COE In the News

New York Times
2-9-13
Pilar Mendoza

Pilar Mendoza, an assistant professor in higher education administration, was quoted in a New York Times article about college costs and student debt. The article cited her research findings, published last year in The Journal of Student Financial Aid, showing that students pursuing degrees who work fewer than 30 hours a week in a job were 1.4 times more likely to graduate within six years than students who spent more than 30 hours a week working.

Independent Florida Alligator
1-18-13
Colombia law school human rights center

The Independent Florida Alligator reported that the University of Florida’s College of Education has partnered with the Levin College of Law and the Center for Latin American Studies to create a human rights center at two law schools in Colombia with a $757,200 grant from the U.S. government. Pilar Mendoza, an assistant professor in higher education administration at the COE, was quoted in the article about her involvement in the project.

WUFT-FM Radio
1-16-13
Online education program ranking

Local radio station WUFT-FM announced that UF’s online education program ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 18 in the nation. The college’s Daniel McCoy, senior director of e-Learning, technology and creative services, was quoted in the report.

Gainesville Sun
1-1-13
Lastinger Center for Learning

The Gainesville Sun wrote an article about the Lastinger Center for Learning’s collaboration with Study Edge in the creation of a new free web application for students, teachers and parents named Algebra Nation. The online tool offers instructional videos and virtual practice platforms covering material tested by the state’s Algebra 1 end-of-course exam.

UF Explore Magazine
January 2013
U-FUTuRES

The University of Florida’s Explore Magazine wrote a profile article about the College of Education’s U-FUTuRES, a master’s degree program for current middle school science teachers.

Futurity.org
12-24-12
Stephen Smith, Ann Daunic, Tools for Getting Along

Futurity.org reported on the University of Florida’s Tools for Getting Along, a new curriculum aimed at helping at-risk students learn how to control aggressive behavior. Stephen Smith and Ann Daunic, the UF professors who researched the effects of the curriculum, are quoted in the story.

WCJB-TV 20, GTN
12-5-12
Lastinger Center for Learning

Local TV news programs, WCJB-TV 20 and GTN, recently featured the Lastinger Center’s latest innovation, Algebra Nation – a highly effective, intensive, online learning, 24/7, free, End-of-Course exam preparation resource.

The National Law Journal
11-28-12
Pilar Mendoza, Colombia law school human rights center

The National Law Journal mentioned the University of Florida’s College of Education and Pilar Mendoza in an article that announced the college’s partnership with the Levin College of Law and the Center for Latin American Studies. With a $757,200 grant from the U.S. government, the three institutions will collaborate to create a human rights center at two law schools in Colombia.

Gainesville Sun, Ocala Star-Banner
10-26-12
Linda Behar-Horenstein

The Gainesville Sun and the Ocala Star-Banner quoted Behar-Horenstein in an article about a $2.5 million grant that was awarded to the College of Dentistry for the improvement of faculty education. Behar-Horenstein, who has a co-affiliation with the College of Dentistry and College of Education, is the co-principal investigator for the grant.

Gainesville Sun, State Impact, The Times of Alapachicola and Carrabelle
10-16-12, 10-31-12
STEM education/STEM-TIPS Center

The Gainesville Sun, State Impact, a reporting project of local public media and NPR, and The Times of Alapachicola and Carrabelle reported that the Florida Department of Education awarded the University of Florida’s College of Education with a $2 million grant. The grant will fund the creation of a statewide support system for science and math teachers in middle and high schools, as well as a new Florida STEM-Teacher Induction and Professional Support Center.

Florida Department of Education
10-15-12
STEM education/STEM-TIPS Center

The Florida Department of Education posted a press release about its awarding of a $2 million grant to the University of Florida’s College of Education. The grant will fund the creation of a statewide support system for science and math teachers in middle and high schools, including the new Florida STEM-Teacher Induction and Professional Support Center.

Gainesville Sun
9-3-12
Kids Count

The Gainesville Sun published an article about the re-opening of the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County’s Rotary Campus & Mentor Center, which houses the Kids Count program, the America Reads literacy tutoring program through UF’s College of Education.

Ocala Star Banner
5-22-12
Linda Eldridge (educational leadership)

Eldridge was quoted in an Ocala Star Banner article about a candidate for school superintendent who didn’t have a college degree. Eldridge, a former superintendent of schools in South Carolina, was quoted saying, “It would depend on the skill set of the person who is running. “It’s the team that builds a school district.”

GTN-TV News (NBC-TV 9, CBS–TV 4, MY11)
Gainesville Sun
5-22-12
Linda Hayes (P.K. Yonge director) 

The Gainesville Sun and GTN-TV News covered the the dedication ceremony of the new, cutting-edge elementary building at P.K. Yonge DRS. The addition is the first stage of a total campus renovation to transform the UF lab school into a 21st century model of what American public school facilities should be. P.K. Yonge director Lynda Hayes was the primary source interviewed.

Library Journal 
4-19-2012
Catherine Emihovich (professor and former dean)

“The Demise of the Ed.D” compares and contrasts the Ph.D. and Ed.D. for professional use and career advancement. “The goal is to clearly position the Ed.D. as a professional degree that is best suited to the needs of an academic administrator,” wrote Emihovich. She said the Ph.D. should have a scholarly focus, but Ed.D. holders shouldn’t have trouble proving their worth.

Florida Times Union 
4-04-2012
Don Pemberton (Lastinger Center)

Two articles on the Florida Times Union website featured Don Pemberton of the UF Lastinger Center for a new partnership between the center and Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville. The school was given an F on the state’s grading scale and is facing closure if it doesn’t improve. Multiple partners, including the center, are providing services to bring the school back to life.

Florida Voices 
April 2012
Pilar Mendoza (higher education administration)

An opinion piece by Pilar Medoza, assistant professor in higher education administration, was featured in a discussion about whether tuition increases hinder the competiveness of Florida’s work force. Mendoza wrote that it would. “Higher education is a public good. But the prevalent ideology insists on seeing it as a private good. The result is the crumbling of our Kindergarten-g

Tampa Bay News Weekly 
3-29-2012
Lastinger Center

The Lastinger Center was mentioned in an article about the Pinellas county teacher of the year for its Teacher Fellow Facilitator program. Teacher-of-the-year winner Stephanie Whitaker is involved with the program that gives teachers in Pinellas county support and feedback regarding their classroom practices.

The Chronicle of Higher Education 
3-25-2012
Linda Cronin Jones (science education)

In a letter to the editor published in The Chronicle, UF science education professor Linda Cronin Jones and co-author Francis Putz, a biology professor, warn of the consequences of STEM educators not having sufficient experience in teaching before going into a classroom.

Gainesville Sun    
3-13-2012
Dean Glenn Good

Education writer Nathan Crabbe penned an article about UF’s graduate school rankings in the recent U.S. News and World Report. The College of Education made the largest improvement on campus, moving up 18 spots in the rankings to number 34. Dean Glenn Good said the college’s “jump reflected its focus on increasing research and being more selective in graduate admissions.”

Gainesville Sun
2-09-12
Mary Brownell (special education)

Special education professor Mary Brownell was quoted in the Gainesville Sun in an article about the recent decision to free some states, including Florida, from some of the dictates of the No Child Left Behind Act. Brownell was quoted as saying, “We are very concerned about schools watering down expectations for (students with disabilities) if there aren’t clear guidelines.”

EdWeek.com
2-08-12
Catherine Cavanaugh (education technology)

Catherine Cavanaugh in Education Technology was quoted in EdWeek.com’s article addressing lack of research in online education. The article discusses the lack of knowledge about the field. Cavanaugh spoke about the success of online higher education and the lack of information and research about K-12 online education.

GRAHAM CENTRAL newsletter / Bob Graham Center for Public Service website
2-07-12
Elizabeth Washington (civics education)

A profile of COE civics education professor Elizabeth Washington graces the back cover of the Spring 2012 edition of Graham Central, the newsletter of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at UF. The profile identifies Washington as one of the nation’s leading experts on civic education. It also mentions her partnership with the center and the University of Central Florida to improve civics education in Florida.

Independent Florida Alligator
1-31-12
Don Pemberton (Florida Master Teacher Initiative)

The Independent Florida Alligator quoted Lastinger Center director Don Pemberton in an article about a $6-million federal grant awarded to expand the center’s Florida Master Teacher Initiative in Miami-Dade County.

South Florida’s UF in Your Neighborhood
1-30-12
Lastinger Center for Learning

The Lastinger Center for Learning was featured in the South Florida edition of UF in Your Neighborhood, a booklet produced by the UF Foundation. The edition serves the Miami-Dade area and begins with a one-page feature on how “improving teacher practice and student achievement is at the heart  of (the Lastinger Center’s) newly expanded program in Miami-Dade County.” The booklet also contains a mini-profile of UF alum, David Lawrence, Jr.

Ocala Star Banner
1-30-12, 1-25-12, 1-23-12
Don Pemberton (Lastinger Center for Learning)

Don Pemberton was quoted by the Ocala Star Banner in three articles about the release of Florida’s individual school rankings based solely on FCAT scores. Pemberton said ranking schools based on FCAT scores doesn’t do any favors for students or the schools.

Independent Florida Alligator / MarketWatch.com
1-23-12, 1-19-12
UF Teach program

The Independent Florida Alligator wrote an article about the $100,000 that UF Teach received from AT&T and highlighted details about the program. MarketWatch.com also cited UF Teach in an article about AT&T’s $500,000 grant funding UTeach programs at five universities.

UF TODAY (alumni association magazine):
Fall/Winter 2011 edition
COE donors Anita Zucker and Bill and Robbie Hedges
COE donors Anita Zucker and Bill and Robbie Hedges were cited in the Fall/Winter 2011 issue of UF Today alumni magazine. They were two of four donating parties mentioned and pictured in a single-page feature titled “Champions”, with a headline of “Supporting the Mission: Meet the people who are helping UF to be the best it can be.” Brief blurbs described their respective gifts.

Gainesville Sun
12-14-11
David Miller (research and evaluation methods)
REM Professor David Miller was quoted in the Dec. 14 edition of the Gainesville Sun in an article titled “Students working overtime to conquer FCAT.” The article described how some local schools were conducting voluntary FCAT preparation classes on Saturdays to help struggling students prepare for the standardized tests. Miller was quoted as saying the cut (minimum required) test scores have become a political issue “that doesn’t necessarily translate into what students should be achieving.”

WGCU-FM (NPR affiliate at Florida Gulf Coast University, covering southwest Florida)
12-2-11
Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
“Sound Off with Sasha,” a weekly radio review of current topics hosted by Sasha Rethati, produced a report on the pros and cons of virtual education. Cathy Cavanaugh, UF associate professor in education technology, was one of two experts interviewed for the show and commented on the effective use of online and blended education through technology.

Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) website & nationwide press release
11-29-11
Luis Ponjuan (UF Institute of Higher Education)
IHEP, based in Washington, D.C., disseminated a nationwide news release Nov. 29, and also posted a news item on its website, about a policy brief co-authored by UF IHE Director Luis Ponjuan that introduces a “Blueprint for Action” — providing model program examples and action steps to best support Latino males to and through college and into the workforce.

Independent Florida Alligator
11-21-11
Dorene Ross (School of Teaching and Learning)
The Alligator reported that the Florida Department of Education requested to be exempt from certain portions of the No Child Left Behind law. In regard to standardized student-testing, the Alligator article quotes professor Dorene Ross as saying, “The emphasis on high-stakes testing has changed the school experience so that the emphasis is less on learning and more on performing on a test.”

Media Newswire / WRUF Radio
11-14-11
Lynda Hayes (P.K. Yonge School director), Rose Pringle (STL)
Media-Newswire.com, an international press release distribution firm catering to the specialist media, carried the college’s press release about “COE-PK Yonge head $5M effort to transform middle-school science education.” PKY Director Lynda Hayes and co-investigator Rose Pringle, of the COE’s School of Teaching and Learning, were both quoted describing the project. Media Newswire delivers directly to more than 250 news desks, reaching thousands of international journalists, and also reaches over 100,000 end-users daily.

FLORIDA TIMES-UNION (JACKSONVILLE DAILY NEWSPAPER)
11-5-11
Lastinger Center mentor apprenticeship pays off

The Florida Times-Union daily newspaper in Duval County profiled North Shore Elementary School instructional coach Brooke Cobbin, one of the first participants in a 2006 apprenticeship program sponsored by the college’s Lastinger Center for Learning.

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
11-5-11
Anita Zucker (1972 graduate) cited in listing of million-dollar philanthropists

COE alumna and major donor Anita Zucker (BAE ‘72) is mentioned in this St. Petersburg Times (Sunday edition) article on Florida’s million-dollar philanthropists.

WUFT-FM RADIO
11-2-11
Tim Jacobbe (math education)

Jacobbe was quoted in a WUFT radio news report describing the implications of the latest report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, showing that the nation’s scores of reading and math progress for fourth and eighth graders remained about the same from 2009.

THE DAILY (the first iPad-only newspaper)
11-1-11
Dorene Ross (School of Teaching and Learning)

Professor Dorene Ross was quoted in The Daily (the first-ever iPad-only newspaper) in an article headlined “Miami-Dade  joins school districts making end-of-term exams optional.” Ross said that by dropping final or midterm exams, students will lose a chance to get feedback about how well they are doing in class.

Naples News daily newspaper
10-28-11
Education Leadership doctoral program
A Naples News report discusses the impact of technology on learning, focusing on issues covered by 18 Collier County district administrators in a new, job-embedded educational leadership doctorate program offered online through UF’s College of Education.

NATIONAL EDUCATION POLICY CENTER
October 2011
Ed tech’s Cavanaugh cited in national policy brief

Ed Tech instructor Cathy Cavanaugh’s published research analyzing online learning outcomes in K-12 teaching was cited five times in a policy brief titled “Online K-12 Schooling in the U.S.: Uncertain Private Ventures in need of Public Regulation,” published by the National Education Policy Center.

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
10-26-11
Brian Dassler (COE 2002 graduate)

COE graduate Brian Dassler (MEd “02, English Education) and David Colburn of UF’s Reubin Askew Institute co-authored a guest opinion column in the St. Petersburg Times urging policymakers not to embrace virtual schooling—especially for-profit virtual schools—as a cure-all for problems in public education.” Dassler is principal of a KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) High School in New Orleans.

EDUCATION WEEK
10-26-11
UF online degrees in education technology

The COE’s online graduate degree programs in educational technology, teacher leadership and school improvement, and special education were cited in the Oct. 26 edition of Education Week as examples of “options” that many practicing teachers who have the time for graduate coursework are taking advantage of.

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA: SARASOTA HERALD TRIBUNE, JACKSONVILLE DAILY RECORD, FLAGLER LIVE.COM,
10-25-11
Cathy Cavanaugh (professor, education technology), Peggy Haldeman (Ed tech Ed.D. student)

Dr. Cavanaugh and Peggy Haldeman (EdD student and Florida Virtual School senior manager) were quoted in this Sarasota Herald-Tribue article critical of the quality and cost of for-profit virtual schools. The article cites a Missouri-based study Cavanaugh worked on. The story by the News Service of Florida also appeared in the Jacksonville Daily Record and on FlaglerLive.com website.

INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR; THE LEGIS-GATOR; UF BROADCAST NEWS
10-10-11
Tim Jacobbe (STL-math education) receives $2M NSF grant

Supported by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, UF math education researcher is leading a multi-center effort to create high-quality testing instruments in statistics, which will help teachers keep middle and high school students on track for meeting rigorous, new national math standards. Story was covered by the Florida Alligator and the Nov. 2, 2011 issue of The LegisGator (a newsletter for the Gator Caucus). UF also produced a broadcast news story made available to national TV news affiliates via satellite. Also covered on the following websites: — usCollegeRanking.org/universities; eCollegiateNews.com; scoop.it/the-lead-learner-is-the-learning-leader; and gatorcountry.com/gatorbeat/

PALM BEACH POST
10-16-11
Linda Jones (science education) encourages hands-on labs

A Palm Beach Post article reports the decision of a Palm Beach middle school to get rid of hands-on science labs in their classrooms, placing more emphasis on standardized testing like the FCAT. Associate professor Linda Jones, a proponent of hands-on learning, was quoted saying, “There’s no questioning whether hands-on is important. That’s been asked and answered.”

INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR
10-9-11
Lynda Hayes (P.K. Yonge DRS), Rose Pringle (science education)
An article in the Oct. 9 edition of the Florida Alligator reported on the National Science Foundation’s award of a $5 million grant to COE and P.K. Yonge education researchers, who will use the money to revise science programs in Florida middle schools. Hayes was quotes saying that retraining middle school teachers will help them increase students’ interest in biology, chemistry, physics and earth science.

INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR
10-7-11
Dimple Malik Flesner (UF Teach)
Student Heather McNeill was featured and UF Teach associate director Dimple Malik Flesner was quoted in a sizable profile article in the Florida Alligator on the college’s UF Teach program, appearing in the Oct. 7, 2011 edition.

INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR
9-30-11
Hedges add to $2M gift

When Bill and Robbie Hedges saw their 2005 donation of almost $2 million to UF’s College of Education drop in value during the recent recession, they feared the education research supported by their gift would suffer from the reduced funding.  As reported in the Sept. 30 edition of the Florida Alligator, the retired Gainesville couple recently added another $63,000 to their endowed research fund to restore its value to previous levels.

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
9-25-11
Luis Ponjuan (UF Institute for Higher Education)

Ponjuan, assistant professor of educational administration and director of UF’s Institute for Higher Education, was quoted in the Sept. 25, 2011 issue of the online Chronicle of Higher Education in an article titled “Educators Start Early to Create a College-Going Culture Among Hispanics in Texas.” He said Hispanic children will face pressure from friends who insist that college is a waste of time and encouraged parents to keep talking with their children about the pressures they will face.

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION–Luis Ponjuan (UF Institute of Higher Education)–9-26-11
Many higher-education institutions are pairing up with local school officials to create a college-going culture among Hispanic students, even in kindergarten. Luis Ponjuan of UF’s Institute of Higher Education is quoted in a Chronicle of Higher Education article advising parents that their children will face pressure from friends who insist that college is a waste of time. He urges parents to get to know faculty members and administrators at the college, and to keep talking with their children about the pressures they will face.

GAINESVILLE SUN
9-24-11
P.K. Yonge School

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School is heralding its new elementary wing, set to open for the 2012-2013 school year, as a “new, new building, not a new old building.” Instead of desks and chairs, PKY students will learn in reading lofts, outdoors and in large rooms with more than 50 other students, each working in a small group. With a new building, says director Lynda Hayes, comes a new way of teaching. (Read more in the Gainesville Sun )