Monthly News | March 2024

A Message from the Dean

As we commemorate Women's History Month, we take a moment to uplift our diverse community of women at the UC Irvine School of Education.

At the School of Education, women comprise more than 65 percent of our faculty, staff and students. They are invaluable members of our community who have been integral to the critical work emerging from our School and to our growing national and global recognition. 

Across our faculty, staff, alumni and student populations, women in our community have contributed immeasurably to education at large, the School of Education and UC Irvine through their research, leadership, and service. We are inspired by their collective dedication, passion and resilience, and are proud to especially recognize them this month. 

I invite you to explore this issue of our newsletter to learn more about some of the many incredible women within our School who are advancing impactful research and innovation, as well as high-quality educational opportunities for learners of all backgrounds. Together, we are transforming the educational landscape in our communities and in higher education.

Sincerely, 

Frances Contreras

Dean and Professor

UC Irvine School of Education

Dean Frances Contreras honored at Women in Power event

The School of Education dean and professor was recognized for her dedication to equity and access in education at a celebration hosted by the Orange County Hispanic Youth Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Chapman University. Watch her video message for the March 12 event. Learn more

Extraordinary women building community through service

Four women in the UC Irvine School of Education community share what matters to them and how they are making a difference. From left, UCI CalTeach lecturer Nelly Tsai, Distinguished Professor Judith Kroll, MAT lecturer and supervisor of student teachers Evelyn Young and undergraduate student Alexis Maddox Harlos. Learn more

Watch now: Distinguished lecture on language variation with Julie Washington

On February 28, the professor discussed her research and the importance of affirming language variation for African American children who are developing readers. Learn more

National academy professor video series

Follow the School of Education on Instagram and Facebook to keep up-to-date with Isabella's vlog series on her journey through the Ph.D. program.

Upcoming Events

• March 25 – Registration deadline for UCI Science Project: STEAM PK-5 Books Program

• April 7-9 – Advancing Our Imperative: Equity in Higher Education, hosted by UC Los Angeles, featuring Dean Frances Contreras as a leadership panelist for Finding Opportunity in Crisis on April 7 during the pre-convening workshop Consideration of Challenges for Women of Color in the Academy

• April 16-May 2 – UCI Science Project: NGSS Certification Program (Tier 1)

• April 29 – Registration deadline for UCI Science Project: PK-5 STEAM Books Program

• May 1-2 – College Access and Preparation (CAP) Forum, sponsored by University of California Office of the President's Graduate, Undergraduate, and Equity Affairs, with welcome remarks on May 1 from Dean Frances Contreras

• May 2 – A More Inclusive History of the OC, sponsored by the UC Irvine School of Humanities

• May 3 – Environmental and Climate Change Literacy Projects (ECCLPs) Annual Forum Symposium, with featured speakers Kelley Lê, ECCLPs executive director and Jennifer Cao, UC Irvine Science Project associate director

• May 6-17 – UCI Science Project: NGSS Certification Program (Tier 2)

• May 17-18 – Teaching for Justice Conference, presented by the UCI Teacher Academy

Please visit the Teacher Academy website to view more upcoming workshops.

• Professor Gustavo Carlo discusses journey through academia to current position as professor (Spotify)

• Associate Professor Emily Penner co-authors study, finds majority of teachers earn less after leaving profession for higher pay (EducationWeek)

• Associate Professor Di Xu discusses a research partnership with Virginia community College Systems to investigate the Commonwealth’s FastForward programs (Inside IES Research)

• Professor Richard Arum: "Levels and facets of university students' stress during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal evidence from the first two academic years in Germany and the U.S." In: Social and Personality Psychology

• Dean and Professor Frances Contreras: "Reimagining The University of California to Serve Latinxs Equitably: A Blueprint for Becoming a Hispanic-Serving Research Institution (HSRI) System." Report Prepared for The University of California Office of the President

• Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles: "International comparative study of motivation: a commentary." In: European Journal of Psychology of Education

• Doctoral Student Leiny Garcia, Doctoral Student Santiago Ojeda-Ramirez and Professor Mark Warschauer: "Restorying with AI Art among Latinx Elementary Students." In: Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

• Professor Young-Suk Kim: "Enhancing Reading and Writing Skills through Systematically Integrated Instruction." In: The Reading Teacher

• Assistant Professor Nia Nixon: "Minds and Machines Unite: Deciphering Social and Cognitive Dynamics in Collaborative Problem Solving with AI." In: Proceedings of the 14th Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference

• Professor Stephanie Reich: "The Effect of Digital Mental Health Literacy Interventions on Mental Health: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." In: Journal of Medical Internet Research

• Professor Mark Warschauer: "Elementary Latinx Students Apply Growth Mindset while Creating in Scratch​." In: Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

• Doctoral Student Joseph Wong and Professor Lindsey Richland: "Fostering engaging online learning experiences: Investigating situational interest and mind-wandering as mediators through learning experience design." In: Education and Information Technologies

Learn more about the UCI School of Education as seen on Viewpoint, hosted by Dennis Quaid