Archive for category: Press Releases

Posted July 22 ,2010

Professor Dorene Ross, co-holder of a prestigious endowed professorship in UF’s College of Education, has received the inaugural 2010 Outstanding Higher Education Faculty Award for alumni from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education. She received her doctorate in early childhood education in 1978 from U.Va.

Ross joined the Florida faculty in 1979 and is the current Irving and Rose Fien Professor of Education at UF. Her research focuses on improving educational outcomes for children and youth living in poverty and children otherwise disadvantaged by cultural or linguistic barriers or disabilities. She also has studied and published in the areas of teacher socialization for high-poverty schools, inclusive teacher education and whole school reform.

UF previously recognized her work with an Undergraduate Teacher of the Year Award, a Teaching Improvement Program Award and the education college’s Scholarship of Engagement Faculty Award.

A co-creator of UF's five-year ProTeach teacher-preparation program, Rossis well-known for her efforts to bring quality teaching to students living in poverty. She has worked as a “professor-in-residence” at two east Gainesville elementary schools, helping the high-poverty schools change their cultures and the teachers to develop self-evaluation methods to improve their teaching practice.

Over the past four years, she helped develop a school improvement model that is now being used in several dozen elementary schools in five Florida school districts. The strategy focuses on improving outcomes for children through teacher and principal development using coaching, collegial collaboration and inquiry to enhance the capacity of district, school and teacher leaders.

She also is part of the leadership team that initiated systemic reform efforts in elementary schools in Miami, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Ross and her UF co-researchers last year published a guide of best teaching practices–compiled from nearly 100 award-winning Florida teachers—called “Secrets of Successful Teaching,” under a grant from the Tallahassee-based Excellence in Education Foundation.

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CONTACT

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

Posted May 27, 2010

Some teachers—usually the best ones—just seem born to teach. Like they shot from the womb grasping a lesson plan in one tiny hand and an eraser and chalk in the other. And maybe a couple No. 2 pencils tucked between their tiny toes.

In the case of Alachua Elementary School teacher Kevin Berry, who was announced this week as the 2010 Outstanding Young Alumni Award winner by the University of Florida’s College of Education, this description actually is not too far from the truth.

“I have always wanted to be a teacher. From the first day of kindergarten, I grabbed a chalkboard and taught my mom what I learned in school that day,” said Berry, 34, who teaches gifted third- through fifth-graders at Alachua Elementary. “It continued as I grew older, from ‘playing school’ with my cousins and friends to volunteering and becoming involved with Future Educators of America in middle and high school. 

In 1993, Berry’s predestined career path led from the after-school FEA meetings at McArthur High in Hollywood, Fla., to the University of Florida, where his coursework and hands-on teacher-training sealed the deal: He not only would become a teacher, but also a lifelong learner of the best practices of classroom instruction. He received his bachelor’s degree in education from UF in 1997 and a master’s the following year while serving his fifth-year teaching internship at Alachua Elementary.

Alachua Elementary Principal Jim Brandenburg, a devout UF “EduGator” alum himself, hired Berry right out of college. Twelve years later, Berry remains entrenched on the school’s faculty, but he has continued advanced degree coursework at UF, earning his Ed.S. (education specialist) degree in 2006 and is now working on a doctorate in curriculum, teaching and teacher education.

“In his brief career, Kevin has accomplished more than most educators do in a lifetime, yet he seems unaffected by his professional success,” Brandenburg said. “Even as a beginning teacher, he showed a mastery of the complexities of positive student management and engaging instructional delivery typical of veteran teachers.”

Berry (pictured, right, chatting with 5th grader Paul Winner) was one of the school’s first National Board Certified teachers and developed a mentoring program to help other Alachua Elementary teachers earn this prestigious designation. He also was instrumental in Alachua Elementary becoming a founding partner in a pilot “professional development community” (or PDC), a network of 10 Alachua County elementary schools. At PDC schools, UF education students learn to teach diverse learners alongside school-based mentors and UF professors who are committed to inclusive education in public schools.

Berry credits Brandenburg and former UF education professor Diane Yendol-Hoppey as the “two driving forces” behind his decision to pursue graduate studies in education and take a leadership role in school improvement efforts at Alachua Elementary.  He also cites College of Education professors Elizabeth Bondy, Nancy Dana, Danling Fu, Kara Dawson and several other UF faculty and graduate students as important mentors during his schooling and early teaching career.

“When I first started teaching, I enjoyed helping others discover new knowledge, but now my passion has evolved beyond teaching the basics,” Berry said. “My goal now is to support all of my students, from third graders to college seniors, as they decide the type of people they want to become.”

Berry said he will use his standing as UF’s Outstanding Young Alumnus in education as a bully pulpit to persuade other young EduGator graduates to stay connected with their alma mater.

“I feel like once a College of Education student, always a College of Education student. Just because you graduate doesn’t mean you have finished learning,” Berry said. “You need to continue to learn and grow as long as you are in a classroom.  Experts at the College of Education—through informal relationships, not only by paying tuition—can help you continue your growth as a professional in so many ways.”

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CONTACTS

Sources

   Kevin Berry, Alachua Elementary School; 386-462-1841; berrykj@gm.sbac.edu

  James Brandenburg, principal, Alachua Elementary School; 386-462-1841; brandeje@gm.sbac.edu

Writer

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

Posted June 7, 2010

GAINESVILLE, FL—College students who witness a threat of violence on their campus are more likely to report the incident if they feel connected to their school and trust campus police and administrators, according to a University of Florida study.

The dissertation study by Michael Sulkowski, a doctoral student in school psychology at UF’s College of Education, queried 820 UF undergraduates.

In his survey, Sulkowski (pictured, right, in front of Century Tower on the UF campus) found that students who felt connected to the campus environment and had well-established peer relationships were more likely to report threats. Those who believed police would respond effectively, and not interrogate the caller, were more likely to report an incident.

Students with a history of delinquency—such as selling illegal drugs, stealing or physical aggression–were less likely to report threats or trust campus authority figures.

For most respondents, fear of negative peer evaluation had no bearing on whether or not they would report a threat.

“The higher degree of maturity in college students might partially account for this,” Sulkowski said. “There are pretty strong social pressures against peer-reporting in adolescence, yet these pressures may not be as influential on college students. Norms may exist in college communities that condone or actually encourage threat reporting.”

In more than 80 percent of school shootings, at least one other person knows in advance of the planned attack, according to a 2002 federal report by the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Education. Sulkowski said it is often difficult to distinguish between legitimate and passing threats. Students and faculty must pay close attention to the actual content of a perceived threat. For example, if a threat contains specific details, such as when and where the threat would be carried out, the type of weapon to be used and the identity of specific victims, this information should definitely be reported.     

Sulkowski cautions against aggressively stereotyping or profiling students since there is no surefire profile of someone on the verge of committing mass violence. It’s important, he said, for schools to remove barriers to threat-reporting and receiving mental health treatment, while respecting the diversity of the student body.

“Adjusting to college is a challenge for all students and many will display signs of distress. For some, though, it can be a particularly poignant experience adjusting to a new lifestyle or culture,” he says.

At UF, Sulkowski found students’ trust in the campus support system, including police and faculty, to be relatively high, despite recent high-profile incidents such the police tasering of Andrew Meyer in 2007. His study, though, was conducted prior to the controversial March 2 university police shooting of graduate student Kofi Adu-Brempong. 

Most students surveyed said they would directly contact the University Police Department to report a crime. Students also were willing to report incidents through UF’s new anonymous reporting system, Silent Witness, which allows people who witness a disruptive behavior on campus to report it anonymously on the UPD website.

Sulkowski said university police, administrators and counselors do more behind the scenes than students realize to protect students and assist those with social or emotional problems. UF police officers train regularly for a variety of threats, including a gunman on campus, and have comprehensive response plans. The conflicts that are resolved successfully often don’t make the news because of student privacy laws and regulations.

“Overall, college campuses are safe. In fact, research indicates that they are safer than their surrounding communities,” Sulkowski said.  “You only hear when something goes wrong. You don’t hear about a counselor talking a student down from a suicide attempt or when campus police intervene with a student who is planning something violent.” 

His findings stress the importance for colleges to focus on increasing student connectedness and trust in the institution.

“When people feel as if they are members of the university community, they are going to take measures to preserve it.”

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CONTACTS/CREDITS

     Source: Michael Sulkowski, 716-472-5836, sulkowsm@ufl.edu

     Writer: Jennifer Tormo, writing intern, UF College of Education news & communications

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

Posted May 19, 2010

Leaders of the bipartisan effort to overhaul the controversial No Child Left Behind law have enlisted the aid of a University of Florida education professor to help them explore how technology can help advance school reform and improve student learning.

Cathy Cavanaugh, a UF associate professor of education technology, was one of several university and K-12 experts on virtual education invited in late April to meet with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Assistant Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton and Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) of the House Education and Labor Committee.

Duncan assembled the group to advise him on ways that hybrid models of teaching—blending online learning with conventional classroom instruction—can increase access to quality education, particularly for children with special needs. The group also discussed how schools could use comprehensive data systems to closely monitor how students are faring in school and identify which teaching practices are working best to help students succeed.

“Secretary Duncan was seeking specific examples and input on the language to use in the proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (the formal name of No Child Left Behind),” Cavanaugh said. “I shared the data work we’ve done through UF’s Virtual School Clearinghouse and shared the findings of the 2009 report I wrote for the Center for American Progress about how virtual schooling can save money and expand learning time during the school day.”

UF’s online Virtual School Clearinghouse has compiled the first national database for virtual schools, which is helping schools and researchers identify the best online teaching practices.

Cavanaugh said that when the advisory group’s discussion turned to teacher education, Julie Young, president of the Florida Virtual School in Orlando, cited her school’s involvement in UF’s virtual internship program, believed to be the first of its kind in the nation. Cavanaugh coordinates the partnership with FLVS.

She said the advisory group will continue working with Rep. Andrews on the language of his committee’s proposal until they put it to vote later this summer.

Cavanaugh’s involvement is the second recent instance of UF College of Education faculty lending their expertise to the reauthorization effort of No Child Left Behind. Special education professors Mary Brownell and Paul Sindelar helped draft a set of recommendations concerning special education teacher quality and evaluation in a report submitted in late March to the House education committee. Their report was prepared on behalf of two special education professional organizations—the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSEE) and the teacher education division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC).

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CONTACTS

   Source: Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor, UF College of Education, cathycavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu

   Writer:Larry Lansford, News & Communications, UF College of Education, llansford@coe.ufl.edu

Posted May 19, 2010

Since the early 2000s, UF’s College of Education has maintained a deep commitment to the core principle of “engaged scholarship”— innovative research and academic activities pursued specifically to make a meaningful difference in education and people’s lives. Engagement requires 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.

The college recently announced the 2010 Scholarship of Engagement Awards honoring some of this year’s most noteworthy efforts in engaged scholarship by UF education faculty and graduate students, UF faculty, and other educators and education advocates in Alachua County and partnering school districts around the state.

The award recipients will be formally recognized this fall at the college’s 2010 Faculty Research and Engaged Scholarship Showcase.

Here are the 2010 recipients:

Faculty Award (School of Teaching & Learning)

Tim Jacobbe, assistant professor, mathematics education

Engaged scholarship comes naturally to Jacobbe, who blends his teaching and research in mathematics education with service to high-need elementary schools in his community. He teaches a math methods class to the elementary students and also provides supervised teaching opportunities for his UF preservice students. His 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. Jacobbe and his UF students also stage Family Math Night events two or three times each year at the schools, bringing together the schoolchildren and their families for fun math games and learning. These activities also model engaged-scholarship-in-action for UF doctoral students in math education. Jacobbe studies the impact of these efforts on preservice teacher and elementary student learning and disseminates his findings so other educators might benefit.

Faculty Award (School of Special Education, School Psychology & Early Childhood Studies)

Joseph Gagnon, assistant professor, special education

Gagnon’s research and advocacy pursuits have focused intently on “the public good” for nearly three decades. He interrupted his teaching career early on in the 1980s to become a Peace Corps volunteer for two years in Morocco, where he taught schoolchildren with various disabilities. He returned to Sebring, Fla., as a special educator, determined to improve the education and plight of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. He received his doctorate in behavioral disorders in 2002 from the University of Maryland, where he became affiliated with the National Center on Education, Disability and Juvenile Justice. His research on curriculum, assessment and accountability policies in exclusionary school settings has earned him national acclaim. He has published extensively on policy issues and academic improvement for students in confinement, and he has served as an expert consultant and court monitor for the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Faculty Award (School of Human Development & Organizational Studies in Education)

David Miller, professor, research evaluation and methodology

Miller heads the college’s CAPES (Collaborative Assessment and Program Evaluation Services) program, which provides vital assessment and research support for grant programs across UF and in partnering school districts. He has worked with the Jacksonville Children’s Commission since 2008 to provide an effective model for evaluating their many child and family services. He also is devising evaluation standards for the commission’s New Town Success Zone, serving mostly at–risk children. Last year, a report Miller wrote analyzing the state of Alabama’s Teacher Certification Testing program helped end nearly 30 years of litigation concerning the methods of Alabama’s teacher testing programs. He also has provided assessment or expert-witness services, mainly on educational issues, to numerous states, Florida school districts and area charitable organizations.

P.K. Yonge Award (P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School)

Randy Hollinger, middle school science instructor, P.K. Yonge

While some teachers are slow to embrace the latest classroom technology, Randy Hollinger worked tirelessly last summer to plan and pilot-test a new cyber-based approach to teaching his 7th grade science class. No textbooks were needed. Instead, Hollinger taught his students to integrate the latest Web tools into personal learning pages to research poisonous and venomous creatures. He helped his students improve their digital literacy skills and navigate the Internet effectively, and even advised them how to respectfully request assistance from university scientists all over the world. His students engaged in the scientific process and created digital artifacts using multi-media and digital posters. Hollinger noted measurable improvements in students’ writing, scientific reporting and research skills. His rapport with students extends beyond his classroom to a phenomenally popular musical performing arts class, and the PKY cross-country teams he coaches are perennial state title contenders.

Graduate Student Award

Michael Barber, education psychology (School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education)

Barber, a Santa Fe College psychology instructor, has developed an impressive automated system for collecting data on his students’ engagement in learning and academic achievement. He has integrated this work into his doctoral studies aimed at identifying students’ personal traits and involvement in learning that will accurately predict their academic performance. His research provides a model for enhancing student engagement in higher education and has influenced the teaching methods of numerous UF instructors and teaching assistants with whom Barber shared his findings during his two years as a teaching assistant in educational psychology at UF. His self-assessment methods are proving particularly important in helping first-generation college students maintain their motivation and achievement. Barber has been involved in learning communities at the community college level which have been impacting students for many years.

University Award

Francis E. "Jack" Putz, UF biology professor

Putz, at UF since 1982, is an international expert on the ecological consequences of different land use practices. His research findings provide a sound ecological basis for forest conservation through sustainable use, balancing the protection of parks with the need to include livelihood-supporting approaches in forest management. In the 1980s, he executed the first forest certification audit for the organization that would become the Forest Stewardship Council. In the 1990s, he pioneered studies on the carbon benefits of “reduced-impact” logging. His research, and that of his students and collaborators, is influencing the development of worldwide policy on the best practices for forest management in the face of global climate change. He also is very involved in local environmental issues and efforts to increase environmental consciousness.

School District Award
Julie Janssen, superintendent, Pinellas County Schools

Janssen in 2008 became the first female superintendent of the Pinellas County School District, bolstering both the secondary and higher education programs in the county. She has worked extensively with UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning in recent efforts to “reinvent” professional development as a tool to improve teaching and learning and leadership in Pinellas County schools. Janssen has previously worked as a math teacher, high school principal and adjunct professor at the University of South Florida, where she earned her Ed.D. degree.  She has held various leadership roles in Pinellas County schools and has consulted with school districts throughout the nation as a curriculum specialist. She balances her career with involvement in numerous civic causes and holds leadership posts with two local cancer-fighting foundations that she helped start.

Community Award

Karen Bricklemyer, president and CEO, United Way of North Central Florida

As chief executive of United Way of North Central Florida, Bricklemyer effectively builds and sustains bridges between “town” and “gown” and has forged strong connections between the college, university, community and United Way. She has invited UF education faculty to participate on the United Way research advisory council and has worked with the agency to provide the College of Education with seed money for early childhood literacy programs. She is a staunch supporter of the early learning movement, recognizing the importance of educating young children in the community and involving their families. Bricklemyer works tirelessly with the United Way to fight inequality and social injustice and helped to pioneer the One Neighborhood Initiative, a community impact program targeted to help needy families and individuals.

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Writer

  Larry Lansford, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu

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Headlines

College students more likely to report campus threats if ‘connected’ to school—UF study

College students who witness a threat of violence on their campus are more likely to report the incident if they feel connected to their school and trust campus police and administrators, according to a University of Florida study. The dissertation study by Michael Sulkowski (right), a doctoral student in school psychology at UF’s College of Education, queried 820 UF undergraduates. (more)

College educator preparation programs granted full re-accreditation; report cites high quality of faculty, students

The College of Education at the University of Florida has been granted full, continued accreditation of its educator preparation programs by the National Council on American Teacher Education, the nation’s primary accreditor of teacher-education programs. (more)

U.S. education sec’y enlists ed tech professor to advise on NCLB overhaul

Leaders of the bipartisan effort to overhaul the controversial No Child Left Behind law have enlisted the aid of a UF education instructor to help them explore how technology can help advance school reform and improve student learning. Cathy Cavanaugh, associate professor in education technology, was one of several university and K-12 experts in virtual education invited in late April to meet with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Assistant Deputy Secretary Jim Shelton and Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) of the House Education and Labor Committee. (more)

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

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Awards & Appointments

2010 achievement awards announced for alumni, faculty and students

The year’s top achievement honors for COE faculty, alumni and students were announced earlier this month at the college’s spring undergraduate commencement ceremony. Among the honorees were Linda Behar-Horenstein (pictured, right) as Graduate Teacher of the Year, retired counselor education faculty member W. Max Parker for Lifetime Achievement, and special education alum David Westling (EdD ’76) for Alumnus Achievement. For a complete list and profiles of all the award recipients, click here.

Koro-Ljungberg named to prestigious UFRF Professorship

Mirka Koro-Ljungberg, associate professor in research and evaluation methods and an expert in qualitative research, has been named a University of Florida Research Foundation (UFRF) Professor for 2010-2013. UF’s research foundation awards the professorships to faculty who have made recent contributions in research and a have a strong research agenda likely to lead to continuing distinction in their fields. (more)

Top efforts in ‘engaged scholarship’ recognized

The college has announced the 2010 Scholarship of Engagement Awards honoring some of this year’s most noteworthy efforts in public-minded scholarship by COE faculty and graduate students, UF faculty, and other education professionals and advocates in partnering school districts. Winners in the faculty category are Joseph Gagnon (SESPECS), Tim Jacobbe (STL), David Miller (SHDOSE) and Randy Hollinger (PKY). (more)

Gagnon             Jacobbe                 Miller               Hollinger

Business office assistant Mike Carter wins Superior Accomplishment Award

Business office assistant Mike Carter has been a guiding force and stabilizing influence in a sea change that has occurred recently within the college and its historic Norman Hall. His “can-do” attitude and cool-as-a-cucumber demeanor under stress explains why he was chosen recently for a universitywide 2010 Superior Accomplishment Award. (Pictured right, Carter receives his award from UF Associate Provost Bernard Mair.) (more)

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P.K. Yonge Update

PKY volunteers are a ‘Work of Heart’

A contingent of PKY teachers, students and parents were among Gainesville’s most selfless volunteers honored at the 38th annual Work of Heart Awards ceremony April 27. Blue Wave art instructors Dianne Skye and Leslie Peebles and students in the middle school art club and the high school portfolio class were honored in the youth group category for their Memory Walk project. PKY parent Carol Doak was recognized in the arts/recreation category for her work in helping to keep arts and performing arts programs alive in school. The Work of Hearts program was started in 1971 by the Volunteer Center of North Central Florida, and Haven Hospice took it over in 2007.

Teacher to explore history of colonial Florida ‘between Columbus and Jamestown’

How will P.K. Yonge middle school social sciences instructor Shannon Hamlett spend her summer? Well, for five days in July, she will immerse herself in Florida’s Spanish Colonial past in a comparative study of America’s Spanish and British colonial experiences. Hamlett has been selected to participate in the Florida Humanities Council’s summer seminar, “Between Columbus and Jamestown,” to be held at Flagler College in St. Augustine, America’s oldest existing city. Preeminent historians, archaeologists and architectural historians will lead participating teachers in an examination of historical archives, artifacts and events that shaped America’s history and heritage. They will be able to adopt the rich learning experience into their history lessons come next school year.

Bluegrass stars ‘pick-n-grin’ with student musicians

The music of “picking, strumming, plucking and singing” filled a PKY classroom April 23, when nationally acclaimed bluegrass musicians Jim Hurst and Scott Anderson dropped in to teach students about the music they love. A WUFT-FM89 radio reporter was on hand to file an audio news report on the musical jam that broke out.
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COE In The News

*Coverage generated by UFCOE News-Comm press release or media coordination

*Spring, 2010–Jamee and Gilbert Miller, COE alumna-donors
UF Today magazine
Jamee (BAE ’01, MEd ’02) and husband Gilbert were featured in the “Pay It Forward” column of UF’s alumni magazine, after creating a $30,000 fellowship in education technology. Jamee was the college’s 2009 Young Alumni Award recipient.

*April 15, 2010 – Harry Daniels, counselor education
WDBD-FM Radio, Orlando
To predict student success, there’s no place like home. UF counselor education researchers, led by 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. Crist subsequently vetoed.

*April 19 & 20, 2010 — Cathy Cavanaugh, education technology
Virtual School Meanderings (Web blog)
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 21, 2010 — Catherine Emihovich, dean
Tampa Bay Newspapers (weekly: Beacon, Leader, and Bee)
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 23, 2010 — Cathy Cavanaugh, education technology
Education Week
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.”

*May 16, 2010 — Sevan Terzian, social foundations of education
Daytona Beach News Journal
In an article on the various forms of high school education teens can choose from today–charter schools, home-schooling, dual enrollment, etc.–Terzian pointed out that the original civics-instruction mission of high schools is not as prominent anymore due to heightened promotion of academic achievement.

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Posted: April 15, 2010

Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor of education technology at UF’s College of Education, will spend part of 2011 in Kathmandu, Nepal, representing UF and the United States as a Fulbright Scholar.

Cavanaugh is one of 800 U.S. educators, graduate students and professionals awarded the prestigious grant this year by the international Fulbright program, which promotes linkages between U.S. academics and professionals and their counterparts at universities abroad.

During her spring semester 2011 sabbatical, Cavanaugh will be based at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal located in the Himalayas of South Asia. She will train and work with faculty and graduate students there to increase access to education through improved classroom technology and online learning programs. Nepal in is one of the world’s newest democracies, with about half of its population living below the international poverty line.

“Based on my research of virtual schools and their influence in troubled U.S. communities, I believe communities in countries like Nepal can realize economic and social progress through increased access to education through online and blended classroom environments,” Cavanaugh said.

Since joining the UF faculty in 2007, Cavanaugh has cemented her status as a global leader in the virtual-education field, earning a 2009 award for research excellence from the International Council for K-12 Online Learning. Her 2009 paper for the Center for American Progress, documenting the effectiveness and cost-savings of virtual schooling, has garnered national attention and she is in demand around the country—and now around the world–as a speaker and adviser in the field of online learning. She also is co-editor of the International Journal for K-12 Online and Blended Learning.

Along with her teaching and research in education technology, Cavanaugh oversees UF education students interning with the Orlando-based Florida Virtual School and also chairs UF’s Technology Innovations Advisory Committee. She and associate professor Kara Dawson also follow classrooms in 29 Florida school districts to observe how enhanced technology and professional development can revolutionize the learning environment.

The Fulbright Scholar program, established in 1946 by Sen. J. William Fulbright, is one of the most prestigious award programs worldwide. Forty Fulbright alumni have won Nobel Prizes, more than those of any other academic program. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.

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CONTACTS

   Source:Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor, UF College of Education, cathycavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu

   Writer: Larry Lansford, News & Communications, UF College of Education, llansford@coe.ufl.edu

Posted: April 15, 2010

Two UF special education professorshave applied their expertise to influencehow the proposed revision of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law addresses the preparation and assessment of teachers of students with disabilities.

Professors Mary Brownell and Paul Sindelar helped draft a set of recommendations concerning special education teacher quality and evaluation in a report submitted in late March to the U.S. House education committee, which is considering President Obama’s recent proposal to overhaul the NLCB act. Brownell and Sindelar also conducted much of the research on which the recommendations were based.

The recommendations were submitted by the heads of two special education professional organizations—the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education (HECSEE) and the teacher education division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) — to Rep. George Miller, chairman of the House committee, and Rep. John Kline, ranking member of the committee.

Their recommendations called for supplementing standardized student-testing with other reliable measures of teacher effectiveness and student achievement gains. They also advise against fast-track, alternate preparation programs for special education teacher certification, and advocate professional development based on evidence-based instructional skills for both general and special educators.

If approved by Congress, President Obama’s new law would place more importance on academic growth than the current pass-fail approach to judging schools. Obama’s blueprint encourages states to create accountability systems that measure students’ college readiness and to reward schools for producing dramatic gains in student achievement. It emphasizes doing what works based on scientific research.

Brownell, co-holder of the Irving and Rose Fien Professorship in Education, helped write the special education recommendations while Sindelar served as a consultant on the effort. They currently co-direct the college’s National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development, or NCIPP for short, and they previously oversaw UF’s Center on Personnel Studies in Special Education (COPPSE). 

“These recommendations on teacher education and quality are grounded in the influential scholarship of Dr.  Brownell and Dr. Sindelar,” said Jean Crockett, acting director of UF’s School of Special Education, School Psychology and Early Childhood Studies. “Their work is having a powerful impact on this legislation and should strengthen the quality of the instructional skills of teachers who work with students with disabilities.”

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CONTACTS

   SOURCES: Mary Brownell, UF Irving & Rose Fien Professor, Special Education; (352) 273-4261; mbrownell@coe.ufl.edu

                     Paul Sindelar, Professor, Special Education; (352) 273-4266; pts@coe.ufl.edu

   WRITER: Larry Lansford, COE News & Publications; (352) 273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

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Headlines

To predict student success, there’s no place like home: UF study

Current school reform efforts, like No Child Left Behind, emphasize teacher quality as the most important factor in student success, but UF counselor education researchers have identified another, stunningly accurate predictor of classroom performance—the student’s home address. Right down to the neighborhood and street number. (more)

UF professors work to influence how NCLB overhaul affects special education teaching

Two UF special education professors, Mary Brownell and Paul Sindelar, have applied their expertise to influence how the proposed revision of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law addresses the preparation and assessment of teachers of students with disabilities.

‘Virtual’ internships prepare student teachers for new world of online schooling

UF student-teacher John Giddo’s seventh graders don’t need to raise their hands to answer a question or pose their own. They can post their response on the class’s online discussion board instead. Giddo is one of a new breed of “virtual” teaching interns, spending part of his last spring semester at UF in an apprenticeship with the Orlando-based Florida Virtual School (FLVS), the nation’s largest K-12 virtual school.

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

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College News & Notices

Guest professor to lecture May 11 at COE

PRESENTATION TITLE: Improving Students’ Proportional Thinking Using
Schema-Based Instruction
TIME/PLACE: Tuesday, May 11, 1:00-2:30 p.m.
Norman Rm. 1331
SPEAKER: Asha K. Jitendra, Ph.D.
The Rodney Wallace Professor for the Advancement of
Teaching and Learning
Department of Educational Psychology
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
SPONSOR: School of Special Education, School Psychology & Early
Childhood Studies
(funding by USDOE grant; co-PI’s: Cynthia Griffin,
Joseph Gagnon, Stephen Pape)

STL launches online doctoral degree in curriculum teaching

UF’s School of Teaching and Learning has admitted the first cohort of 25 students into its new, online professional-practice doctoral program in Curriculum Teaching and Teacher Education (CTTE). The new distance-learning program connects advanced graduate study with the problems of teaching practice encountered by educational leaders and will prepare students to create a more seamless connection between theory, research, and practice. The course’s job-embedded, self-directed format allows practicing educators to earn an advanced graduate degree from UF while continuing their full-time teaching and family responsibilities. For more information, contact Professor Dorene Ross at dross@coe.ufl.edu.

REM adds new minor in qualitative methods

The college has added a new minor in Research and Evaluation Methodology with a qualitative focus, to go along with its traditional quantitative methods track. Both options are available to any UF doctoral student outside the REM doctoral program. The quantitative minor emphasizes research methods, educational statistics and psychometrics. The qualitative focus adds a strong foundation in epistemologies, research approaches, and data collection and analysis methods suitable for qualitative inquiry.

Health ed virtual simulator opens 10-year run at Tampa museum

Pictured, right, School of Teaching and Learning doctoral fellow Joseph DiPietro demonstrates the “You, M.D.” virtual reality simulator at the Tampa Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI). DiPietro collaborated with UF researchers in computer science and medicine in creating the simulator, which places users in the role of a physician to help diagnose the conditions of virtual patients. The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, was the focus of DiPietro’s dissertation. The simulator exhibit, designed to spark interest in medical careers, opened this month and will be on display at MOSI for 10 years.

College business, events in good hands with 2010 Staff Members of Year

Congratulations to (pictured, from left) Sandy Durham and Jodi Mount, the college’s 2010 Staff Members of the Year. Sandy is a key point person in the college business office, while Jodi is the quintessential organizer of the college’s many events for alumni and employees and she also heads up alumni affairs. The dynamic duo was honored at the recent Staff Appreciation  Luncheon, which featured a lively, colorful Mardi Gras theme. (Photo by Jennifer Tormo, Intern, COE News-Commun.)

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Awards & Appointments

FACULTY

Cavanaugh named Fulbright Scholar for online learning project in Nepal

Catherine Cavanaugh, associate professor of education technology, will spend part of 2011 in Kathmandu, Nepal, representing UF and the U.S. as a Fulbright Scholar.

Special ed professor lands CEC honor for excellence in teacher education

A lifetime of research productivity, masterly teaching and inspirational leadership has earned UF special education professor James McLeskey the prestigious 2010 TED/Merrill Award for Excellence in Teacher Education, awarded by the Council for Exceptional Children. (more)

AMCD names Conwill VP, senior editor

William Conwill, assistant professor of counselor education, has been elected to a three-year term as vice president for African-American concerns by the Association of Multicultural Counseling and Development, a division of the American Counseling Association.  He also was named senior editor for the group’s newsletter, The Multicultural Counselor.

STUDENTS

New ECC officers elected

Congratulations to the new student officers for the 2010-11 Education College Council . . .
President: Alyssa Perez
Vice President: Randi Richardson
Treasurer: Kara Nesser
Secretary: Hannah Meckstroth
Historian: Jazmin Calderon
Outreach Coordinator: Ciara Rodgers

31 minority scholarship students attend FFMT conference

Thirty-one UF College of Education recipients of the Minority Teacher Education Scholarship, offered through the state’s Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc., attended FFMT’s 14th annual Recruitment and Retention Conference in March in Orlando. (more)

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Publications

*Indicates co-author is a current or former COE student

National Research Team (Daniels, J., Malott, K., Schaefle, S., Conwill, W., Cates, J., & D’Andrea, M. (in press). Using group work strategies to continue the national discussion on race, justice, and peace. Journal for Specialists in Group Work (Special Issue on Social Justice and Group Work).

Conwill, W.L.(2010). Domestic violence among the Black poor: Intersectionality and social justice. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 32(1), 31-45.

Conwill, W.L.(2009). Factors affecting the presence of Black males on counseling and psychology faculties, pp. 287-315. In H.T. Frierson, J.H. Wyche, & W. Pearson, Jr. (Eds.), Black American males and higher education: Research, programs and academe. Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Conwill, W.L.(2010). Interview with Edil Torres Rivera

 

. The Multicultural Counselor, 1(1), p.3.

Yendol-Hoppey, D., & Dana, N.F. (2010). Powerful Professional Development: Building Expertise Within the Four Walls of Your School. Thousand Oaks, CA. Corwin Press.

Gardner, S.K., Mendoza, P., co-editors. (In press, June 2010.) On Becoming a Scholar: Socialization and Development in Doctoral Education. Sterling, VA.. Stylus Publishing.

West-Olatunji, C.A. & Conwill, W.L.(In press). Counseling African Americans. Book in the Supplementary Monograph Series, Multicultural Counseling Primers. San Francisco: Houghton Mifflin Company/Cengage Press.

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Presentations

Conwill, W.L. Rules for “Home-Grown Bruthahs” in Counseling and Psychology: What You Must Know. Presented at the 2010 Black, Brown & College Bound” Meeting the Challenge of Higher Education Summit Program, Tampa, FL.

Schaefle, S., Cates, J., Conwill, W., Daniels, J., & D’Andrea, M. (2010. Results from a National Community Building and Research Project: What Counselors Can Do to Combat Oppression. Presented at the Annual Conference of the American Counseling Association, Social Justice Academy, Pittsburgh, PA.

Mendoza, P. (2010). Does Student Debt Impact College Completion? A Causal Model. To be presented in May as a Fellow at the 2010 Houston Higher Education Finance Roundtable, sponsored by the University of Houston Law Center’s Institute of Higher Education Law and Governance, Houston, TX.

West-Olatunji, C. (2010). Trauma and Resilience in the Wake of Disaster. Plenary presentation at annual conference of the International Association for Counseling (IAC), April 16, in Bucharest, Romania.

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P.K. Yonge Update

Barbergators find harmony at PKY

The Gainesville Barbergators have struck a partnership with the P.K. Yonge choral program and will soon be making beautiful music together. The Barbergators, the local chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, have started holding their weekly practices in the PKY choral room. In exchange, members of the four-part, a cappella men’s chorus will serve as mentors to PKY a cappella groups and will stage collaboratorive performances with the Blue Wave chorus.

Kathy Byrne earns rep as school’s ‘drama queen’

As if daily school life didn’t have enough drama, Kathy Byrne is doing all she can to bring even more drama to P.K. Yonge. That’s okay, though, because she’s the school’s drama teacher and, man, have she and her students been busy. In February, Byrne presented an essay on Hamlet at a teachers’ symposium in Dallas. In March, she directed two one-act plays by Milcha Sanchez-Scott at Santa Fe College. And this month her drama students performed several musical and theater acts–previously judged superior at district competition–at the Florida State Thespian Conference in Tampa. Their performance of “Dinner with the Mac Guffins” was the only one-act play chosen from the Gainesville area to represent District Two.

Discount advance tickets for Curtains now on sale

Advance tickets for PKY’s spring production of the Tony-award winning murder-mystery musical comedy, Curtains, are now on sale. Get them now before prices go up. The PKY box office is open every Wednesday 3-6 p.m. Starting April 12 through May 2, box office hours extend from 12-6 p.m. weekdays. Reserved seating tickets may also be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. A mail-in order form is available to print out on the P.K. Yonge website. Advance tickets are $7 for students and $12 for adults until March 1, when prices go up to $12 and $15, respectively. For more information, visit the PKY website or contact the boxoffice hotline at 392-1850.

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COE In The News

*Coverage generated by UFCOE News-Comm press release or media coordination

*Feb. 11, 2010 – Harry Daniels, counselor education
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel (South Florida Education Blog)
Researchers explore ties between affluence, school achievement. Harry Daniels, a professor at UF‘s College of Education, recently wrapped up a study of two Florida school districts that tracked children from working poor families compared with more well-off counterparts.

*Feb. 17, 2010 — Diane Ryndak, special education
GATOR NEWS (UF Alumni Association e-newsletter)
UF tackles dire shortage of special ed professors. Under an $800,000 USDOE grant, UFeducation researcher Diane Ryndak is leading a new effort to help institutions of higher education resolve the shortage of special education professors in the field of severe disabilities.

Feb. 28, 2010 – CROP program
GAINESVILLE SUN
CROP teens get glimpse of ‘real world’. Sixty-five high school and middle school students came from five Florida counties to attend workshops at the “Day in the Real World” student conference hosted by UF’s College Reach-Out Program (CROP). (See story)

*March 8, 2010 – Paul George, Distinguished Professor Emeritus
MIAMI HERALD
Stressed 8^th graders prepare for FCAT. Pity the stressed eighth-graders: They are the only students who must take every FCAT in a single year. “Constant testing and assessment not only narrows the curriculum, it narrows the lives of the kids who participate in it,” said Paul George, UF distinguished professor of education emeritus. (See story)

*March 8, 2010 – Griff Jones, UF Teach
‘LAB OUT LOUD’: NATIONAL SCIENCE TEACHERS ASSOC. (podcast show)
‘Griff Jones and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’. UF award-winning science education teacher Griff Jones was selected to work with the IIHS  to make two videos about understanding the science behind car crashes. (See story)

March 17, 2010 – Suzy Colvin, STL
GAINESVILLE SUN
Organizations show off summer programs. Summer activities are important for children because they foster growth and help them maintain the skills they have learned, according to Suzy Colvin, associate director of Elementary and Secondary Education at UF’s  College of Education. (See story)

*March 2010 – UF alums Jamee and Gilbert Miller
UF TODAY ALUMNI MAGAZINE
Seminole County teacher, husband create UF fellowship in ed tech. Jamee Cagle Miller and her husband, freelance writer Gilbert Miller, of Sanford, have created a $30,000 fellowship in education technology at UF’s College of Education. (See story)

*March 22, 2010 – Harry Daniels, counselor education
ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWSWIRE, ORLANDO SENTINEL, PANAMA CITY NEWS-HERALD, UF NEWS WEBSITE, ESPN GATORCOUNTRY.COM GATOR NEWS (UF Alumni Assoc. e-newsletter), DIRECTIONSMAG.COM (leading geospatial technology trade publication), DOLLARS & NONSENSE (personal finance website), DAILY ME (personalized international news site), COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SYSTEM WEBSITE, DAILY KOS (premier online political blog, 2.5M visitors/month), MAUPINHOUSE WEBSITE (Professional Resources for K-12 Educators)
To predict student success, there’s no place like home. UF counselor education researchers have identified a stunningly accurate predictor of classroom performance — the student’s home address. The researchers attribute their finding to a profound correlation they documented between home location, family lifestyles and students’ achievement on state standardized tests.

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To register for conference below, visit www.babygator.ufl.edu or call 352-273-8000.

 

Posted April 15, 2010

Thirty-one UF College of Education recipients of the Minority Teacher Education Scholarship, offered through the state's Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc., attended FFMT's 14th annual Recruitment and Retention Conference in March in Orlando.

UF’s student contingent interacted with more than 600 other scholarship recipients enrolled in 36 state-approved teacher education programs, along with some 100 community college students considering education as a profession. The conference provided professional development activities for attendees and helps to recruit high-quality minority students into the education field. This year’s conference theme was “Back to Basics: Innovation, Imagination and Dedication.”

The conference included workshops and presentations led by education professionals throughout Florida, UF graduate students in education (Jyrece McClendon, Felecia Moss, Diedre Houchen and Kutura Watson), district recruiters, and college and university faculty.

The Florida Legislature created FFMT in 1996 to boost the number of minority teachers in Florida’s public schools. The statewide program is housed in the UF College of Education’s Office for Recruitment, Retention and Multicultural Affairs. Dean Catherine Emihovich is chairman of the board, Michael Bowie is executive director and Cheryl Williams is program director.

The FFMT program awards performance-based, $4,000 scholarships annually to newly admitted African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American/Pacific Islander and Native American/Alaskan Eskimo students at any of the state’s 36 participating institutions. Upon graduation, scholarship recipients are required to teach in a Florida public school for the number of years they received the scholarship or pay back their scholarship awards.

Here is a list of UF’s 2009-10 FFMT scholarship recipients:

Jorge Balmori, Carli Brewer, Ashley Cannington, Brittny Capron, Amy Chow, Anna Regina Claudio, Neil Cole, Maureen Cuff, Shelby Dixon, Altina Fenelon;

Stephanie Gomez, Qiana Green, Andre Gutierrez, Lorin Hedgspeth, Michelle Isgut, Jocelyn Jackson, Karine Ladouceur, Latarra Larkin, Loren Lopez, Betsy Mendez;

Marissa Miranda, Chan Oh, Daniela Otero, Elizabeth Raasch, Yaeliz Rabassa, Mayra Sasso, Indira Suriel, Donna Valdespino, Ashley Vangates, Kelvin Williams and Natasha Williams.

Headlines

Lastinger Center partnering with Pinellas schools to develop master teachers in science and math

With a $1.6 million boost from Helios Education Foundation of Tampa, UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning is partnering with Pinellas County schools to give as many as 500 math and science teachers a shot at advanced degrees and professional development training. Center director Don Pemberton said it’s all part of the Lastinger Center’s effort to develop master teachers who can improve student achievement in the crucial STEM subjects—science, technology, engineering and math. (more)

COE fetes top efforts in ‘engaged scholarship’

Some of the year’s most noteworthy efforts in engaged scholarship by UF and COE faculty and graduate students were celebrated recently at the college’s 2009 Faculty Research and Engaged Scholarship Showcase. Above, P.K. Yonge 9th grade biology instructor Mickey MacDonald (center) is presented the Scholarship of Engagement Award for PKY faculty by COE Dean Catherine Emihovich (left) and PKY Director Fran Vandiver. (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.

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College News & Notices

Distinguished Speaker Series resumes with 2 new lectures

The College of Education’s 2nd annual Distinguished Speaker Series: “21st Century Pathways in Education” resumes in early 2010 with the fourth and fifth lectures in the yearlong series, scheduled in January and February, respectively.

SAVE THESE DATES:

Lecture #4 — JAN. 21: “.” STL’s Sevan Terzian will moderate this panel presentation and follow-up discussion about the scholarship of teaching at a Research-1 institution. Panel members are all recent recipients of the college’s most prestigious teaching awards, including Mirka Koro-Ljungberg (SHDOSE), Erica McCray (SESPECS) and Jane Townsend (STL).

Lecture #5 — FEB. 4-5: (Title and details TBA soon.) Guest Speaker is Don Deshler, Special Education Professor and Director, University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. He is one of the nation’s preeminent scholars in adolescent literacy and special education at the secondary level. (Deshler’s itinerary and presentation details will be announced soon.)

Int’l Education Week spurs ideas about college ‘globalization’

College of Education students need more exposure to diversity through activities like studying abroad, concluded a panel of four College of Education professors, joined by UF International Center Dean David Sammons. The group discussed strategies for internationalizing UF as part of the college’s recent International Education Week festivities. Pictured, above, are faculty panel members (from left) Maria Coady, Linda Jones and Thomas Oakland. (more)

Recycle? Yes we CAN

Above, COE staff members Ambrya Strode (center) and Jenny Palgon (right) take aim before tossing crushed Coke cans into recycle bins to win raffle tickets from staffer Susan Stabel. The can toss and raffle were part of the recent “Drop, Shop & Swap Recycle Fest”, which featured prizes, music, refreshments, games and a swap shop to promote recycling among COE faculty and staff. Used treasures – office supplies, clothes, purses, curling irons, Christmas decorations, shredders and more – covered three tables and were free for attendees. COE Green Team Captain Christine Cook, who organized the event, said she hopes to stage a similar event around Earth Day in April. (Photo & copyblock by Jennifer Tormo, COE News-Comm intern)

Helping out at Ronald McDonald House

Several COE staff members participated in the Visiting Chef program recently at the Ronald McDonald House in Gainesville, preparing food for some 50 guests. Pictured above are the chivalrous chefs from COE (from left) Whitney Shadowens, Prentiss Ladkani, Jodi Mount, Jenny Palgon, Karen Ledee and Rosie Warner. The Ronald McDonald House provides temporary housing and basic amenities and support to familes with critically ill children being treated at Shands and other local hospitals. If you’d like to help with future efforts, visit www.rmhgainesville.org or contact Prentiss at pladkani@coe.ufl.edu.

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Awards & Appointments

FACULTY

Ed tech researcher cited for innovations in online learning

Cathy Cavanaugh, associate professor in education technology, has received international recognition for advancing innovative online learning in public primary schools. Cavanaugh received one of the inaugural Online Innovator Awards presented recently by the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL). (more)

Counselor Ed scholars named International Educators of Year

Counselor education faculty members Edil Torres-Rivera and Cirecie West-Olatunji (above) were recently selected as the College of Education’s 2009-10 International Educators of the Year. (more)

REM team report cited as most distinguished paper

A research report authored by a College of Education faculty-student team in Research and Evaluation Methodology (REM) was chosen as the most distinguished paper at the recent 2009 annual meeting of the Florida Educational Research Association. The paper, titled “Estimating Treatment Effects in Observational Longitudinal Studies: The performance of a Latent Growth Model for Multiple Matched Groups,” was written by Assistant Professor Walter Leite and REM doctoral students Jann MacInnes, Rong Jin and Robert Sandbach.

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Presentations

Cronin Jones, L. (October 2009). The Impact of Outdoor Schoolyard Learning Activities on Diverse Learners. Paper presented at the 2009 North American Association for Environmental Education Research Symposium, Portland, Oregon.

Twiest, M.M. & Cronin Jones, L. (October 2009). Creating an Environmental Learning Community on a University Campus. Presentation at the 2009 North American Association for Environmental Education Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Cronin Jones, L. (October 2009). Making Global Connections: Linking Science and Social
Studies in Middle and High School Classrooms. Professional development workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Association of American Schools in Colombia, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Cronin Jones, L. & Jones, G.(October 2009). What’s Your Media-Literacy IQ?: Hoe to Use Web-Based Videos and Other Internat Resources to Bring Science to Life in Your Classroom. Professional development workshop presented at the annual meeting of the Association of American Schools in Colombia, the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

STL shines at History Education Society meeting

The college’s School of Teaching & Learning was well represented at the History of Education Society’s recent annual meeting in Philadelphia, with eight current students, recent graduates and faculty presenting research reports. (more)

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Dressed as the Atom Queen, UF teaching intern Julianne Scherker dons a plastic tiara of bouncy ball protons and neutrons and small paddleball electrons as she leads her wide-eyed fifth-graders in a lesson on the structure of atoms. Her pupils swarm around her, peppering “her highness” with questions about this smallest particle of matter.

The young pupils don’t realize their teacher-in-training also wears another crown of sorts.

Last spring, Scherker, 22, became only the third UF College of Education student ever to be inducted into the University of Florida’s Hall of Fame. She was one of 21 inductees – including revered Gator quarterback Tim Tebow – selected for the Hall of Fame class of 2009.

“I’d see all these Hall of Famers’ pictures (in the Reitz Union gallery) starting from the early 1920s, and I’d think, wow, how cool is that to have left your legacy at UF,” she says.

Like UF’s latest Heisman Trophy winner, Scherker was a devoted Gator from the moment she stepped on campus. As an undergrad, the Miami native recruited for Teach for America and acted as a leader for the Florida Cicerones and for the UF “Dream Team” in Project Makeover, helping high-needs elementary schools improve their outdoor play and study areas. She also earned top grades and a spot in the Reitz Scholars program, and was recognized by UF as an Outstanding Four-Year Scholar and for Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership.

She’s now pursuing her master’s in education at UF while completing her required, fifth-year internship at Williams Elementary School in east Gainesville.

“I talk about my students all the time. I think about them constantly,” Scherker says.

She didn’t always want to be teacher, though. Until she was 10, she dreamed of being a movie star and using her fame for public good, like her idol, Princess Diana of the British Royal Family. Scherker was at her best friend’s house when she heard on TV that Princess Diana had been killed in the tragic auto accident. She was stunned and at that moment decided that a life of fame and celebrity was not for her. 

Instead, she sought a new way to change the world – as a teacher.

“I firmly believe in the ripple effect,” she says. “Even if you only reach one student at a time, they’ll go and do something that will reach a few other people, and those people will do something to reach a few more people. You really never know how far the ripple goes.”

Scherker says she learns from her students, too. In her junior year, she participated in a mentoring program through UF’s elementary Education ProTeach program.

“I was paired up with a student who ended up changing my life,” she says.

Her student was 9 years old and couldn’t read or match sounds with letters. Scherker was determined he would learn to read by the end of the 10-week program. She knew he loved rap music and dancing, so together they made letter raps, choosing 5 words that started with the same letter and reciting them to a beat. They did this for every letter of the alphabet, and by the end of the program, he had read his first two books ever.

Scherker typed up all of their letter raps into a book, and presented it to him at their last session. She still follows his progress – he now has an A in fifth-grade reading and is a safety patrol.

 “If a student isn’t successful, I don’t feel it’s the students fault,” she says. “It’s the teacher’s responsibility to figure out what didn’t work and try something else.”

Teacher Dicy Hannum, Scherker’s internship supervisor, says Julianne brings fresh ideas and infectious energy into the classroom.

“Julianne never puts a problem aside and, instead, works twice as hard to get to the bottom of any issue,” says Hannum. “Having her in the classroom feels like having another teacher with years of experience.”

Scherker, a theater minor at UF, now weaves the arts into her classroom lessons. 

“It really is like a theater in the classroom. It‘s like a performance,” she says.

Community service has always been on her radar. During her spring break in 2007, Scherker spent 48 life-changing hours as a homeless person in Washington, D.C. She struggled to find food, clean water and shelter in the 40-degree weather of our nation’s capital.

“I was not only able to hear the stories of other people living in poverty, but I was able to create my own stories, see how others treated me – like I was subhuman,” she says.

After graduation, Scherker will join the 2010 Teach for America corps in New York City. She doesn’t know what grade she will be teaching yet, but it will be between grades one through six. Eventually, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. and influence educational policy so every student has access to a quality education.

“I want to be a mover and a shaker,” she says. “People always ask me what my dream job is, and teaching? That is it.”

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CONTACTS:

   WRITER: Jennifer Tormo, Writing Intern, UFCOE News & Communications; jtormo@coe.ufl.edu

   MEDIA CONTACT: Larry Lansford, Director, UFCOE News & Communications; 352-273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

Posted Feb. 3, 2010

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The demand for more special-education teachers has plagued American school systems for more than two decades, but University of Florida education researchers cite another disturbing trend that magnifies the problem—a dearth of qualified university faculty to groom the next generation of special-education teachers.

An $800,000 federal grant may help to solve the problem.

“A critical shortage of special-education faculty at the university level, especially those with expertise in severe disabilities, poses the greatest obstacle to preparing competent teachers to meet the needs of students with severe disabilities,” said Diane Ryndak, associate professor in special education and occupant of the endowed B.O. Smith Research Professorship at UF’s College of Education. “More than 90 percent of Florida’s teachers who serve students with major support needs still lack the state’s endorsement for teaching in this specialized field.”

Ryndak is working to improve access to training. She is leading a new effort—called Project PRAIS—to help institutions of higher education resolve the shortage of special education professors in the field of severe disabilities. Under the grant from the U.S. Department of Education, her UF team will recruit and prepare three new doctoral students in special education who seek to become university researchers and professors with expertise in significant disabilities.

UF also will hire eight postdoctoral fellows—one per semester under the four-year grant—who will collaborate with the doctoral students on research projects and assist in mentoring them about teacher preparation and educational services for students with severe impairments.

“This represents an all-out, aggressive effort to develop new leaders in the preparation of teachers with expertise in severe disabilities,” Ryndak said.

The help is long overdue in this state. In Florida universities, Ryndak said there are few special-education professors qualified to prepare teachers in the field of severe disabilities. Since 2007, UF, Florida State University and the University of North Florida have collaborated in a statewide distance-learning consortium to groom teachers in this field—with Internet and videoconference links to each other and to participating special-education programs at Florida Gulf Coast University and the universities of South Florida and West Florida.

While this joint effort helps, Ryndak said it doesn’t come close to meeting the need for more special-education teachers in severe disabilities. “Many teachers do not live close enough to a university that offers courses required for this endorsement,” Ryndak said.

UF’s federal grant covers the tuition and assistantships for the doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. In exchange, they each must commit to working two years in the field for every year of coursework they complete, or repay the tuition assistance they received. Some doctoral students ideally will fill university faculty positions in Florida and prepare additional special education teachers—and university professors—with expertise in severe disabilities.

The UF College of Education’s multicultural affairs office will help to recruit doctoral candidates from underrepresented ethnic and cultural backgrounds, to match the typical diversity of students with special needs in public schools.

The doctoral students will conduct supervised research and learn research-based interventions and assistive technology to help students with disabilities participate and learn in inclusive general-education classrooms. Under Ryndak’s mentorship, they also will assist in updating instructional materials and help teach the graduate courses leading to Florida’s endorsement in severe disabilities.

“Project PRAIS will provide training and experiences that go beyond a university’s standard doctoral program,” Ryndak said. “Our Ph.D. students will develop the knowledge and skills needed to provide highly effective teacher education and research related to the preparation of teachers serving students with severe disabilities.”

# # #

CONTACTS

SOURCE: Diane Ryndak, associate professor in special education, UF College of Education, (w) 352-273-4290, (c) 352-219-9012; dryndak@ufl.edu

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

 

 

COE Dean Catherine Emihovich has announced the appointment  of Matthew (Matt) Hodge to the new position of senior director of development and alumni affairs at the College of Education.

Hodge has more than 15 years of higher education fundraising experience, serving for the past five years as vice president for institutional advancement at Seminole State College (formerly Seminole Community College).

Hodge joins COE Development Director Nekita Nesmith, Development Assistant Debra Lee and Alumni Affairs/Events Coordinator Jodi Mount to form a dynamic professional staff that will stabilize and strengthen the college’s fundraising and alumni relations efforts, which are particularly crucial during these difficult economic times.

Hodge will focus on planning and implementing the college’s fundraising and alumni activities. Nesmith will continue to cultivate and solicit major gifts of $100,000 or more. Hodge will manage a group of prospects while guiding the strategic focus of the office to best serve the college’s needs.

The college also welcomes new D&AA support staff members Ambrya Baldwin (office assistant) and Barb Yaney (senior secretary). Barb recently transferred from the dean’s office to provide needed clerical support for both Development and News and Communications, under Larry Lansford’s direction.

Prior to working for Seminole State, Hodge worked with the University of Central Florida Foundation for 10 years. He also has served as a consultant for the Florida Hospital Foundation, and began his career with a student position within the University of Florida Foundation. He has a bachelor’s degree in advertising from UF, a master’s in public administration from UCF, and in 2006 received his Ph.D. in public affairs, also from UCF. Matt is joined by wife Erin (who is assistant vice president of development at Rollins College in Winter Park) and his two children Alex (8) and Maggie (6).

 

Posted Jan. 20, 2010

A University of Florida counselor education professor sees an urgent need for community-wide counseling services here in the United States for family members and others close to the victims and survivors of the earthquake in Haiti.

Since the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Jan. 12, Cirecie West-Olatunji, associate professor of counselor education at UF’s College of Education, has been involved in efforts of two national counseling organizations—the American Counseling Association and the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development—to share information with fellow counselors about symptoms of traumatic stress and associated interventions.

West-Olatunji and Shirley St. Juste, a graduate of UF’s counselor education program and now a doctoral student at Howard University, were interviewed on this topic in a bilingual podcast (with Haitian Creole translation) titled “Stress and Haitian Americans, After the Earthquake”, now posted on the ACA Web site at www.counseling.org.

West-Olatunji and colleagues also have developed content on the AMCD Web site to provide useful information to mental health professionals, such as mental health disaster interventions, a bibliography on disaster mental health issues, relevant Web sites and additional referral sources.

She said many cities and states, especially those with large concentrations of Haitian Americans or residents working or studying in Haiti, need to respond not only to individual relatives or families of earthquake victims, but to entire communities when warranted.

“Community counseling efforts reach beyond individuals and family interventions,” West-Olatunji said. She cited podcasts, public service announcements, candlelight vigils and makeshift church-sponsored counseling clinics as ways to reach out to entire communities following major disasters.

She said disaster-counseling involving diverse cultures also deserves more emphasis in counselor training and education.

“Given the rise in natural and human-made disasters globally, it is increasingly important for disaster and crisis counseling to become integrated into the training of professional counselors and other mental health service providers,” West Olatunji said. “The Hurricane Katrina disaster and tsunami-affected southeast Asia suggest that counselors need to understand the culture of the people they are helping.”

West-Olatunji’s research specialties include multicultural counseling and community-based counseling models in the wake of major disasters, when the need for counseling overwhelms the abilities of local professional counselors. She has taken UF graduate counseling students to New Orleans to assist in post-disaster recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. Globally, she 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.

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CONTACTS

   Source: West-Olatunji can be reached at 352-273-4324, or cwestolatunji@coe.ufl.edu

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

 

 

 

College of Education leadership and faculty are actively involved in  efforts to internationalize the work of the College. Such work includes programming, research, curriculum and pedagogy. The video highlights some of these efforts and examines ways the College can further the goal of embedding. (15:56)

It’s difficult to pin a label on College of Education graduate Anita Zucker (BAE ’72), this year’s University of Florida Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. She is a former educator, a lifetime education advocate, a committed philanthropist, a history-making businesswoman, and one of Charleston, South Carolina’s leading citizens.

UF President Bernie Machen presented Zucker with the award at the university’s fall undergraduate commencement program Dec. 19, at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.

Anita and her late husband, Jerry Zucker, both received bachelor’s degrees from UF in 1972—Anita in education and Jerry with a triple major in math, chemistry and physics. Anita, who taught elementary school for 10 years, also has a master’s in educational administration and supervision.

With Anita always clinging to her education roots, the Zuckers became pillars of the Charleston community through their business acumen, community service and involvement in the city’s Jewish community. While Jerry was turning a small holding company, called InterTech Group Inc., into a global empire, Anita emerged as one of Charleston’s top civic leaders, including a term as president of the Charleston Metro Chamber Commerce.

Anita Zucker was one of the founders of the Charleston Metro Chamber’s Education Foundation. In 2005, she was appointed by Gov. Mark Sanford to the Education and Economic Development Coordinating Council of the State. She is on the advisory board of the Charleston Area HUB for Math, Science and Technology, based at the College of Charleston, which works with practicing teachers and student-teachers to enhance their classroom teaching skills in those fields. In 2007, she was appointed to the Trident Technical College Area Commission by the legislative delegation.

Zucker has served on the board of Jewish Studies, Inc., which built the Jewish Studies Building at the College of Charleston, and she also is past president of the Charleston Jewish Federation and a member of the Committee for the Holocaust Memorial at Marion Square.

When Jerry Zucker died of cancer in 2008, Anita succeeded her husband as governor (company chair) and chief executive officer of the Hudson Bay Company, North America’s oldest company, which Jerry Zucker had purchased in 2006. HBC, created by British royal charter in 1670 as a fur-trading venture, today is best known for its department stores throughout Canada. Anita is the company’s first woman chief executive.

She also became CEO of the family’s InterTech company, and owns the Carolina Ice Palace and 50 percent of the South Carolina Stingrays of the East Coast Hockey League.

For her dedication to education, Zucker has received the “Order of the Palmetto” presented by South Carolina Gov. David Beasley, and an honorary Doctorate of Education degree presented by the Citadel in May 1998.

Zucker is chair of the Medical University of South Carolina Foundation and a past chair of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee of the Hollings Cancer Center. She currently chairs the inaugural Tiffany Circle in Charleston, a national women’s society established by the Red Cross and has received the Service Above Self Award from the Rotary Club of Charleston.

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Updated Jan. 19, 2009

The College of Education’s second annual Distinguished Speaker Series: “21st Century Pathways in Education” resumes in early 2010 with the fourth and fifth lectures in the yearlong series, scheduled in January and February, respectively.

Be sure to SAVE THIS DATE:

Lecture #5  (2 presentations)
FEB. 4 (Thursday) @ Norman Hall
1-2:30 PM, Rm. 1331

“Keeping Colleges of Education Relevant”

Guest Speaker:

Don Deshler Distinguished Professor of Special Education and  Director, University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning

SUMMARY: Faculty in colleges of education today face many unique challenges that can be viewed as opportunities depending on how, as a field, we choose to respond. As the longstanding director of the highly successful University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning, Dr. Deshler knows the challenges education faculty face in ensuring that their work is viable. Over time, as the Center has developed and funding sources have changed, Deshler and his colleagues understand how an educational organization must invent and reinvent itself and what faculty in that organization will need to do to make that happen.

In his presentation, Deshler will describe some of the factors in the shifting educational landscape that are potential threats to colleges of education in extensive research institutions and some of the unprecedented opportunities that lie before us. Deshler will argue that capitalizing on these new dynamics will require an examination of our existing practices, how we currently define our roles, and how we do our work. A willingness to forge new partnerships and acquire new skill sets will be required. Significant advantages, however, will accrue to academic departments and/or colleges of education willing to make the necessary changes and take the risks involved in traveling this path.

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@ P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School

4-5:30 PM, Performing Arts Center at PKY

“Using Tiered Instruction to Move the needle on Adolescent Literacy Achievement”

What are teachers and schools to do if a student reaches adolescence and is lacking some of the basic skills necessary to succeed in school? How can schools and instruction be restructured to provide the intensive instruction that these students need? These questions at the heart of research by Don Deshler and his colleagues at the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning.

In his presentation, Deshler will address how the “content literacy continuum” (CLC) can be a workable framework for enhancing literacy outcomes for all adolescents in secondary schools. The CLC framework says: (1) some students require more intensive instruction of content, strategies, and skills; and (2) there are unique but very important roles for each member of a secondary staff relative to literacy instruction. Successful implementation is based on a strong staff commitment to collaboration.

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Deshler is one of the nation’s preeminent researchers and scholars in adolescent literacy and special education at the secondary level. His studies explore what is needed to help struggling adolescent learners and he uses that information to develop methods and practices that teachers and schools can use to help students.

He is co-developer of the Learning Strategies Model, one of the most thoroughly researched and widely used special education teaching methods. He and his colleagues recently have shifted their focus from working with individual teachers and students to working with entire school staffs. He’s found that by taking a collaborative approach between the center and schools, they can be more effective.

Deshler received the Distinguished Education Achievement Award in 2007 from the National Center for Learning Disabilities. He received a Presidential appointment to the National Institute for Literacy advisory board in 2006. He previously received a distinguished service award from Exceptional Parent Magazine. He’s written numerous journal articles, book chapters and books on adolescent literacy and at–risk learning strategies.

Sponsors/Hosts: UFCOE/School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood Studies (SESPECS)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact: Jean Crockett, director, SESPECS; 352-273-4292; crocket@ufl.edu

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The College of Education is sponsoring the free Distinguished Speaker Series, with each of its three schools lining up programs throughout the 2009-10 academic year. Unless otherwise indicated, all lectures are open to any interested COE, P.K. Yonge or UF faculty and students, and to appropriate practitioners, education alumni and the general public as announced.

Posted: Dec. 9, 2009

Two University of Florida counselor education faculty members have been recognized for their work in advancing the globalization of the University of Florida campus and curriculum through teaching, research and service.

Edil Torres-Rivera and Cirecie West-Olatunji (pictured, right) were recently selected as the College of Education’s 2009-10 International Educators of the Year. Professor Torres-Rivera was chosen for the senior faculty honor, while West-Olatunji, an associate professor, was the junior faculty selection. UF created the international awards program in 2004. All college winners, as well as the two university recipients, were presented their awards by UF Provost Joe Glover at a reception held recently as part of International Education Week.

Torres-Rivera has a strong international record in course development, scholarly presentations and service. His research collaborations with colleagues around the globe have made a significant contribution to the discipline and he is constantly working to improve and expand counseling outside the United States. The results of his work has been published in refereed international journals and disseminated through conferences in several countries.

The Puerto Rican native has served as a visiting professor in Guatemala and Singapore and also has taught in Latin America and Europe. He serves on the executive board of the Interamerican Society of Counseling and recently was named editor-elect of the Journal for Interamerican Psychology. Housing the journal at UF provides the university with an international and multilingual audience.

Torres-Rivera also is a past president of Counselors for Social Justice, a national counseling association.

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 also has advanced the discipline in disaster response, both in the United States and abroad, exploring how to enhance sensitivity and competence when providing disaster-response counseling in cross-cultural settings.

Globally, she twice 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. The trips also provided students with hands-on experience using the “rapid deployment” counseling model that she teaches in her courses.

West-Olatunji is past president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development and also has consulted with the Buraku Liberation Movement in Japan in anti-bias education for young children.

Nominations for the International Educator awards are made by departmental chairs in each college and endorsed by the deans. A university-wide committee then judges the candidates based on several criteria including how their work raises UF’s profile as a major research university. The two campuswide winners each receive $3,000.

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CONTACTS

  WRITER: Larry Lansford, COE News & Publications; (352) 273-4137; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

 

Dean’s Message

Improved accountability could elevate teaching profession

If teaching is to become widely recognized and acknowledged as the rigorous profession that it should be, all teacher preparation programs should meet national accreditation standards that not only address issues of program quality and continuous improvement, but also the impact teacher candidates have on student learning in P-12 settings. (more)

 

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Headlines

With $800,000 grant, UF tackles dire shortage of teachers, professors in special education

With an $800,000 federal grant, COE Associate Professor Diane Ryndak is leading a new effort to help institutions of higher education resolve the shortage of special education professors in the field of severe disabilities. (more)

Professor speaks at D.C. briefing on educational crisis facing minority males

Luis Ponjuan, assistant professor in educational administration and policy, participated in a national briefing on Capitol Hill Jan. 26 to raise awareness of the overwhelming barriers that minority male students continue to face in educational achievement. He was one of five national experts on minority education who participated in a panel discussion at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. (more)

Community counseling needed for U.S. relatives of Haiti earthquake victims, UF professor says

A UF counselor education scholar sees an urgent need for community-wide counseling services here in the United States for family members and others close to the victims and survivors of the earthquake in Haiti. Since the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Jan. 12, Associate Professor Cirecie West-Olatunji has been involved in the efforts of two national counseling organizations to share information with fellow counselors about symptoms of traumatic stress and associated interventions. (more)

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

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College News & Notices

UF CROP students tour–and march–in Atlanta

Forty Alachua County middle and high school students from the College Reach Out Program at UF participated in the 5th annual CROP Atlanta tour Jan. 14-18 and marched in the city’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade (pictured above). They also toured several local colleges and historical sites. CROP is based at the College of Education, where collegewide fundraising efforts helped cover trip expenses. CROP is a statewide project designed to increase the number of disadvantaged students who successfully complete a postsecondary education. The UF-based program is directed by Bobby Welch and provides tutoring, counseling and other services for about 200 Alachua County students. (Photo courtesy of CROP.)

Alliance holds financial aid workshops

The UF Alliance recently held a series of parent workshops on student financial aid for college at each of its partner schools in Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami. Alliance staff assisted parents in completing their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms to ensure that students fully qualify for any available assistance. At press time, more than 80 families had participated in workshops held in three of the six Alliance schools. The workshops were to continue through Feb. 11.

Saving energy at Norman Hall

UF Physical Plant energy specialists will offer tips and advice on energy usage and conservation Feb. 24, 2 to 4 p.m., in a presentation to COE faculty, staff and students. Their presentation, set for Room 250, is tailored specifically for Norman Hall. The presentation sets the stage for the College of Education’s participation in UF’s newest energy conservation campaign, “Chomp Down on Energy”, with an ambitious aim of carbon neutraility and zero waste campuswide. Check out details at www.sustainability.ufl.edu. Contact COE Green Team Captain Christine Cook (cpcook@coe.ufl.edu) for more information.

Completed Census forms boost education funding

This March, the 2010 Census will arrive in every Gainesville resident’s mailbox. The responses will directly affect the distribution of more than $400 billion in federal funding for education, healthcare, transportation and the environment. Off-campus students must fill out the form with their housemates and return it by mail before April 1. It is important that everyone in Gainesville fill out the census form to ensure funding that will help keep The Gator Nation–and the EduGator Nation–great. For more information, visit www.YouMeCensUS.com.

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Awards & Appointments

FACULTY

Anita Zucker (BAE ’72) receives UF Distinguished Alumni Award

It’s difficult to pin a label on COE graduate Anita Zucker (BAE ’72), this year’s UF Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. She is a former educator, a lifetime education advocate, a committed philanthropist, a history-making businesswoman, and one of Charleston, South Carolina’s leading citizens. (more)

Dean named to blue-ribbon panel on teacher preparation reform

The nation’s largest accrediting body for teacher education programs has enlisted UF education dean Catherine Emihovich for a blue-ribbon panel of educators and policymakers charged with bringing major reforms to colleges of education and school districts. (more)

Hodge appointed senior director of development-alumni affairs

Matthew (Matt) Hodge has been appointed to the new position of senior director of development and alumni affairs at the College of Education. Hodge has more than 15 years of higher education fundraising experience, serving for the past five years as vice president for institutional advancement at Seminole State College. (more)

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Presentations 

*Indicates co-author is a current or former COE student

Dixon, A. L., & Hansen, N. (2010). Fortid, nutid, fremtid (past, present, future): Professional counseling in Denmark. Journal of Counseling & Development, 88, 38-42.

Flower, K.* & Clark, M.A. (2010, July). Tackling Male Underachievement. American School Counselor Association Annual Conference, Boston.

Alliance reports address learning gap, dropout preventions

The UF Alliance program reports staff made the following presentations at recent major conferences. At the 2010 Holmes Partnership Conference in Charleston, S.C., Alliance staff presented two reports: (1) Attacking the Achievement Gap through College Access and Outreach: The UF Alliance Experience; and, (2) Parental Engagement: A Necessary Ingredient for Addressing The Achievement Gap in Low-Performing Schools. Alliance staff also presented Identity and Resiliency: Key Components in Dropout Prevention at the Hispanic Organizations Program Enhancement (HOPE) Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Their report highlighted the use of technology to enhance retention among students.

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P.K. Yonge Update

LA radio-theater group works with PKY student performers

PKY students in Sherwin Mackintosh’s third-period vocal ensemble class got a special treat Feb. 4 when two performers from L.A. Theatre Works (Kyle Colerider-Krugh and John Wesley) stopped by to lead a master class on monologues (pictured right). The touring LATW troupe made a Gainesville stopover for an evening performance at UF’s Phillips Center. The troupe is on an early leg of a national tour of “RFK: The Journey to Justice,” a live radio theater-style docudrama chronicling Robert Kennedy’s personal transformation into a champion and crusader for the Civil Rights Movement.

Middle school magazine rates superior

P.K. Yonge’s middle school literary magazine, Making Waves, has been awarded a SUPERIOR rating from the National Council of Teachers of English for their 2009 magazine. PKY was one of only two middle schools to receive the highest mark. Student editors were Austin Landis, Kaleigh Wasdin and Blythe Ferguson. Carolyn Harrell is the faculty advisor. 

Discount advance tickets for Curtains now on sale

Advance tickets for PKY’s spring production of the Tony-award winning murder-mystery musical comedy, Curtains, are now on sale. Get them now before prices go up. The PKY box office is open every Wednesday 3-6 p.m. Starting April 12 through May 2, box office hours extend from 12-6 p.m. weekdays. Reserved seating tickets may also be purchased online at ticketmaster.com. A mail-in order form is available to print out on the P.K. Yonge website.  Advance tickets are $7 for students and $12 for adults until March 1, when prices go up to $12 and $15, respectively. For more information, visit the PKY website or contact the boxoffice hotline at 392-1850.

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COE In The News

*Coverage generated by UFCOE news release

*Feb. 4, 2010 — Diane Ryndak, special education
ASSOCIATED PRESS-FLORIDA, GAINESVILLE SUN, OCALA STAR-BANNER, WCJB-TV 20, WUFT-AM 850, WUFT-FM 89, WJUF-FM 90, INDEPENDENT FLORIDA ALLIGATOR, AACTE WEB SITE, SpecialEdConnection.com, UF NEWS WEB SITE
Under an $800,000 USDOE grant, UF special education researcher Diane Ryndak is leading a new effort to help institutions of higher education resolve the shortage of special education professors in the field of severe disabilities.  

*Jan. 21 — Cerecie West-Olatunji, counselor education
MID-FLORIDA PUBLIC RADIO, FLORIDA ALLIGATOR
Since the devastating earthquake struck in Haiti Jan. 12, Associate Professor Cirecie West-Olatunji has worked with two national counseling organizations to provide community-wide counseling services in the U.S. for family members of victims and survivors of the earthquake.

*Jan. 20 — Luis Ponjuan, educational administration and policy
EDUCATION WEEK, WUFT-FM 89, DIVERSE ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION (blog)
Assistant Professor Luis Ponjuan is one of five national experts on minority education who participated in a national briefing on Capitol Hill to raise awareness of the overwhelming barriers that minority male students face in educational achievement.

Jan. 14 & 20 — UF CROP Program
GAINESVILLE SUN
Forty Alachua County middle and high school students from the College Reach Out Program at UF participated in the 5th annual CROP Atlanta tour Jan. 14-18.

*Jan. 11 — Lastinger Center for Learning
FLORIDA TIMES-UNION
About 30 teachers at Jacksonville Raines and Ribault high schools will have the opportunity to get their master’s degrees free if they commit to working at the schools for five years, thanks to a UF Lastinger Center for Learning program.

*Jan. 5 — Catherine Emihovich
INSIDE HIGHER EDUCATION, ST. PETERSBURG TIMES EDUCATION BLOG
The nation’s largest accreditor of teacher education programs has named UF education dean Catherine Emihovich to a blue-ribbon panel of educators and policymakers charged with bringing major reforms to colleges of education and school districts.

Dec. 16, 2009 — Mary Ann Williams (alumna)
GAINESVILLE SUN
In a story about UF’s commencement ceremony, Mary Ann Williams, recent COE doctoral graduate in mental health counseling, was cited as an example of graduates who can still “land a dream job” in this difficult job market.

*Nov. 27, 2009 — Catherine Emihovich
Gainesville Sun
In a Speaking Out column submitted to the Opinions page, Dean Emihovich responded to policymakers’ latest criticisms that U.S. colleges of education are not sufficiently meeting the challenges of today’s tumultuous education world. She responds with examples of how UF, like many major education colleges, “are (indeed) up to the task of preparing the next generation of America’s teachers.”

*Nov. 20, 2009 — Lastinger Center for Learning
ST. PETERSBURG TIMES
Aided by a $1.6 million grant from the Helios Education Foundation, as many as 500 middle and high school math and science teachers in Pinellas County will have a shot at getting advanced degrees and training, thanks to a new program being launched by UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning.

Nov. 20, 2009 — Cathy Cavanaugh, education technology
T.H.E. JOURNAL (Transforming Education Through Technology)
The International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) selected Cathy Cavanaugh to receive one of its first annual Online Innovator Awards, recognizing her for important new research in education technology.

*Nov. 17, 2009 — Catherine Emihovich and Lastinger Center for Learning
GAINESVILLE SUN
There is “no more pressing problem” in schools than low achievement in math and science, UF COE Dean Catherine Emihovich told a UF summit on math and science education, sponsored by the Lastinger Center for Learning.

Oct. 29, 2009 — Cathy Cavanaugh, education technology
PASADENA STAR NEWS (Education magazine supplement)
Cavanaugh was quoted in an article on the emergence of virtual learning in K-12 classrooms, saying” “Within the last decade K-12 education has become much more consumer-diven. Virtual schooling happens to be an attractive and effective option.”

*Oct. 14, 2009 — P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School
GAINESVILLE SUN, FLORIDA ALLIGATOR, MID-FLORIDA PUBLIC RADIO
A group of nearly 30 town and school leaders from Pike Road, Ala., visited P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School last week to “scout out” PKY as a model school for the town’s efforts to start its own school system.

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posted Nov. 30, 2009

Since the early years of this decade, UF’s College of Education has maintained a deep commitment to the core principle of “engaged scholarship”— innovative research and academic activities pursued specifically to make a meaningful difference in education and people’s lives. Engagement requires building connections with schools, families, school districts, community groups and government agencies to lead for change in a world where transformation is essential.

Some of the year’s most noteworthy efforts in engaged scholarship by UF education faculty and graduate students were celebrated recently at the college’s 2009 Faculty Research and Engaged Scholarship Showcase:

Faculty Award—School of Teaching and Learning

Rose Pringle, associate professor

Under a National Science Foundation grant, Pringle and co-researchers are finding ways to encourage more African-American schoolgirls into science, math and other technical fields. She’s also part of a university-public schools partnership working to prepare elementary school teachers for the state’s tough new science curriculum standards. Several Florida school districts are using the team’s findings to obtain national funding for extending the program to their schools. Pringle also volunteers in local high-needs elementary schools to help teachers improve their science content knowledge and class curriculum.

Faculty Award—Special Education

Diane Ryndak, the B.O. Smith Research Professor

Working locally and globally, Ryndak has forged an impressive record of scholarship in her school-based research on the effects of inclusive education and the development of leadership and teacher preparation programs in the field. She has worked with school districts around the state to develop inclusive programs for students with severe disabilities, and helped to develop an evaluation and planning tool for educators and schools working to implement best practices in inclusive education. Internationally, a Fulbright Research Award has allowed Ryndak to assist Poland in advancing inclusive education services in its school system. Through her new endowed professorship appointment, she will investigate methods to improve educators’ decision-making in the curriculum and instruction for high school students with severe disabilities in inclusive general-education classes.

Faculty Award—Counselor Education

Cerecie West-Olatunji, associate professor

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, and has taken graduate counseling students to New Orleans to assist in post-Katrina disaster recovery efforts. Globally, she 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. She is past president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development and also has consulted with the Buraku Liberation Movement in Japan in anti-bias education for young children.

Graduate Student Award

Darby Delane, School of Teaching and Learning

For three years, Delane has balanced her doctoral studies with her duties as coordinator of the college’s Professional Development Community (PDC) partnership effort with local elementary schools. The partnership promotes the learning of UF prospective teachers and the school- and university-based educators who work with them. Delane was instrumental in developing the PDC component of the Unified Elementary ProTeach program. She also teaches in elementary education and in Teacher Leadership for School Improvement. In her dissertation research, Delane is investigating how the supervision of prospective teachers at PDC schools directly impacts equity and social justice for K-5 students. She also collaborates with UF’s Center for School Improvement in studying exemplary middle-school practices and teacher leadership.

Graduate Student Award

Vicki Vescio, School of Teaching and Learning

During her four-year doctoral experience, Vescio has been is an integral cog in the Lastinger Center for Learning’s statewide school reform activities. She’s helped stage leadership institutes for partnering teachers and administrators and completed National School Reform Faculty coaching training to advance her leadership skills. She has helped high-poverty schools in Miami and Alachua County launch teacher inquiry programs and professional learning communities to boost teaching quality, and helps teach the internship semester for UF interns in high-need elementary schools in east Gainesville. Vescio has published a literature review documenting the impact professional learning communities can have on teaching practice and student learning—a critical part of the Lastinger Center’s early research efforts.

P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School Award

Mickey MacDonald, science instructor

Ninth-grade biology teacher Mickey MacDonald is an area facilitator of teacher inquiry, working closely with UF’s Center for School Improvement and the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium. She recently received a highly competitive $10,000 grant through the National Science Teachers Association to develop a student-run community garden and farmer’s market. Ninth-grade biology teachers at the UF lab school will guide their students from garden-planning to selling their food crops at the on-campus farmers’ market, with proceeds going to a local homeless shelter. Students will also visit the shelter, interview homeless guests and compile a book of essays—“Giving Voice to the Homeless.”

University Award

Lou Guillette Jr., distinguished professor of zoology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

While his renowned alligator studies have earned Guillette the nickname of “Gator Man,” he happens to be one of UF’s most illustrious teachers and scholars. His distinctions include honors such as Distinguished Alumni Professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, an honor held by many Nobel Laureates. He’s also a former UF Teacher-Scholar of the Year and is an executi
ve committee member of UF’s innovative Science for Life program, created to boost undergraduate science education. His traits that most capture the spirit of engaged scholarship, though, are how Guillette presents his research in public venues to stress the importance of environmental issues, especially to schoolchildren, and his deep commitment to intensive research engagement with his students. Attracting the next generation of students into scientific fields will be critical for America to regain its competitive edge, and it’s difficult to imagine a better ambassador for this work than UF’s own Gator Man.

School District Award

Doug Levey, professor of zoology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Levy has compiled an impressive list of scholarly honors in his UF career, but his contributions go far beyond excellence in research and university teaching. Eight years ago, Levy worked with UF and Alachua County Public Schools to launch SPICE—Science Partners in Inquiry-based Collaborative Education. SPICE pairs graduate students from seven UF colleges (including Education) with science teachers in Gainesville’s most disadvantaged middle schools. The UF students—called SPICE Fellows—spend two days a week in the schools, serving as mentors and role models to disadvantaged youths and bringing their own research—and enthusiasm—directly from UF into the middle school classroom. SPICE also contributes school supplies, laptops and other technology to the classrooms. Over eight years, SPICE has matched some 60 UF graduate students with 25 middle school teachers, directly benefiting about 10,000 area middle school students. Levey continues to serve as director of SPICE.

Community Award

Kate Kemker, director of technology and learning innovation, Florida Department of Education

Kemker’s efforts as a policymaker and catalyst for school-based research on classroom technology integration have made a difference to thousands of Florida students. She spearheaded the development of the Florida Digital Educator program, a professional development series for Florida teachers promoting best practices and a common philosophy in the use of cutting-edge classroom technology. She also created the Master Digital Educator program, offering advanced training in technology use and leadership to qualified Florida educators. Both programs are believed to be the only ones of their type in the nation. Kemker belongs to a statewide council of education technology leaders from school districts around the state, and is active in the technology-planning for the P.K. Yonge laboratory school’s visionary “campus renewal” effort. Kemker has been instrumental in developing online data collection tools used by districts to document the impact of classroom technology and has made Florida a national model for effective educational technology integration.

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