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What we're doing to keep teachers teaching
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Last year, the nation's teacher-preparation programs produced more than 300,000 new professional educators. However, close to 50 percent leave the profession during their first five years of teaching.
Some of the reasons teachers leave the profession include low pay and an ever-increasing emphasis on testing, leaving little time for instruction.
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies Department Head Bruce Johnson adds, "Thirty percent of the new teachers in the state leave within the first two years. We can't have a profession where a
third of the people are gone."
We are working on innovative solutions to these issues.
Most recently, in collaboration with the Sahuarita Unified School District, the college has launched the Sahuarita Teaching Fellows Program to identify local high school students, college students, and postbaccalaureates who are interested in teaching. We're dedicated to building a shared commitment of training, program development, mentoring, and the induction of new teachers. T
ake a look at the coverage our initiative received:
We'll keep you posted as this moves forward.
This week, we were awarded a $1.35 million grant from the
IES National Center for Special Education Research to
develop a technology-based intervention to train students with visual impairments to locate key information on math word problems that involve graphics. The intervention will be developed and refined with students with visual impairments and teachers of students with visual impairments.
Associate Professor Sunggye Hong and Professor of Practice Penny Rosenblum will collaborate with Professor Carol Beal, now with the University of Florida College of Education.
In April, at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association held in Washington, D.C., the late
Professor Richard Ruiz was the recipient of a posthumous AERA Lifetime Achievement Award. His wife,
Marie Ruiz, attended the meeting to receive the award.
Victoria Graves, a doctoral student in Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies, is the first recipient of the Richard Ruiz Memorial Scholarship. In a note to Marie Ruiz
, she wrote that she is honored to be the first recipient and "values and respects the integrity that Richard Ruiz exemplified. I felt the power of his leadership, and this award enables
me to become transformative in my own professional growth and well-being."
Carrie Brennan, a member of our National Advisory Board and an educator in Tucson, co-authored a wonderful piece in the
Huffington Post on
raising special needs children:
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My Brother's Keeper and Project SOAR
As the call intensifies for stronger polices and practices to improve diversity and inclusion within the nation's higher-education sector, our Project SOAR program is responding.
Project SOAR (Student Outreach for Access & Resiliency), established 10 years ago, regularly involves more than 100 undergraduate students in the examination of college access and equity issues, training them to serve as mentors to middle school students.
UA researcher Nolan L. Cabrera (third from left in photo above) was invited to consult with the Obama administration on the future of My Brother's Keeper, a nationwide initiative.
This fall, he will partner with Project SOAR to facilitate discussions of race and challenges specifically faced by young men. Read more
here
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Persisting Educational Gaps and Inequities for Students of Color
The Arizona Minority Student Progress Report 2016: The Transformation Continues, written by Educational Policy Studies & Practice Professor Jeff Milem and graduate students W. Patrick Bryan and Karina G. Salazar, details trends in demographics and education in Arizona. Selected data from the P-12 and higher education sectors are highlighted to provide information about some of the significant educational challenges and opportunities our state faces. The 2016 report is the sixth in a series of reports issued in 2013, 2009, 2007, 2005, and 2003 with the goal of stimulating statewide discussion about improving the educational experience and success of minority students. Read the complete report
here.
ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy featured the report on its
blog.
Despite 110-Degree Days, We're Prepping for Homecoming 2016!
Your Alumni Council is already prepping for Homecoming 2016, getting our Speakers Programs in working order, and collaborating with the college's Future Teachers Club on a project that strengthens families through play.
During the summer, we will support new-student orientation by being in Student Services to introduce ourselves to incoming College of Education freshmen. We also will be there for them as they adjust to college life in the fall.
On Saturday, June 18, we will hold our Second Annual Alumni Council Retreat to plan for activities during the next school year. Why not join us from 7:30 am until noon in the College of Education? Contact Susan Cray, Alumni Council secretary, at
[email protected] if you'd like to participate.
Another project our alumni can participate in is the UA Alumni Association's new mentoring platform, Wildcat Career Network, which connects experienced Wildcats with alumni and students for career conversations.
WHY JOIN THE NETWORK?
It's easy: Give back only when and how often you want on topics you know well. No obligations beyond responding to incoming requests.
Your privacy is protected: Your contact information stays private. Phone consultations happen through conference numbers and written messages are routed through the system.
You'll make a big impact: People who receive help from alumni mentors are more likely to get job offers.
We have many ways for you to become involved in the Alumni Council, and we want to hear your ideas. We look forward to hearing from you!
David Overstreet '80 '86
Alumni Council President
Education Students Explore their Options through Internship Program
In April, the college hosted the Paul L Lindsey Interns Reception in Worlds of Words. The internship program offers opportunities to students majoring in education who want to explore career options outside the traditional classroom setting. This year's interns, Stephanie Choi, Nick Giannini, Mahmoud Marei, Megan Pavlic, Shelby Taylor, and Tessa Valladares, shared their experiences working with their assigned nonprofit organizations, as well as their plans after they graduate from the UA.
The nonprofits include Environmental Education Exchange, Higher Ground, Cooper Center for Environmental Learning, The Center, Con Danza, and Advanced Community Training Program.
If you would like to become a funding supporter of a Lindsey Intern for the next academic year, please contact Assistant Director of Development Lee O'Rourke at
[email protected].
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Intern Mahmoud Marei (right) with
Colin Waite of
the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning
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Intern Megan Pavlic (left) with Julie Kasper of
The Center
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Intern Stephanie Choi (left) with Tricia Hawkins, representing the Environmental Education Exchange
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Erasmus Circle Reception Features World-Renowned Expert
on Terrorism and Hate Crimes
The Annual Erasmus Circle Reception, held at the beautiful home of Paul Lindsey and Kathy Alexander, included a fascinating presentation by alumnus and Indiana State University Criminology Professor Mark Hamm.
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| Erasmus Circle guests said the talk by criminologist Mark Hamm was eye-opening. |
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The home of Paul Lindsey and Kathy Alexander provided a stunning backdrop for this
attractive group of guests!
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| Guitarist Eduardo Minozzi Costa provided the music for the evening. |
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While in Tucson, Hamm, a criminologist and one of the world's leading experts on terrorism and hate crimes, was interviewed about the harsh conditions of confinement and prisoner radicalization. Read the interview here.
And the UA Green Fund Award Goes to Cooper Center
The Cooper Center for Environmental Learning got a boost when it was awarded $26,000 from the UA Green Fund. The award will be used to provide UA students with opportunities to participate in educational experiences in environmental learning both on the main campus and through community outreach at the center, which is located 20 minutes west of campus in the Tucson Mountains. Each
year, the Green Fund awards up to $400,000 to support projects that make the UA a more sustainable place to live, work, and learn.
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PEOPLE
Disability & Psychoeducational Studies
Professor June Maker was awarded an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Western Kentucky University, for her contributions to gifted education.
Associate Professor Michelle Perfect took part in a video showcase about her research on a sleep science education program to improve STEM education in elementary schools. Watch the video
here.
Educational Policy Studies & Practice
Professor Kris Bosworth received an Alumni Merit Award from Baldwin Wallace University.
Assistant Professor Nolan Cabrera spoke to a Los Angeles Unified School District committee to explain the importance of ethnic studies in education.
Here's more.
Alumnus Matt Gianneschi, who received a Ph.D. in 2004 and is the chief operating officer and chief of staff for Colorado Mountain College, was selected for the Aspen Institute/Stanford University Presidential Fellowship program. He adds, "It's approaching 20 years since I enrolled at the UA, and I continue to be grateful for the experiences I had there."
Assistant Professor Maryann Judkins, a former middle school science and math teacher, presented "The Adolescent Brain in Transition" at a conference hosted by the Arizona's Children Association for professionals who work with youth. Read more in the
Arizona Jewish Post.
Professor Jeff Milem gave the closing keynote address for the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education conference in San Francisco.
Milem also co-authored a monograph,
Bridging the Research to Practice Gap: Achieving Mission-Driven Diversity and Inclusion Goals, with two lawyers from Education Counsel. Based on a review of more than 1,200 research studies and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders over three
years, the paper aims to help institutions of higher education enhance their ability to meet mission-driven diversity and inclusion. Read the article
here.
Hats off to the industrious
Professor Milem, who was appointed the next dean of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He begins the new position in July.
Here's more.
Alumna Amanda Tachine, who earned a Ph.D. in 2015, received the Dissertation of the Year Award from the American Educational Research Association, Division J, for
Monsters and Weapons: Navajo Students' Stories on their Journeys toward College.
Professor Rose Ylimaki was named as a college representative in the UA Faculty Senate.
Educational Psychology
Alumna Amanda Bozack, who graduated with a master's degree in 2003, is the new director of the School of Teacher Education and Leadership in the College of Education and Human Development at Radford University in Virginia.
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Assistant Professor Carol Brochin is the recipient of the Rainbow Graduation Fabulous Faculty Award 2016.
Alumnus Jon Marlow, a 2011 graduate of Teach Arizona, is a teacher at St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, New Jersey. The teachers and students (all of them Marlow's students at one
point) were featured on
60 Minutes. Watch the inspiring program
here. Marlow adds: "This is a way to let you know how much of what you taught me is being put into practice."
Alumnus Ernie McCray is the moderator of a new collaboration, "Education Matters," between
The San Diego Union-Tribune and the San Diego County Office of Education to engage the county's Teachers of the Year nominees in a year-long conversation about education. These acclaimed teachers will share ideas for inspiring and supporting educators and students. Here's
more.
Assistant Professor of Practice Matthew Ostermeyer was featured in a WalletHub study about 2016's best and worst cities for staycations. You can find the piece
here.
Enjoy your summer,
Ron Marx
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AWARDS
We recently celebrated our newly minted College of Education graduates on May 13. Congratulations to the following award recipients:
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AWARDS
Outstanding Senior
Vanessa Cordova
Outstanding Graduate Student
Kari Chew
Erasmus Circle Award for Innovative Uses in Technology
Kirsten Lansey
FACULTY AWARDS
Maria Urquides Laureate Award
Francesca López, Associate Professor, Educational Policy Studies & Practice
Outstanding Faculty Service/Outreach Award
Kathy Carter, Professor, Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Erasmus Circle Fellow
Ozan Jaquette, Assistant Professor, Educational Policy Studies & Practice
DEPARTMENT AWARDS
Disability & Psychoeducational Studies
Outstanding Senior, Deaf Studies
Audra McCorkle
Outstanding Senior, Rehabilitation
Tammy Chandler
Outstanding Student Teacher, Mild to Moderate Disabilities
Svetlana Temyanko
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Outstanding Student Teacher, Early Childhood Education
Jessica DuPerre
Outstanding Student Teacher, Elementary Education
Katie Serrao
Outstanding Student Teacher, Teach Arizona
Caroline Bickley
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1430 E. Second Street, Tucson, Arizona 520.621.1462
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