communicate well, but had a good soul.” The class referred to the book all year, Landa added.

Desi D. Nesmith, principal of America’s Choice SAND Elementary School in Hartford, was nominated by former Dean Richard Schwab and current Dean Thomas DeFranco to receive the first Promising Young Professional Award. From the Neag School, Nesmith earned his bachelor’s in elementary education in 2001, master’s in 2002, and completed the University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) in 2009. Former Dean Schwab praised Nesmith as “one of the most talented graduates that we had during my tenure as dean.”

Susan F. Cooper, who holds a 1975 bachelor’s in recreational services and is director of recreation for the City of Newport, Rhode Island, won the Outstanding Professional Award. Cooper was nominated by Carol Ewing Garber.

Jonathan A. Plucker, B.S. 1991 and M.A. 1992 from Neag and Ph.D. 1995 from the University of Virginia, was honored as the Outstanding Higher Education Professional. Plucker, nominated by Marcia Gentry, is professor of educational psychology and cognitive science at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN.

Jeffrey A. Schumann was awarded the Outstanding School Administrator designation for his work as assistant superintendent in the Newington, CT, schools. Schumann, who has a 2005 Ph.D. in education administration from Neag, was nominated by Suzanne D’Annolfo and Barry Scheckley.

Michael J. Frechette, Ph.D. 1987, was honored as Outstanding School Superintendent for his role in the Middletown, CT, public schools. Frechette was nominated by Mark Shibles.

The Outstanding Kinesiology Professional is John W. Castellani, who holds a Ph.D. in exercise science, 1995. Castellani is a research physiologist in the Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division at the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in Natick, MA.

Nancy D. Ciesla, a physical therapy clinical specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, is the 2010 Outstanding Physical Therapy Professional. Ciesla, who has a 1972  B.S. in physical therapy, was nominated by Craig Denegar, Denise Ward and Richard Bohannon.

Lynne Allen, a retired special education teacher in the Mansfield, CT schools, recalls the awards banquet growing from 100 attendees to 350, noting large crowds the years the late A.J. Pappanikou, pioneer in the field of developmental disabilities, and Fran Archambault Jr., alumni trustee, Neag professor emeritus and past chairman of the education psychology department, were honored.

Of the preparations for the eight annual honorees, Allen said, “I often thought it was like planning eight weddings all in the same night. I did it for 11 years, so that was 88 wedding receptions plus my own two kids … that’s 90,” she said, laughing.

“Lynne has been indispensable,” Neag Alumni Society president Sandra Justin said recently. “She makes the job of the president and a board member easy.

“She has taken the lead on every event, from soliciting door prizes for the Game Watch to taking the Polaroid pictures of ‘Jonathan and friends’ at Homecoming. We will miss her organization, her thoughtfulness and the way she makes everyone feel welcome with her warm smile.”

Allen, who earned her master’s degree in special education at the University of Illinois and a B.S. at Skidmore College, is a diehard Husky fan, along with her husband, George J. Allen, professor emeritus in clinical psychology. She proudly recounts her Neag connection – son Michael Allen, earned his Ph.D. in kinesiology from Neag, is now athletic director at Catholic University, Washington D.C.  Allen received a gift and praise from Dean DeFranco and Lisa Lewis, executive director of the UConn Alumni Association, at the banquet.

Scholarships Go to 170 Neag Students

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Scholarships were bestowed on students who have excelled in the arenas of special needs, physical therapy, educational leadership and a host of other specialties at the Neag School of Education’s 16th Annual Honors Celebration in April.

“Over the past 16 years, this event has grown from a small, lunchtime reception in the faculty lounge, to over 170 scholarship recipients and more than 50 scholarships,” Dean Thomas DeFranco said in his welcome to the crowd on April 23.

Recipients were noted for their scholastic achievement, passion for a certain subject, research on children in low-income circumstances, global interests, work with persons with developmental disabilities, community service and a range of other high-level pursuits.

Donald Briere, a special education teacher and third-year doctoral student in the educational psychology department, was awarded the Lisa Pappanikou Glidden Scholarship, which supports a graduate student in special education. His focus is on positive behavioral interventions and supports, and his research centers on classroom management practices, small-group interventions, and fidelity of program implementation. Briere, Neag BS ’07 and MA ’08, says he developed his passion for research as a graduate assistant in the master’s program.

Besides the award itself, “being able to meet and talk with the scholarship donor was such an honor,” Briere said about his time with Elayne Marrotte, the sister of the scholarship’s namesake and daughter of the late professor emeritus A.J. Pappanikou and his wife, Lucette. “The scholarship will certainly aid in my journey through my post-graduate program. I am humbled by the accomplishments past recipients have made and am striving to uphold these high expectations with my future research and endeavors,” Briere said.

Along with recipients of specifically named and purposed scholarships, 74 students who received support through the Neag Endowment also were honored.

Many thanks to scholarship donors who attended the 16th Annual Honors Day

  • Mrs. JoAnn Aitken, Andrew T. Aitken Physical Therapy Scholarship
  • Mrs. Lynne Allen and Mr. William Barney, Neag School of Education Alumni Society Scholarship
  • Dr. Francis X. Archambault, Jr., Friends & Colleagues of Francis X. Archambault, Jr. Fellowship
  • Dr. & Mrs. Scott & Margie Brown, Vernon and Elizabeth Brown Family Scholarship
  • Dr. & Mrs. Robert & Gladys Dunn, Robert E. and Gladys B. Dunn International Scholarship
  • Mrs. Kettely Florian and her sister Eurley Hercule, Hans Carson Hercule Memorial Scholarship
  • Mr. Richard V. Jackman, Fran Tappan Student Aid Scholarship
  • Mrs. Elayne A. Marrotte, Lisa Pappanikou Glidden Scholarship Fund
  • Mr. Roland J. Perreault and Dr. Joseph W. Smey, Joseph W. Smey, ’68 EdD, PT Endowed Scholarship in Physical Therapy
  • Drs. Sally M. Reis & Joseph S. Renzulli, Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis Renzulli Fund for Graduate Studies in Gifted Education
  • Drs. Richard & Kristin Schwab, Richard L. and Kristin E. Schwab Fellowship Fund
  • Dr. & Mrs. Steven J. & Catherine W. Smith, Steven J. Smith Scholarship Fund
  • Drs. Thomas & Mary Weinland, Thomas P. Weinland Fund

Congratulations to all the 2010 Scholarship Recipients

Akeya Peterson
Amy McCullough
Amy Sevigny
Annie Ramos
Anthony Spinelli
Ashley Bates
Ashley Capozzoli
Ashley Ruegg
Ashley Sullivan
Asia Boxton
Asia Boxton
Bethany Rataic
Brianna Ozimek
Britney Bush
Brittany Perotti
Bryan Yarrington
Caitlin Masopust
Caitlyn Hardy
Caroline Stackhouse
Catherine Burland
Cedric Haddad
Chelsea Becce
Chelsea Lawrence
Chelsea Maigis
Christine Barile
Christopher Baxter
Christopher Miller
Cleo Rahmy
Conor Calabro
Courtney Jump
Courtney Moody
Craig Waterman
Cynthia Bushey
Dana Lovallo
Dana Neely
Daniel Marcoux
Danielle Jeffries
Daria Szafran
Donald Briere
Edward Boynton
Eileen Gonzalez
Elisabeth Werling
Elizabeth Ann Santos
Elyse Botelho
Emily Dreher
Emily Hernberg
Emily Roberts
Emily Wallingford
Erica Armstrong
Erika Urcinas
Eury Cantillo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Evan O’Neill
Gail Buller
Garrett Waldron
Gul Jaffery
Heidi Koeppel
Jaclyn Chancey
Jaclyn Long
Jacob Sklarew
Jacqueline Guerrera
Janine Firmender
Jena Savage
Jennifer Corbett
Jennifer Falcigno
Jennifer Garofalo
Jennifer Green
Jennifer Jorgensen
Jennifer Ortiz
Jennifer Richard
Jennifer Suen
Jenny Barnett
Jessica Vargas
Joannah Graham
Joseph Ingriselli
Joseph Pinola
Kaitlyn Rojee
Kara Pettit
Karen Nixon
Karen Rambo
Katherine Jolly
Katherine Swedberg
Katherine Van Deveire
Kathryn Taft
Kathryn Ward
Kelly Dibble
Kelsey O’Reilly
Kelsey Seddon
Kevin Ballard
Kimberly Krzyk
Kimberly Weber
Krista Burnham
Kristen DeBona
Kristin Deming
Kristin Holsing
Kristina Forzaglia
Kristina Jablonski
Kristina Scarrozzo
Lacey LaHaie
Laura Blanco
Laura Tiffany
Lauren Anthony
Lauren Cerulli		 Lilah Sharaf
Lily Huang
Lindsay Hom
Lisa Mishriky
Llancylluis Williams
Lukas Kailimang
Marisa Birdsell
Marissa Chowaniec
Mariya Yukhymenko
Mary Jane Skelly
Matthew Gade
Matthew McKay
Matthew Spector
Megan Ramsey
Megan Ramsey
Meghan McNichol
Melissa Levenstein
Melissa Mitchell
Meloney Bailey
Meredith Bellamy
Michael Lewis
Michael Rambone
Michele Battinelli
Michelle Levenduski
Nathan Bean
Nicole Holland
Nicole LaPierre
Paige Moore
Paul Griswold
Pei-Hsuan Chiu
Rachel C. Anderson
Rachel Rodziewicz
Rebecca Zielinski
Rhema Fuller
Robert Gendreau
Robert Smith
Sara Mykietyn
Sarah Scranton
Sarah Stockmann
Sarah Tung
Sevan Angacian
Shannon Cohane
Sheena Boyle
Shirley Armenteros
Staci Puto
Stephanie Kin
Stephen Charette
Tara Lloyd
Taylor Lebovich
Terri Clark
Zachary Penwell

Neag Grads Lauded on Sunny Mother’s Day

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About 200 Neag School of Education students received bachelor’s degrees and sixth-year diplomas in educational specialties at the May 9 graduation ceremonies in the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts.

“I’ve been telling him to be a school teacher his whole life … summers off,” Paul Hurst said before the proceedings. He was speaking of his son, Michael Thomas Hurst, a teacher preparation student in secondary English. Paul Hurst works in the Hamden schools and says he and his son often discuss philosophy. “He’s an all-around kid, very cerebral and physical. He could have done anything.”

But the day mostly belonged to the mothers. Barbara Simone, mother of athletic training graduate Erica Simone, complained just a bit about the 50-degree chill in the air. “We’re freezing. It was 94 degrees when we left” Cocoa Beach, Fla.

Erica Simone’s aunt and cousins in Cheshire and Southington – her family support in Connecticut – also attended the event. Having left Connecticut years before, Erica didn’t even know all of her local kin. She told her mother there was a really cute guy in her class, “and I said, ‘that’s your cousin,’” Barbara Simone says with a laugh.

Her daughter’s love of playing soccer and perhaps her bad knees led her to her concentration on athletic training, Simone said. “She decided she’d rather fix the people. Her dream was to come to UConn – out-of-state tuition and all.” Erica Simone, honored as a New England Scholar, will pursue a master’s degree at the University of South Carolina on a generous scholarship.

Amanda Courtney Powell’s graduation day support included her grandparents, sister from Chicago, aunt and mother, Berneda Powell, who said her daughter loved to play school as a child. Grandmother Renee Powell said the family wasn’t surprised by Amanda’s path toward teaching high school math. “We kind of knew this from quite a while back. She’s a go-getter…not going to stop ’til she gets there.”

Before the colorful procession of degree candidates and robed faculty from the Gentry Building, Dean Thomas DeFranco outlined the ceremonies for the auditorium full of supporters. The dean in purple, keynote speaker Geno Auriemma in black and white, and bedecked faculty filed onto the stage as marshals in trademark Henry VIII-style blue velvet hats assisted.

The Community School of the Arts Ceremonial Brass Quintet played prelude and processional music, and music education degree candidate Paige Revens sang the National Anthem.

After a welcome by Associate Dean Marijke Kehrhahn and remarks by Neag School Alumni Society President Sandra Justin, the dean introduced the speaker, UConn’s winning women’s basketball coach.

DeFranco relayed an anecdote about Auriemma’s helping him recruit a top specialist to Neag. “A very generous offer from a very busy person,” he said of the coach, praising his record on the court but moreso his record as an inspiration to his players.

Demonstrating his signature ease with public speaking, Auriemma called out to Jacquie Fernandes, one of his players in the crowd of Neag graduates, which also included NFL pros Donald Brown, a member of the Baltimore Colts, and Marcus Easley, drafted by the Buffalo Bills. Brown made good on his promise to his parents to finish his degree as he played his first year of professional football. On this occasion the sports celebrities were careful to avoid any fanfare and to blend into their academic field of contemporaries.

Auriemma urged the graduates to remember how they felt about teachers who were inaccessible or who lacked understanding, and resolve to be better.

“You’re not creating derivatives on Wall Street. You’re creating a life. You’re creating hope and you’re creating a future for young people,” he said.

The dean then recognized students who had achieved academic distinction, and degrees were conferred, as the candidates crossed the stage to the sound of their names being called.

Bachelor of science degrees went to 143 students in all. Of the 45 kinesiology students, 10 majored in social science-sport/leisure, 24 in exercise science and 11 in athletic training.

Other bachelor degree recipients, who will return next year to complete a master of arts in education, included 39 in elementary education, 12 in special education, ten in history, ten in English, six in mathematics, four in biological science and one each in eath science and general science. Fifteen future music educators were awarded with dual bachelor’s degrees, one in music education and the other in music.

Sixty-seven sixth-year certificates were awarded to graduates who pursued their specialty beyond a master’s degree.

At the end, the graduates and dignitaries recessed into the brisk, sunny day before attending a reception in the atrium at Gentry.

Patty Hess’s sons, Zachary, 12, and Nicholas, 10, were pretty proud of their mom’s sixth-year diploma in the administrator preparation program. “It’s pretty amazing. It’s hard to go back to school after about 15 years,” Zachary said before the family took off for a Mother’s Day brunch.

Hess of Vernon said she was actively seeking employment as a principal. “Like Geno said, you want to impact students. Then you impact a life. As a principal, you want to impact more than groups of students, you want to impact whole schools.”

Related Story: Class of 2010: Lisa Mishriky, MA, Neag School of Education

Bank of America Gift Supports Teacher-Training Partnership Between Bulkeley High, UConn

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Campaign for UConnBank of America has donated $25,000 through the UConn Foundation to the Teacher Preparatory Studies Program at Bulkeley High School, a new initiative that prepares and encourages talented students, particularly from minority groups, to become teachers. The initiative is believed to be the state’s first dedicated teaching program focused on recruiting, supporting, and preparing talented high school students to pursue careers in education.

The gift was made as part of UConn’s $600 million capital campaign, Our University, Our Moment, the Campaign for UConn, which seeks to increase support for education, research and outreach.

“At Bank of America, we pride ourselves on our commitment to youth development, particularly in underserved communities,” said Kevin Cunningham, Bank of America Connecticut president.  “That commitment is expressed through support of innovative programs like the Teacher Preparatory Program, which will open new doors for students at Bulkeley High.”

Through a partnership with UConn’s Neag School of Education, students in the program work with UConn graduate student  interns for an entire year, shadowing teachers, tutoring students at local elementary and middle schools, attending special events at local universities and colleges, and having unique extended-day experiences that mimic college elective choices.

Rene Roselle“Without a doubt, the program has opened doors and expanded the minds of what students believe and know is possible for them,” says Rene Roselle, an assistant clinical professor at the Neag School of Education and a consultant from Neag to the Teacher Preparatory Program. “Ideally, a large number of the students who graduate will pursue education as a career and return to urban centers to inspire others to teach.”

More than 90 percent of the students at Bulkeley High are members of a minority group. Almost 70 percent speak a language other than English at home; more than 20 percent are not fluent in English.

Neag School of Education Dean Dr. Thomas DeFranco stressed the need for the program at Bulkeley High. “We are very excited about Bank of America’s support to the Neag School of Education,” he says. “This program at Bulkeley will create a pipeline of teachers from underrepresented groups that will have a significant impact on students throughout the state.”

Students of color make up 39 percent of public school students younger than 18 in Connecticut, yet persons of color account for only 7 percent of the teaching profession statewide.

The Neag School of Education has had a longstanding partnership with Bulkeley High. As part of that partnership, UConn has been involved in Bulkeley’s efforts to prepare students for college, including working with GEAR-UP (a federal grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in post-secondary education) and College for Every Student programs. Over the years, UConn has, in turn, sent hundreds of its education students to Bulkeley to experience teaching and learning in an urban high school.

For more information about the UConn Foundation and UConn’s capital campaign, please visit www.foundation.uconn.edu.

Building on a long-standing tradition of investing in the communities it serves, last year Bank of America embarked on a 10-year goal to donate $2 billion to non-profit organizations engaged in improving the health and vitality of their neighborhoods. Bank of America approaches giving through a national strategy called “neighborhood excellence” under which it works with local leaders to identify and meet the most pressing needs of individual communities. Bank associates volunteered more than 800,000 hours in 2009 to enhance the quality of life in their communities nationwide. For more information about Bank of America Corporate Philanthropy, please visit www.bankofamerica.com/foundation.

Swaminathan Honored by Research Profession

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Hariharan Swaminathan
Hariharan Swaminathan

Hariharan Swaminathan, head of the Department of Educational Psychology at the Neag School of Education and a renowned research expert in his field of educational measurement, has been selected as a 2010 Fellow by the American Educational Research Association.

Swaminathan, who has co-written two books on item response theory, was honored with 66 other fellows at AERA’s annual meeting May 1 in Denver.

Neag Dean Thomas DeFranco praised Swaminathan, saying the honor was well deserved. “This award is a testament to his work and expertise in the educational statistics community and honors a lifetime of excellence devoted to scholarship and research in the field of educational measurement,” DeFranco said.

“The AERA Fellows are known both nationally and internationally for their outstanding contributions to education research,” a recent AERA press release said, adding that AERA aims “to underscore to new scholars the importance of sustained research contributions in the field.”

Besides his research and administrative activities, Swaminathan teaches a sequence of graduate courses in educational statistics ranging from basic to advanced.

He has done significant work for the state on the Connecticut Mastery Tests in developing a vertical scale for assessing the growth of children as they progress through grades. He, along with colleague H. Jane Rogers and doctoral student Burcu Kaniskan, has developed a growth curve prediction system “so we can identify kids who may be at risk and start working with them,” he says, calling the measure an “early warning system” and joking that his nickname, “Swami,” is apt for his line of work.

Much of his work is on the intricacies of measurement theory. Using item response theory, his area of expertise, he has developed procedures for establishing a common measurement scale that enables comparisons of students even when they are administered different tests. He has also developed procedures for assessing bias in testing and was commissioned by the Florida Supreme Court to evaluate that state’s bar exam.

The controversy in testing today, he says, is in the matter of accountability. “We want to find out if a teacher is effective or not. … There’s a lot of interest in that – even going as far as identifying weak teachers and weeding them out.” But he quickly adds, “Not all students are created equal,” and student failure cannot be attributed directly to teachers.

Swaminathan spent 30 years as professor, associate dean and acting dean at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. He was a professor at the University of Miami and a principal research scientist at Educational Testing Service. He holds a B.S. with honors in mathematics from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, and an M.S. in mathematics, an M.Ed., and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Canada, specializing in psychometrics, statistics and educational measurement/evaluation.

He has delivered papers and taught workshops in countries that include The Netherlands, Russia, Australia, Singapore, Spain, Egypt and Indonesia. He was instrumental in designing and implementing a national assessment system for the Republic of Georgia, and has served as a consultant to numerous testing agencies, states and foreign ministries.

He received the College Outstanding Teacher award from the University of Massachusetts and the Jacob Cohen Award for Distinguished Teaching and Mentoring from the American Psychological Association. In Connecticut, he was honored by Gov. M. Jodi Rell in 2009 for outstanding contributions by a naturalized citizen.

The AERA Fellows Program is in its third year and has designated 471 for this honor among its membership of 25,000 educational researchers. Other Fellows at the Neag School are Joseph S. Renzulli and Scott W. Brown.

A Higher Ed Guide for Students with Disabilities

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Dr. Joe Madaus
Dr. Joe Madaus teaches a class on students with disabilities.

It will come as no surprise to any college student (or parent of one) that achieving success in higher education starts with the right preparation during the K-12 years. But for students with disabilities, postsecondary education presents an additional set of challenges, though they too can be met with the right strategies in place.

In their new book, Preparing Students with Disabilities for College Success, Neag Associate Professor Joseph Madaus, Professor Emeritus Stan Shaw, and University of South Florida Associate Professor and UConn graduate Lyman Dukes III have put together what they describe as a guide to transition planning.  The book is aimed at both educators and parents of students who have a range of learning disabilities, autism, ADHD and emotional disturbances, with the goal of, as the title says, college success. But it is also aimed at changing the debate.

For too long, in Shaw’s view, transition planning for high school students with disabilities has focused on transition to employment, with postsecondary education virtually ignored. That, Shaw says, is a mistake. “For students with these mild-to-moderate disabilities, the data shows that if they can do well in college, it’s the one intervention that levels the playing field throughout their employment careers.”

He adds that the Neag School leads the nation in fostering access to college for students with disabilities, through its Center on Postsecondary Education and Disability (CPED), which was created in 1984. Shaw is its former director, Madaus its current one.

While their book covers a broad spectrum of topics with research articles from a variety of experts, it also highlights the need for early planning, starting in the elementary grades and continuing into high school, to better prepare students with disabilities for the college experience. “That includes proper course work,” Madaus says, “but also preparation for the SAT and other tests. It can also mean being prepared to take college courses, with good note-taking skill and time management. These are the same issues other students face. They become more challenging for the student with disabilities.”

Equally essential, the authors say, is helping the student become a better “self-advocate” for his or her particular needs. “Part of that,” Madaus says, “involves students learning how to talk to adults about their disability. But the adults also need to listen, and make the student a participant in the process of his or her own education.”

For Shaw and Madaus, the heart of the book and of their work on behalf of students with disabilities, is fair and equal access for all, a goal they’ve approached on different paths. For Shaw, it was a natural progression from his work as a civil rights activist in the 1960s. For Madaus, it began with a summer job at a camp for children with disabilities. For both, it’s a new front in a long battle to help students with disabilities move more easily into postsecondary education.  As Madaus puts it, “It is all about giving them an opportunity to succeed.”