Press Releases

1,000 Florida educators to share ‘action research’ in UF showcases

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—More than 1,000 public school educators are presenting their action research in coming weeks at the University of Florida’s annual inquiry showcases around the state.

The university’s Lastinger Center for Learning, part of the College of Education, co-produces the showcases with the Miami-Dade, Collier and Duval school districts as part of its award-winning Master Teacher Initiative. It is also sponsoring presentations by STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) teachers in Pinellas County.

The events showcase classroom-oriented research projects that aim to boost student learning.

“Year after year, the teachers and administrators who participate in our Master Teacher Initiative dig deep into their practice and conduct hands-on research to figure out the best ways to help their students learn and develop,” said Don Pemberton, director of the Lastinger Center.

Miami-Dade holds its showcase May 12 at Southwest Miami Senior High School; Duval May 24 at the University of North Florida Center in Jacksonville; and Collier June 4 at Immokalee High School.

During the past school year, educators have tackled an eclectic variety of subjects. Many of them studied the effects of the technology they’ve incorporated into their classrooms.

Projects include “Get Them Hooked,” in which Carter G Woodson Elementary (Jacksonville) second-grade math teacher Deanda Ewers incorporated “research based engagement strategies” into her lesson plans; “Two Teachers? Pros and Cons of Team Teaching,” in which Coral Park Elementary (Miami) kindergarten teachers Carlos Mena and Jennifer Figueredo analyzed this scenario in their classroom; and “Impact of Study Island on AP Stats,” in which Immokalee High School 12^th-grade math/computer science teacher Steven Becker examined the impact of new software on his students’ achievement.

The UF Lastinger Center is a global leader in the teacher quality movement. Harnessing the university’s intellectual resources, it partners with philanthropic, educational, governmental and business organizations to design, build, field-test, scale and disseminate new models and strategies to transform teaching and learning.

CONTACT
WRITER: Boaz Dvir, UF Lastinger Center for Learning, UF College of Education, 352-273-0289, bdvir@coe.ufl.edu

May 9, 2012/by

Alumni Accolades, Awards, Press Releases

’65 grad Delores Lastinger named UF Distinguished Alumna

Delores Lastinger, a leading civic leader, philanthropist and former Jacksonville high school teacher known for her tremendous contributions to the Northeast Florida community and the University of Florida, has been chosen to receive the 2012 University of Florida Distinguished Alumna Award.

She was honored May 5 at UF’s commencement ceremony in Gainesville.

Lastinger, a longtime Jacksonville resident who, with her husband Allen, moved to St. Augustine in 2001, earned her bachelor’s degree in education from UF’s College of Education in 1965 and has always displayed a deep commitment to education. The Lastingers in 2002 created a $4 million endowment at UF to establish the Lastinger Center for Learning at the college.

The renowned center reflects the Lastingers’ vision of practical training that improves teacher practice and student learning. Little did they know that the center would grow in a few short years to link some 300 partnering high-poverty schools across Florida with UF research scholars from multiple disciplines, forming powerful learning communities in support of school improvement, teacher advancement and children’s early learning and healthy development. The Lastingers are active board members who continuously contribute to the center’s success.

“Close to 10 years ago, Allen and Delores, who’ve worked hard in life, found themselves in a position to give something back,” said Lastinger Center Director Don Pemberton. “They invested in education and planted a seed here in the College of Education. That seed has grown and grown and grown.”

Delores is vice president of the Lastinger Family Foundation and her devotion to education and charitable work has been a lifelong labor of love. After graduating from UF, she earned a master’s in education administration and supervision from the University of North Florida and taught for many years at Episcopal High School in Jacksonville before having children and moving into high-profile volunteer work and philanthropy.

UF has been the beneficiary of the Lastingers’ generosity on several occasions. Delores and Allen are joint lifetime members of the UF Alumni Association and are members of the President’s Council. (Allen has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from UF and is the retired CEO of Barnett Banks.) Delores also serves on the UF Foundation’s leadership gifts council and campaign steering council.

Besides the center, the Lastingers have made substantial donations to UF’s archeology program, the John V. Lombardi Scholarship Program, the UF 150th Anniversary Cultural Plaza Endowment-UF Performing Arts, and the David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies (also in the College of Education.)

Delores Lastinger’s generosity is well known throughout Northeast Florida. She and Allen co-chaired a successful $15 million capital campaign for Jacksonville Episcopal High, where Delores serves on the board of trustees. She also served on the board of directors for Leadership Jacksonville and developed the group’s annual fundraising program for its Youth Jacksonville Program, which supports more than 800 high school students. She’s also held board leadership positions for the Hubbard House (a domestic violence shelter), Hope Haven Children’s Clinic and Family Center and other charities.

Delores has volunteered for many years at the Community Hospice of Northeast Florida inpatient care center in St. Augustine and helped the center establish its pediatric hospice program. She’s also a trustee of Flagler College in St. Augustine and the Lastingers have campaigned to help preserve the college’s historic buildings.

MEDIA CONTACT: Boaz Dvir, creative services, UF Lastinger Center, UF College of Education, 352-273-0289; bdvir@coe.ufl.edu

May 3, 2012/by

2012 Recognition Dinner Scholarship Video

Each year, the college hosts the Recognition Dinner as a way to honor its generous donors and recognize student award winners and scholarship recipients. As a tribute to scholarship donors, the college compiles a Thank You video which plays during the reception. The video shows a handful of scholarship recipients who describe which scholarship they received, how they will use the funds, and how grateful they are to their donor.

April 24, 2012/by

COE in the News, Press Releases

North Florida educators converge on UF for FATE showcase

GAINESVILLE, FL – More than 300 practicing and future teachers, teacher educators and educational administrators—mainly from North Florida’s I-10 corridor—converged on the University of Florida campus April 21 for the 2012 multi-regional conference and inquiry showcase of the Florida Association of Teacher Educators (FATE).

The conference theme was “Teacher Learning and Practice Across the I-10 Corridor,” with participating educators hailing from the western Florida Panhandle counties to Jacksonville on Florida’s east coast, and as far south as the Alachua County and Marion County school districts in northcentral Florida.

All conference sessions and activities will be in Gainesville at UF’s Norman Hall, home of UF’s College of Education, from 9:45 a.m. until 4 p.m. Norman Hall is located on the southeast corner of UF’s campus at 605 SW 13^th Street.

Darby Delane

Conference sessions showcased successful applications of teacher inquiry—also called action research—with attending educators sharing their findings from classroom-oriented research projects conducted to improve their own teaching practices, with enhanced student learning as the metric for success.

“Inquiry, or action research, is gaining popularity as an effective strategy for job-embedded, teacher professional development and school improvement,” said Darby Delane, school-university partnerships coordinator at UF’s College of Education.

Darby and UF lecturer Shelley Warm, who coordinates the college’s SITE educational preparation institute, represented UF on the 2012 FATE conference planning committee.

Several North Florida school districts and teacher-education programs from UF, University of North Florida, Florida A&M, Tallahassee Community College and Daytona State College will be represented at the conference, along with several higher-education institutions and school districts from central Florida regions of FATE.

Pertinent session topics included:

— Preparing African-American, low-income and first-generation students for college achievement

— Social media as a learning tool

— Saving rural and inner-city schools through university-school partnerships

— Social studies: the disappearing subject

— Help stop the revolving door of science teachers

— Cultural competence: Essential skills for new teachers

— Professional Development Schools

A sampling of presentations by UF education faculty and students includes:

— The UF Literacy Initiative, a promising intervention model for preventing reading difficulties in young children

— How race and gender play a role in students’ classroom discipline

— How UF is shifting its elementary teacher preparation program to meet today’s education needs

— Behavior management without raising your voice

— Breaking the code: an approach to increasing math FCAT scores

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Darby Delane, university-school partnerships coordinator, UF College of Education, delane@coe.ufl.edu; (w) 352-273-4191

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

April 18, 2012/by

Awards, Press Releases, Student Laurels

Participant in UF master-teacher program receives top honor in Pinellas

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the second year in a row, a teacher who receives training from the University of Florida Master Teacher Initiative has been named teacher of the year in Pinellas County.

Pinellas County Schools recently chose UF Lastinger Center Teacher Fellows Facilitator Stephanie Whitaker, a fifth-grade teacher at Dunedin Elementary, as Pinellas County’s 2012 Teacher of the Year.

“I don’t think I would have won Outstanding Educator if I hadn’t had the opportunity to participate in the Teacher Fellows program and conduct inquiry,” said Whitaker, 29, who teaches English for Speakers of Other Languages, known as ESOL.

Inquiry — action research conducted on the job by educators — is a cornerstone of the Master Teacher Initiative, an award-winning, job-embedded professional development program run by the UF Lastinger Center for Learning.

Inquiry has proven to be a natural fit for Whitaker, said Lastinger Innovation Champion Sylvia Boynton, who has worked closely with Dunedin teachers over the years.

“One of the things I’ve started doing is inquiry opportunities with my students — having them conduct research,” Whitaker said.

It’s been a big hit, year after year.

“There was never a discipline problem and the kids loved every minute — they would ask to do this work,” Boynton said.

Whitaker, who’s been teaching for six years, has participated in the Teacher Fellows program since Dunedin partnered with Lastinger five years ago.

Last year, PCS named Tracy Staley, a participant in the Master Teacher Initiative’s on-the-job graduate program, the district’s Outstanding Educator. She went on to become a finalist for the state Teacher of the Year.

Being named Pinellas’ 2012 Teacher of the Year caught Whitaker by surprise.

“It’s really been an out-of-body experience,” she said.

Her teaching has been more structured since she began as a Teacher Fellow, Whitaker said. She differentiates her instruction through individualized data and views her students in new ways.

“I look at my classroom through a different lens,” she said.

Besides teaching, Whitaker serves on Dunedin’s school leadership team.

“She is a wonderful resource to the other teachers,” Boynton said.

CONTACT

SOURCE: Sylvia Boynton, innovation champion, UF Lastinger Center for Learning, 727-742-3759, sboynton@coe.ufl.edu

April 4, 2012/by

FLORIDA VOICES

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

April 2, 2012/by

COE in the News, Press Releases

TAMPA BAY NEWS WEEKLLY

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.

March 29, 2012/by

COE in the News, Press Releases

CHRONICLE OF HIGHER EDUCATION: Linda C. Jones

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.

March 25, 2012/by

Giving, Press Releases

Gift honors long College-PKY lab school partnership

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida and its K-12 laboratory school, P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, have a long history of collaboration dating back to 1934, and now each will benefit from a $100,000 gift from one of the lab school’s former teachers.

Stephanie Wester, P.K. Yonge’s only fifth-grade teacher when she taught there in 1957-58, and her husband William J. Wester, both retired and living in Gainesville, have pledged the money to create an endowed scholarship in UF’s College of Education. The Stephanie Kornprobst Wester Endowed Fellowship will support deserving UF graduate students in education who are conducting innovative research or teaching projects at P.K. Yonge during their advanced degree studies.

“I didn’t get my degrees at (the University of) Florida, but it’s my husband’s alma mater and I’ve come to think of it as mine, too,” Stephanie Wester said. “I loved teaching at P.K. Yonge, and the school and the College of Education always work so hard together. P.K. Yonge has some exciting plans for the future and my husband and I want to help out and be a part of that.”

Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Kent State and a master’s in reading education from Johns Hopkins University. Her husband, William, earned two UF degrees, in physical education in 1953 and electrical engineering in 1958. He is retired from Westinghouse, where he worked from 1973 to 1996.

UF’s College of Education established P.K. Yonge in 1934 as a model school to test its teaching theories and curriculum innovations and to provide practical teacher training for its undergraduates. The college and P.K. Yonge shared the new school building (located on the southeast corner of UF’s campus) until 1957, when the lab school moved a few blocks south to new quarters at its current location. The college took over the old school building and renamed it Norman Hall after former education dean James W. Norman.

“In 1958, I marched my fifth graders from the old building to the new school along with all the other P.K. Yonge students, from kindergarten to high school. That was an exciting time and the kids were absolutely thrilled,” Stephanie Wester said.

Mrs. Wester regrets she had to resign after just one year at P.K. Yonge, following her husband that summer to Long Island for his new job. Her 25-year teaching career took her to schools in Miami, Gainesville and Baltimore, plus three more years as supervisor of student teachers at Salisbury (Md.) State College.

After nearly a half-century away, the Westers moved back to Gainesville in 2005, with their loyalty to UF and P.K. Yonge still intact.

“Stephanie Wester taught at P.K. Yonge during one of the most critical times in the history of its 78-year partnership with the College of Education,” said Glenn Good, in his first year as UF dean of education. “Through their gift, the Westers now offer support at another exciting juncture, as P.K. Yonge embarks on a total campus revitalization to evolve into a model learning community and a 21st century technological powerhouse.

“Good things seem to happen at P.K. Yonge when Stephanie Wester comes around.”

CONTACT:

WRITER: Larry Lansford, Director, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

March 6, 2012/by

Faculty Laurels, Press Releases

Professor elected president of nation’s largest counseling association

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Cirecie West-Olatunji, an associate professor of counselor education at the University of Florida’s College of Education, has been elected president of the American Counseling Association, the nation’s largest counseling professional organization. She will serve one year as president-elect beginning July 1 and will start a one-year term as the group’s 62^nd president on the same date next year.

West-Olatunji

West-Olatunji has held leadership positions at the branch, division and national levels of the ACA, which has more than 43,000 members. She currently serves on the association’s executive committee and on the governing council as a representative of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. She is a past president of the latter group.

She joins an impressive lineup of national leaders from UF’s counselor education program, spanning several decades. The program is ranked second nationally in its specialty area in the U.S. News & World Report’s survey of America’s Best Graduate Schools, and has consistently held a Top 5 national ranking since the mid-1990s.

“Dr. West-Olatunji continues the long-held tradition of UF counselor education faculty serving as national and international leaders of the profession,” said UF education dean Glenn Good, who also has a counseling background.

West-Olatunji said she expects the ACA to be dealing with several major emerging trends during her presidency—including the globalization of counseling and new counseling theories based on patients’ cultural backgrounds, learning how emotional responses to traumatic events (such as natural disasters) can contribute to psychological distress, and “a flurry of theories related to counseling young children age 5 and younger.”

“The next decade in counseling will be very exciting times in which counselors will need to be more responsive than ever,” she said.

West-Olatunji’s research specialty is in multicultural counseling and the role of cultural identity in the psychological, emotional and educational development of socially marginalized students. She has worked with local school communities to improve supportive parenting practices among students in low-income African-American families.

With an unusually high number of natural disasters occurring worldwide in recent years, she has been promoting the need to train more practitioners who can provide counseling for victims of disasters and their surviving family members and friends. She has taken graduate counseling students to New Orleans to assist in post-Katrina disaster recovery efforts. (She earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in counselor education from the University of New Orleans.)

She also has organized national teams of counseling students, faculty and practitioners to travel to South Africa and Botswana for community-based counseling of HIV and AIDS patients.

After visiting post-earthquake Haiti and other recent disaster sites, West-Olatunji has designed a new online certificate program in disaster counseling at UF for licensed mental health professionals and state-certified school counselors drawn to the field. She is developing a training model that can be used in places like New Orleans, Port Au Prince, Haiti, and Japan, and is planning a trip to Latin America for another outreach trip next year.

She has received numerous awards for research and service to the profession from groups such as the AMCD, Florida Counseling Association, Counselors for Social Justice, and the Association for Black Psychologists.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Cerecie West-Olatunji, associate professor, UF College of Education; (w) 352-273-4324; cwestolatunji@coe.ufl.edu

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

February 21, 2012/2 Comments/by

Faculty Laurels, Press Releases, Research News

Early-childhood service award has special meaning for Patricia Snyder

When Patricia Snyder, who heads the University of Florida’s Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies, recently received the Mary McEvoy Service to the Field Award from the international Division for Early Childhood, she cherished both the recognition and the associations with McEvoy and previous award recipients.

Patricia Snyder

The McEvoy award annually recognizes a community member, parent or professional who has made significant contributions, on a national or international level, to early intervention and early childhood special education that improve the lives of young children with special needs, their families, or those who work on their behalf. The DEC is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children, the largest international organization of professionals in the field.

McEvoy, the former director of the Center for Early Education and Development at the University of Minnesota, was a nationally respected researcher and advocate in early childhood studies. She was one of seven passengers who died with Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone in a 2002 plane crash on their way to a political debate and funeral service. She was 49.

“Mary McEvoy set the bar high for those of us in early-childhood-studies science, policy and practice. Those who have previously received the award named in her honor have raised the bar even higher,” Snyder said. “Much of what we envision for our center at the University of Florida is influenced by the work of Mary, her colleagues, and previous award recipients, which makes this honor even more meaningful.”

Snyder is the inaugural occupant of the David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies at UF’s College of Education. Prior to her UF appointment in 2007, she was the founding director of the Early Intervention Institute at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and subsequently was the director of research at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Child Development for two years.

UF Education Dean Glenn Good said Snyder’s selection for the McEvoy Award reflects UF’s national leadership role in early childhood studies. “Dr. Snyder spearheaded the creation of the university’s center for excellence in 2010 by mobilizing the university’s top specialists in early childhood studies for collaborative research and training activities.

“She has worked to create exceptional interdisciplinary programs and projects for her entire career.”

Snyder interacts with a toddler at Baby Gator.

The new center she heads has quickly gathered some early momentum. While UF’s Baby Gator Child Development and Research Center serves as the hub for model demonstration and training activities, Snyder set up the center’s administrative and research offices in newly renovated quarters in the College of Education’s Norman Hall.

Joining Snyder on the center’s interdisciplinary leadership team are Baby Gator director Pam Pallas, education professor James Algina, associate scholar in education Kelly Whalon, and UF pediatrics professors Marylou Behnke and Fonda Davis Eyler. World-class scholar Maureen Conroy also was recruited back to UF for a leadership team post. Conroy promptly landed a $4 million federal grant to examine the efficacy of a social and behavioral intervention in early learning settings. The center also has hired its first research scientist, Tara McLaughlin, a December doctoral graduate of UF’s early childhood-special education program with several national research and editorial honors.

Prominent businesswoman Anita Zucker, a 1972 UF education graduate, kept the momentum building last year when she pledged $1 million to create an endowed professorship in early childhood studies.

In the research arena, Snyder is working on a $6 million federal grant to expand a job-embedded, advanced degree track in early childhood studies and teacher leadership for teachers in Miami-Dade schools. She recently completed a highly competitive, $1.3 million federal grant to study the impact of professional development on preschool teachers’ instructional practices. In early February, she and her colleagues received a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship training grant from the Institute of Education Sciences.

“We are developing new early learning interventions in collaboration with local, state and national partners and supporting the next generation of early-childhood studies leaders and researchers,” Snyder said.

She served as editor of the Journal of Early Intervention from 2002-2007. Barbara Wolfe, a professor emeritus at the University of St. Thomas, says the high standards Snyder set as editor “played an important role in how early childhood intervention research is viewed and used by others.”

Snyder also advises state and federal early-learning commissions and is a local volunteer for United Way and the Children’s Movement of Florida.

“Pat has had a major impact on the field (of early childhood studies), has contributed significantly to the development of future leaders in our field, and has made a difference in the lives of children and families,” Wolfe wrote in nominating Snyder for the McEvoy Award.

Several of her doctoral students lauded Snyder in their nomination letters for her effective mentorship and the collaborative research opportunities she offers. Concerning her leadership style, Snyder says that among her leadership mantras are to “lead quietly, competently, and by example.”

“I consider it the supreme compliment when peers and practitioners say the quality of their work is enhanced through their collaborations with me, my colleagues, and our students,” Snyder said. “At the end of the day, my litmus test for the work we do is how much it improves services and supports for young children and their families.”

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Patricia Snyder, the Lawrence Endowed Professor in Early Childhood Studies, UF College of Education, 352-273-4291; patriciasnyder@coe.ufl.edu

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

February 15, 2012/1 Comment/by

Giving, Insider News, Press Releases

Memory of brothers killed in car crash lives on with mother’s gift to UF

GAINESVILLE, FL — In August of 2006, UF’s College of Education lost two of its most involved and beloved graduate students, but their memory lives on in a scholarship created by donations from their mother, friends, faculty and fellow students.

The college’s counselor education program has about 150 students, but they all felt the loss of David and Brian Marshall, according to Ana Puig, a doctoral student in counselor education at the time and now an associate scholar and research director in the college’s Office of Educational Research.

The Marshall brothers were killed in a single-car crash on a trip back to Florida from their hometown of Gloucester, Mass. Brian, 31, was a pursuing an M.Ed./Ed.S. degree in mental health counseling and David, 39, was working toward a doctoral degree in counselor education. Both were awarded posthumously in 2007.

Esther Marshall

Brian was one of Puig’s students, but she knew both brothers well. She remembers their generous spirit, something their mother, Esther Marshall, wanted to recognize with the scholarship. Esther took out a life-insurance policy and has pledged the benefit amount from her estate toward the $30,000 needed to create a permanent endowed scholarship.

“She wants to make sure the annual scholarship goes to counselor education students who are known for being like her sons were–always active, always involved, always helping other people,” Puig said.

College officials say the $30,000 goal hasn’t been reached yet, but Puig said faculty and students in the counselor education program still hope to raise the money needed to contribute toward the permanent endowment. Meanwhile, the college has already awarded a scholarship for each of the past five years to a deserving counselor ed student with funds contributed by others who knew, or have since heard about, the Marshall brothers and what they meant to the program.

The scholarship is open to graduate students of counselor education. Interested students can find more information on how to apply for the $500 scholarship at https://education.ufl.edu/student-services/scholarships/.

The Marshall brothers were always together and known for their love of sports (especially the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots), their generosity and hosting Gator football game-day parties with New England clam chowder and chili.

David was founder of the Florida Center of Performance Excellence, a sports psychology counseling center. They both worked closely with athletes as part of their internship training and David developed a popular undergraduate course focused on sports performance. The course was modeled after one developed by the U.S. Military Academy and augmented with material developed by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Offered as an undergraduate elective by the counselor education program, it proved especially attractive to Gator student athletes, many of whom attended the college’s memorial service for the brothers.

David and Brian Marshall received their degrees posthumously in a spring 2007 memorial ceremony at the Norman Hall. Pictured from left during the presentation are former COE Dean Catherine Emihovich, Esther Marshall, Michael Marshall (Brian's twin brother), and former UF counselor ed assistant scholar Kitty Fallon.

They were both heavily involved in student organizations including UF’s student Beta chapter of Chi Sigma Iota International, the counselor education profession’s honor society, for whom David served as president. David even cut his famous ponytail to raise over $1,000 for Relay for Life, one of the organization’s fundraisers. He also won an international Outstanding Service Award from the group, in part, for this creative fundraising idea.

“If you needed something, you’d call Brian or Dave, and they’d come,” Puig said. “If you’d call one, the other would always show up. They were inseparable.”

As namesakes of the scholarship started by their mother, they shall be remembered that way for many years to come at the College of Education.

CONTACTS

Source: Ana Puig, associate scholar and director of research, UF College of Education; anapuig@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4121

Media Relations: Larry Lansford, director of news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137.

Writer: Jessica Bradley, intern, news and communications, UF College of Education.

February 9, 2012/1 Comment/by

Lastinger Center featured in booklet on UF’s impact in Miami-Dade

UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning, the College of Education’s statewide teaching- and school-improvement program, is featured in the South Florida edition of “UF in Your Neighborhood,” a new booklet produced by the University of Florida Foundation.

The foundation recently published several different regional versions of the booklet to highlight how UF’s teaching, research and service impact the lives of UF alumni and all residents in major markets throughout Florida and the Southeast.

The South Florida edition, covering Miami-Dade County, leads off with “Promise of a Brighter Future,” a full-page overview describing how “improving teacher practice and student achievement is at the heart of (the Lastinger Center’s) newly expanded program in Miami-Dade County.”

Following the Lastinger Center piece, under a headline of “Education Champion,” the booklet offers a mini-profile of UF alum David Lawrence Jr., former publisher of The Miami Herald and a leading advocate of early childhood education at UF, in Miami-Dade and across the nation.

Here are brief summaries of how the college’s Lastinger Center for Learning and UF early-learning advocate Lawrence are impacting the Miami-Dade County communities . . .

— Ready Schools Florida program
The Lastinger Center has partnered with Miami-Dade Schools and The Early Child Initiative Foundation since 2006 on an ambitious effort to give young children the best chance to succeed in school and beyond. It’s called Ready Schools Florida. Supported by a $10 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the program promotes early learning and child well-being from birth through elementary school. It’s an all-out effort to prepare all pre-schoolers for success by the time they enter the classroom.

— Master Teacher Initiative
Improving teacher practice and student achievement is at the heart of another innovative Gator program. UF’s Lastinger Center last year was awarded a $6-million federal innovation grant to expand its award-winning Master Teacher Initiative to some of Miami-Dade’s most vulnerable schools. The initiative allows early-learning teachers at 20 schools to pursue a new graduate degree track in early childhood education and teacher leadership while remaining on-the-job and at virtually no cost to them. UF campus-based professors provide the online instruction while professors-in-residence based at the district provide on-site instruction and first-hand observation. More than 1,200 teachers and 30,000 of Miami-Dade’s youngest school children are the beneficiaries of the three-year effort.

Lawrence

— EDUCATION CHAMPION: David Lawrence Jr., UF alum and early-learning supporter
UF alumnus David Lawrence Jr. needs little introduction to Miami-Dade citizens and education supporters. The 1963 College of Journalism graduate is the former publisher of The Miami Herald and he left the newspaper in 1999 to become an advocate for early childhood education. Lawrence is president of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation in Miami, and the David Lawrence Jr. K-8 Center public school in Miami is named in his honor. UF’s College of Education also has a $1.5 million endowed professorship in early childhood studies named in his honor. Lawrence joined the UF faculty in 2001 as the University Scholar for Early Childhood Development and Readiness and he is a Lastinger Center visiting scholar and board member. Lawrence was instrumental in forging the UF-Miami/Dade partnerships in the Ready Schools and Master Teacher initiatives.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Don Pemberton, director, UF Lastinger Center for Learning, dpemberton@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4103

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

January 30, 2012/by

Alumni Accolades, Awards, Press Releases

Institute honors 11 alumni in higher ed administration

Flanked on far left by COE Dean Glenn Good and on far right by UF higher education administration program head Dale Campbell, the Outstanding Alumni award winners are, from left: Anne Kress, Jeanna Mastrodicasa, Devi Drexler, Kristy Presswood, Carl Hite, Tina O'Daniels, Deanne Williams, and Hank Dunn.

UF’s higher education administration program only selects its Outstanding Graduates every five years, so it’s a big deal when the winners are announced. That’s why officials at the UF Institute of Higher Education announced this year’s 11 recipients at a special gathering of their peers—at a special alumni reunion and awards banquet held concurrently on Jan. 28 with the annual gathering of the Community College Futures Assembly in Orlando.

The competitive awards program recognizes selected professionals—all Ph.D. or Ed.D. graduates of UF’s higher education administration program—for their effectiveness as community college administrators, participation in collegewide strategic planning, community involvement, and professional activities at the state, regional and national levels.

The UF alumni winners of 2012 were:

— Devi Drexler, educational policy consultant with the Florida Department of Education division of accountability, research and measurement
— Hank Dunn, president of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (N.C.)
— Carl Hite, president of Cleveland State Community College (Tenn.)
— Anne Kress, president of Monroe Community College (Rochester, NY)
— Anna Lebesch, vice president for workforce development at St. Johns River State College (in Palatka, Fla.)
— Jeanna Mastrodicasa, assistant vice president for student affairs, University of Florida
— Christopher Mullin, program director for policy analysis with the American Association of Community Colleges in Washington D.C.
— Tina Barreiro O’Daniels, associate provost at the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College (Fla.)
— Brian Polding, chair of the College of Information Systems and Technology, and the School of Business at North Florida campus of the University of Phoenix (in Jacksonville)
— Kristy Presswood, associate vice president of the College of Education, Daytona State College (Fla.)
— Deanne Williams, associate professor and chair, hospitality management department at Virginia State University (in Petersburg, Va.)

The recipients emerged from a pool of 30 nominees reviewed earlier in the month by a panel of leading higher education professionals from the CCFA organization.

Capsule summaries below highlight noteworthy achievements and honors of the winners:

Devi Drexler, PhD
Educational Policy Consultant
Florida Department of Education; Division of Accountability, Research and Measurement

At the Florida Department of Education, Dr. Drexler provides statewide analysis and information to support policy decisions of the deputy and commissioner of education, such as FCAT analysis and review. She’s worked in student affairs administration at several institutions including the University of Florida, FSU, Georgia Gwinnett, Santa Fe, Lake Sumter and Tallahassee Community Colleges. Drexler is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the Pi Lambda Theta International Honor Society.

Hank Dunn, EdD
President
Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College (N.C.)

Dr. Dunn has worked in community colleges for nearly 30 years, with 21 years in the Florida Community College System. At A-B Tech, he aligns budgets to the strategic plan, creates flexible learning formats and helped to pass a countywide sales tax worth $129 million to the college for repair, renovation and building of facilities. Dunn helped increase enrollment by 10,000 students in a four-year period in a past position at Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana.

Carl Hite, PhD
President
Cleveland State Community College (Tenn.)

During his 15 years as president of Cleveland State Community College, Dr. Hite has made sure his college not only keeps pace with the tremendous changes occurring in higher education, but leads the way in implementing essential changes. CSCC is a past recipient of the prestigious Bellwether Award, received after the college’s redesigned math program was recognized by President Obama as a program that every American community college should replicate. Hite is leading efforts to scale up the redesign “across the curriculum.” Hite is president of the National Alliance of Community and Technical Colleges.

Anne M. Kress, PhD
President
Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY

Previously, as provost at Santa Fe Community College, Dr. Kress negotiated a faculty contract change, grew international programming and sustainability efforts, began the Center for Innovation and Economic Development, and moved SFC to a four-year degree. As the current president of Monroe Community College, fundraising has improved each year during the recession and MCC hosted the first event to raise over $100,000 in one evening. MCC has expanded its honors program and changed policies to improve student success and completion.

Anna M. Lebesch, EdD
Vice President for Workforce Development
St. Johns River State College (in Palatka, Fla.)

Dr. Lebesch has worked in higher education for over 15 years as a counselor, instructor and administrator. Last year, she implemented St. Johns River’s first bachelor of science degree in organizational management and helped garner a $1.9 million federal grant for the college’s nursing programs. She is a member of the Reaccreditation Leadership Team and the Institutional Planning Council. Lebesch is an active member of numerous Clay County associations and chairs the county’s economic development council.

Jeanna Mastrodicasa, PhD
Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
University of Florida

In her current post, Dr. Mastrodicasa developed the UF Division of Student Affairs’ 2010-2015 strategic plan and submitted all materials for the SACS five-year accreditation review. She has made assessment an integrated part of the division’s work processes. In her previous position as associate director of the UF Honors program, she reorganized the university’s undergraduate research program and managed applications for Fulbright Scholars from UF. Mastrodicasa has co-authored a book about the millennial generation in the workforce and is serving her second three-year term as a Gainesville city commissioner.

Christopher Mullin, PhD
Program Director for Policy Analysis
American Association of Community Colleges (D.C.)

Dr. Mullin provides analysis and data to guide AACC’s advocacy efforts on causes such as federal student financial assistance and college costs and policies. He has written 30 policy documents, 10 peer-reviewed journal articles, four book chapters, and edited one book. Mullin serves on the advisory boards of the national Pathways to College Network, the National Education Finance Conference and the Gates Research Advisory Board of the Institute for Higher Education Policy.

Tina Barreiro O’Daniels, EdD
Associate Provost
St. Petersburg College, Tarpon Springs Campus (Fla.)

As the college’s No. 2 administrator, Dr. O’Daniels supports the provost in operating a 120-acre campus with 6,000 students at the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College. She serves as associate provost and also is chief student affairs officer and student dean, while participating in collegewide strategic planning and policy implementation. She is an editorial board member for the Council for the Study of Community Colleges and continues to serve as an executive coach and learning plan mentor for UF’s Institute of Higher Education.

Brian Polding, PhD
Chair, College of Information Systems and Technology, & School of Business
North Florida campus of the University of Phoenix

Dr. Polding, the North Florida campus 2011 Outstanding Employee, has chaired the School of Business for 11 years and also is acting director of academic affairs. He supervises eight faculty area chairs and 80 part-time faculty members and is a member of the university president’s academic cabinet. He also teaches and serves on doctoral dissertation committees. He has consulted with companies such as IBM and AT&T on the development of management training programs. Polding is a Supreme Court certified mediator for the Florida Family Courts.

Kristy Presswood, PhD
Associate Vice President, College of Education
Daytona State College (Fla.)

Dr. Presswood has worked in numerous divisions in her 18 years at Daytona State. She was instrumental in the early implementation of a campus computer network and an online student services system, and currently oversees adult education and the School of Education. The education school has a robust system of tracking all pre-service teachers, and Presswood’s future plans call for automating processes that will advance faculty advising, student tracking and field experience tracking for the school and college.

Deanne Williams, EdD
Associate Professor and Chair, Hospitality Management Department
Virginia State University

Williams spearheaded the accreditation of VSU’s hospitality management program that led to its transition from program to department status. She also obtained grants to provide low-income students with scholarships, which had a direct effect on graduation rates. She also serves as an American Council on Education Internationalization committee member and launched the university’s first formal study-abroad curriculum. Williams is a member of the Petersburg Area Tourism Board and the National Advisory Board of the Disney College Program.

UF’s institute of Higher Education works closely with its affiliate colleges in offering continuing professional development opportunities for practitioners and conducting needed research in the field of higher education and community college administration.

The Community College Futures Assembly, now in its 18^th year, convenes annually as an independent national policy forum for key opinion leaders to work as a “think tank” in identifying critical issues facing the future of community colleges. The group also conducts the nationally recognized Bellwether Awards to honor trend-setting community colleges.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Dale Campbell, interim director, School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education, Uf College of Education, dfc@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4300.

MEDIA RELATIONS: Larry Lansford, Director, COE News & Communications, UF College of Education, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

January 30, 2012/by

UF launches $1.5 million effort to restructure teacher-preparation programs

Aided by a $1.5-million federal grant, the University of Florida has announced plans to restructure the College of Education’s special education teacher-preparation program to meet increasingly higher national standards for new teachers.

Co-researchers McLeskey and Cox

Like many American education colleges, UF is revamping its teacher-education programs to include more practical teaching experience. UF special education professors James McLeskey and Penny Cox are leading the effort.

Politicians, federal education officials and policymakers are holding U.S. colleges of education accountable for teacher education—and ultimately for student learning—as never before. Many cite the need for more hands-on classroom and field experience in teacher preparation programs.

Students in UF’s unified elementary ProTeach program complete a five-year blend of coursework and hands-on teaching experiences, resulting in a master’s degree in elementary education and the option of dual certification in K-12 special education.

McLeskey said UF’s special education program, ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report’s annual survey of America’s Best Graduate Schools, already integrates its theoretical and real-world teaching experiences. Under the grant, though, the researchers are working to relate the two more closely by applying research on effective instructional practices with work being done in real-world classrooms.

The UF effort, funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, is called Project RITE—short for Restructuring and Improving Teacher Education. McLeskey and Cox will collaborate with special education professionals across the nation to ensure UF’s ProTeach graduates will be well prepared to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities.

The researchers will develop a statewide mentoring program that pairs each new special education graduate at UF with an experienced classroom teacher who will provide support and feedback in their first year of teaching. Mentor teachers will be selected in collaboration with local school district administrators for their knowledge of effective teaching methods, experience, and effectiveness in improving outcomes for students who struggle learning basic skills. The program emphasizes high-need schools to better prepare students for Florida’s diverse classrooms.

“Florida is a ‘majority minority’ now,” McLeskey said. “Wherever you go, you’re going to get students from different cultural backgrounds.” McLeskey is UF’s former chair of special education and also directs the college’s Center on Disability and Policy Practice.

“Increasingly, our student-teachers need to learn things in natural contexts, which means they need to spend more time in schools,” he said. “We’re moving teacher preparation much further in the direction of building everything into what they’re doing in the classroom.”

Cox said UF ProTeach students will begin to see the instructional changes next fall.

CONTACTS

SOURCES: James McLeskey, professor of special education, UF College Education; mcleskey@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4278

MEDIA RELATIONS: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

WRITER: Jessica Bradley, communications intern, UF College of Education.

January 24, 2012/by

Press Releases, Spotlights

UF Teach receives share of $500,000 award from AT&T

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — UF Teach, a novel program considered to be the pillar of the UF College of Education’s science and math education reform strategy, will split $500,000 in support from AT&T with four other universities with similar programs, according to an announcement Jan. 19 by the National Math and Science Initiative.

From left: FSU President Eric Barron; Marshall Criser III, AT&T Florida President and UF trustee; Glenn Good, dean of the UF College of Education; and UF President Bernie Machen pose with oversized checks from AT&T.

The five benefiting programs, all modeled after the highly regarded UTeach program at the University of Texas at Austin, will each receive $100,000. AT&T presented awards to UF Teach and to model programs at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Irvine, the University of Northern Arizona and Florida State University.

“AT&T deserves tremendous credit for its foresight in recognizing the growing importance of math and science education,” UF President Bernie Machen said. “If you want to get students interested in those fields, you have to reach them early. This gift is a long-range investment that will help the University of Florida graduate the teachers that are needed to keep our state and our nation economically competitive for years to come.”

UF Teach is a collaboration between the university’s College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the goal is to recruit the best math and science majors and prepare them to teach effectively. Master science and math teachers from the education college induct the students into the community of teachers by showing them the most effective, research-proven teaching methods in the given content areas and exposing them to supervised classroom experiences with schoolchildren beginning in their first semester.

The program, in its fourth year, offers education minors for their efforts in hopes the students will teach. Their degrees qualify them for teaching certification in Florida schools. Tom Dana, associate dean for academic affairs at the College of Education, co-directs UF Teach with Alan Dorsey, a physics professor and an associate dean in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The first UF Teach class of 41 students enrolled in 2008, and enrollment jumped to 224 last spring. UF officials project that by 2015, UF Teach will graduate more than 60 students yearly who will be certified, and highly qualified, to teach middle and high school math and science in Florida schools. Dana said the number of math and science students in Florida served by UF Teach graduates should top 25,000 by 2015 and continue to grow exponentially each year.

NMSI has partnered with the UTeach Institute to implement the path-breaking program for recruiting and preparing math and science teachers in universities across the country since 2008 and is helping expand the program to 28 universities this fall. Enrollment in UTeach-modeled programs has tripled in the last three years, attracting more than 5,000 math and science majors across the country this fall.

“AT&T is acutely aware that our country needs more skilled workers in the critical fields of science, technology, engineering and math,” said Marshall Criser III, AT&T Florida president and UF trustee. “All Americans will need to be more STEM proficient to be competitive in the 21st century.”

UTeach originated at The University of Texas at Austin in 1997. The program enables students majoring in math, science, or computer science to receive full teaching certification without adding time or cost to their degrees.

The core elements of UTeach model programs include:

Active recruitment and incentives, such as offering the first two courses for free.
A compact degree program that allows students to graduate in four years with both a degree and teaching certification.
A strong focus on acquiring deep content knowledge in math and science, in addition to research-based teaching strategies focusing on teaching and learning math and science.
Early and intensive field teaching experience, beginning in the UTeach students’ first semester.
Personal guidance from experienced master teachers, faculty and public school teachers.

The National Math and Science Initiative was launched in 2007 by top leaders in business, education, and science to reverse the decline in American math and science education. Inaugural funding was provided by the Exxon Mobil Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

CONTACT: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

January 20, 2012/by

Edugator Nation

UF College of Education has produced a steady succession of outstanding educators and scholars in teaching, counseling and administration. We are sustaining an innovative edge into the 21st century with a heightened emphasis on emerging technology, distance education, advance graduate studies and interdisciplinary research – preparing tomorrow’s leaders in all education professions.

January 12, 2012/by

Faculty Laurels, Press Releases

UF education, medical colleges team up on new master’s degree to help doctors become better teachers

The University of Florida colleges of Education and Medicine have joined forces to offer a new master’s degree program geared toward not only helping physicians be better teachers, but also training them to be scholars in the field.

The online joint master’s degree program will begin in the fall and is open to physicians across the state.

“Most faculty arrive at their position without any formal training in teaching techniques and best practices,” said Marian Limacher, M.D., senior associate dean for faculty affairs and professional development in the College of Medicine. “They have been students so long themselves they have developed their own style, but it may not be founded in best practices.”

Teaching is generally not a skill taught in medical school, as physicians-in-training are more focused on learning about the process of disease and how to treat patients. But as physicians move forward in their careers and become teachers themselves, of medical students, residents and fellows, there is a need for more advanced knowledge in instructional strategies and also research methods used to measure educational outcomes, which differ from the research techniques used in medical science.

Black

“Many health science professionals have been exposed to a monochromatic view of education that is lecture-based and behavioristically driven,” said Erik Black, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the College of Medicine department of pediatrics and the College of Education School of Teaching and Learning. “That is not necessarily where medical education is going. Today, there is a growing emphasis on small group learning, team-based learning and constructivist principles of instruction and learning.

“There is a need for medical educators to learn about and incorporate more contemporary educational methods. It is something students request and something faculty want but do not necessarily know how to deliver.”

The 36-hour master’s degree program will arm physicians with instructional strategies they can use in the clinical education setting and give them the tools to assess educational efforts, as well. Courses include subjects such as instructional design, research methods in professional and medical education, adult teaching and learning and more.The program stems from a pilot project faculty members in the colleges of Education and Medicine have been working on for the past two years. As part of that project, funded by the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, five UF physicians and a pharmacist are receiving master’s degrees in education, with a focus on using technology in education.

“We see so much potential in the connection between our two colleges. It is a unique arrangement and has helped us to move this work along,” said Elizabeth Bondy, professor and director of the School of Teaching and Learning in the College of Education. “At the bedside, there is a lot of teaching and learning that goes on in those moments. What we do in the School of Teaching and Learning is focus on teaching and learning in diverse settings.”

UF education technology professors Kara Dawson and Cathy Cavanaugh were instrumental in the degree program’s creation while Bondy and School of Teaching and Learning faculty members Kent Crippen, Dorene Ross and Sevan Terzian have worked on developing the curriculum.

Eventually, the program likely will be opened up to professionals in other health fields as well, Black said.

For clinical educators in the College of Medicine, the issue is particularly important. The college is currently revising its tenure and promotion guidelines so that faculty who have pursued advanced education in teaching and who are conducting research in medical education can use this in their tenure applications, Limacher said.

“We think this program will have appeal to a number of folks within the College of Medicine,” Limacher said.

CONTACTS

SOURCE:

WRITER:

December 7, 2011/by

Higher ed professor co-authors policy brief to help Latino males attain college degrees

Ponjuan

University of Florida education researcher Luis Ponjuan has co-authored a policy brief distributed nationwide on Tuesday (Nov. 29) by the national Institute of Higher Education Policy that offers a blueprint for clearing the overwhelming barriers that Hispanic-Latino boys face on their educational journeys towards a college education.

The brief, titled “Men of Color: Ensuring the Academic Success of Latino Males in Higher Education,” is the first in a series of planned publications focusing on “men of color’ in higher education, produced by IHEP’s Pathways to College Network, an alliance of national organizations that advance college opportunity for underserved students.

The “Men of Color” brief, written by Ponjuan and Victor Sáenz, assistant professor of higher education at the University of Texas at Austin, outlines actions that organizations and communities can take in developing interventions to reverse the oppressive educational trends of Latino males.

“Our blueprint promotes rigorous new research and the use of evidence-based policies and practices that align efforts across middle school, high school and higher education in enhancing college access and success for underserved students,” Ponjuan said.

To download free copies of the policy brief, visit IHEP’s website at www.ihep.org.

The Institute of Higher Education Policy is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that develops and supports research activities promoting access to and success in higher education for all students.

Latinos are now 15 percent of the U.S. population. Yet Latinos, or Hispanics, earn only 6 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, according to the American Council on Education. This is significantly less than whites, blacks and Asians. Latino males also have one of the lowest high school graduation and college enrollment rates in the country.

“While research on Latino males is limited and only points to the many challenges facing them, there exist a few promising practices that promote these students’ advancement in education—all the way from elementary to secondary and through postsecondary,” said IHEP President Michelle Asha Cooper. “We present real-life interventions that can be taken advantage of today to help strengthen the educational success for all Latino males.”

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Luis Ponjuan, assistant professor and director, UF Institute of Higher Education, UF College of Education, lponjuan@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4313

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

December 1, 2011/by

Press Releases, Research News, Spotlights

COE-P.K. Yonge researchers head $5 million effort to transform middle-school science education

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida education researchers will lead a $5 million effort, funded by the National Science Foundation, to transform how science is taught in Florida’s middle schools, with high-need schools in 20 mostly rural school districts serving as the testing grounds.

The researchers are chasing an ambitious goal — to close the gap in science learning between U.S. students and their peers in higher performing nations. Scores from a 2010 Program for International Student Assessment report showed the U.S. ranked 17th out of 34 industrialized countries in science scores among 15-year-old students.

Lynda Hayes

“We want to shift middle school science teaching to a goals-driven approach with learning experiences that excite and engage all students. This will increase their chances of success as students transition from middle school to more advanced high school science courses,” said Lynda Hayes, an affiliate faculty member at UF’s College of Education and director of P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, the college’s K-12 laboratory school.

“To catch up with our peers in other nations, we need to increase the size and diversity of our pipelines in science and math after high school graduation,” added Hayes. “We must ensure that disadvantaged students in small, rural and high-poverty schools are afforded equal opportunity to succeed in a cutting-edge science curriculum before they reach high school.”

Hayes is principal investigator of the five-year NSF project. Her UF co-investigators are science education professor Rose Pringle and Mary Jo Koroly, professor and director of biochemistry and molecular biology. Suzette Pelton, STEM coordinator of the Levy County School District, a project core partner, is also a co-principal investigator. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Recruiting and retaining more highly qualified middle and high school science teachers is a critical workforce need. The NSF project’s reform strategy calls for boosting student achievement by improving science content knowledge and professional development among practicing middle-school teachers.

The researchers are banking on an award-winning, on-the-job graduate degree program developed at UF called Teacher Leadership and School Improvement, with a focus on science education, to train “Science Teacher Leaders” in new, research-proven practices in science instruction. The TLSI program won the Association of Teacher Education’s coveted 2011 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award.

TLSI blends 36 credit-hours of online and face-to-face instruction by UF professors. The program is free for participating teachers with the NSF grant covering their tuition, valued at $21,000 each. Another novel aspect of the coursework is its “inquiry-based” approach, in which the teacher-students collaboratively assess their own teaching practices and share new knowledge with each other.

UF’s College of Education will enroll one teacher from each partnering school district in the degree program, which upon graduation will qualify them as district Science Teacher Leaders.

“In exchange for free tuition, the Science Teacher Leaders must remain at their high-needs schools for five years, including their two-year coursework,” Hayes said. “This will help our most challenging middle schools support and retain some of their best science teachers.”

Rose Pringle...co-PI

Armed with new science knowledge and a research-proven curriculum, the highly-trained Science Teacher Leaders will form and lead “professional learning communities” of their peers—each leader training 10 teachers at their own schools and neighboring middle schools to continuously study science teaching practices and student learning. Their students, in sixth through eighth grade, will be taught the same inquiry-based science practices and critical-thinking methods that the teacher leaders learned in their own coursework.

“Our Science Teacher Leadership Institute will allow 40 middle school science teachers in 20 school districts to earn their master’s degree in science education in two years and coach 400 middle school science teachers in their home districts,” said co-investigator Pringle, the UF science education professor. “The Science Teacher Leaders will work as change agents to lead district-wide transformation in middle school science teaching and learning. Nearly 60,000 middle school students will be impacted, primarily in high-poverty rural and urban areas.”

Participating school districts will come from the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium — a support organization for 15 districts spanning from the Gulf coast to the Atlantic coast in north and central Florida. Five other counties also have committed: Columbia, Dixie, Hamilton, Union and Suwannee.

P.K. Yonge science teacher Mayra Cordero, pictured, will host a demonstration class for Science Teacher Leader trainees.

Under Hayes’ guidance, UF’s P.K. Yonge laboratory school began testing the experimental curriculum last year and is working with Joseph Krajcik, a leading authority on science curriculum development from Michigan State University, to align the curriculum with Florida’s rigorous new science standards. P.K. Yonge’s middle school science program will host demonstration classrooms to help train the Science Teacher Leaders.

Researchers will compare the impact of the new teaching approaches with conventional practices and disseminate their findings nationwide to drive science education reform in middle schools around the state and nation.

Other UF units contributing to course design, training, implementation and project evaluation include the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Center for Precollegiate Education and Training, the Division of Continuing Education and the CAPES (Collaborative Assessment and Program Evaluation Services) program, headed by professor David Miller in the College of Education.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Lynda Hayes, university school professor at UF’s College of Education and director of P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School (UF’s K-12 laboratory school), lhayes@pky.ufl.edu; 352-392-1554, ext. 223

SOURCE: Rose Pringle, associate professor, science education, UF’s College of Education; rpringle@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4190

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

November 8, 2011/1 Comment/by

New online certificate in disaster counseling addresses shortage in field

Imagine 5,000 families, left homeless by the forces of nature, living in tents crammed in an area the size of a football field. Imagine their struggles and feelings of helplessness that come from the lack of basic necessities like food, water, clothing or even a bathroom. Since the catastrophic Haiti earthquake in 2010, thousands of Haitians still live in these post-earthquake “tent cities” and face overwhelming physical and psychological hurdles daily.

West-Olatunji

Now, imagine having the skills and resources to help improve the lives of such injured and traumatized victims in disaster-affected areas. After visiting Haiti and other disaster sites, Cirecie West-Olatunji, associate professor of counselor education at the University of Florida, is using her experience in disaster counseling to better prepare mental health professionals for work in the fledgling field.

West-Olatunji has designed a new online certificate program in disaster counseling for licensed mental health professionals and state-certified school counselors drawn to the field of disaster counseling. She said the 12-hour graduate program, due to start classes next spring, is one of three such programs in the country, and the only one housed in a college of education.

“Counselor educators have a perspective that lends itself very well to disaster counseling,” West-Olatunji said. “I hope the certificate program revolutionizes a cadre of people in the counseling profession going out in response to major disasters.”

She said the new course will explore how to enhance sensitivity and competence when providing disaster-response counseling in other cultures.

The online program, nationally accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), features courses in disaster mental health counseling, multicultural issues in disaster counseling, post-traumatic stress disorder, counseling vulnerable populations and a capstone-experience course.

West-Olatunji said the demand for disaster counseling is increasing because of the frequency of natural disasters happening lately. She said disaster counseling currently is not covered extensively in counselor education programs.

“What’s new is that catastrophic disasters have been on the rise and we’re finding we’re not adequately training mental health students to respond,” West-Olatunji said.

West-Olatunji said her first outreach trip to New Orleans after the devastating Hurricane Katrina in 2005 opened her eyes to the need for disaster counseling. She is developing a training model that can be used in places like New Orleans, Port Au Prince, Haiti, and Japan.

“The overwhelming majority of countries don’t have qualified counseling professionals, so when disasters occur, they need a rapid response,” West-Olatunji said. “The Red Cross can only bring so many people and can only stay so long.”

In Haiti, West-Olatunji and other counselors went to churches and other community groups to counsel people and gauge their needs. The team gave presentations on sexual abuse, which is a large problem in the tent cities due to the lack of security.

She is traveling to Latin America for another outreach trip next year. She previously led national disaster, mental-health outreach teams on consulting and counselor-training trips to New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, and has twice organized national teams of counseling students, faculty and practitioners to travel to South Africa and Botswana for “community-based counseling” of HIV and AIDS-infected individuals.

For more information about the online disaster-counseling certificate program, visit the program website or inquire via email.

Other related quick links: YouTube, Facebook, Blog.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Cerecie West-Olatunji, associate professor in counselor education and mental health counseling track coordinator, UF College of Education; 352-273-4324; Cirecie@coe.ufl.edu

MEDIA CONTACT: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

WRITER: Jessica Bradley, communications intern, news and communications, UF College of Education

October 26, 2011/by

UF receives $2 million to assess students’ grasp of statistics under new national math standards

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Supported by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, University of Florida math education researcher Tim Jacobbe 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.

With 45 states, including Florida, already adopting new Common Core national math standards developed in 2010, many school districts are expected to add or expand the teaching of statistics in the middle and high school grades. Researchers, though, say more reliable assessment tools are needed to measure their progress accurately.

UF's Tim Jacobbe, lead investigator for the NSF multi-center study, explains a statistics principle to a UF math education student.

“We’ll base our testing instrument on American Statistical Association guidelines that identify three developmental levels for learning statistics. Students must progress through each level to develop sound statistical reasoning skills,” said Jacobbe, UF assistant professor of mathematics education and principal investigator of the NSF-funded study. “The new assessment tool will help teachers assess where students are at the beginning of the school year so they can plan instruction for the appropriate level of statistical understanding.”

Besides UF’s College of Education, the four-year study also involves scholars in statistics and assessment from the University of Minnesota, Kenyon College and the Educational Testing Service, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Princeton, N.J.

The Common Core State Standards are a blueprint for what all American students should learn in English and math, in each grade, from kindergarten through high school. They were coordinated in 2010 by the National Governors Association and a national council of chief state school officers for K-12 education. Florida schools are scheduled to start using the new standards by the 2013-2014 school year.

“Statistical thinking is very different from mathematical thinking and needs to be taught and assessed in a different manner,” Jacobbe said.

Current statistical instruction and assessment are grade level-specific, but Jacobbe said his research team is following a model identifying the three levels of understanding of key statistical concepts, regardless of a student’s grade level.

About 2,850 students in grades 6-12 will participate in the UF-led study. Two school districts, in Florida and Georgia, will administer initial pilot-testing of the experimental assessment methods. (The Florida school district is P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, UF’s K-12 laboratory school, which serves as its own school district). They will be joined by school districts in Arizona, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania for large-scale testing in the study’s fourth year.

The researchers will work closely with two national consortia of state leaders in government, business and education which last year received a combined $330 million in federal Race to the Top funds to create the next generation of tests to measure annual student growth in English and math. The two groups are the 25-state Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers, known as PARCC, which includes Florida, and the 31-state SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium.

To broaden the impact of their work, Jacobbe said his team will report its study results in peer-review journals and at peer-review academic meetings and will create a website featuring sample assessment tools and other resources for teaching statistics.

“Consistent standards in statistics and mathematics will provide appropriate benchmarks for all students regardless of where they live, and that’s critical in today’s global economy,” Jacobbe said.

CONTACTS
Source: Tim Jacobbe, assistant professor, mathematics education, Jacobbe@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4232
Writer: Larry Lansford, director, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

October 10, 2011/by

Awards, Press Releases

Workforce council recognizes UF-Teach math-science program

GAINESVILLE, Fla.—UF-Teach, an innovative teacher-preparation program that recruits some of the University of Florida’s top science and mathematics majors into the teaching profession, recently received STEMflorida’s Best Practices Award for excellence and accountability in targeted STEM teacher recruitment and retention efforts.

STEMflorida is a business-led statewide council created in 2009 by Workforce Florida, the state’s workforce policy and oversight board. (STEM is common shorthand for the technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, considered vital workforce skills in today’s competitive global marketplace.)

The award was presented recently during the STEMflorida Think Tank meeting in Orlando and recognized the UF Teach program’s role in addressing the critical shortage of math and science teachers in Florida.

UF-Teach master science instructor Griff Jones (left) helps a student on a class lesson.

UF-Teach is a collaboration between UF’s College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the goal is to recruit the very best math and science majors and prepare them to teach effectively. The program is funded by a $2.4 million grant over five years from the National Math and Science Initiative and a $1 million endowment from the Helios Education Foundation based in Tampa.

“In UF-Teach, we have master science and math teachers who induct the students into the community of teachers by showing them the most effective, research-proven teaching methods in the given content areas and exposing them to supervised classroom experiences with schoolchildren beginning in their first semester,” said Tom Dana, associate dean at UF’s College of Education and co-coordinator of UF Teach with physics professor and associate dean Alan Dorsey of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The program, now in its fourth year, offers students education minors for their efforts in hopes they will take to teaching. Their degrees qualify them for teaching certification in Florida schools.

Dana

The first UF-Teach class of 41 students enrolled in 2008. By spring of 2011, enrollment jumped to 224 students. Dana said projections for 2013 call for UF-Teach to graduate more than 30 students who will be certified, and highly qualified, to teach middle and high school math and science in Florida schools.

“That number should double to 60 graduates by 2015. By then, the number of middle school and high school math and science students served by UF-Teach graduates should top 7,500 and continue to grow each year,” Dana said.

For more information, contact Dana at tdana@coe.ufl.edu or Dorsey at atdorsey@ufl.edu, or visit the UF Teach website at https://education.ufl.edu/uf-teach/.

CONTACTS
SOURCE: Tom Dana, UFCOE associate dean and co-coordinator, UF Teach, tdana@coe.ufl.edu.
WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

October 4, 2011/by

New senior development director joins COE from Fine Arts

The UF College of Education has appointed Maria Gutierrez Martin as the senior director of development. She has served for the past four years as director of development and alumni affairs at UF’s College of Fine Arts.

Maria Gutierrez Martin ...sr. dir. of development

Martin has more than 10 years of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, management, marketing and communications. At the fine arts college, she was responsible for identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major gifts and planned giving of $100,000 or more, and garnered the college’s single largest gift of $3 million. She also oversaw the college’s alumni relations, marketing and communications operations.

A graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences Louisiana State University, Martin previously worked for nearly four years as development director at Children’s Home Society of Florida, Mid-Florida Division, based in Gainesville. She also has professional experience in business and non-profit management, sales and marketing.

Martin succeeds Matt Hodge, who left the college recently to become assistant vice president for development at the UF Foundation.

CONTACT:

SOURCE: Maria Gutierrez Martin, Sr. Director, COE Development & Alumni Affairs, mmartin@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4144.

October 3, 2011/by

Giving, Insider News, Press Releases

Couple adds to $2 million gift to make up for losses during recession

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When former teachers Bill and Robbie Hedges saw their 2005 donation of almost $2 million to the University of Florida’s College of Education drop in value during the global financial crisis in recent years, they feared the education research supported by their gift would suffer from the reduced funding.

College officials announced today that the retired Gainesville couple has added another $63,000 to their endowed research fund to restore its value to previous levels.

Bill and Robbie Hedges

“We had hoped our gift would grow (through the university foundation’s investment program), but the stock market tanked shortly after we made it,” said Bill Hedges, a retired professor emeritus at the College of Education. “We had some stocks that appreciated, so we decided to add another contribution to make up for the loss. We wanted to keep the research fund strong.”

Hedges and his wife committed more than $1.9 million to the college six years ago to support research aiding slow learners. It was the second largest individual donation ever made to the College of Education. Their gift was made in the form of a charitable remainder trust, which provides them with a variable income for life until the trust terminates, when the remaining assets will be transferred to the college.

The resulting William D. and Robbie F. Hedges Research Fund will support sorely needed studies to develop better teaching methods and curriculum materials for marginal students who fall behind, become discouraged and tend to drop out of school before graduation. The Hedges’ latest gift will boost the amount of annual interest earned on the total fund value.

“We hope to generate more attention and research that yields a more pleasant and productive educational experience for this frequently overlooked and neglected segment of our school population,” said Hedges, who spent the final 20 years of his half-century teaching career on UF’s educational leadership faculty before retiring as professor emeritus in 1991. Robbie Hedges gave up teaching to raise their two sons in 1971 after they moved to Gainesville for her husband’s new UF faculty appointment.

“This gift is a testament to the Hedges’ belief that all children need specialized attention to their learning needs if they are to succeed in school and society,” said Tom Dana, associate dean for academic affairs at UF’s College of Education. “Their contribution will fund research that can make a significant difference in kids’ lives.”

CONTACTS

WRITER/MEDIA RELATIONS: Larry Lansford, director, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

September 27, 2011/by

Awards, Press Releases

UF, Pinellas schools partnership wins statewide award

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—The University of Florida Lastinger Center for Learning and Pinellas County Schools (PCS) have won a prestigious, statewide award for their groundbreaking professional development partnership.

Sylvia Boynton

The Florida Association of Staff Development (FASD) presented the 2011 Outstanding Professional Development Practices Award Sept. 20 at its Fall Leadership Conference in St. Pete Beach.

“This award recognizes the remarkable collaboration between Pinellas and Lastinger in establishing a professional culture across a large and complex school district,” said Sylvia Boynton, a UF Lastinger Center-affiliated professor-in-residence in Pinellas County. The Lastinger Center is part of UF’s College of Education.

The district greatly values this partnership, including its academic cornerstone, inquiry, which guides Pinellas educators to identify challenges in their classrooms and schools and study and test possible solutions, said PCS Professional Development Director Lisa Grant.

“A key element of the partnership is the connection between research and practice,” Grant said. “The inquiry stance enables teachers and administrators to continually improve.”

The Pinellas educators’ inquiry projects target “real problems of practice, often focused on students who struggle, on curriculum that isn’t quite working or on educator strategies that need refinement,” noted Alyson Adams, UF assistant professor of education and the Lastinger’s Center’s associate director.

More than 800 educators recently presented their inquiry project findings at the Lastinger-staged Pinellas County Learning Showcase & Inquiry Celebration held recently in Clearwater.

The FASD professional development award, Boynton said, “reflects the profound respect that the district and Lastinger have for the knowledge generated by those who work with students every day – teachers and administrators.”

CONTACT

SOURCE:Alyson Adams, associate director, UF Lastinger Center for Learning, 352-273-4107, adamsa@coe.ufl.edu

September 20, 2011/by

Insider News, Press Releases, Research News

Special ed researchers winning competition for federal grants

UF principal investigators on active federal IES grants, pictured from left, are Stephen Smith, Mary Brownell, Ann Daunic, Maureen Conroy and Joseph Gagnon. (PIs Cynthia Griffin and Patricia Snyder were unavailable for group photo; they are pictured below.)

Faculty researchers in the University of Florida’s special education program, ranked fourth nationally, have built an impressive track record for winning large, highly competitive grants from the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Education Department.

College of Education researchers in early childhood and special education recently received two IES grants worth a combined $5.5 million, supporting two studies aimed at reducing problem behaviors and improving the classroom learning environment. UF professor Maureen Conroy, working under a $4 million award, is examining the efficacy of an experimental intervention in early learning settings—called BEST in CLASS—that showed high promise in a preliminary study. The second grant, worth $1.5 million, supports professors Stephen Smith and Ann Daunic who are developing a lesson series teaching middle school students with significant behavior problems techniques to control their emotions and behavior in social situations.

“Grants awarded by the Institute of Education Sciences are selected because they are the most innovative, important and well-designed projects in a huge pool of applications,” says Jonathon Shuster, a faculty research professor with UF’s Institute for Child Health Policy. “These studies are large in scope with potentially huge payoffs. If new generalized ways can be found for interventions, the investment will be returned thousands of times over by translating these methods to the nation.”

These two latest awards raise the total number of IES grants held by UF special education faculty in 2011 to eight—worth a combined total of more than $15 million. Smith and Daunic recently completed another $1.6 million intervention study that helps students deal with aggressive behavioral issues in the classroom. Supported by a $2 million award, Mary Brownell and colleagues in Colorado and California have developed research-proven professional development packages to help practicing teachers advance their literacy instruction skills for students with learning challenges. Brownell, Smith and Daunic have documented the positive impacts of their respective studies on student reading achievement and behavior.

Four other IES grants active in 2011, each worth about $1.5 million, support other vital projects in special education:

— Daunic, Smith and Nancy Corbett are developing a reading curriculum that combines storybook reading techniques with social stories to encourage students’ critical thinking about managing their emotions and behavior;

Cynthia Griffin

— Joseph Gagnon and Holly Lane are evaluating new literacy instruction and professional development methods for helping teens in juvenile corrections facilities improve their reading skills while they are incarcerated;

— Cynthia Griffin and co-investigators Stephen Pape (mathematics education) and Nancy Dana (teacher leadership for school improvement) are developing an online professional development program for elementary school math teachers serving students with learning disabilities.

Patricia Snyder

— And, in studies involving seven institutions, UF’s Patricia Snyder and co-researchers are documenting the effectiveness of new professional development packages focused on preschool teachers’ use of embedded-instruction practices and the impact of social and emotional influences on early learning.

CONTACT:
Writer: Larry Lansford, News & Communications, UF College of Education, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; (352) 273-4137

September 8, 2011/by

UF names new education dean, citing research strength as key

Glenn E. Good, an education and counseling scholar and an associate dean at the University of Missouri College of Education, has been named the 13th dean of the University of Florida College of Education.

Dean Glenn E. Good

Good’s appointment, the result of a nationwide search, was announced Monday by UF provost Joseph Glover. Good will assume his new post Sept. 29. He succeeds Catherine Emihovich, who is stepping down after nine years as the college’s top administrator. She will remain on faculty as a tenured professor and researcher.

Good has held education associate dean posts at Missouri since 2008. His current title is associate dean for administration, research and performance excellence. He also is a professor of counselor psychology and has been a Missouri faculty member since 1990. His research focuses on gender issues in education, mental health, counseling and psychotherapy.

He has generated close to $1 million in research grants in his career and twice was named Researcher of the Year by the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity, a division of the American Psychological Association. He currently is conducting a clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health, assessing the effectiveness of student-provided interventions for smoking cessation and diet improvement.

“Dr. Good’s exceptional background in education research and research funding made him an ideal candidate and an excellent choice. We look forward to his arrival,” Glover said.

Good has completed the Management Development Program at Harvard University and the President’s Academic Leadership Development Institute of the University of Missouri system. He previously was named mentor/adviser of the year by the College of Education and has received several awards for teaching excellence, including the Kemper Teaching Fellowship which is the University of Missouri’s highest teaching honor.

He is a licensed psychologist in California and Missouri and is a fellow in numerous organizations, including the American Psychological Association, Psychology of Women, Society for the Psychology of Men and Masculinity, and the Division of Psychotherapy.

He is the author or co-author of five books and some 88 published journal reports and book chapters on counseling and psychotherapy.

“This is a transformative time in education,” Good said. “I look forward to assisting the outstanding faculty, staff and students of the University of Florida College of Education in pioneering innovative advances in educator preparation and associated fields upon which the future of our society depends.”

Good received his doctorate in counseling psychology in 1987 from Ohio State University. He has a master’s in counseling from the University of Oregon and a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Davis.

At UF, Good will assume leadership of a college of education with national credentials similar to his current school. The Florida and Missouri education colleges, coincidentally, share the No. 52 slot in the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings of America’s Best Graduate Schools in education. Both schools also have top 10 counselor education programs, which is Good’s academic specialty, with Missouri ranked eighth and UF second.

Good inherits a 105-year-old college at UF with four other top 20 programs: in special education (No. 4), elementary teacher education (15th), curriculum and instruction (17th) and secondary education (19th). UF’s College of Education is considered a national leader in contemporary education reform, partnering with more than 300 public schools across Florida in whole-school improvement efforts and free, on-the-job degree programs and professional development for teachers at high-need schools.

# # #

CONTACTS:

SOURCE: Glenn E. Good, newly appointed dean, UF College of Education; GoodG@missouri.edu; 573-882-9644

WRITER: Larry Lansford, Director, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

August 1, 2011/1 Comment/by

coE-News: July 1, 2011

July 1, 2011 The Friday Post Vol. 7, No. 1

You’re reading coE-News, an electronic newsletter produced several times a year by the College of Education News & Communications Office to keep faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends up-to-date on college news, activities and achievements.

GOT NEWS? We want to hear it. Submit individual or unit news and calendar events of collegewide interest to llansford@coe.ufl.edu for publication consideration. All submissions must be in writing or via e-mail and must include contact information for follow-up questions. (Include full titles and program areas of featured faculty and staff; for featured students, include their program area, degree status and major or concentration area.)

Headlines

Researchers awarded $5.5M in grants to help teachers reduce disruptive classroom behavior

University of Florida researchers in special education and early childhood studies have received two federal grants totaling $5.5 million to conduct studies aimed at reducing significant behavior problems in children that can disrupt the classroom learning environment. Their intervention research targets at-risk children during two of the most critical times of their development—before they enter kindergarten and the transitional middle school years (grades 6 through 8). The grants were awarded by the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. Maureen Conroy is leading the prekindergarten study, while Stephen Smith and Ann Daunic are developing a lesson series teaching middle school students with significant behavior problems techniques to control their emotions and behavior in social situations. (more)

Businesswoman’s $1M gift creates professorship in early childhood studies

Entrepreneur Anita Zucker, a 1972 UF education graduate, last year challenged fellow alumni who had never contributed to make an annual donation to the College of Education. sweetening the deal by matching such gifts dollar-for-dollar. Today, Zucker is leading by example, pledging $1 million to create a second endowed professorship in early childhood studies at the college. (more)

Re-igniting middle school reform is goal of Shewey Scholars program

Newly appointed Shewey Scholars are, back row: Maureen Shankman, Darby Delane, Colleen Swain, Odalis Manduley, Donna Reid; Front row: advisers Kathy Shewey, Paul George, Nancy Dana. Not pictured: Scholars Phillip Koslowski, Joy Schadkow.

UF’s College of Education has launched a professional scholars program–teaming UF education faculty with Alachua County middle-school teachers and district administrators–to ignite a grassroots movement to reform the nation’s troubled middle-school education system. Three UF education professors and four Alachua County middle school teachers were introduced recently as members of the inaugural class of the Shewey Scholars program. They include COE faculty members Colleen Swain (curriculum and instruction), Darby Delane (university-school partnerships coordinator for the School of Teaching and Learning) and Joy Schackow (STL/Lastinger Center professor-in-residence in Pinellas County schools). (more)

College News & Notices

Course syllabi going online starting fall semester

UF administration now requires that the syllabi for all courses and sections offered each semester must be posted on publicly accessible websites starting this fall. Syllabi must be posted in PDF format at least three days prior to the first day of classes–that’s Aug. 19 for the fall semester. The mandate applies to all courses offered face-to-face, online and in blended formats. The COE has created designated space on the college website for posting the syllabi of all COE courses. For more information, contact your school director or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Tom Dana.

Submit your scholarly works to UF’s ‘Open Access’ digital archive

UF’s Institutional Repository is soliciting journal articles, grant proposals, dissertations, monographs, podcasts, and other scholarly work from faculty and students to be archived and made publicly available through Open Access, the digital archive for the intellectual output of the University of Florida community. Open Access provides free, permanent, web-based access to to all scholarly publications and academic artifacts submitted. It’s a way to improve visibility for faculty and student scholarship and share scholarly work in the broadest forum possible. Visit the IR@UF site (http://ufdc.ufl.edu/ufirg) for more information and a self-submittal tool, or contact Ben Walker, head of the UF Education Library, at 352-273-2545.

Subscribe to COE’s YouTube account

The College of Education has its own YouTube account on the “educationUF” channel where you can view a number of informative videos about the college and the activities of its faculty, students and alumni. The site also allows visitors to subscribe and receive notification when new COE videos are posted. Seven videos are currently posted, including “EduGator Nation,” an overview of the college, and “Molding Master Teachers,” describing the award-winning Florida Master Teachers Initiative of the college’s Lastinger Center for Learning. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/educationuf#p/u. Additional videos are planned.

Staff dedicates lounge to dean

The college staff recently dedicated Norman Hall’s staff lounge to Dean Catherine Emihovich (pictured, right, at ceremony holding framed photo). Emihovich, who is stepping down from the college’s top executive post in August but will remain a tenured faculty member, said she recognized the need for a staff lounge immediately upon her arrival at UF in 2002 and made it one of her priorities. The lounge, which opened in 2010 as part of extensive renovations in Old Norman, features a kitchen, microwave oven, refrigerator, sofa, chairs, table and a full bookshelf.

Did you know . . . about UF and Google?

The University of Florida heads the current list of the top 20 most googled colleges and universities in the United States,according to CampusSplash, a blog on college life and admissions hosted by the Huffington Post news website. Campus Splash staff took it upon themselves to compile the list based on stats provided by Google’s traffic estimator.

Honors & Appointments

Faculty

Ponjuan draws widespread attention to education barriers facing Latino males

Ponjuan

A report written by COE Assistant Professor Luis Ponjuan on “The Vanishing Latino Male in Higher Education” was the most downloaded article in 2010 in the Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. Ponjuan, director of the college’s Institute of Higher Education, continues to draw attention to the academic plight of Hispanic-Latino males in America’s education system. On June 16, he presented his research findings on the topic at the headquarters of the National Education Association in Washington, D.C. His audience of NEA governance leaders, executive managers, staff and invited guests heard his 90-minute report on the overwhelming barriers that Latino boys face on their educational journeys towards higher education. (See news media coverage generated by his reports at end of this e-newsletter under “In The News.”)

Students

Doctoral student featured in TV news report on iPads as teaching tool

Jon Munford, a Collier County fifth-grade teacher and a doctoral student in the COE’s online Ed.D. Professional Practice degree program, was featured recently in a television news report by WBBH-TV (Ft. Myers/Naples NBC affiliate) on the use of iPads as a teaching tool. That happens to be a topic covered in one of Munford’s distance-learning courses the previous semester by UF education professor Nancy Dana.

In the News

Below is a sampling of recent news media reports featuring the College of Education and its faculty, students and alumni.

June 30, 2011

Gainesville Sun / Independent Florida Alligator: M. Conroy, S. Smith, A. Daunic (Spec. Ed)

Conroy

The Gainesville Sun and the Florida Alligator (UF’s campus newspaper) both published front-page stories on two grants from the U.S. Department of Education, worth a combined $5.5 million, awarded to UF researchers in special education and early childhood studies to pursue interventions aimed at reducing significant behavior problems in children that can disrupt the classroom learning environment. The UF researchers were Maureen Conroy, Stephen Smith and Ann Daunic.

June 26, 2011

The Chronicle of Higher Education: Luis Ponjuan (UF Institute of Higher Education)

The Chronicle covered Luis Ponjuan’s presentation June 24 at the Latino Male Symposium, in Austin, Tex., in which he declared that Latino men are “vanishing from the higher-education pipeline, a trend that could spell serious trouble given current demographic trends.”

June 26, 2011

St. Petersburg Times: Lastinger Center for Learning

Pinellas County superintendent Julie Janssen told School Board members last week that Melrose Elementary School will proceed with plans to create a partnership with UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning to transform Melrose into the district’s first professional learning school. The Times reported the story in an article published June 26. An earlier story, June 7, in Gradebook, the Times’ education blog, had reported the temporary postponement of the partnership.

June 21, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Anita Zucker (distinguished alumna/donor)

An article in the Sun reported on 1972 education alumna Anita Zucker’s $1 million pledge to create an endowed professorship in the college’s early childhood studies program.

May 2, 2011

Hispanic Outlook magazine: Luis Ponjuan (Institute of Higher Education)

Ponjuan was quoted in a 3-page article about how Hispanic males lagged substantially behind Hispanic females and other minorities of both genders at nearly every critical juncture of the higher education pipeline. The article also mentioned two upcoming symposiums on the topic, June 13 at UF and June 24 at UT-Austin, organized by Ponjuan and co-researchers Mary Ann Clark (UF counselor education) and Victor Saenz (UT-Austin).

April 28, 2011

Education Daily: Lastinger Center for Learning

With $5 million from the U.S. Education Department’s Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund, UF’s Lastinger Center will expand its Master Teacher Initiative, which gives K-12 teachers working in high-poverty schools job-embedded, classroom-oriented training to include pre-K educators. This news report also appeared on the website of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE).

June 30, 2011/by

Middle school reform is goal of professors, local educators in UF scholars program

The University of Florida’s College of Education has launched a professional scholars program–teaming UF education faculty with Alachua County middle-school teachers and district administrators–to ignite a grassroots movement to reform the nation’s troubled middle-school education system.

Three UF education professors and four Alachua County middle school teachers were introduced as members of the inaugural class of the Shewey Scholars program recently at a reception at UF’s Norman Hall.

The program is funded under a $600,000 endowment created three years ago by Fred and Christine Shewey of Gainesville, who made the gift as a tribute to their daughter-in-law, Kathy Shewey, a prominent figure in middle-level education in Alachua County and around the nation for more than 30 years. The Shewey Excellence in Middle School Education Fund supports new research and programs aimed at middle school reform and enhancement.

Newly appointed Shewey Scholars are, back row, Maureen Shankman, Darby Delane, Colleen Swain, Odalis Manduley and Donna Reid; Front row are Kathy Shewey, Paul George and Nancy Dana. Not pictured are Phillip Koslowski and Joy Schadkow

The newly appointed Shewey scholars from the college faculty are Colleen Swain (curriculum and instruction), Darby Delane (university-school partnerships coordinator for the School of Teaching and Learning) and Joy Schackow (STL/Lastinger Center professor-in-residence in Pinellas County schools). Alachua County educators receiving yearlong appointments are Maureen Shankman (Loften middle grades curriculum teacher), Odalis Manduley (Westwood Middle School Spanish teacher), Donna Reid (Lincoln Middle School English education teacher) and Phillip Koslowski (school district coordinator of the Positive Behavior Support program).

Professor Nancy Dana, who heads the advisory group for the Shewey Fund, will steer the scholars program, assisted by Paul George, a UF distinguished professor emeritus in education who has been identified by Middle School Journal as the nation’s “number-one ranking scholar” in middle grades education. Kathy Shewey, supervisor of staff development for Alachua County public schools, also is involved.

The scholars’ first group activity was attending the Florida League of Middle Schools’ annual conference together last month in Sarasota. The Shewey Scholars program covered their travel and registration expenses.

“By immersing themselves at the conference in the discussion of middle school practice and current issues facing middle level educators, the Shewey scholars helped to spark a renewed interest in middle-level education and future partnership work between UF and Alachua County schools in middle-school teaching practice,” Dana said.

She said the scholars will reconvene in the fall to share their experiences and plan future middle school reform activities with other local middle school teachers and administrators.

Paul George

While UF scholars—including Paul George—were among the first, some 40 years ago, to campaign for the creation of separate transitional schools to meet the needs of children in early adolescence, they also are among the first to publicly call for reform and a reexamination of middle schools in today’s school system. George recently headed a panel of Florida educators that produced an assessment of critical issues for middle school reform in Florida.

Early work funded by the Shewey endowment includes two research studies conducted to capture the current state of middle level education and document how high-stakes standardized testing and accountability is shaping middle school education.

At last month’s FLMS conference, George presented an historical perspective of the middle school movement and said it’s more important than ever for middle-grades educators to “hang tough.”

“Many middle schools are no longer serving their original function,” said George, who retired from teaching in 2007 but remains active in his specialty field. “Many schools are too large and too focused on standardized testing to meet the special developmental needs of adolescents. We are looking at ways to improve instruction that is appropriate for students in their early teens.”

CONTACTS

Source: Nancy Dana, professor, School of Teaching & Learning, UF College of Education, 352-273-4204; ndana@coe.ufl.edu
Source: Paul George, distinguished professor emeritus, UF College of Education, 352-372-4615, pgeorge@coe.ufl.edu
Writer: Larry Lansford, UF COE News & Communications, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

June 30, 2011/by

Researchers awarded $5.5M in grants to help teachers reduce disruptive classroom behavior

University of Florida education researchers have received two federal grants totaling $5.5 million to conduct studies aimed at reducing significant behavior problems in children that can disrupt the classroom learning environment.

Their intervention research targets at-risk children during two of the most critical times of their development—before they enter kindergarten and the transitional middle school years (grades 6 through 8). The highly competitive grants were awarded by Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education.

Maureen Conroy

The prekindergarten study, funded by a $4 million grant, is a joint effort between special education and early-childhood specialists at UF and Virginia Commonwealth University. Co-researchers Maureen Conroy of UF and Kevin Sutherland of VCU will examine the efficacy of their experimental intervention—called BEST in CLASS—that showed high promise in a preliminary study.

The four-year investigation will involve 120 voluntary prekindergarten classrooms, most of them in Head Start programs, split between UF’s home region in North Central Florida and VCU’s hometown of Richmond, Va. Each year, 90 children identified as high-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders will undergo the intervention; a second group of 90 at-risk children will serve as a comparison group.

“As many as one-fourth of children in Head Start classes exhibit significant problem behaviors that place them at elevated risk for future development, and most have never been in structured classroom situations before,” Conroy said. “Through 14 weeks of classroom-based coaching, we will train teachers to implement effective instructional strategies for improving children’s emotional behavior competence.”

Conroy said the BEST in CLASS model emphasizes both individual and class-wide interventions to improve interactions between the teacher and students and enhance the overall classroom atmosphere for learning.

“Teachers discuss classroom rules and routines with students and praise specific positive behavior—for example, sitting and waiting their turn in a circle during a game or sharing time,” she said. “Such strategies aren’t necessarily new, but we show teachers how to use them more precisely and intensely for given situations.

“The teacher works to prevent any problem behaviors during typical classroom activities.”

The treatment also has a home-school component where teachers send home a daily “behavior report card” stating, in a positive manner, how their child behaved or which corrective behaviors they learned that day.

Stephen Smith

The second federal grant, worth $1.5 million, supports the work of University of Florida special education professors Stephen Smith and Ann Daunic, who are developing a lesson series teaching middle school students with significant behavior problems techniques to control their emotions and behavior in social situations.

“The middle school years are difficult enough for students in their pre-teen and early adolescent years. Those with serious emotional and behavioral disorders face tremendous obstacles to learning,” Smith said. “They require focused attention to help them develop the essential skills for modifying their behavior, and we need to catch them before they drop out of school or end up in the juvenile or adult justice systems.”

Smith and Daunic are developing a curriculum for teachers of children with emotional and behavioral disorders, and they’ve given it a name—In Control—that’s as much a mantra for the students as it is the title of their program. It’s actually a two-unit, 26-lesson curriculum that shows students how their minds work and how they can use that knowledge to take control over their own behavior and their learning process.

“We are developing lessons that tap self-control skills such as monitoring your thoughts, inhibiting impulses, planning better, and adapting to changing situations,” Smith said. “These high-level skills—known collectively as ‘executive functions’—are fundamental to helping students set personal goals, control their emotions and improve their social problem-solving abilities.”

Ann Daunic

Starting in August, the researchers will spend two years developing and testing the In Control lessons in collaboration with special education teachers, school counselors and school psychologists at two Gainesville schools—Lincoln and Fort Clarke middle schools. Participating students will be from small classrooms especially for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.

Smith and Daunic will continually refine and polish the curriculum and expand testing in the third year. If their curriculum effectively improves students’ behavior and learning, the researchers will publish their preliminary findings and develop a professional development package for additional large-scale testing.

“Up to 10 percent of middle school students have significant behavioral issues that merit some attention outside of what is normally provided in our education system,” Smith said. “There aren’t many intervention resources available for these students that are effective and teacher-friendly. Our comprehensive program will provide long-term instructional impact.”

CONTACTS
Source: Maureen Conroy, professor in special education and early childhood studies, UF College of Education, 352-273-4382; mconroy@coe.ufl.edu
Source: Stephen Smith, professor in special education, UF College of Education, 352-273-4263; swsmith@coe.ufl.edu
Source: Ann Daunic, associate scholar in special education, UF College of Education, 352-273-4270; adaunic@coe.ufl.edu
Writer: Larry Lansford, Office of News & Communications, UF College of Education,; 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

June 29, 2011/by

Alumni Accolades, Press Releases, Spotlights

Businesswoman’s $1 million gift creates professorship in early childhood studies

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Entrepreneur Anita Zucker, a 1972 education graduate of the University of Florida, last year challenged fellow alumni who had never contributed to make an annual donation to the College of Education. Zucker, a 2010 recipient of UF’s Distinguished Alumni Award, sweetened the deal by matching such gifts dollar-for-dollar.

Today, Zucker is leading by example by pledging $1 million to create an endowed professorship in early childhood studies at the college. Her contribution will generate an additional $120,000 in funds from the Faculty Now incentive program established by UF President Bernie Machen to generate more faculty endowments. Zucker’s is the first gift made to the College of Education through the program.

Anita Zucker

The post’s formal name will be the Anita Zucker Endowed Professorship in Early Childhood Studies. College officials say they will fill the professorship with a top scholar in that academic specialty. Yearly interest earned on the gift will fund groundbreaking research, teaching and clinical programs conducted by the appointed scholar.

Zucker’s gift follows the creation of a new interdisciplinary Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies in December. The campuswide center is a model training, demonstration and research site where UF scholars—in fields as diverse as education, medicine, law, public health and the life sciences—work with local, state and national partners to advance the science and practice of early childhood development and early learning.

The Zucker professorship becomes the second endowed position in the College of Education’s early childhood studies program. World-class scholar Patricia Snyder occupies the David Lawrence Jr. Endowed Chair in Early Childhood Studies, created in 2007.

“Establishing this new interdisciplinary professorship, alongside the existing Lawrence chair, ensures that early childhood studies will remain a strong focus at the University of Florida, and a resource for the state and nation, for years to come,” said Snyder, who was instrumental in mobilizing the university’s top specialists in childhood education, health and well-being to create the new center for excellence.

Zucker is a former teacher, a lifetime education advocate, a history-making businesswoman, and one of Charleston, South Carolina’s leading citizens. She and her late husband, Jerry, received bachelor’s degrees from UF in 1972 — Anita in education and Jerry with a triple major in math, chemistry and physics. Anita taught elementary school for 10 years and also has a master’s in educational administration and supervision.

When Jerry Zucker died in 2008, Anita succeeded him as chief executive officer of the Hudson Bay Company, North America’s oldest company. She is the company’s first woman CEO. She also heads the family’s InterTech Group company, the North Charleston-based global conglomerate.

“The early childhood years are the most critical time for learning in a young person. That’s when they build their foundation and learn their vocabulary needs for life,” Zucker said. “Creating this professorship ensures the University of Florida will always have a top scholar who can prepare our future educators to teach our youngest children so they can succeed in school and life.”

She raised almost $100,000 last year in her Anita Zucker Alumni Challenge, including her dollar-for-dollar match of nearly $50,000. She says she hopes her latest gift inspires other large contributions to the College of Education.

“Education unlocks all doors for the future and we need to provide it to our young people to increase their chances for success,” Zucker said.

CONTACTS:
Source: Pat Snyder, 352-273-4291, patriciasnyder@coe.ufl.edu
Writer: Larry Lansford, 352-273-4137, llansford@coe.ufl.edu

June 20, 2011/by

Awards, Faculty Laurels, Press Releases

P.K. Yonge research head named school’s new director

(Listen to related WUFT-FM radio news report)

GAINESVILLE, FL — Lynda Hayes, director of research and outreach at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School and an affiliated university school professor at the University of Florida’s College of Education, has been named the new director of the school.

Lynda Hayes

She will assume her new position July 1, according to UF education dean Catherine Emihovich, who announced Hayes’ appointment Monday (May 16). Hayes succeeds Fran Vandiver, who retired in April after 13 years as director. P.K. Yonge has served as the K-12 laboratory school of the College of Education since 1934.

Hayes is a Triple EduGator—earning her bachelor’s (1981) and master’s (1986) degrees in childhood education, and her doctorate (1992) in curriculum and instruction, all from UF’s College of Education.

She has worked at P.K. Yonge for 24 years in several teaching and administrative positions. A serious researcher herself, Hayes has garnered more than $35 million dollars in external funding in her career. She’s a recognized leader in Florida school reform, having worked with hundreds of schools and district leaders to implement research-proven teaching methods for aspiring and practicing teachers in public schools.

“P.K. Yonge is poised to make important contributions to the local, state and national conversation about improving K-12 public education for all students, with a progressive 21^st century approach to personalized learning,” Hayes said. “Our success will depend on furthering our partnership efforts with faculty scholars in the College of Education and across the University of Florida, and continuing our relationship with the Florida Department of Education.”

Hayes has worked closely with UF education researchers on numerous cutting-edge projects and holds an affiliated faculty position with the college’s School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies. She said she hopes to heighten P.K. Yonge’s role at UF in broader impact programs and research efforts in the vital STEM fields–science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Hayes’ three-year appointment will begin July 1 and continue until June 30, 2014, when the next dean of the College of Education may exercise the right to reappoint her for an additional term. (Dean Emihovich is stepping down Aug. 14 and a national search is currently underway for her replacement.)

Hayes said she will continue to collaborate with college and UF administrators in developing a teacher evaluation system for P.K. Yonge that meets the requirements for federal Race to the Top funding and Florida Senate Bill 736 (creating a statewide teacher merit pay plan). She will work with interim school director Eileen Oliver as she prepares for her new responsibilities.

“We were fortunate to find someone with Lynda’s credentials and experience,” Emihovich said. “Given her long history with P.K. Yonge, she understands where the school must go next to realize the vision of being a premier developmental research school at a major research university.”

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Lynda Hayes, newly appointed director, P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, lhayes@pky.ufl.edu; (w) 352-392-1554, ext. 272

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

May 16, 2011/by

Lastinger study aids $8M effort to help at-risk children in south Fla.

NAPLES, FL — A recent study by the University of Florida’s Lastinger Center for Learning was key in helping a south Florida community divide nearly $8 million in charitable grants among local social service agencies to meet the needs of more than 50,000 underprivileged and at-risk children.

The Naples (Fla.) Children and Education Foundation had commissioned the UF study to evaluate the current conditions and needs of children in Collier County and to document the impact of the group’s previous investments on the children’s lives. The UF researchers evaluated local aid programs such as medical and dental services, early childhood education and after-school programs, and program evaluation.

Don Pemberton

Don Pemberton, the study director and head of the UF Lastinger Center, said the UF research team interviewed NCEF, community and school leaders, reviewed social service agency reports and Internet sites, and analyzed date from multiple county, state and federal agencies.

NCEF officials said the UF study showed progress had occurred in serving children’s medical and dental needs, but also revealed huge spikes in children’s hunger and homelessness due to the economy, and indicated mental health and out-of-school needs remain critical.

“The study shows that NCEF has gotten off to a very good start, but there is a lot more to be done,” said NCEF trustee and grant chairwoman Anne Welsh McNulty.

During a ceremony in April, 22 charities received checks from the foundation totaling $5.8 million to help fund programs and services and expand offerings to children. Grants ranged from $25,000 to St. Matt’s Camps for Kids program to $1 million for the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County. NCEF also awarded more than $2 million for multi-year initiatives aimed at fighting hunger, addressing behavioral health issues and increasing early-learning opportunities for the community’s youngest children.

“We’re honored that the Naples Children & Education Foundation commissioned us to conduct a study of child well-being in Collier County and issue recommendations for improvements,” Pemberton said. “The foundation has a stellar track record in creating innovative solutions to transform child well-being.”

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Don Pemberton, director, UF Lastinger Center, UF College of Education, dpemberton@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4103
WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

May 12, 2011/by

Awards, Faculty Laurels, Press Releases, Research News

Special ed researcher is first to receive provost’s junior faculty award

Gagnon

University of Florida special education researcher Joseph Gagnon recently became the first College of Education faculty member to receive the UF Provost’s Excellence Award for Assistant Professors.

The annual honor recognizes up and coming junior faculty members from several colleges across campus for excellence in research. The award comes with a $5,000 stipend that recipients can use to fund travel, equipment, graduate students and other research-related expenses.

Gagnon is garnering national attention for his innovative research linking youths with emotional-behavioral disorders and learning disabilities and the services provided in juvenile correctional facilities and psychiatric schools. His research has been published in top journals in the field including Exceptional Children, Journal of Special Education, and Journal of Child and Family Studies and he frequently presents and national at international conferences.

A UF education faculty member since 2007, he has garnered nearly $3 million in external research grants and has served as the principal Investigator or co-PI on five highly competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences and other prestigious organizations.

He has developed an impressive record of collaboration with UF faculty experts in law and medicine and holds an affiliated faculty appointment with the law school’s Center on Children and Families. He also serves as an expert consultant for several states’ juvenile justice systems under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Justice.

He received a College of Education Faculty Scholarship of Engagement Award in 2010 for his research on educational policies and programs for students in confinement. He also has published extensively on mathematics instruction for secondary students with emotional disorders and learning disabilities.

Gagnon has a doctorate in special education-behavior disorders from the University of Maryland at College Park.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Joseph Gagnon, assistant professor in special education, 352-273-4262; jgagnon@coe.ufl.edu
WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

May 12, 2011/by

Awards, Faculty Laurels, Press Releases

Special ed prof Holly Lane named 2011 Outstanding Graduate Teacher

Having earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in special education from the University of Florida, it’s understandable how Holly Lane, an associate professor in special education, can relate so well with her UF students at any stage of their college experience.

Her commitment to her students also explains why she was selected as the 2011 Outstanding Graduate Teacher at the College of Education.

Holly Lane...Outstanding Graduate Teacher

“(Dr. Lane) demonstrates her commitment to excellence by devoting her time to working closely with junior scholars,” says recent doctoral graduate Ailee Montoya (PhD ’10, special education). She also commended Lane for “helping minority students succeed in higher education.”

Lane taught special education in public schools for eight years in three North Florida counties before joining UF’s education faculty in 1994. She combines her strong teaching commitment with a penchant for landing major research and leadership grants, often in support of doctoral students in special education.

She has received two leadership grants since 2008 from the U.S. Department of Education to fund 12 doctoral students in special education, and she developed two new doctoral seminars on reading intervention research and literacy teacher education. She also has contributed to the development of a new doctoral student orientation program and served as the faculty advisor for the doctoral student organization.

Some of her former doctoral students are now award-winning faculty members in their own right at top-tier education programs such as the universities of Washington, North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Virginia.

Lane also has secured grant support and developed a series of online courses for master’s and specialist students in education, mainly in the field of literacy intervention for students with disabilities.

Her research interests include the role of teacher knowledge in student reading achievement, video models of effective teaching, and the effects of tutoring on preparedness in teaching struggling readers. She has published a multitude of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and a book.

“Reading is a cornerstone for a child’s success in school and throughout life,” Lane explains about her chosen research specialty area.

She currently holds three large federal grants related to literacy intervention and teaching:

— an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education for Project LITERACY: Literacy Intervention in Teacher Education for Reaching all Children and Youth;

— she is co-principal investigator on a $1.5 million grant from the federal Institute of Education Sciences for Project LIBERATE: Literacy Based on Evidence through Research for Adjudicated Teens to Excel;

— and, she is the PI for a $1.2 million grant from the Office for Special Education Programs for Project RELATE: Research in Early Literacy and Teacher Education.

CONTACTS

Source: Holly Lane, associate professor, special education, UF College of Education; 352-273-4273; hlane@ufl.edu

Writer: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

April 29, 2011/by

Awards, Faculty Laurels, Insider News, Press Releases, Research News

UF taps Griffin for prestigious research foundation professorship

Cynthia Griffin

University of Florida special education professor Cynthia Griffin, recognized nationally for her research on teaching mathematics to students with disabilities, has been named a UF Research Foundation (UFRF) Professor for 2011-2014.

Griffin, a top-funded research professor in the College of Education, is one of 33 UF faculty scholars selected for the prestigious professorships. The UF Research Foundation awards the professorships annually to tenured faculty who have made recent contributions in research and have a strong research agenda likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields. The three-year award includes a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a one-time $3,000 grant to support their research.

“Dr. Griffin has risen to national prominence for her scholarly leadership in linking mathematics education and special education, and she brings prestige to our school and college,” said Jean Crockett, director of special education, school psychology and early childhood studies (SESPECS) at the College of Education.

Griffin is building an impressive track record for winning highly-competitive federal grant funding for her studies. She currently holds $2.3 million in research and doctoral training grants from the prestigious Institute for Education Sciences.

She received an $800,000 doctoral leadership training grant in 2008 from the U.S. Education Department’s office of special education programs to prepare four doctoral students in special education and math instruction. That same year, the College of Education awarded Griffin with a three-year, B.O. Smith Research Professorship to study how teachers’ content knowledge and classroom practices in mathematics influenced their students’ learning.

She and co-researchers last year received a $1.5 million grant from IES to develop and refine an online professional development program targeting practicing general and special-education elementary teachers who teach math to students with learning disabilities.

Griffin became a full-time UF education faculty member in 1990 and is the college’s associate director for research and graduate studies in SESPECS.

She is co-author of a text on inclusive instruction due to be published in 2012 by Guilford Press. Since 2006, Griffin has published 18 research articles in leading scholarly journals including the Journal of Educational Research, Journal of Educational Psychology, and Teacher Education and Special Education.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Cynthia Griffin, professor in special education, ccgriffin@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4265

WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news and communications, UF College of Education; llansford@coe.ufl.edu; 352-273-4137

April 26, 2011/by

UF learning center showcasing 1,100 teaching presentations around state

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — More than 1,300 public school educators are presenting 1,100 problem-shooting research projects this month at University of Florida showcases around the state.

The UF Lastinger Center for Learning is staging the showcases with its partner school districts in Miami-Dade, Duval, Pinellas and Collier counties as part of its award-winning Florida Master Teacher Initiative. The events highlight educator-conducted, classroom-oriented inquiry projects, which aim to boost student achievement.

“The learning showcases underline some of the deep, meaningful work that teachers are doing in our partner schools,” said Don Pemberton, director of the UF Lastinger Center. “I always marvel at the scope and breadth of the projects. Their questions and solutions enlighten us all.”

The number of research presentations has grown steadily each year. In 2010, teachers presented 921 projects. Some teachers are participating for the first time; others, like Judith Rosen of Greynolds Park Elementary in Miami, are veterans.

“This experience, which really respects the individual knowledge and expertise of educators, is so empowering,” Rosen said.

Guided by UF Lastinger Center professors-in-residence and facilitators, the teachers address practical issues in their classrooms using the latest research and best practices, implement changes and share the results with their colleagues around the state.

Here are two examples:

— “A Different Perspective on Behavior Intervention.” Two first-grade teachers at George Washington Carver Elementary in Jacksonville examined whether students improve their behavior if they discuss their daily goals with a person other than their classroom teacher? The answer: yes.

— “Venturing with Vocabulary.” A third-grade teacher at Westgate Elementary in St. Petersburg tested whether having a daily vocabulary routine improved his students’ reading comprehension. The answer: yes.

Pinellas and Duval will hold their showcases May 11 at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater and University of North Florida Center in Jacksonville, respectively. Collier is having its event May 19 at Pinecrest Elementary School in Immokalee and Miami-Dade’s is on May 21 at Miami Beach Senior High School.

The Lastinger Center, part of UF’s College of Education, is a global leader in the teacher quality movement. Harnessing the university’s intellectual resources, it partners with philanthropic, educational, governmental and business organizations to create, field-test, scale and disseminate new models and strategies to transform teaching and learning throughout the world.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Alyson Adams, assistant director, UF Lastinger Center for Learning, 352-273-4107; adamsa@coe.ufl.edu
WRITER: Boaz Dvir, creative services coordinator, UF Lastinger Center, 352-273-0289; bdvir@coe.ufl.edu

April 26, 2011/by

Awards, Faculty Laurels, Press Releases

Jacobbe in math education named top undergraduate teacher

Mathematics education instructor Tim Jacobbe has been named the 2010-11 Undergraduate Teacher of the Year at the University of Florida’s College of Education, with a faculty selection panel citing his outstanding ability to help his students see the connection between research-based math concepts and their use in teaching practice.

Tim Jacobbe

“The list of ways Dr. Jacobbe and his course prepared me for the real world in elementary education goes on and on,” wrote one student in nominating Jacobbe, who is an assistant professor in the college’s School of Teaching and Learning. “This was a professor who knew what information, skills and support were truly the most important for educators to be successful in the classroom.”

The selection committee, chaired by science education professor Rose Pringle, also praised Jacobbe’s efforts in involving students in “Family Math Nights” at local, high-poverty elementary schools. The event brings together the schoolchildren and their families for an evening of fun math games and learning. Jacobbe also teaches a math methods class to the elementary students, which provides additional supervised teaching opportunities for his UF preservice students.

His work with local, high-need elementary schools in 2010 earned him the college’s Faculty Scholarship of Engagement Award for the School of Teaching and Learning.

“Dr. Jacobbe’s engaged scholarship activities not only support our future elementary math teachers but also benefit hundreds of schoolchildren from low-income families who are often marginalized in today’s education system,” said UF Education Dean Catherine Emihovich.

Jacobbe studies the impact of these efforts on preservice teachers and elementary student learning and disseminates his findings so other educators might benefit.

His research also addresses teachers’ preparation to teach statistics and the use of collective grading as a professional development experience. His interest in statistics education grew from his experience working as an assessment specialist at Educational Testing Service, where he was a primary test developer for the Advanced Placement statistics, SAT, GRE and Praxis programs.

“My research relates to exploring the most effective methods to impart changes in the way mathematics is taught, particularly at the elementary school level,” Jacobbe said.

He came to UF in 2008 from the University of Kentucky education faculty. He has a doctorate in curriculum and instruction in mathematics education from Clemson University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Bowling Green State University.

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Tim Jacobbe, assistant professor, math education, UF College of Education, 352-273-4232; jacobbe@coe.ufl.edu
WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

April 26, 2011/by

Alumni Accolades, Press Releases

coE-News: April 8, 2011

April 8, 2011 The Friday Post Vol. 6, No. 4

Dean’s Message

Departing Dean Emihovich reflects on her tenure as head of COE, looks to future

As UF Education Dean Catherine Emihovich prepares to step down from the College’s top administrative post in August, she reflects in this column on her tenure as dean, cites the many accomplishments of COE faculty, staff and students that occurred “on her watch,” and looks ahead to the transition that both she and the College will face in the months and years to come. (more)

Headlines

COE scholars out in force at massive AERA annual meeting

Mirka Koro-Ljungberg...5 AERA presentations

More than 80 UF College of Education faculty and graduate students will be among the 13,000 scholars who are gathering April 8-12 in New Orleans for the 92nd annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) to examine critical issues of education research and public policy. A complete PDF listing of AERA paper presentations, poster sessions and round tables involving UF education faculty and students is available online on the COE Publications website. Out of some 2,000 sessions, a UF presentation on the role of Lastinger Center professors-in-residence was one of 15 scheduled AERA sessions previewed in the latest issue of Education Researcher journal. (more)

5 COE programs make top 20 in U.S. News national rankings

The latest U.S. News & World Report national rankings of U.S. graduate schools confirm that the University of Florida’s College of Education is one of America’s best education colleges. Five COE academic programs landed top 20 positions in their respective specialty areas, while the College overall moved up to within two slots of a top 50 position. (more)

Visit the college home page for links to these and other reports about College activities, accomplishments and faculty-staff-student-alumni news and achievements.

College News & Notices

Rep. Mica (left) with COE deans Catherine Emihovich and Tom Dana on recent Norman Hall tour.

U.S. Rep. Mica (BAE ’67) visits Norman Hall for briefing, tour

Congressman John Mica (BAE ’67) of Florida’s 7th district visited Norman Hall in March, meeting with key COE faculty and thought leaders to get briefed on some of the college’s core education reform initiatives. Mica, a 1967 graduate of the College, also received a guided tour of recent building renovations completed with the aid of $600,000 in federal funding (over five years), which Mica helped to secure for his alma mater.

UF appoints committee to lead nationwide dean’s search

UF Provost Joe Glover has appointed a nine-member search committee to lead the nationwide hunt for the next College of Education dean, with current dean Catherine Emihovich stepping down in August. The search committee, chaired by UF health and human performance dean Steve Dorman, includes four COE faculty members and an EduGator alumna who serves on the College’s advisory board. (more)

Delaware authority in mathematics education to guest-lecture April 18

University of Delaware education professor Nancy Jordan will present a guest lecture April 18, 9:30-11 a.m., on “Developing Number Sense in Children at Risk for Learning Difficulties in Mathematics.” The presentation will be held in the Norman Hall Terrace Room. No RSVP required. Contact: ccgriffin@coe.ufl.edu.

Honors & Appointments

Faculty

Ponjuan

Higher Ed institute chief leads draft of national policy brief

Luis Ponjuan, director of UF’s Institute of Higher Education and an authority on diversity in higher ed, was the lead author on a new issue brief released March 23 by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ commission on access, diversity and excellence. The brief documents the urgency for American public higher education to increase diversity among the college professor ranks to meet the dramatic shifts in the racial and ethnic composition of the student population projected to occur over the next decade.

Washington

Professor commended for design of state’s first Civics end-of-course assessment

UF social studies education professor Elizabeth Washington has received commendations from state and university officials for her contributions in designing Florida’s first statewide Civics course content assessment program. Washington served on the Florida Board of Education’s Middle School Civics End-of-Course Content Advisory Committee. Randall Felton, social studies coordinator at the Test Development Center of the Florida Department of Education, who cited Washington’s contributions in a letter to UF President Bernie Machen, said the group’s effort yielded the first Florida statewide assessment in a social science area in more than two decades.

Students

AERA cites ‘groundbreaking’ dissertation on virtual schooling

Kathryn Kennedy (PhD ’10), a 2010 doctoral graduate in education technology, will receive the 2011 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Educational Research Association on April 9 at AERA’s Division K annual business meeting in New Orleans. Award judges described her dissertation study of teacher preparation for virtual schooling as “well-conceptualized, innovative and groundbreaking”. Kennedy’s report demonstrated the great potential of virtual schooling for changing the way we think about and practice schooling. Her research focused on UF’s virtual school apprenticeships for pre-service teachers, one of the few programs of its type in the nation.

McLaughlin

Doctoral candidate lands AERA dissertation grant for early-child study

Tara McLaughlin, a doctoral candidate in special education and early childhood studies, has received a competitive dissertation grant from the American Educational Research Association for her proposal titled “Functional Profiles and Young Children’s Social Competence: Exploring Relationships in the Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS) data set.” The AERA Grants Program is supported by the National Science Foundation.

Clawson

UF selects 2 EduGators for Graduate Student Teaching honors

The University of Florida has named two UF education students to receive university-wide Graduate Student Teaching Awards. Recipients Kathy Alva, a graduate teaching assistant in ESOL/bilingual education, and Jessica Clawson, a Ph.D. student in social foundations of education, will be recognized at campuswide ceremonies April 22.

Alumni & Friends

Poekert

Ex-athlete, Lastinger professor named COE Outstanding Young Alumni

An athlete-turned-educator and a rising star in an award-winning master-teacher training program at the University of Florida have been named the UF College of Education’s 2011 Outstanding Young Alumni.The recipients are David Horton (PhD ’09), a former college baseball standout who now stands out as an instructor and researcher at Ohio University’s School of Education, and Philip Poekert (PhD ’08), a professor-in-residence for Miami programs at UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning. (more)

In the News

Below is a sampling of recent news media reports featuring the College of Education and its faculty, students and alumni.

March 19, 2011

South Florida Sun Sentinel: Catherine Emihovich (dean)
Dean Emihovich is quoted in a March 19 article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting how the sweeping teacher merit pay bill passed recently by the Florida Legislature has many teachers worried about the future of their jobs and profession. Said Emihovich: “We’re already hearing students raise questions about, ‘What is my long-term future as a teacher?’ ”

March 17, 2011

Cavanaugh

Education Week: Wendy Drexler & Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
Drexler and Cavanaugh are quoted in research article weighing the pros and cons of technology-driven personalized learning. Article appeared in Education Week’s annual Technology Counts report for 2011.

March 7, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Elizabeth Washington (social studies education)
Washington was quoted in a March 7 Gainesville Sun story about a local grassroots group attacking social studies textbooks used in area schools for having pro-Islam and anti-Christian, Jewish or Israel leanings.

March 3, 2011

Sindelar

Education Week: Paul Sindelar (special education)

Sindelar was quoted in an this Education Week article about instruction in Response to Intervention techniques, saying: “I do think that general education [teacher preparation] has an orientation toward kids who are living in poverty, don’t speak English, who are culturally and ethnically different. What I’m less sure about is whether that concept of difference includes students with disabilities.The expectations are upped in [an RTI] system. Teachers can’t simply refer kids to special education and expect them to be removed from their watch.”

Smith-Adcock

March 1, 2011

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Sondra Smith-Adcock (counselor education)
Smith-Adcock, associate professor in counselor education, is quoted in a Radio Free Europe report analyzing the apparent mental-emotional state of Kolya Lukashenko, son of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenko.

Feb, 18, 2011

St. Petersburg Times: UF Lastinger Center for Learning’s national Teacher Education Award
The St. Petersburg Times education blog featured the national 2011 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award recently won by the graduate component of the Lastinger Center’s Florida Master Teacher program.

(Visit “COE In-the-News” Archives for more listings of media hits)

April 8, 2011/by

Ex-athlete, Lastinger professor named COE Outstanding Young Alumni

The recipients are David Horton (PhD ’09), a former college baseball standout who now stands out as an instructor and researcher at Ohio University’s School of Education, and Philip Poekert (PhD ’08), a professor-in-residence for Miami programs at UF’s renowned Lastinger Center for Learning.

The UF Alumni Association established the Outstanding Young Alumni Award in 2006 to recognize alumni who are 35 or younger and have distinguished themselves in their profession and community.

Here are profiles of the two 2011 recipients . . .

Poekert

Philip Poekert (PhD ’08)
Ph.D., curriculum and instruction, 2008, University of Florida College of Education

Poekert, a 2008 doctoral graduate of UF’s College of Education, is a clinical assistant professor in the college’s school of teaching and learning and a UF Lastinger for Learning professor-in-residence in Miami. He began his teaching career in the South Bronx as a Teach for America instructor, but today he is a leader in two UF programs in south Florida that are on the cutting edge of education reform.

Poekert, 31, directs Ready Schools Miami, which partners UF’s Lastinger Center with Miami-Dade County schools and local community groups to ensure at-risk children enter school healthy and ready to learn. He also coordinates the center’s Florida Master Teacher Initiative, an on-the-job professional development and advanced degree program in education for teachers in Miami‐Dade and across the state. Poekert recently co-authored a successful $6 million federal grant to expand the Master Teacher initiative, offering a new degree track in early childhood education. His group was one of 49 winning applicants, beating out more than 1,600 others nationwide for a share of the stimulus funds.

“This is the area where we can generate the highest return,” Poekert said. “We can literally change the trajectory of children’s lives,” said Poekert, who previously taught in public schools in Oakland, Los Angeles and West Palm Beach before pursuing his UF doctoral degree.

The National School Reform Faculty organization recognizes Poekert as a national facilitator. His research includes evaluation studies of the impact of collaborative professional development on the instructional practice at the early childhood and elementary level. He has published in several national and international journals, including Teacher Education Quarterly and Professional Development in Education.

David Horton, Jr. (PhD ’09)
Ph.D., Higher Education Administration, 2009, University of Florida College of Education

Horto

Shortly after David Horton Jr. received his doctorate in higher education administration from UF in 2009, a search committee for Ohio University’s counseling and higher education department hired him as an assistant professor, impressed by his potential as an outstanding scholar.

Within two weeks of his appointment, the committee was proven right when Horton won the 2009 Outstanding Paper/Dissertation Award from the Southeastern Association for Community College Research (SACCR). He also was the SACCR’s featured speaker at its annual conference that year. Horton, who played baseball at the junior college and community college level in Texas, wrote his dissertation on the academic performance of community college athletes, a topic seldom studied. Research on college athletics typically focuses on four-year institutions.

At Ohio University, his teaching and research areas include the organization, governance and funding of higher education, multicultural development, diversity in higher education, the persistence of community college students, and the academic success of student-athletes.

Horton, 33, came to UF with a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in history from Dallas Baptist University. During his doctoral studies, he worked as a recruiter and assistant in the College of Education’s office of outreach, recruitment and retention. He also received funding to attend the College Sports Research Institute’s annual meeting. He credits much of his success to his involvement in athletics, saying, “My participation in athletics taught me that hard work does pay off, and that you get out of life what you put into it.”

CONTACTS
WRITER: Larry Lansford, director, news & communications, UF College of Education, 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

April 7, 2011/by

COE scholars out in force at massive AERA meeting

NEW ORLEANS — At a time when education is under scrutiny on both federal and local agendas, more than 80 University of Florida College of Education faculty and graduate students were among the 13,000 scholars gathering here April 8-12 for the 92nd annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) to examine critical issues of education research and public policy.

AERA’s complete online meeting program lists some 2,000 peer-reviewed sessions. The UF contingent included some 46 faculty researchers and 36 graduate students in education. The conference theme —“Inciting the Social Imagination: Education Research for the Public Good”— was intended to stimulate a new dialogue about the contributions that innovative education research can make toward public policy and the public good.

“Research can enable us to see through the political and polemical tangles and can move us past the current policy impasse toward a new democratic vision of schooling,” said AERA President Kris Gutierrez. “This will require nothing less than a renewed, creative social imagination.”

A complete PDF listing of AERA paper presentations, poster sessions and round tables involving UF education faculty and graduate students is available online on the COE Publications website.

The massive AERA gathering is always a hotbed of new and exciting, research-based ideas about teaching, and this year’s session was no exception. UF presentations include hot education topics such as:

— Using the Gulf oil spill to engage students in science and citizenship

— The status of African American girls as science learners

— Influencing students’ use of technology in K-12 classrooms

— Developing meaningful university-public school partnerships

— How teachers’ knowledge of reading fluency impacts student performance

— How counselors and teacher educators are preparing teachers to work with diverse student populations

— Developing math word problem-solving in students with autism

— Research-based practices in pre-school teaching

— Preparing teacher leaders in an on-the-job graduate degree program

Mirka Koro-Ljungberg

Walter Leite and Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, COE faculty members in research and evaluation methods, were especially busy, participating in 11 sessions between them. Their REM colleague, James Algina, was involved in another four sessions. Buffy Bondy (director of the School of Teaching and Learning) and counselor education professor Cerecie West-Olatunji also were linked to four presentations each. Faculty with three sessions to their credit included Ester de Jong, Patricia Snyder, Nancy Dana, Albert Ritzhaupt and Dorene Ross.

Among UF doctoral students in education attending, Deborah Alvarez Caron reported on three studies in teacher education, Ana Useche made one presentation and participated in two AERA-related activities, and Jessica Clawson participated in four sessions, including one as chair of AERA’s Graduate Student Council.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the national interdisciplinary research association for approximately 25,000 scholars who conduct research to improve education and serve the public good.

Writer: Larry Lansford, COE News & Communications,352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

April 5, 2011/by

Media hits: COE In the News

The University of Florida’s College of Education–through its office of news and communications–strives to be the “source of choice” for general news media outlets and “education beat” reporters and bloggers seeking information and expert sources on education trends and issues, and on information and news about the College’s programs in education teaching, research and public service.

Below is a sampling of recent news media reports and selected blog posts concerning College activities and its faculty, students and alumni, or featuring expert sources from our distinguished faculty. Many of the media “hits” were generated by news releases or direct contact with reporters and editors, or resulted from media inquiries “triaged” by our news and communications office. . .

2011

May 12, 2011

Bay News Ch. 9 (Tampa Bay area): Lastinger Center-Pinellas schools showcase
Pinellas County teachers lead the state in classroom research projects, and on Wednesday they had the chance to showcase their work at an event sponsored by the school district and UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning. Bay News 9 covered the story.

May 10, 2011

Clearwater Current: Lastinger Center’s statewide inquiry showcases
Old Northeast-Downtown St. Pete PATCH (e-newsletter)
insideEDGE (Pinellas County Schools monthly newsletter)
State of Florida Facts (news highlighting website)
More than 1,300 public school educators are presenting 1,100 problem-shooting research projects this month at University of Florida showcases around the state. Pinellas County educators will present 746 of the projects at a showcase scheduled at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Wednesday, May 11 beginning at 3:45 p.m. The UF Lastinger Center for Learning is staging the showcases with its partner school districts around the state. (The Clearwater Current is an online newspaper for Clearwater Beach, Old Clearwater Bay and Dunedin communities.)

May, 2011

insideEDGE (Pinellas County Schools monthly newsletter): TLSI graduate degree
The graduate degree component (Teacher Leadership for School Improvement) of the Florida Master Teacher Initiative, offered to Pinellas teachers at area schools partnering with UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning, received the 2011 Distinguished Program in Teacher Education Award by the Association of Teacher Educators.

April 11 & 12, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Dorene Ross (STL)
Professor Dorene Ross was quoted extensively in segments one and two of a five-part series in the Gainesville Sun about the value and impact of standardized testing in Alachua County public schools.

March 19, 2011

South Florida Sun Sentinel: Catherine Emihovich (dean)
Dean Emihovich is quoted in a March 19 article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting how the sweeping merit pay bill passed recently by the Florida Legislature has many teachers worried about the future of their jobs and profession. Said Emihovich: “We’re already hearing students raise questions about, ‘What is my long-term future as a teacher?’ ”

March 17, 2011

Education Week: Wendy Drexler & Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
Wendy Drexler and Cathy Cavanaugh are quoted in research article weighing the pros and cons of technology-driven personalized learning. Article appeared in Education Week’s annual Technology Counts report for 2011.

March 15, 2011

Gainesville Sun: COE national rankings
As reported in this Gainesville Sun story, the UF College of Education rose slightly in the U.S. News and World Report’s national rankings of graduate schools released online this week, with five individual academic programs within the college placing in the top 20.

March 7, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Elizabeth Washington (social studies education)
Professor Elizabeth Washington was quoted in a March 7 Gainesville Sun story about a local grassroots group attacking social studies textbooks used in area schools for having pro-Islam and anti-Christian, Jewish or Israel leanings.

March 3, 2011

Education Week: Paul Sindelar (special education)

March 1, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Christopher Sessums (education technology)
Christopher Sessum, a postdoctoral associate in educational technology, was quoted in a March 1 Gainesville Sun story about proposed Alachua County School Board policies that would discourage teachers from engaging students on social media networks without administrative approval.

Feb, 18, 2011

Feb. 17, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Michael Testa (alumnus)
UF COE alum Michael Testa (MEd ’05, social studies ed, EdS ’09, ed admin/leadership), a history and government teacher at Gainesville Buchholz High School, was featured in a Feb. 17 Gainesville Sun story about his selection as 2011 Alachua County Teacher of the Year.

Feb. 15, 2011

Republica (Kathmandu, Nepal newspaper): Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
Associate professor Cathy Cavanaugh was quoted in this English-language Nepalese newspaper about the Asian nation’s national science fair, where Cavanaugh was a speaker. Cavanaugh is a Fulbright Senior Scholar spending the spring semester in Kathmandu, Nepal, working on a Fulbright learning project.

Feb. 14, 2011

Gainesville Sun: P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School
WUFT-FM Radio

A Feb. 14 story in the Gainesville Sun reported the start of a 172,000-square-foot rebuilding project that will replace all but five buildings on the P.K. Yonge school campus, starting with a $9 million elementary wing. P.K. Yonge is the College of Education’s renowned K-12 laboratory school. WUFT-FM Radio (Gainesville) also covered the event.

Jan. 28, 2011

Gainesville Sun: Gordon Lawrence (retired professor emeritus)
The Jan. 28 edition of the Sun featured an obituary for Gordon Lawrence, a professor of instructional leadership in UF’s College of Education for more than 25 years. He died Dec. 14, 2010, at age 80.

Jan. 21, 2011

edutopia (George Lucas Educational Foundation blog site): UF teacher preparation program
The innovative practices of UF’s teacher education program were showcased Jan. 21 in edutopia, the national blogging site of The George Lucas Educational Foundation. In a piece titled “Innovations in Teacher Prep Programs,” blogger Anne OBrien, deputy director of the Learning First Alliance, described UF’s program as a national model for “grounding the pre-service teacher experience in clinical practice.”

Jan. 13, 2011

Salisbury (N.C.) Post: Gov. Beverly Perdue (COE alumna, governor of North Carolina)
Raleigh (NC) News-Observer
GovMonitor.com
PressZoom
An article in the Jan. 13 edition of the Salisbury Post reported the selection of North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue to receive UF’s 2011 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Perdue holds two degrees from UF’s College of Education. She is North Carolina’s first women governor. Story also carried by PressZoom global news service, the Raleigh (NC) News-Observer, GovMonitor (online gobal public-sector news service),

Jan. 11, 2011

Florida (Magazine of the Gator Nation): Gene Chizik (BAE ’85 alum)
Auburn football coach Gene Chizik (BAE ’85), a UF education alum, was featured in an article in UF’s alumni magazine for receiving the Coaches Trophy after his Tigers won the 2011 BCS National Championship game Jan. 10.

2010

Dec. 22, 2010

WUFT-FM RADIO: Lastinger Center Master Teacher Gloria Jean Merriex
North Florida’s NPR station recently profiled the late Master Teacher Gloria Jean Merriex. In an radio news report titled “Learning math through hip hop will live on at Duvall Elementary and beyond,” reporter Dan Katz speaks with UF Lastinger Center officials who’ve worked with Merriex and family members.

Winter 2010

UF Today magazine: Pat Snyder (early childhood studies)
In the Winter 2010 edition of UF Today alumni magazine, Pat Snyder, COE Dean Catherine Emihovich, graduate student Tara McLaughlin and others were quoted in a story about the college’s early childhood education initiatives, including UF’s new Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies.

Dec. 18, 2010

WCJB-TV-20: Jean Crockett (special education)
Local ABC affiliate TV-20 interviewed Professor Jean Crockett about the comparison of U.S. student test results with that of other leading industrial nations. She cited the greater diversity of students in American schools, the inclusion of American students with exceptional learning needs and the higher percentage of U.S. children living in poverty.

Dec. 15, 2010

Gainesville Sun: Pat Snyder (UF Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies)
WCJB-TV 20 (ABC affiliate)
Early childhood studies scholar Pat Snyder was quoted in a Dec. 15 Gainesville Sun story about UF’s creation of a university-wide Center for Excellence in Early Childhood Studies. Snyder and other COE faculty and administrators were instrumental in the center’s formation. Local TV-20 also covered the story.

Dec. 14, 2010

Learning First Alliance: Buffy Bondy (School of Teaching and Learning)
The Learning First Alliance website held a Q&A conversation with Elizabeth “Buffy” Bondy, interim director of the college’s School of Teaching and Learning, citing UF’s teacher preparation program as an education school that has “been on the right track for years.” Bondy cited UF’s clinical approach to teacher education. The Alliance is a partnership of 17 leading U.S. education associations, with more than 10 million members.

Dec. 10, 2010

WUFT-TV 5: Don Pemberton (UF Lastinger Center for Learning)
The University of Florida’s PBS television station, WUFT ran a video news report about the Lastinger Center’s statewide Master Teacher program.

Nov. 17, 2010

Independent Florida Alligator: Phil Poekert & Magdalena Castaneda (Lastinger Center for Learning)
UF Lastinger Center “professors-in-residence” Phil Poekert were quoted Nov. 17 in an Independent Florida Alligator story about the center’s Florida Master Teacher Initiative, which offers tuition-free, on-the-job graduate degree programs for teachers in high-need schools in five Florida counties.

Nov. 15, 2010

Naples News: Lastinger Center’s school-improvement activites in Collier County
In his “Class Notes” article, Naples News columnist Joe Landon praised the UF Lastinger Center’s school-improvement efforts in Collier County. The center has had a close relationship with the school district dating back to 2004. The program gives teachers in participating high-need schools the chance to pursue master’s or specialist degrees with the help of full-tuition scholarships. So far, 31 teachers in Immokalee have completed their graduate work thanks to the program, and another 30 are hard at work following in their footsteps.

Nov. 12, 2010

WUFT-FM Radio (NPR): Don Pemberton (UF Lastinger Center for Learning)
UF’s public radio station interviewed Lastinger Center Director Don Pemberton on the center’s revolutionary efforts to upgrade education in Florida’s public schools. To hear audio report, please click here.

Nov. 9, 2010

Independent Florida Alligator: Diane Archer-Banks (UF Alliance)
Diane Archer-Banks, interim director of the UF Alliance, was quoted in a Nov. 9 story about the program’s 10th anniversary celebration. The UF Alliance helps six struggling Florida high schools improve their educational standards and college acceptance rates.

Fall 2010

Explore magazine: Florida Master Teacher Initiative (Lastinger Center for Learning)
The UF Lastinger Center’s groundbreaking Florida Master Teacher Initiative was the featured cover story in the Fall 2010 edition of the magazine, Explore: Research at the University of Florida, published by the UF Office of Research. The article describes the initiative as “one of the most promising programs in American education and an emerging national model.”

Nov. 4, 2010

Independent Florida Alligator: Tom Dana (COE academic affairs)
Tom Dana, associate dean for academic affairs, was quoted in a Nov. 4, 2010 story about UF joining the Science and Mathematics Teacher Imperative, a national initiative committed to preparing a higher number of quality high school math and science teachers. Dana is UF’s liaison to the SMTI. The imperative is a program of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

October 2010

Urban Educator (Council of the Great City Schools): $6M USDOE-Kellogg grants
The Urban Educator newsletter reported the $6 million in federal and foundation grants funding the collaborative effort of UF’s College of Education, Miami-Dade Public Schools and the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation. The organizations have joined forces to create a free, on-the-job graduate degree program for 100 early-childhood teachers in 25 high-need elementary schools.

Oct. 27, 2010

Independent Florida Alligator: Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
In a story headlined “E-books get mixed reviews on campus,” Associate Professor Cathy Cavanaugh was quoted as saying she encouraged the incorporation of e-texts into the learning experience. “I’m not advocating for an automated course experience,” she said. “But society is moving toward e-texts and it makes sense.”

Independent Florida Alligator: Dorene Ross (teacher education)
While some are pessimistic about iPad’s usefulness in the classroom, others, such as UF COE Professor Dorene Ross, is quoted in this Alligator article as saying she believes the iPad may have a place in academia.

Sept. 29, 2010

KAET-TV Horizonte (Phoenix, AZ): Luis Ponjuan (UF Institute of Higher Education)
Luis Ponjuan appeared on this Phoenix PBS public affairs television program, which focuses on Latino issues. Ponjuan discussed his research on the plight of the “Vanishing Latino Male” in higher education.

Sept. 27, 2010

Education Update blog: Catherine Emihovich (dean, UFCOE)
Dean Emihovich wrote her inaugural blog for this popular education blog site. In a column titled “Not Your Mother’s College of Education!”, Emihovich wrote that many policymakers and legislators “have no idea of the ways many contemporary COEs have completely restructured their practices and programs, or what role they can and should play in the national debate on improving education.” Education Update is an award-winning newspaper with 100,000 readers and 2 million monthly hits on the Web.

Aug. 9, 2010

Gainesville Sun / South Florida Business Journal / WRUF-AM 850 (Gainesville): Alyson Adams (UF Lastinger Center for Learning)
Alyson Adams was quoted in story carried by these 3 media outlets about $6 million in grants the UF Lastinger Center for Learning landed to team with Miami-Dade Public Schools and the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation on a local teaching program. Miami-Dade early education teachers will get free, on-the-job graduate education from UF professors-in-residence in a program designed to train master teachers in early childhood education.

Summer, 2010

Florida Trend magazine (UF “Explore” magazine insert): Harry Daniels (counselor education)
UF counselor education researchers, led by Professor Harry Daniels, have documented a profound correlation between home location, family lifestyles and students’ achievement on state standardized tests. Their study was a hot-button topic in Tallahassee during the debate over Senate Bill 6–the teacher-compensation proposal that Gov. Charlie Crist subsequently vetoed.

July 25, 2010

Chronicle for Higher Education : Luis Ponjuan (UF Institute of Higher Education)
Luis Ponjuan, director of the college’s Institute of Higher Education, was quoted in a Chronicle for Higher Education story about the rising pressure associated with the year-to-year increase in standards for tenure at major research universities.

May 16, 2010

Daytona Beach News Journal: Sevan Terzian (social foundations of education)
In an article on the various forms of high school education teens can choose from today–charter schools, home-schooling, dual enrollment, etc.–Sevan Terzian pointed out that the original civics-instruction mission of high schools is not as prominent anymore due to heightened promotion of academic achievement.

April 23, 2010

Education Week: Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
E-Curriculum Builders Seek a Personalized Approach. Cavanaugh was quoted in Ed Week’s online special report, “E-Learning 2010: Assessing the Agenda for Change.” She said she doesn’t consider an online offering that is solely computer-based, with no teacher support, a true course. “For K-12 students…the instructor is a key element.”

April 21, 2010

Tampa Bay Newspapers (weekly: Beacon, Leader, and Bee): Catherine Emihovich, dean
Dean Emihovich was quoted in a story about the college’s recent awarding of a 2010 Scholarship of Engagement Award to Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Linda Janssen. The dean called Janssen “instrumental in forming a multi-partnership with the UF Lastinger Center.”

April 19-20, 2010

Virtual School Meanderings (Web blog): Cathy Cavanaugh (education technology)
Cavanaugh’s appointment as a Fulbright Scholar was reported, as was a recent COE news release about UF’s virtual school internship program. (VSM is a Web blog about K-12 online learning, written by a Wayne State University I.T. professor.)

April 15, 2010

WDBD-FM Radio (Orlando): Harry Daniels (counselor education)
UF counselor education researchers, led by Professor Harry Daniels, have documented a profound correlation between home location, family lifestyles and students’ achievement on state standardized tests. The nationwide media splash created in March by their report carried over into April. Their study reportedly was a hot-button topic in Tallahassee during the debate over Senate Bill 6–the teacher-compensation proposal that Gov. Charlie Crist subsequently vetoed.

March 29, 2011/by

Nominations due April 8 for Scholarship of Engagement awards

The University of Florida’s College of Education is accepting nominations until April 8 for the 9th annual Scholarship of Engagement Awards competition for college and university faculty and graduate students, educators and education advocates in Alachua County and UF-partnering school districts around the state.

The college annually honors the year’s most noteworthy efforts in engaged scholarship, which involves innovative research and academic activities pursued specifically to make a meaningful difference in education and people’s lives. Engagement often involves partnerships and building connections with schools, families, school districts, community groups and government agencies to lead for change in a world where transformation in education and society is essential.

Nominations are due April 8, and should be sent to:
Jennifer Reeger
UF College of Education
P.O. Box 117040
Gainesville, FL 32611-7040

Or email your nomination letters to: (jreeger@coe.ufl.edu)

The winners (and their nominators) will be invited to attend the college’s Faculty Research and Engaged Scholarship Showcase (FRESS) to be held in the fall, where they will receive a plaque in honor of their work.

The Scholarship of Engagement awards are adapted from renowned 20th century educator Ernst Boyer’s vision that research-oriented universities need to broaden their concept of scholarship to reflect the issues and concerns of society at large.

As Boyer noted: “Scholarship means engaging in original research. But the work of the scholar also means stepping back from one’s investigation, looking for connections, building bridges between theory and practice, and communicating one’s knowledge effectively to students. Institutions should consider broadening the scope of the term ‘scholarship’ to recognize these four activities – discovery, integration, application, and teaching – as separate but overlapping dimensions of scholarship.”

Along with Boyer’s criteria, the College of Education also considers these elements: the impact the scholar’s work has had; wide dissemination through channels other than just scholarly journals; research that is focused on the ‘public good’; an integration of scholarship with teaching; time spent in a site (applies to field-based research); strong collaboration with other partners; a concern for equity and social justice; and, in the case of school/community nominees, effective translation of research results into action.

In the words of the English philosopher Herbert Spencer, “The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”

Awards will be presented in the following categories:
University
College of Education (three faculty members, one P.K. Yonge teacher)
Graduate student
School district
Community

The 2010 winners were:
University – Francis E. “Jack” Putz, biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences;
College of Education faculty – Tim Jacobbe (School of Teaching and Learning); Joseph Gagnon (School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies); David Miller (School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education); Randy Hollinger (P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School);
COE graduate student: Brian Barber (School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education);
School district – Julie Janssen, superintendent, Pinellas County School District;
Community – Karen Bricklemyer, president and CEO, United Way, North Central Florida

Nomination Process
Each COE school will select a recipient who best meets the intent of this award. P.K. Yonge School will follow a similar procedure. To nominate someone for the remaining categories, please submit a letter (no more than 2 pages) describing the candidate’s accomplishments, and explain why you believe she or he merits this award based on the criteria listed above (Previous nominees may be nominated again). Please do not send additional documentation apart from the nomination letter.

All nominations will be reviewed by a committee and winners will be informed in early May.

March 18, 2011/by