coE-News: November 17, 2008, VOL 4 ISSUE 3
November 17, 2008
You’re reading coE-News, an electronic newsletter produced monthly during the academic year by the College of Education News & Communications Office to keep faculty and staff up-to-date on college news and activities. Click here to download a PDF version of this edition. You will need a PDF reader to view this document.
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IN THIS ISSUE:
- Dean’s Message
- Top Stories
- News & Notices
- Appointments
- Student Laurels
- Staff Laurels
- Dissertation Defenses
- Publications
- Call for Proposals
- P. K. Yonge News
- In the News
- Calendar
- Quick Links
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Dean’s Message
‘Yes We Can’: post-election ponderings on making a difference in education
The College of Education is deeply engaged at all levels in improving educational outcomes, especially for those most in need, and searching constantly for ways to make a difference in people’s lives. Whether we will succeed can be summed up in the three simple words eloquently stated by Barack Obama, our new president-elect—“Yes, we can.” (more)
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Top Story
UF signs cooperative agreement with Polish university to advance inclusion of students with special needs
The UF College of Education has signed a cooperative agreement with a leading teacher education academy in Warsaw, Poland, to advance the inclusion of students with moderate to severe disabilities in the Polish general education system. The partnering universities will collaborate on both the development of teacher preparation programs in special education and school-based research on the effect of inclusive education. (more)
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News & Notices
Retention downplayed as teacher-shortage solution in first talk of COE’s distinguished-speaker series
A national education expert told a group of approximately 30 COE faculty and students that improved teacher retention efforts would not significantly impact the current teacher shortage. The presentation Oct. 30 kicked off the yearlong “21st Century Pathways in Education” distinguished-speaker series, sponsored by UF’s College of Education. (more)
‘Fostering Our Global Community’
3rd annual celebration of Comparative & International Education Day
College of Education
Terrace Room
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
| SCHEDULE OF EVENTS | |
| 12:30-1 p.m. | Entertainment, Food and Check-In |
| 1-2 p.m. | Keynote Speaker: Dr. Anita Anantharam Fostering Our Global Community |
| 2:10-3 p.m. | Student Panel Discussion Challenges Faced by International Teaching Assistants Who Are Training Future Practitioners in The Context of American Schools |
| 3:10-4 p.m. | Faculty Panel Discussion Cultural Implications for Foreign Students in Educational Counseling |
| 4-5 p.m. | Student and Faculty Poster Sessions |
| 5 p.m. | Adjourn |
Keynote Speaker: Anita Anantharam is assistant professor at UF’s Center for Women’s Studies and Gender Research. Her key research interests are in the fields of nationalism and feminism in South Asia. Her current manuscript is a comparative study of anti-state poetry from India and Pakistan during a period of 20th century religious revitalization. She is the editor of Mahadevi Varma: Essays on Women, Culture, and Society, a volume of translations, and her book manuscript titled Bodies that Remember: Women’s Indigenous Knowledge and Cosmopolitanism in South Asia is currently under review with Syracuse University Press. Website:education.ufl.edu/hdose/2008/11/19/63/
KDPi stages Fun Science Fair for after-school students
Magnets, stinky balloons, water rockets, marshmallows and toothpicks, and plain old “goo” were some of the props used by UF’s Upsilon chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, the international educational honor society, when members staged a Fun Science Fair recently for 150 kids in a local after-school program.
(more)
Leave your legacy with a commemorative brick
There’s a new way you can ensure your place in the history—and the
future—of the College of Education. Now you can celebrate cherished UF memories, honor a colleague or favorite professor, or commemorate a birthday, retirement or graduation with a personalized brick paver at the COE’s Norman Hall Plaza (by the west archway entrance facing SW 13th Street). Space is limited, so act now! Check out the details for the new brick campaign on the COE Development Office’s Web site by clicking here.
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Appointments
Dr. Craig Wood, professor of educational administration and policy, was appointed to the eight-person Board of Editors for the Journal of Education Finance. The publication is recognized as one of the leading journals in the field of funding public schools. Each issue brings original research and analysis on issues such as education reform, judicial intervention in finance, school/social agency linkages, tax limitation measures, and factors influencing teacher salaries.
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Student Laurels
Special Education student receives dissertation award
Melinda Leko was selected as the 2008 TED Dissertation Award winner for her dissertation “Understanding the Various Influences on Special Education Pre-Service Teachers’ Appropriation of Conceptual and Practical Tools for Teaching Reading.” The award was announced Nov. 7 during the Council for Exceptional Children Teacher Education Division (CEC-TED) National Conference in Dallas. Leko has been invited to submit the manuscript for possible publication in Teacher Education and Special Education.
Master’s student nets Aspiring Educator Scholarship
Master’s candidate Behroz Nowrojee received one of five 2008 Aspiring Educator Scholarships, which includes a $1,000 scholarship for outstanding students majoring in special education and related services. Now in her practicum semester in special education, Nowrojee is preparing for her internship in the Elementary K-6/ESE K-12/ESOL endorsement program (with dual certification).
Doctoral candidate awarded national fellowship
Jennifer Drake Patrick, a doctoral candidate in reading education, received a highly competitive Adolescent Literacy Predoctoral Fellowship from the National Academy of Education for her proposal titled “Secondary Science Teachers Learning to Teach Science as Specialized Discourse.” The award carries a stipend of $25,000 to support dissertation research. (more)
PROTEACH student chosen for University Scholars program
Unified Elementary ProTeach student Caryn Pepose has been chosen to participate in the University Scholars program for 2008-2009. Her research focus is autism; Senior lecturer Mary Ann Nelson in Special Education will serve as her mentor.
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Staff Laurels
“Journeys,”a poem byEileen Jones,Educational Administration and Policy program assistant, was published in the annual poetry anthology Collected Whispers. This is the eighth poem Jones has published, in addition to a number of personal essays. ”Journeys” was adapted from an essay Jones wrote when her daughter and two friends turned 20 and were beginning their “journey” toward adulthood. (more)
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Dissertation Defenses
The following dissertation defenses were announced for the October–November coverage period. For defenses yet to occur, please RSVP if you plan on attending.
The Relationship Between Science Teacher Qualifications, Instructional Practices, and Student Science Achievement
Doctoral candidate: Laurie Zuelke
Oct. 21
Chair: Linda Behar-Horenstein
Beginning Teacher Beliefs and Wise Practices: A Study of a High School Social Studies Teacher
Doctoral candidate: Michele Philips
Oct. 23
Chair: Elizabeth Washington
Examination and Application of the Education Adequacy Models and Studies to the State of Florida
Doctoral candidate: Lori Benton
Nov. 4
Chair: R. Craig Wood
Scholars as Followers in Florida Community Colleges
Doctoral candidate: John Scott Smith
Nov.5
Chair: David Honeyman
State Blaine Amendments: Origins, History, and Education Policy Implications Following Mitchell, Zelman, and Locke
Doctoral candidate: Doug Johnson
Nov.10
Chair: R. Craig Wood
Inquiry-Oriented School Improvement: Enhancing Learning through Shifting Roles, Relationships, and Praxis in a Professional Development School
Doctoral candidate: Angela Gregory
9:30 a.m., Nov. 17, 2337 Norman Hall
RSVP to: Diane Yendol-Hoppey, diane.yendolHoppey@mail.wvu.edu
From a Distance: Supporting Beginning Alternatively Certified Urban Teachers via E-mentoring
Doctoral candidate: Lisa Langley
3 p.m., Nov. 17, G615 Norman Hall
RSVP to: Diane Yendol-Hoppey, diane.yendolHoppey@mail.wvu.edu
Relationships among Principal Beliefs about Data-Driven Decision Making, Principal and School Characteristics, and Student Achievement in Elementary Schools
Doctoral candidate: Vicki White
10 a.m., Nov.18, 1205 Norman Hall
RSVP to: David Quinn, dquinn@coe.ufl.edu
An Evaluation of Familial Involvements’ Influence on Student Achievement in K-12 Virtual Schooling
Doctoral candidate: Erik Black
11 a.m., Nov. 25, G513 Norman Hall
RSVP to: Richard Ferdig, rferdig@coe.ufl.edu
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Publications
Cholewa, B., & West-Olatunji, C. (2008). “Exploring the relationship among cultural discontinuity, psychological distress, and academic achievement outcomes for low-income, culturally diverse students.” Professional School Counseling, 12, 54-61.
West-Olatunji, C., Shure, L., Pringle, R., Adams, T., Baratelli, A., Lewis, D., Milton, K., & Flesner, D. (2008). “Increasing mathematics and science achievement among low-income, African American youth using strength-based interventions.” International Journal of Learning, 15, 1-10.
West-Olatunji, C., Shure, L., Garrett, M., Conwill, W., & Torres, E. (2008). “Rite of passage programs as effective tools for fostering resilience among low-income African American male adolescents.” Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education, 47, 131-143.
Wood, R.C., Elliott, D., Poston Escue, C., Heatley III, N.A. (2008). “North Carolina School Boards Association v. Moore: A Decision Without a Solution.” ELA Notes, vol. 43, No. 4, Fourth Quarter, 15 & 19.
Fang, Z., & Schleppegrell, M. J. (2008). “Reading in secondary content areas: A language-based pedagogy.” Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. (ISBN-13: 978-0-472-03279-2)
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Call for Proposals
AMCD/ACES International Conference on Culturally Competent Disaster Response
The second joint annual conference of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES) is planned for July, 2009 in Gabarone, Botswana in southern Africa. Conference co-chairs Cirecie A. West-Olatunji and Arpana Inman invite proposals from potential conference participants. For additional information, click here.
FFMT 13th Annual Recruitment and Retention Conference
The Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc. will host the 13th Annual Recruitment and Retention Conference April 4–5, 2009 in Miami, Fla. The conference is titled “Creating Classrooms Where Dreams Come True.” The FFMT encourages scholars, primary contacts, community college contacts, district recruiters, college and university faculty, teachers and principals to submit proposals to address conference attendees—Minority Teacher Education Scholarship recipients currently enrolled in Florida teacher education programs and community college students considering education as a profession. The deadline for conference topics is Dec. 5, 2008. For more information, please click here.
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P. K. Yonge News
PK Yonge Civics class on the evening news
Instructor Jackie Sirmopoulous and her seventh grade Civics/Comparative Government class at P.K. Yonge were featured recently on the news program of Gainesville’s local ABC affiliate, WCJB-TV 20. Sirmopolous’ class is one of only two in the state teaching civics and government to middle school students. To view the video, click here.
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In the News
St. Petersburg Times (10/23/2008)—Lastinger Center for Learning
The St. Petersburg Times carried a story, in print and online, on the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s selection of Florida’s 85 top teachers based on student FCAT scores. The article mentions how a Lastinger Center research team will record the teachers’ discussions of their best teaching practices and publish the results in a report, The Secrets of Successful Teaching, due out in early 2009.
The Gainesville Sun (10/21/2008)—Associate Professor of Science and Environmental Education Linda Cronin Jones
The Gainesville Sun covered Jones’ talk as part of the History of Science 2008 Fall Colloquium sponsored by UF’s History of Science Society. Jones’ talk was titled “Don’t know Much about History,” and addressed a detrimental lack of a historical perspective in high school students regarding science. According to Jones, “A historical perspective should be used to guide modern decisions.”
Miami Herald (10/19/2008)—Associate Professor Sevan Terzian
Terzian was quoted in an online Miami Herald story titled “South Florida charter schools offering new language options.” The story highlighted charter schools that not only incorporate foreign languages into their curricula, but often use the alternative language.
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Meet the new editor of coE-News
Renée Zenaida has joined the College as a staff writer/information specialist, and is the new editor of coE-News. She has a varied background in writing-editing and public relations. She previously served as writer-editor at the UF Foundation—experience that should come in handy here at the College. Renée received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Florida in 1990. She has been published in two Florida-specific nature writing anthologies, and in a couple of magazines around the state.
CALENDAR
Fri., Nov 21
Grand Guard,class of 1957
11:30am, Terrace Room
Open to All COE & PKY Faculty & Staff
Fri., Dec 5
COE Holiday Reception
3-4pm, Terrace Room
Fri., Dec 19
Advance Degree Commencement
4 pm, O’Connell Center
Sat., Dec 20
COE Fall Commencement
2 pm, O’Connell Center
Thurs., Feb. 26
Arthur G. Peterson Lectureship Series
On Death Education
Dorothy Becvar, LCSW, Ph.D.
University of St Louis, Missouri
Did you know?
- Counselor education faculty have created new online courses that allow credentialed school counselors to qualify for licensure as mental health counselors.
Fast Fact
- Faculty at the College of Education and its affiliated laboratory school, P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, together generated nearly $6.5 million last year in research and training grant expenditures—a jump of more than $2 million, or 46 percent, over 2007. That’s the largest yearly research expenditure over the past five years.
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QUICK LINKS
University of Florida
College of Education
P.K. Yonge Developmental
Research School
Faculty Practice Council
COE News & Publications
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coE-News is produced by:
coE-News is produced by:
College of Education
University of Florida
Dean:
Catherine Emihovich
cemihovich@coe.ufl.edu
News & Communications
Director and Managing Editor:
Larry Lansford
llansford@coe.ufl.edu
Writer & Editor
Renee Zenaida
rzenaida@coe.ufl.edu
Information & Instructional Technology
Webmaster:
Prentiss Lee Ladkani
pladkani@coe.ufl.edu
Correspondent:
Marta Pollitt, P.K. Yonge
mpollitt@pky.ufl.edu
