Dean's Message

Dear School of Education community and friends,

We have concluded another exciting school year with the graduation of our Class of 2023. I’d like to extend my congratulations to the graduates of our B.A. in Education Sciences, M.A. in Teaching + Credential, and Ph.D. in Education programs and their families. I am confident that our recent grads will continue to make us proud and make strides toward transforming the education landscape.

This month is also Pride Month – a national celebration that takes place in the month of June in honor of the Stonewall Uprising in New York in June 1969, which served as a tipping point in LGBTQ+ history. As Pride Month recognizes the resilience and contributions of the LGBTQ+ community, it also comes at a time of great discourse nationally and across education spaces. Here are a few resources:

While the School of Education prepares for the upcoming school year, we hope you will stay connected with us this summer. Stay tuned in early August for the next issue of our newsletter.

Wishing you all a restful and safe summer.

Sincerely,

Frances Contreras

Dean and Professor

School of Education

School News

Meet two of our recent graduates

Brianna Gonzalez '23

Gonzalez’s path toward a career as an academic counselor began after a peer counselor guided her toward adding a degree in Education Sciences after realizing her passion in working with students.

Shirley Nieto MAT '23

The daughter of immigrants, Nieto empathizes with the students in

her dual-immersion classroom, using her filmmaking and music skills in illustrating a world of possibilities.

The National Association for Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates, International Literacy Association and the Western Association of College and University Business Officers named Pheather R. Harris, Young-Suk Kim and Patricia Anderson, respectively, to appointments on their boards.

Watch: "Fraction Ball – Making Fractions

More Accessible"

The brainchild of Assistant Professor Andres Bustamante, Fraction Ball is a math game designed for the Santa Ana Unified School District through a research award from the NewSchools Venture Fund’s EF+Math Program. While engaged in the game, students can visualize equivalencies between fractions and decimals, and practice converting between fractions and decimals.

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Public pre-k can reduce achievement gaps for children of color, study finds

Associate Professor Jade Jenkins was part of the research team that analyzed data from North Carolina’s public prekindergarten program and found that pre-k investments mattered more for children who were likely to experience systemic disadvantages.

Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio honored with two Woman of the Year awards

The assistant vice chancellor of educational partnerships was recognized by Congressman Lou Correa and the National Hispanic Business Women’s Association.

School of Education hosts ethnic studies seminar

To support the implementation of Assembly Bill 101, the Master of Arts in Teaching + Credential and UCI CalTeach programs held a seminar for new teachers and teacher candidates attended the seminar to discuss and explore ethnic studies curriculum, pedagogy and methodologies for their K-12 classrooms.

Student News

NAEd awards $27.5K Spencer Dissertation Fellowship to Paul Yoo

The National Academy of Education awarded the fellowship to the doctoral candidate with the goal of encouraging an undertaking of research relevant to the improvement of education.

DECADE names doctoral candidate Outstanding Representative Award

Lina Brodsky was the recipient of the $1,000 award from the Diverse Educational Community and Doctoral Experience, which recognized her hard work, dedication, and resiliency throughout the year.

Two student researcher teams win Chancellor's award

The Working Memory and Plasticity Lab researchers won the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research during the 30th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium.

UCI School of Education celebrates 10 remarkable years as a school

UCI School of Education Celebrates 10th Anniversary Gala

The UCI School of Education recognized its 10 years of impact in education, as well as honored Michael Matsuda and Victoria Vasques ’81 for making a difference as exceptional leaders, at a gala on May 20 in Newport Beach.

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