Psychology Today (Sandra Chafouleas releases her latest blog post)
Neag School Secures $50K+ in 36 Hours During UConn’s Giving Day
Thanks to 889 individuals, the Neag School of Education garnered more than $50,000 in contributions during this spring’s annual Giving Day at UConn.
The University-wide fundraising event raised upwards of $700,000 in total for UConn in just 36 hours, with incoming donations set up to support everything from scholarships and academic programs to student groups and athletics.
The Neag School, including its Alumni Board, promoted six different education- and sport management-affiliated projects during this year’s Giving Day campaign, held over the course of two days in March.
One of these projects — the sport management program’s William M. Servedio Scholarship Fund — came in first place across all UConn Gives projects this year, raising upwards of $35,000. With more than 630 donations from all over the world, the project initially raised nearly $20,000. Two Giving Day matching gift challenges funded by the Neag School Dean’s Board of Advocates as well as donors from across UConn Nation then added another $16,500 to the scholarship’s total.
Giving Day Success for Servedio Scholarship
Professor Emeritus Servedio recently launched his scholarship to help fund Neag School students in sport management, a program he had established and built from the ground up while serving as professor and department head roughly three decades ago. From the start, Servedio ensured that a key focus of the program was the opportunity for students to gain real-world experience in the realm of sport through internships and graduate assistantships.
Such famed alumni as Jamelle Elliott ’96 (BUS), ’98 MA, former UConn’s women’s basketball player and now the team’s assistant coach; Sean Lester ’96 MA, current deputy athletics director at the University of Kansas; and longtime UConn baseball coach Jim Penders ’94 (CLAS), ’98 MA all took part in the program during Servedio’s time as its leader.
“As donors, the impact of future internship placements will be enhanced because of this new funding source,” Servedio told the UConn Foundation. “I am indebted to all who support my vision of keeping the internship as a critical component of the learning experience.”
“UConn Gives was fun and energizing as our community came together to support Dr. Servedio and student development and learning in the sport management program,” added Danielle DeRosa ’09 (CLAS), ’16 MS, clinical instructor in sport management. DeRosa noted that the project was coordinated by a team of sport management faculty, staff, and students that included Professor Jennifer McGarry; Leah Ward ’06 (ED), ’09 MA, program administrator; and current student Kess Elmore.
Additional Neag School-sponsored projects included funds to support various departments, research centers, and scholarship efforts, raising another $15,700 from 250 donors. Altogether, the Neag School more than doubled its UConn Giving Day fundraising totals compared with two years ago.
Giving Day 2021 may be over, but you can still offer your support. See how you can help fund different efforts at the Neag School of Education.
Killingly Administrator Tapped to Head Plainfield School District
Norwich Bulletin (Alum Paul Brenton named superintendent in Plainfield, Connecticut)
Alumni Relations Hosts Panel Focused on COVID-19’s Impact on Mothers
Editor’s Note: The following story originally appeared on The Daily Campus, the University of Connecticut’s student newspaper.
The pandemic has presented a variety of different challenges, many of which are exhausting to cope with. The University of Connecticut’s Alumni Relations center hosted a panel titled “Not Burnout, Betrayal: The Pandemic’s Impact on Working Mothers” last month. Panelists, along with an array of other women, discussed various struggles that mothers are facing today.
Jennie Weiner, an associate professor of educational leadership at UConn’s Neag School of Education, moderated the panel, providing an insightful discussion and asking riveting questions. Audience members were free to type in the chat any of their own personal thoughts and contributions. The two other panelists were Rupal Parekh, an assistant professor of social work at UConn, and Donna Haghighat, chief executive office of the Women’s Fund.
This pandemic has been taxing for everyone. Anxiety is heightened and we’re all facing unprecedented challenges. For mothers, not only do they have to take care of their children, but many have also accepted the burden of their relative’s health.
“For mothers, not only do they have to take care of their children, but many have also accepted the burden of their relative’s health.”
Donna Haghighat, CEO of Women’s Fund
“Women are even taking on the burden of making sure that older relatives in the family are getting their vaccines,” said Haghighat. “They’re the ones spending hours trying to find vaccine slots and taking them to their appointments.”
She explains that even in her own family, during the beginning of the pandemic she would have to be aware of what her older relatives were doing and if it was safe under COVID-19 guidelines.
There are factors in the corporate world that stem from the patriarchal background of society. As we know, females and males do not make the same amount of money in the workforce, even if the job is identical. Thus, when someone needs to leave their job, it’s often the female.
Parekh just became a mother a few weeks into the pandemic and was immediately thrown into an unfamiliar environment. She was no longer able to connect with fellow peers and friends.
“Since I became a new mother during the pandemic, I didn’t have the community because all of the sudden I was in a pandemic, and I never really realized how much I wanted to talk to new mothers and have that sense of community,” she said.
Parekh explains that since the pandemic, an additional three hours of household and childcare work have been added to a mother’s plate, which is essentially an equivalent amount of time to a part time job.
This burden can get heavy to carry, especially if it’s being carried alone. Several audience members expressed concern about the dynamic between themselves and their partner; their significant other may not always be able to understand because they do not carry the burden, and thus do not relate.
On top of carrying for children and steering clear of sickness, individuals also had to go through the loss of jobs and other monumental life moments, all while dealing with a pandemic. A financial burden is also another component of the cake that may become overwhelming.
Through these moments, it’s important to build a community so that females can bond and discuss their experiences together. While it may be difficult to go through it alone, it always helps to know other peers are going through the same thing.
Behavioral Vaccines: How Educators Can Support Student Well-Being
Editor’s Note: Written by Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Sandra Chafouleas, this article on student well-being and ‘behavioral vaccines’ originally appeared in The Conversation.
As many schools in the U.S. figure out how to safely and fully resume in-person instruction, much of the focus is on vaccinations.
But there’s another type of “vaccine” that may be beneficial for some returning K-12 students that could be overlooked. Those are known as “behavioral vaccines.”
Behavioral vaccines are not some sort of serum to help control how children behave. There are no needles, shots or drugs involved. Behavioral vaccines are simple steps that educators and parents can take to help support child well-being throughout the day.
Those actions can be as easy as offering students a warm welcome when they enter the classroom. Studies have shown positive greetings can reduce disruptive behavior and increase academically engaged behavior. Written notes of praise from teachers or other students – such as a thank-you note for helping someone with a math problem – are another example of a behavioral vaccine. These sorts of notes have been found to reduce problem behavior during recess
Behavioral vaccines can also entail activities like breathing exercises to help students feel calm or aerobic play to reduce stress. Each simple action can be used alone or in combination to deliver supports that promote well-being.
Challenging times
As a concept, “behavioral vaccines” have been around for centuries. Intended to prevent disease and promote public health, a behavioral vaccine is a simple action that can lead to big results. Think about hand-washing or seat belt-wearing – behaviors to promote physical well-being and prevent larger problems for individuals and within communities.
As a school psychologist who focuses on matters of student mental health, I believe behavioral vaccines can help improve the social, emotional and behavioral well-being of students. I also think these vaccines are especially important as schools seek to fully resume in-person instruction.
I believe behavioral vaccines can help improve the social, emotional and behavioral well-being of students. I also think these vaccines are especially important as schools seek to fully resume in-person instruction.
Over the course of the pandemic, there have been reports of increased teen stress, negative states of mind and even more suicide attempts as students struggle with isolation, disruption of their routines and remote-learning fatigue.
Since schools can play a critical role in child development, they represent an ideal venue for public health interventions.
With those things in mind, here are five ways that schools can offer behavioral vaccines to returning students:
1. Build strong connections with every child
Positive relationships are key drivers of healthy development. Strong social connection buffers against other risks present in young people’s lives, such as belonging to a group that is seen as a minority, living in poverty or having family members who fall ill. When school provides supportive social connection, it can help reduce vulnerabilities.
Teacher support and connection has been shown to help students feel better about being in school. Behavioral vaccines focused on supportive connection can involve offering an enthusiastic hello when meeting, building confidence about assignments by giving wise feedback and encouraging students to ask questions. It can also involve taking interest in life outside of the classroom, and adding a daily routine of sharing appreciation for others.
2. Foster positive emotions
Positive emotions such as joy, pride and interest affect learning. Experiencing positive emotions helps children be more aware, focused and ready to solve problems.
A fancy curriculum or a lot of time is not needed – adults can embed simple, easy-to-do strategies throughout the school day. These strategies can include helping students visualize their best possible selves or practice calming breaths.
Figure out which techniques help children be their best. Some students may need to be physically active to boost positive emotions, whereas others may benefit from just being quiet and sitting still.
3. Include adults
Behavioral vaccines can apply across the entire school system – including for every teacher and adult in the setting. Just as with students, teachers can benefit from opportunities to choose and incorporate strategies for reducing stress and bolstering well-being. Peer-to-peer written praise notes, for example, have been found to work for teachers as well as students to increase positive feelings and connection.
Student well-being is connected to teacher well-being. Since the classroom is the primary place for nurturing child well-being in school, prioritizing each teacher’s well-being is critical.
4. Be mindful of disciplinary practices
As students return to fully in-person classes, they may bring social, emotional and behavior challenges. Recent estimates suggest over 37,000 students have already lost at least one parent to COVID-19. Students also have missed time to learn and practice classroom skills, such as how to take turns, understand others’ perspectives or even work quietly. Being empathetic toward student experiences will be critical to reducing reliance on suspensions and expulsions.
School teams must carefully monitor their use of exclusionary discipline to make sure it does not disproportionately affect certain subgroups, such as Black students, boys or students with disabilities.
5. Recognize different student needs
In typical circumstances, children develop at different rates, times and ways. Every student will enter school with a different set of risks, some that were previously present and some magnified.
As British writer Damian Barr stated: “We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm. Some are on super-yachts. Some have just the one oar.” Each child’s boat is different. Some will need more than others to keep moving in the right direction and stay afloat.
Schools need to be prepared to deliver different types and “doses” of behavioral vaccines. Having a variety of behavioral vaccines at the ready can help schools more quickly bring about well-being for all students.
Bringing ‘Behavioral Vaccines’ to School: 5 Ways Educators Can Support Student Well-Being
The Conversation (Sandra Chafouleas pens commentary about ways educators can make a difference in the classroom)
Preparing the Next Generation of Science Teachers, With Flair
BU Today (Neag School alumnus T.J. McKenna is featured about teaching science)
Op-Ed – Is ‘Learning Loss’ Really a Thing?
CT News Junkie (Rachael Gabriel is quoted on learning adaptions during the COVID)
Reopening Schools Requires Doing Less, Better
Editor’s Note: Written by Neag School Professor Emeritus George Sugai and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Sandra Chafouleas, this article on reopening schools originally appeared in CT Mirror.
For educators, families, and communities, April is bringing a welcome sign of hope to a year of unchartered challenges as political unrest, COVID-19, social and racial disparities, and violence have disrupted and dismantled our schools’ traditional approach to education. The appointment of Miguel A. Cardona as the 12th Secretary of Education and the passing of the American Rescue Plan of 2021 does make it feel like spring, in fact, has sprung. The possibility of equitable school environments for our nation’s children appears tangible, however, recovery must attend to more than filling holes with intent to return to a “new normal.”
Students desperately need support as they try to overcome current challenges to academic learning, physical health, and social-emotional connection. Meanwhile, school leaders must focus on coordinating policies and practices that put equitable structures in place for every child. While the necessary federal leadership and funding provide necessary first steps to tackling multiple points of support to the education infrastructure, we propose that schools reopen not with a “new normal,” but a “better normal” — one where we carry out only a few highly effective actions really well. A “better normal” approach requires us to be scientifically informed as well as contextually and culturally responsive – all of which must be led by individuals who can decisively and expertly do less, better.
Simply telling educators to “do less” is not a solution. We need school and district leaders to make wise decisions as they address the unprecedented increase in student needs across many areas. They need explicit support in establishing this “better normal” — for instance, in the form of guidance distilled into distinct, concrete actions, known as “effective kernels.” Effective kernels refer to fundamental practices, implemented alone or in combination, that produce desired change quickly. Effective kernels are also usable, meaning that the user – in this case, a school leader – can put them into practice with ease and satisfaction. In healthcare, for example, research shows that using checklists increases surgical safety and improves patient outcomes.
The evolving education environment demands nimble decision-making that relies on the best available knowledge.
As education leaders navigate our emerging new reality, it is critical that their decisions, and guidance that informs their decisions, be effective and usable. The evolving education environment demands nimble decision-making that relies on the best available knowledge.
To inform school and district leader decisions to “do less, better,” we offer the following guiding actions:
- Education leaders must do what has high probability of working. We have limited time to pilot or investigate novel, untested practices. Let’s rely on the robust research base that already exists on effective practices for everything from schoolwide systems of support and problem-solving and effective instruction to social-emotional-behavioral interventions and positive classroom and school climate.
- Education leaders must catch issues early. We cannot wait for problems to surface or worsen, issues to resolve themselves, or react when they occur. More students will be coming to school behind in their achievement and with personal, family, and community trauma. Let’s be prepared for what we know students will bring to the classroom.
- Education leaders must teach positively. Although punishment might signal to students that they have made an error or misbehaved, harsh physical, emotional, or verbal consequences do not result in learning, especially for students at high risk for academic and/or social behavior failure. Teachers and school leaders who provide students with frequent opportunities to see, practice, and experience positive successes are doing less, better.
- Finally, education leaders must make decisions that consider diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Education has not successfully addressed disparities and inequities associated with racism, sexism, or ableism. Now more than ever, school leaders must ensure that every student and their family members and educators have equitable access and opportunity. Let’s remember to consider longtime marginalized groups.
Our children, families, and educators deserve and demand a reopening response that is smart, efficient, and deliberate. Given the current risks and challenges, we do not have the luxury of simply restoring previous routines, taking time to implement, or adding to what was done in the past.
School and district leaders must be supported to do a few tried and true things really well. Let’s do less, better.
George Sugai is Professor Emeritus in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut and with 45 years of public school experience. Sandra M. Chafouleas is a licensed psychologist with expertise in mental health and well-being and a Distinguished Professor in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. She is also the parent of three children.
Reopening Schools Requires Doing Less, Better
CT Mirror (George Sugai and Sandra Chafouleas pen commentary on safely reopening schools)
