Posted: Nov. 9, 2009

Citing an educational gap that has seen the United States disappear from the top 20 in math and science learning among 30 industrialized nations, the University of Florida is issuing a statewide call for action to pursue aggressive school reform strategies that can help restore America’s global competitiveness in the vital technical fields.

UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning, which focuses on statewide school improvement mainly among high-poverty schools, will host K-12 mathematics and science teachers, principals, school district administrators, college students majoring in math and science, business leaders and other education stakeholders from Alachua County and around the state at an upcoming summit on math and science education.

The meeting, titled “Addressing the Crisis of Mathematics and Science Achievement in Florida and the Nation,” is set for Monday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton University of Florida Conference Center, on SW 34th Street in Gainesville.

Full-day participation in the free summit is by invitation, but the keynote address, from 10 to 11:45 a.m., by Matt Larson, a nationally known expert on mathematics curriculum, is open to the public. Larson is a past chairman of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics research committee and is a frequent national speaker on issues related to improving mathematics achievement. He is co-author of two mathematics textbook series and is the K-12 mathematics curriculum specialist for Lincoln (Neb.) Public Schools.

Summit coordinator Thomasenia Lott Adams (pictured, right), a professor in mathematics education at UF’s College of Education, says the program will include panel discussions, group conversations and opportunities for participants to get directly involved in efforts to support students’ success in math and science.

“We will examine factors that limit achievement in mathematics and science and brainstorm on aggressive, research-proven teaching strategies. Our goal is boost the capacity of our middle and high school teachers to help Florida’s students meet national and international standards for excellence in those areas,” Adams said. “Mathematics and scientific literacy of our youth are critical to the financial and political future of our state and nation in today’s global technological and information-driven climate. This summit is the foundation for a call to action to support students’ success in math and science.”

Adams said collaboration among various education stakeholders is required to generate strategies to reform math and science education in our schools and universities. She cited the UF Lastinger Center’s plans to launch job-embedded degree programs to help practicing teachers advance their content knowledge and teaching methods in math and science, without having to leave their classrooms to pursue their studies. Adams said the first such effort will launch in Pinellas County schools in 2010.

The Lastinger Center offers similar degree programs in teacher leadership for free to practicing teachers at partnering high-poverty schools to prepare the teachers to lead reform efforts at their schools.

“We want to form a statewide coalition of stakeholders who will roll up their sleeves and contribute to an effective, national school-reform model, starting in our own state,” Adams said.

For more information or to register, contact Adams at tla@coe.ufl.edu or by phone at 352-274-4194.

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CONTACTS

  Source: Thomasenia Lott Adams, professor of mathematics education, UF College of Education; tla@coe.ufl.edu; (352) 273-4194

  Writer/Media Relations: Larry Lansford, llansford@coe.ufl.edu; (352) 273-4137

A college-wide email sent the previous afternoon had warned all UF College of Education faculty and staff recently to expect a BIG BANG the next morning, emanating from a Norman Hall science education lab. As the accompanying photo suggests, a BIG BANG is exactly what occurred, along with a brief flash of shooting flames.

It turns out doctoral fellow Stephen Burgin (pictured), in the School of Teaching and Learning, was merely blowing up a left-over Halloween pumpkin in Assistant Professor Troy Sadler’s elementary science methods class to…um… spark a discussion on the use of demonstrations by teachers in science classrooms.

The eye-popping experiment blew the pre-carved facial features right out of the pumpkin, with pieces landing several feet away. Not to worry, though, as students sitting within the blasting zone evacuated the area in time for a 10-second countdown before the pumpkin blew his top. The pumpkin survived the blast with its pulpy rind still intact, despite some serious charring in its hollowed-out core.

Burgin caused the explosion by mixing calcium carbide with water inside the pumpkin to form acetylene gas, and then used a hand-held igniter to trigger the combustion reaction. The demonstration served as an example of how to recognize chemical changes versus physical changes—and how to engage students so the lesson sticks in their minds.

(Staff photo and caption by Larry Lansford, Director, COE News & Communications)

A new academic year always promises a fresh new start for faculty, students, and staff—a start that is especially welcome after a year of turmoil.

This year opens with changes in two key areas: the organizational structure of the College, and the physical structure of both Old and New Norman Hall. Last year, the College developed a new organizational structure in response to mandated budget reductions for 2007 – 2008. The previous structure of four departments and one school was replaced by three newly organized Schools. They are the School of Teaching and Learning (STL); the School of Special Education, School Psychology, and Early Childhood (SESPEC); and, the School of Human Development and Organizational Studies in Education (SHDOSE).

These three schools were officially ratified by the UF Faculty Senate in September, and we are now preparing new brochures and updating our websites to reflect the new structure.

Both Old and New Norman have undergone modest facelifts to create more stimulating and collaborative work environments. Using HUD funds secured by Florida Congressman John Mica, the northeast corner on the first floor of Old Norman was completely renovated to provide space for faculty in the Research and Evaluation Methods program, along with space for CAPES staff and the Office of Educational Research (OER). The most imaginative design was the creation of an interior corridor that enabled us to build rooms on either side to house faculty, computer and research labs, and graduate assistants.

Renovating this space required the relocation of the Lastinger Center for Learning, which moved to renovated space on the ground floor of New Norman that housed the former Special Education Department. While many Special Education faculty are now in temporary quarters, we will begin a second renovation project this fall that will create a new research complex for these faculty with active research projects that have multiple graduate assistants.

These renovations have led to a dizzying round of musical moves as faculty shift offices, but we believe the final results will result in greater productivity as faculty find it easier to build the collaborative relationships so critical for preparing multidisciplinary grant proposals.

A third project will be the creation of a long-awaited staff lounge to provide staff with a private area for eating lunch and taking breaks.

The constant disruptions from construction and subsequent moves can be read as a metaphor of the turmoil taking place in higher education in Florida as a result of continuing budget reductions. Long-established comfortable patterns are giving way to new models and practices that run counter to how faculty have long viewed their work. In the end, the renovations and organizational changes for our College may be welcomed and more productive, but the journey to that end is marked by constant upheavals in the known world, and with less certainty about the world to come.

That faculty and staff continue to produce excellent work that is highlighted in our newsletter each month, and attract a steady stream of strong students, is a fitting testimony to their commitment to ensuring the College maintains its reputation for excellence and engagement with others to solve Florida’s most pressing educational problems.

Sincerely,

Catherine Emihovich, Ph.D.

Professor and Dean
UF College of Education
cemihovich@coe.ufl.edu

David Horton (PhD ’09), a spring graduate in higher education administration,  received the 2009 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Southeastern Association for Community College Research (SACCR).

The competitive award recognizes outstanding doctoral education studies focused on community college students.

Horton’s dissertation, chaired by UF’s Luis Ponjuan, was titled “Comparative Study of the Persistence and Academic Success of Florida Community College Student-athletes and Non-athlete Students: 2004 to 2007.”

Rose Gleichowski, a math teacher and cheerleader coach at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School, is one of seven Florida coaches from various sports nominated for the Drug Free Florida Coaches with Character Award for the 2008-09 school year.

Gleichowski began her coaching career at P.K. Yonge in 2003. She says it was by accident that she became a cheerleader coach. She actually began as a gymnastics and track and field athlete in high school.

Cheering and gymnastics go hand in hand, she says. The P.K. Yonge Spirit squad focuses on school spirit first with the 19 sports at the school. As for competition, Gleichowski said P.K. Yonge cheerleaders have taken part in the FHSAA championships the past two years.

Her philosophy is “Put the leader in Cheerleader”. Her cheerleaders need to be leaders, all the way around—in and outside of school and in the community. She wants her girls to be good people.

“The cheerleaders are by no means all perfect role models, but I do strive to make them better people. I can get thru to some of them while others are a daily struggle, but in the end, I think most of them come away better people,” Gleichowski said.

(Source: FHSAA news release)

Two UF student research teams in counselor education have been selected by Chi Sigma Iota for 2009-2010 International Excellence in Counseling Research Grant awards. CSI is an international honor society for counselor educators.

Students Ryan Reese, Adrienne Baggs, Carrie Swango and Jessica Young were cited for their research proposal, “First and Second Year Counselor Trainees’ Perceptions of Leadership Characteristics: A Praxis of Social Advocacy.” Professor Edit Torres-Rivera is the team’s faculty adviser.

Students Cheryl Pence Wolf, Elisa Mott, Isabel Thompson and Adrienne Baggs were selected for their project entitled “Using Yoga to Improve Wellness: Exploring the Effects of a Four-Week Luna Yoga Program on Female Counselors and Counselors-in-Training.” Assistant Scholar Ana Puig is that team’s faculty adviser.

College of Education faculty, staff and students are invited to participate in a community drive to help the 600 homeless kids who attend Alachua County public schools.

A “Stuff-the-Bus” drive is planned for Saturday Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

A school bus will be parked in front of Wal-Mart at Butler Plaza on Archer Road to collect items for homeless children and their families. The goal is to “stuff the bus” to the ceiling with donated items such as new school supplies, clothing and personal hygiene items.

The drive is sponsored by Altrusa of Gainesville. For more information, contact 352.258.4718 or visit www.altrusa-gainesville.org.

The research enterprises of both the College of Education and the university are reaping early benefits from the college’s new Collaborative Assessment and Program Evaluation Services—or, CAPES for short. Run by faculty specialists in research evaluation and methodology, CAPES provides vital assessment and research support for grant programs within the college, across campus and even in local school districts

In its first year, CAPES wrote more than 20 research proposals, garnering funding for seven projects with others still in review. One noteworthy project, for $111,000, calls for CAPES to evaluate children’s intervention services of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission.

CAPES also offers additional placement opportunities for UF graduate students in statistics, research, design, measurement or evaluation.

CAPES is directed by David Miller, professor of research evaluation and methodology, and co-directed by Cyndi Garvan, assistant scholar and statistics director in COE’s office of educational research.

UF’s Department of Agricultural Education and Communication was recently identified as the leading department of its kind in the nation. The agricultural education track is an affiliate of the College of Education’s teacher preparation programs.

Ohio State researchers conducted a national survey of Ag-Ed department chairs to rank the top 10 departments in the specialty.

Students in Agricultural Education’s teacher certification program for grades 6-12 take classes in the College of Education required for graduation, and tCOE Student Services coordinates the program’s student teaching and internship activities.

Posted Oct. 6, 2009

VIDEO (15 minutes): “State of the College—the Woodstock version” presentation by Dean Catherine Emihovich

Download a PDF of the Powerpoint slide show, “State of the College—the Woodstock version,” presented recently by Dean Catherine Emihovich at the college’s fall Faculty Welcome & Recognition Reception.

With all the doom-and-gloom talk about our faltering economy and the impact of UF’s budgetary woes, it’s easy to overlook how College of Education faculty, students and staff rose to the occasion and still managed to forge an impressive year of accomplishments. By clicking on the links above, you can view an informative and, yes, even entertaining “flip-video” of a slide presentation made recently by UF Education Dean Catherine Emihovich at the college’s fall Faculty Welcome and Recognition Reception. The video lasts 15 minutes.

As evidenced by her peace-sign earrings and accompanying selections of 1960s rock tunes, Emihovich embraced the event’s chosen “Woodstock” theme and infused some of the peace-love-and-protest music and mindset of that historic 1969 hippie fest into her presentation. As she points out, there’s ample reason for optimism in facing the college’s future, because (as they sing at Woodstock), we can always get by . . . “with a little help from my friends.”

The links above are your connection to Catherine “Moonbeam” Emihovich’s light-hearted, but substantive State of the College presentation—Woodstock style . . .

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CONTACT:

   Writer-videographer: Larry Lansford, COE News & Communications, llansford@coe.ufl.edu

UF’s College of Education kicks off its second annual Distinguished Speaker Series: “21st Century Pathways in Education” with a fall slate of three lectures scheduled in September and October.

The yearlong series promises a diverse lineup of distinguished speakers and topics of interest to educators, students and practitioners in numerous education and counseling disciplines. The College of Education is sponsoring the free speaker series, with each of its three schools lining up programs throughout the 2009-10 academic year. Besides visiting speakers from other institutions and agencies, the final lecture slate also will include presentations by UF faculty holders of the college’s prestigious endowed professorships and chairs.

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.

Below is the fall slate of Distinguished Speaker lectures scheduled so far:

Lecture #1

SEPT. 16 (Wednesday): 2 presentations in Norman Hall Terrace Room

• noon – 1 p.m.
  “History of Multiculturalism in Counseling and Psychology”
  (brown bag lunch and lecture)
• 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
  “Continuing the National Conversation on Race, Justice and Peace”
  (town hall meeting format)

Guest Speaker: Michael D’Andrea, Executive Director, National Institute for Multicultural Competence; and Professor, Univ. of Hawaii

Notes: Over the past 25 years, Dr. D’Andrea’s scholarly work and publications (including six books) have focused on various psycho-therapeutic approaches in mental healthy therapy and research in multicultural-social justice issues in counseling, including white racism in the United States. His scholarly and clinical accomplishments have earned him a dozen national and international honors. He is equally known for his strong, vocal stances on a broad range of multicultural, social justice and peace issues in the fields of psychology, counseling and education. His work often focuses on the important roles psychologists and psychotherapists can play in fostering positive transformative changes in contemporary society.

Sponsors: UFCOE/School of Human Development & Organizational Studies in Education /Counselor Education program

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact:  Edil Torres Rivera (edil0001@ufl.edu)

Lecture #2

SEPT. 25 (Friday)
1:00 – 2:30 p.m.,
Norman Hall Terrace Room

“And They Were Wonderful Teachers: Florida’s Purge of Gay and Lesbian Teachers”

Guest Speaker: Karen L. Graves, Author and Associate Professor, Education, Denison University

Notes:

• Dr. Graves will base her lecture on her compelling book of the same title, detailing the persecution of lesbian and gay educators in Florida during the 1950s and ‘60s. Her work highlights the importance of sexuality in American and education history. Along with her Denison appointment, she is co-editor of Inexcusable Omissions: Clarence Karier and the Critical Tradition in History of Education Scholarship.
• Sept. 24 (Thursday): Dr. Graves also will meet with interested students and faculty for an informal conversation from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Room 2329, Norman Hall.

Sponsors/Hosts: UFCOE/School of Teaching & Learning and UF History Department

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact: Sevan Terzian (sterzian@coe.ufl.edu)  

Lecture #3

Oct. 28 (Wednesday)
3 p.m.
UF Reitz Union, Room 282 

“Effective Online Teaching Practices”

Guest Speaker: Cathy Cavanaugh, UF Associate Professor, Education Technology

Notes: Dr. Cavanaugh teaches and conducts research at UF’s College of Education in the areas of distance education, instructional design and classroom technology integration. She is acknowledged as a national expert in her field, most recently on the effective practices in virtual schools and in distance education and teacher leadership with classroom technology.

Sponsors: UF COE/School of Teaching & Learning/Education Technology program

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact: Cathy Cavanaugh (cathycavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu)

Additional lectures will be posted as they are scheduled.

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CONTACTS

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

Posted Aug. 14, 2009

The year was 1959 when Daphne Duval-Williams enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the University of Florida’s College of Education, becoming the college’s first black student. Now, a half-century later, the college is marking its 50th anniversary of integration with a special celebration at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4, at the UF President’s House.

The anniversary social, carrying the theme of “50 Years and Counting: Race, Education and the Florida Gator,” will feature a reception, heavy hors d’ouvres, music and dancing, and a program recognizing the impact that the College of Education’s African-American alumni have made to the field of education as teachers, researchers and leaders.

The free social is open to the public, but reservations are required and limited. Please RSVP by Aug. 26 by contacting Daniel Rogers via email at drogers@coe.ufl.edu, or by calling (352) 273-4368.

Simon O. Johnson, a UF professor emeritus in education and former head of the college’s office of recruitment, retention and multicultural affairs (RRMA), will lead a small slate of guests offering remarks and reflections about the experiences and contributions of African American faculty members and students at the College of Education.

Johnson currently is administrator of the Caring and Sharing Learning Center, a public charter elementary school in east Gainesville. He served on the College of Education faculty from 1971 until his retirement in 1998, and is a former teacher of the year selection. Much of his scholarly work and writing focused on the improvement of educational programs and opportunities for minorities.

Michael Bowie, the college’s current RRMA director and also the president of the Alachua County chapter of NAACP, is coordinating and emceeing the event. Education Dean Catherine Emihovich will welcome guests.

The event coincides with UF Black Alumni Weekend and the Florida Gators’ home-opening football game that Saturday, Sept. 5, against Charleston Southern. The UF President’s House is located at 2151 W. University Avenue in Gainesville.

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

A presentation by Dr. Kathryn Russell-Brown, Levin College of Law, University of Florida

Monday, July 27
4:30-5:45 p.m.
UF Hilton Hotel

Dr. Russell-Brown’s presentation is the keynote address of an institute on “Meeting the Educational Needs of Children Living in Poverty.” UF Education Professor Dorene Ross, the Irving and Rose Fien Professor in Education, will lead the institute for a group of practicing educators from Miami and Alachua. The keynote address is free and open to all College of Education and PKY faculty and graduate students.

Address Overview:

A typical school introduction to the criminal justice system in elementary school is centered around the Officer Friendly program and text book-based study of the law enforcement and court systems. Yet many children, particularly those living in poverty, have a very different experience with the criminal justice system than these curriculum offerings portray. Dr. Russell-Brown will share her work around these issues including a draft of a children’s book with a more reality-grounded perspective. She is particularly interested in your feedback.

No RSVP required.

For more information, contact Dorene Ross, Professor at (352) 273-4206.
 

Alumni, Faculty, Advisers, Students

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Clinical & Academic: James Archer
Research & Leadership: Cecil Mercer

ALUMNI Honors

Alumnus Achievement: Lesley Hull
Outstanding Young Alumni: James Cagle Miller
Outstanding Young Alumni: Elayne Colón

FACULTY/ADVISER Honors

Undergraduate Teacher of the Year: Erica McCray
Graduate Teacher of the Year: Jane Townsend
Adviser of the Year: Robin Rossie

STUDENT Honors

Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership: Melissa Nuñez
Outstandijng Undergraduate Professional Practice: Anna Harageones
Outstanding Graduate Research: Erik Black
Outstanding Graduate Leadership: Behroz Nowrojee
Outstanding Graduate Professional Practice: Danna Sabis-Burns
UF Hall of Fame/Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership/ Outstanding Four-Year Scholar: Julianne Scherker

LIFETIME Achievement

Lifetime Achievement: Clinical and Academic

James Archer

It’s no coincidence that the rise to national prominence for UF’s counselor education program has occurred during the illustrious tenure of Professor James Archer. His colleagues portray him as one of the leading counselor educators whose life work has profoundly influenced their profession. Archer will retire this June after 27 years at UF—first as director of UF’s student counseling center from 1981 until 1994, and for the past 15 years on the counselor education faculty. UF’s student counseling center became known as one of the nation’s best under his direction. Since joining the counselor education faculty, the program has compiled a remarkable streak of top-5 rankings in the U.S. News and World Report national survey—including the top position in 1997.  Archer has had help from other leading faculty, but he has served the counseling profession on all levels while educating several generations of counselors.  He has held some 15 national leadership posts in the counseling profession, served on five journal editorial boards and has produced more than 80 professional publications and presentations worldwide. His accomplishments led the American Psychological Association to name him an APA Fellow in 1995—the association’s highest honor, and he was awarded a Diplomate by the American Board of Professional Psychology, its premier practice award.

Lifetime Achievement: Research and Leadership

Cecil D. Mercer

Cecil Mercer was the type of versatile, forward-thinking scholar that a university program needs to forge an enduring national reputation. That may explain why UF typically commands a top 15 spot among special education programs in the yearly U.S. News national rankings—this year as the No. 4 program in its specialty. Mercer emerged as a giant in his field during his 31 years (1974-2005) on UF’s special education faculty. In 1998, he became the first College of Education instructor to be promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor. A three-time selection as COE Teacher of the Year, Cecil Mercer is one of the most widely recognized names in the field of learning disabilities. His nationwide studies of how various states defined “learning disability”—and how educators were using the term to classify and place students—led to improvements in many states and to more stringent federal guidelines. His research in mathematics yielded evidence to support systematic and explicit instruction for students with learning disabilities. Mercer’s most enduring legacy, though, may be the joint College of Education-College of Medicine project he helped to institute in 1980 called the Multidisciplinary Diagnostic and Training Program (MDTP), which today continues to provide innovative evaluations and interventions for children with challenging learning difficulties.

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ALUMNI honors

Alumnus Achievement

Lesley Hull
BAE ’86; MAE ’92; Ph.D.’97

Jacksonville marriage and family therapist Lesley Hull regularly steps outside of her own successful counseling practice for adolescents and their families to help the next generation of practitioners at UF prepare for their counseling careers. She has dedicated her life’s work to supporting Florida’s adolescents and youth. Hull received two graduate degrees from UF’s counselor education program, most recently in 1997. In her own practice, she helps adolescents deal with substance abuse problems, focus on school work and redirect their attitudes and actions toward success. She returned to UF in 2004, though, for double-duty as an adjunct faculty instructor and supervisor of UF graduate students in mental health and marriage-and-family counseling. Hull offers her students understanding and structure, bringing real-world situations to light rather than relying strictly on didactic textbook case studies. Whether ministering to an adolescent struggling through puberty or leading counselor education students in self-reflective professional inquiry, Hull delivers inspiring instruction with a compassionate heart. Certified in Florida as a clinical supervisor for mental health licensees and for marriage and family interns, Hull is a member of the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association, and the International Counseling Academic and Professional Honor Society.

Outstanding Young Alumni

Jamee Cagle Miller
BAE ’01, Med ’02

While Jamee Cagle Miller, a fourth-grade teacher and team leader at Crystal Lake Elementary School in Lake Mary, Fla., teaches with the Sunshine State Standards in mind, she believes teaching goes beyond textbooks. As she explains: “I must equip the students with life skills and street sense… and experiences they need to be successful in life.”Cagle makes it a practice to meet one-on-one with each of her students daily, yet also finds time to supervise junior and senior teaching interns. She recently created a social studies curriculum for the school’s entire fourth-grade program that combines reading assessment benchmarks in tandem with Florida history content. She was named Seminole County 2008 Teacher of the Year, in part, for creating “Cagle’s Caring Crocs” under a $500 grant from the Golden Rule Foundation. The innovative project combines writing assignments with community service opportunities for her students to become role models in their community. She has also been featured as the Orlando Sentinel’s Teacher of the Week and chosen as Evans Elementary Teacher of the Month. Cagle graduated summa cum laude for both of her education degrees from UF: a bachelor’s in elementary education in 2001 and a master’s in 2002 in education technology.

Elayne Colón
MAE ’02, PhD ’05

The College of Education didn’t have to look far before selecting Elayne Colón as a 2009 Outstanding Young Alumna. Just one year after receiving her doctorate in school psychology from UF, the College took notice of her extensive assessment background and hired her to head the its national, state and institutional accreditation efforts, including the arduous preparations for the upcoming 2010 accreditation visit and review by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) and the Department of Education. Colón joined the education faculty in 2005, working as a psychoeducational consultant at UF’s Multidisciplinary Diagnostic and Training Program. The MDTP clinic was a collaborative effort between the colleges of Education and Medicine, serving the needs of children with learning and other developmental disabilities. Her research interests include the assessment and remediation of students with learning disabilities, particularly related to difficulties in reading. Other work has focused on curriculum-based measurement, the response-to-intervention model of service delivery in the schools and program evaluation. She has published journal articles in peer-refereed journals, including the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, and presented numerous papers at national and state conferences. She holds state and national certifications as a school psychologist.

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FACULTY, ADVISER honors

Undergraduate Teacher of the Year

Erica McCray

Erica McCray, an assistant professor in Unified Elementary ProTeach, believes she’s doing more than teaching facts, figures and processes. She is instilling attitudes in the next generation of teachers. "I teach by example. I teach for social justice," McCray says. She started teaching as a substitute middle school teacher, but soon enrolled in master’s level courses to improve her teaching skills. Wanting to make a big impact on education, however, she charted her course as a teacher educator. She completed her doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of South Florida in 2006, with emphasis in special education, and became a UF assistant professor in special education in 2007. "Dr. McCray carefully plans her classes, uses a range of instructional methods and addresses complex, controversial issues using a delicate but direct approach," says James McLeskey, who heads the special education program. It’s the attention to her students, playing to their strengths and working through their weaknesses, that makes McCray stand out as an instructor. Her students say she practices what she preaches by treating each and every student as an individual—just the lesson she wants to send into the classroom with her newly trained teachers.

Graduate Teacher of the Year

Jane Townsend

Having lived as a child in Ethiopia and Turkey, Jane Townsend started her teaching career in the mid-1970s with a deep interest in the language and learning of people from diverse backgrounds. Her first job in education—teaching high school English to poor, black and Hispanic 10th-graders—led to additional college coursework in language learning and, ultimately, to a major career shift. She joined the UF education faculty in 1994 after teaching for eight years at the University of Texas-Austin, where she also earned master’s and Ph.D. degrees in English/language arts education. “My instructional focus is helping future and current teachers respect the diversity of languages, cultures and dialects in their classrooms” she says. “This broadens our reach and includes more people in the conversations of learning.” Townsend lately has added the arts to her teaching toolkit to engage students’ creative and critical capacities. Teaching, to Townsend, means nudging students forward with questions and feedback that open their minds to new ideas. Her graduate students describe her as a “fully-involved” mentor and adviser, taking the time to help the budding teachers and professors in their course design and instructional skills. She also helps her doctoral students stay on track even during the final, “all-but-dissertation” stage of their studies, when they typically work unsupervised.

Adviser of the Year

Robin Rossie

As anyone who has ever sat across the desk from Robin Rossie knows, shrewd advice is best accompanied by a sincere smile. Navigating credit requirements, majors and grades can be overwhelming for any student. This year, the College of Education has chosen to acknowledge a student adviser for exceptional professionalism and achievement. In Rossie the College is also recognizing a person who stands on the student’s side. Rossie joined the university as a clerk typist in 1995. What began as her heartfelt interest in the success of the College’s students has evolved into her professional role as coordinator of academic support services. Although Rossie claims advising for a comparatively small college like Education makes it easier to provide one-on-one support, she has advised thousands of students over the years, while making each one feel valued. "Robin is one of the finest examples of student advocacy on our campus," said Theresa Vernetson, assistant dean of student affairs. “She goes above and beyond for everyone and has the students’ interests at heart in all her decision-making.”

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STUDENT honors

Outstanding Undergraduate Leadership

Melissa Nuñez
BAE ’09, Elementary Education

Melissa Nunez, a stellar student in the Unified Elementary ProTeach program, is devoted to enhancing the university experience for UF’s Hispanic-Latino students as much as she is to her own academics. She takes it all on—from individualizing classroom assignments for struggling elementary students to directing the only statewide leadership conference for Hispanic-Latino students. An Ambassador for Multicultural and Diversity Affairs as well as an Embajador for the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, Nuñez is also president of the Dominican Student Association (DSA). Her mentoring proficiency—whether for elementary students in her internship assignments or for incoming freshmen as a UF Preview staffer—sets her apart as a leader, an exceptional future educator and an ideal role model. While in ProTeach, Nunez was praised for her work with students at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School incorporating Sunshine State Standards into lesson plans during her pre-intern coursework.  A member of the Kappa Delta Pi international honor society in education, Nunez received an Association of Hispanic Alumni Scholarship.

Outstanding Undergraduate Professional Practice

Anna Kristina Harageones
BAE ’09, Elementary Education

Key to Anna Harageones’ developing professionalism is her ability to connect with her students. She also believes that when all else fails—SING. Working in a challenging practicum with several students with special needs, she developed a language-arts learning strategy based on the popular “High School Musical” Broadway play and television show. Her students gave it two thumbs up as a smash hit. While employing creative ways to muster student engagement, Harageones regularly assesses her own teaching strengths and weaknesses, always building her lesson plans based on her students’ interests and needs. As active in the community as she is on campus, the former University Chorus singer uses her musical talents as much as her teaching skills, volunteering in after-school tutoring programs, children’s choirs and a local church choir. She received several scholarships and is a member of Golden Key and the Florida Education Association.

Outstanding Graduate Research

Erik W. Black
PhD ’09 Education Technology

Doctoral graduate Erik Black is building the scholarly literature for the burgeoning education technology field—from the ground up. He has presented his research in national and international venues since beginning his Ph.D. program, and is considered a rare expert in the emerging specialty of virtual schools research. His impressive portfolio of peer-reviewed publications and presentations, in addition to grant submissions, editorial responsibilities and conference proceedings, reads like a lifetime of career achievements. But he’s only just beginning. During his doctoral training, Black co-authored a nationally covered report about medical students being too open-faced on Facebook, was the featured webinar presenter about virtual school data collection, and worked with an AT&T grant-funded team developing evaluation methods for virtual schools. He seems to be everywhere that distance learning can go. A mentor and leader among his peers as well, he enthusiastically supports his colleagues. Black has a master’s degree in counseling and human services from the College of New Jersey.  A nationally certified mental health counselor, he is a recipient of the Ralph D. Turlington and University of Florida Graduate Alumni fellowships and the Sara Livinia de Keni Scholarship.

Outstanding Graduate Leadership

Behroz Nowrojee
MEd ’09 Special Education

Behroz Nowrojee leapt into her graduate studies armed with a bachelor’s in elementary education and a minor in dance. Passionate about her chosen field—special education—Nowrojee sets her standards high in her classroom and in her community work. She organized a Katrina Relief Fund, established a drive to collect school supplies for a school in South Africa, and uses her dance expertise not only to entertain, but to educate. She regularly participates in community festivals and events. Nowrojee is the Young Women’s Division leader for the United Nations-affiliated nonprofit Soka Gakkai International (SGI-USA), where she promotes world peace and serves as a role model for young women. As the group’s leader, she planned the local SGI-USA’s Victory Over Violence campaign, a program begun in response to the rise in youth-related violence; she also organized and performed in a California youth culture festival. She was named a 2008 Aspiring Educator by Teachers-Teachers.com, and has received numerous graduate awards and scholarships named for the following individuals and groups: J.W. Martin & A.M. Martin Phillips, Reach for the Stars, Minority Teacher Education, FEZANA and Paula Porcher Criser, among others. Nowrojee is a member of Golden Key, the Florida Education Association and the National Collegiate Honors Society.

Outstanding Graduate Professional Practice

Donna Sabis-Burns
MAE ’09, Language and Literacy

Believing you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, Donna Sabis-Burns figures the books teachers and librarians choose for their students also should  be judged by the content of their pages. Her dissertation—analyzing children’s literature portrayals of encounters between Christopher Columbus and the Taino People—reflects not only her academic study of children’s literature, but the personal insights of a Native American woman well-versed in romanticized depictions of Columbus and Native American culture. Sabis-Burns, an enrolled member of the Mohawk (Turtle Clan) tribe within the Iroquois Six Nations, strives to infuse truth into children’s literature and education. A distance-learning student working toward her doctorate in elementary education, she is a full-time U.S. Department of Education employee with the Office of School Support and Technology in Washington, D.C.  She works with indigenous populations in outlying territories such as Guam and American Samoa. She previously worked in the Office of Indian Education helping to create two widely distributed digital workshops for teachers of American Indian and Alaska Native students. She has a B.A. in elementary education and a master’s in language and literacy from UF, with a focus on Native American education and children’s literature. 

UF Hall of Fame / Undergraduate Leadership / UF Outstanding Four-Year Scholar

Julianne Scherker
BAE ’09

Once Julianne Scherker arrived on campus, it didn’t take her long to discover she had a penchant for leading—and for organizing other student leaders to take action. She joined the Florida Cicerones/ Student Alumni Association in her freshman year, giving tours and serving as a student ambassador at university and alumni events. She led the group’s community service activities and organized FCAT Pep Rallies at local schools, encouraging students through singing, dancing and cheering. Scherker also became a group leader for the Camp Boggy Creek for seriously ill children and was a top recruiter for UF’s Teach for America campaign. Her favorite activity was managing the UF student-led “Dream Team” for Project Makeover, helping local under-resourced elementary schools improve their outdoor play and study areas. She worked on landscaping, murals and volunteer recruitment, and raised money to replenish school and art supplies. She somehow balanced her many extracurricular commitments with her scholarly work in elementary education, earning top grades, participating in the prestigious Reitz Scholars program and undertaking an original research project for her high honors coursework.

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Posted May 20, 2009

Children with severe disabilities figure to benefit from groundbreaking research by University of Florida special education researcher Diane Ryndak, in new studies supported by her appointment to the 2009 B. O. Smith Research Professorship.

While occupying the prestigious three-year post, Ryndak, an associate professor, will investigate methods to improve educators’ decision-making in the instruction and placement of students with disabilities in inclusive, general education classes. Her study will take place at an area high school with inclusive services and classes already in place.

The Smith professorship supports new, cutting-edge research of promising education faculty who are preparing to go up for full professor at the College of Education. It carries the potential for $3,000 annually in research funding and a $5,000 yearly salary stipend, renewed year to year based on research progress. The award also covers the cost of a part-time research assistant for two semesters. Appointments last three years and are staggered so a new professorship is awarded annually. Other current B. O. Smith professors are Kara Dawson in education technology and Cynthia Griffin in special education.

Ryndak (right), a UF special education faculty member since 1995, has forged an international reputation for her school-based research on the effects of inclusive education and the development of leadership and teacher preparation programs in the field. A 2003 Fulbright Research Award allowed her to spend two semesters in Poland to help advance inclusive education services in the Polish school system. She has worked with a Polish Ministry of Education task force to recommend national policy changes advancing inclusive education services and options for all Polish students with disabilities.

In 2007, Ryndak received a four-year grant worth $800,000 for Project Rise (Research in Inclusion and Systems Change in Special Education), which supports the preparation of new leaders in the area of severe disabilities. The grant funds research on inclusive education and instructional methods, provides technical assistance for practicing teachers in inclusive classes, and supports sustainable change in school districts to benefit all students, including those with special needs in inclusive classes.

As Ryndak explains about the benefits of inclusion: “If only six students with severe disabilities are in a class, with whom do they get to model and share experiences? By providing them with services while in a general education class, students with disabilities have more opportunities to interact and communicate with their classmates. They have more opportunities to demonstrate their comprehension and knowledge through interactions with their classmates.”

In her studies funded by the Smith professorship, Ryndak will assess conventional practices currently used to set and modify the instructional content for students with severe disabilities in inclusive classes. She will use her findings to develop an in-service approach to improving those processes “so they more closely match the latest research-proven practices,” Ryndak said, “with the expectation of improved outcomes for the students with severe disabilities.”

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Writer
Larry Lansford, COE News & Communications; 352.392.0726, ext. 266; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

Posted May 20, 2009

A no-holds-barred effort at the University of Florida to reverse the dire shortage of science and mathematics graduates has received a welcome financial boost that promises to improve the recruitment and education of future teachers in the technical fields.

UFTeach, a new teacher education program that takes a radically different approach to teacher recruitment in mathematics, science and computer science, recently garnered a $50,000 grant from the Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation, a Texas-based family foundation with a history of making grants in situations where a little funding can have a big impact.

UFTeach, a joint project of UF’s College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was created in 2008 to recruit, train and retain top students on the UF campus to become middle and high school math and science teachers. The new funding from the Smallwood Foundation, renewable on a yearly basis, provides $3,000 stipends for 10 new undergraduate internships in middle and high school science and math teaching, and funds 10 awards worth $1,000 each to recognize deserving mentor teachers in area public schools for mentoring UFTeach students in their classrooms.

The Smallwood grant also funds course development expenses for two selected UF “master teachers” with individual $3,500 stipends. Some minor administrative expenses also are covered.

“The Smallwood Foundation awards benefit 22 individual students, mentor teachers and UF faculty involved in UFTeach, but their impact is far greater,” said Tom Dana (right), associate dean of academic affairs at UF’s College of Education. “For instance, the Smallwood undergraduate interns will work with groups of middle and high school students, fostering their understanding and appreciation of science and mathematics. Likewise, the courses developed by the UFTeach faculty will be taken by hundreds of students once the program is in full swing, and can inspire other faculty to also develop courses.”

Dana co-directs UFTeach along with Alan Dorsey, physics chair in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Supported by start-up grants in 2007 totaling $2.4 million from the National Math and Science Initiative and the Helios Education Foundation, UFTeach uses innovative recruiting strategies to draw UF’s best and brightest math and science majors into teaching, and supports these new teachers through their induction years. Students are exposed to supervised, classroom teaching experiences beginning in the first semester of the program. The program is modeled after the highly successful UTeach program at the University of Texas-Austin.

UFTeach enrolled its first 33-member class of students last fall and 25 will continue next fall with “Step 2” coursework, which includes supervised teaching at local middle schools. Thirty-three more students started the program in the spring.

“The current shortage of science and mathematics graduates has led to a crisis in the K-12 classroom, where growing numbers of children learn science and math from teachers with degrees in other fields,” Dana said. ““By 2012, we hope to have more than 400 students enrolled in UFTeach, with the goal of graduating 80 students every year into the teaching ranks. This will have a dramatic impact on Florida’s efforts to stop the downward spiral in the technology-related disciplines. This needs to happen across the nation to help move America back to the forefront of science and technology with their global competition.”

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CONTACTS

    SOURCE: Tom Dana, Associate Dean, UF College of Education; tdana@coe.ufl.edu

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

Posted Monday, May 18, 2009

New research at the University of Florida predicts more public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade will take classes online, have longer school days and more of them in the next decade. Academic performance should improve and schools could save money—an especially appealing pitch when budgets are tight.

While distance education over the Internet is already widespread at colleges and universities, UF education al technology researchers are offering some of the first hard evidence documenting the potential cost-savings of virtual schooling in K-12 schools.

“Policymakers and educators have proposed expanding learning time in elementary through high school grades as a way to improve students’ academic performance, but online coursework hasn’t been on their radar. This should change as we make school and school district leaders more aware of the potential cost savings that virtual schooling offers,” said Catherine Cavanaugh (right), associate professor at the University of Florida’s College of Education. “Over the next decade, we expect an explosion in the use of virtual schooling as a seamless synthesis between the traditional classroom and online learning.”

UF researchers considered several key factors to calculate and compare the cost of full-time online learning with regular schools. Cavanaugh reported their findings Monday, May 18, at an education reform conference and national podcast sponsored by the Washington D.C.-based Center for American Progress. A monograph of her report is posted on the center’s Web site.

Based on a 2008 survey of 20 virtual schools in 14 states, UF researchers found that the average yearly cost of online learning per full-time pupil was about $4,300. This compared with a national average cost per pupil of more than $9,100 for a traditional public school in 2006 (the most recent year in which such data was available). Their cost estimates covered course development and teaching, and administrative and technical expenses. Cavanaugh said full-time virtual schools could incur additional expenses if they offered special education and counseling services.

“Online programs have little or no cost for instructional facilities, transportation and related staff,” Cavanaugh said. “The value of distance education also increases when considering the broad range of available online courses.”

She said investing in virtual education could allow schools to provide instruction before, during and after school—in essence, lengthening the school day and school year—without sinking millions of dollars into new buildings, additional personnel, professional development and other operating costs. Such school reform measures may not be popular with the kids, but America’s education system is falling behind our competitors abroad. Simply put, students in other developed nations are spending more time in school and learning more than our kids do.

“Time is one of the most valuable resources for learning. Even a few days’ difference in learning time can determine whether a school makes adequate yearly progress,” Cavanaugh said. “Early demonstrations of expanded learning time have shown success, so we are exploring how distance education can further improve learning as part of this school reform movement.”

In her report, Cavanaugh describes various scenarios whereby school days begin early and end late, with students attending traditional classes on designated weekdays and learning online in a flexibly scheduled computer lab on other days. The longer school day allows time for club and enrichment activities and recreation or athletics for a healthier school experience. The boundaries of time and place are removed through Internet-connected mobile devices such as netbooks and smart phones, letting students access online courses while traveling between home, school, work and athletic events. Most homework is done at school under direct teacher supervision or with after-school online coaching.

With more than 20 years of studies supporting the effectiveness of K-12 virtual schools, researchers are moving beyond the question of whether virtual schooling works as well as face-to-face instruction, focusing instead on when and how distance education works most effectively. State-run virtual schools are expected to play a major role in the emergence of K-12 distance education, including Florida Virtual School, the nation’s largest virtual school, based in Orlando.

“The first teaching model for distance education in K-12 schools likely will be a partnership with virtual schools, because they already have everything in place for developing and deploying online courses,” Cavanaugh said. “It would blend online experiences into expanded classroom coursework.”

The better K-12 online programs, she said, will have experienced online teachers and coaches and on-site facilitators, with tailored lesson plans to suit the learning levels and pace of all students.

“Just as in the classroom, online learning is enhanced when teachers are actively involved in the learning process, by guiding students through lessons and clarifying instructions for individual students,” Cavanaugh said.

“Dr. Cavanaugh’s report provides a vision of what schools could look like in the near future, as online courses and programs are developed that not only expand learning time but help educate students with a wide range of academic and learning needs,” said Susan Lowes, director of research and evaluation at the Institute for Learning Technologies at Teachers College, Columbia University.

UF is a key player in virtual school research. The College of Education in 2006 established the online Virtual School Clearinghouse, which has compiled the first national database for virtual schools. The project enables state-run virtual schools across the nation to analyze their own statistics and pool data, making it publicly available to researchers to conduct studies. UF researchers now are using their evaluation tools to identify the best teaching practices for online instruction.

UF exposes its education students to virtual school instruction during their five-year teacher preparation coursework, offering educational technology as a specialty area and partnering with Florida Virtual School to provide five-week, supervised teaching internships in the online learning environment.

“Virtual schooling and online learning fit in extremely well with the emerging trend to embrace the same technologies that our young people are using in their everyday lives and apply them in education,” Cavanaugh said. “Schools that don’t embrace online learning soon will be viewed as limiting the learning opportunities of their students.”

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(To view video news release on this story, click here.)

CONTACTS:

  Source: Catherine Cavanaugh, Ph.D.; 352.392.9191, ext. 295; cathycavanaugh@coe.ufl.edu

  Writer: Larry Lansford, COE News & Communications; 352.392.0726, x-266; llansford@coe.ufl.edu

Top Stories

Study: online classes can save schools money, expand students’ learning time

University of Florida education technology researcher Cathy Cavanaugh (right) predicts more public school students in kindergarten through 12th grade will take classes online, have longer school days and more of them in the next decade. Academic performance should improve and schools could save money—an especially appealing pitch when budgets are tight. (more)

Top teachers reveal ‘secrets’ of teaching success

What an intriguing idea for advancing school improvement: Round up several dozen of Florida’s best public school teachers, pick their brains about how they teach and why their methods work so well, and then pass on their teaching secrets to educators throughout the state, and beyond. Such a gathering actually occurred, and now UF education researchers, led by Fien Professor Dorene Ross (right, assisting student), have compiled the teachers’ top tips for a new, online guide of best teaching practices called “Secrets of Successful Teaching.”  (more)

Girls are best allies against playground bullies–UF study

Playground bullies may meet their match from where they least expect – in the ranks of kids who are anti-bullies — and most of them are girls, a new UF study finds. “Boys may be more likely to bully, but girls are more likely to defend those being bullied,” said Jim Porter, who did the research for his doctoral dissertation in counselor education at UF.  (more)

EduGator Class of ’09 perseveres to celebrate well-earned degrees

Members of the UF EduGator Class of 2009 will be remembered for many reasons, but especially for their perseverance and strong will as fighters and survivors. The ’09 classmates endured three straight years of substantial college budget cuts, the threatened elimination of core undergraduate programs, the prospect of a tight job market in teaching after graduation, and even a nationwide swine flu scare that threatened their graduation ceremony. None of that seemed to matter, though, to the 130 undergraduates who marched across stage May 2 to receive their bachelor’s degrees at the College of Education’s commencement ceremony.  (more)

Ambitious effort to curb shortage of math, science teachers gets boost

A no-holds-barred effort at UF to reverse the dire shortage of science and mathematics graduates has received a welcome financial boost that promises to improve the recruitment and education of future teachers in the technical fields. UFTeach, a new teacher education program that takes a radically different approach to teacher recruitment in math, science and computer science, recently garnered a $50,000 grant from the Frances C. and William P. Smallwood Foundation. (more)

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Awards & Appointments

Ryndak named B.O. Smith Professor for novel special education research

Children with severe disabilities figure to benefit from groundbreaking research by UF special education researcher Diane Ryndak, in new studies supported by her appointment to the 2009 B. O. Smith Research Professorship. While occupying the prestigious three-year post, Ryndak, an associate professor, will investigate methods to improve educators’ decision-making in the instruction and placement of students with disabilities in inclusive, general education classes. (more)

3 faculty land UF opportunity grants

      
UF has awarded Faculty Enhancement Opportunity grants to three education faculty members for creative professional development activities that will advance their scholarly acumen and the institution’s mission. (Pictured above from left:) Silvia Echevarria-Doan (counselor education), Ester de Jong (teaching and learning) and Kara Dawson (education technology) together received more than $97,000 in the campuswide program, which UF President Bernie Machen started last year to support faculty professional development opportunities. (more)

Graff receives national dissertation award for reading research

Jennifer Graff, a 2007 doctoral graduate in curriculum and instruction, has received the 2009 Dissertation of the Year Award from the International Reading Association for her research concerning young girls and their book preferences. Graff was cited for her work titled, The Literary Lives of Marginalized Readers: Preadolescent Girls’ Rationales for Book Choice and Experiences with Self-Selected Books. Graff also has an M.Ed. in reading education and an Ed.S. degree from UF. She currently is an assistant professor in language and literacy education at the University of Georgia.

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Publications

Lefave, M., Behar-Horenstein, L.S. & Dix, A. C. (2009). Productivity and relevance of the curriculum professors’ research. Journal of Faculty Development 22(3), 179-190.

Publisher creates online author’s page for CSI Director Dana

Corwin Press has created an author’s page on its Web site for Center for School Improvement Director Nancy Dana (right) that includes a link to the CSI’s Web page. Among several book credits with Corwin, Dana is the lead author of the bestseller, The Reflective Educator’s Guide to Classroom Research: Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn Through Practitioner Inquiry, Second Edition (Corwin, 2009). Corwin Press publishes practice- and research-oriented publications for K-12 educators, teacher educators and advanced-level education students.

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P.K. Yonge News

Spotlight shines on C.A.M.P. Gator mentoring program

C.A.M.P. Gator, a joint UF-P.K. Yonge leadership program in which UF student-athletes and other student leaders serve as mentors to PKY middle school students, is garnering some local and national attention on several fronts: UF student mentor Francesca Enea of the No. 1 ranked Lady Gators softball team was honored for her community service work by the Daily Points of Light Institute, a national volunteerism advocacy group . . . The Collegiate Athlete Mentoring Program also received a 2009 Collegiate Group Volunteer Award from the local Work of Heart volunteer recognition group . . . Two ex-Gator football players—Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins—who served as 2008 mentors, recently signed contracts with National Football League teams . . . The 2009 C.A.M.P. mentors include Gator Olympian swimmers Shawn Frazier and Brad Alley . . . C.A.M.P. Gator director is Matt Ohlson, an Alumni Fellow and Presidential Management Fellow in the college’s educational administration program.

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In the News

ST. PETERSBURG TIMES (online blog) – Lastinger Center for Learning – May 14, 2009

On the Times’ daily education blog called The Gradebook, the college’s Lastinger Center for Learning was mentioned for partnering with the Foundation for Excellence in Education (FEE) in the foundation’s “Secrets of Successful Teaching” project. Lastinger Center researchers, led by STL’s Dorene Ross, helped FEE produce an interactive guide of best-teaching practices based on what dozens of teachers told them after being named Florida’s best teachers according to 2008 FCAT scores. The blog’s staff writer, while acknowledging the controversy surrounding FEE’s use of standardized test scores in choosing the top teachers, referred readers to the Web site for the useful tips in the online guide.

GAINESVILLE SUN — UF COE Commencement — May 3, 2009

The spotlight fell on new ProTeach bachelor’s degree graduates Joshua Pate (the only male student marching) and Kristy Strength (age 35, dubbed “Mom” by her younger peers) in the Sun’s front page (local section) article on UF’s spring commencement ceremonies.

TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS — UF education students — April 17, 2009

Two UF master’s students in social studies education (Garardo Aponte and Faryn Bouse) were quoted in a print and online article about the tough job prospects that soon-to-be-graduates in teacher education will face upon entering the job market. This newspaper chain covers Stuart, Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties on Florida’s East Coast.

TAMPA TRIBUNE – Cathy Cavanaugh (Education Technology) – April 15, 2009

In an article reporting on the Florida Legislature’s proposal to reduce the pot of funds that flows to the Orlando-based Florida Virtual School, Associate Professor Cavanaugh points out how increased enrollment in the virtual school relieves pressure on traditional public schools by reducing enrollment in crowded classrooms.

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Posted April 23, 2009

The academic honors keep rolling in for Sevan Terzian, associate professor and coordinator of UF’s social foundations of education program. Chosen last year as Undergraduate Teacher of the Year by the College of Education and as Teacher of the Year by the university, Terzian recently received the prestigious designation of University of Florida Research Professor.

Terzian has been on the UF education faculty since 2000 and this year was named the graduate studies coordinator for the School of Teaching and Learning. He is a researcher in the social foundations of education – a topic that, for many non-teachers, might seem a bit obscure. In his courses, however, Terzian uses role-playing, historic films and Socratic dialogue to show students how their own school experiences have been shaped by history, and how teachers have historically tried to shape their students.
 

Terzian holds two doctorate degrees from Indiana University – in the history of education and in American studies. He has devoted much of his research career to the study of the history of the American high school, with a focus on attitudes about science, gender and education in the post-WWII era. Under a grant from the highly selective Spencer Foundation, he is writing the final three chapters of a forthcoming book on the origins of high school science fairs, science clubs and talent searches for American youth from the 1920s to the 1950s. He also has started in-depth studies of the historical conceptions of giftedness, with special implications for students of color.
 

“Dr. Terzian is known as a strong advocate for students and shepherds them through their research activities and their efforts to present and publish their work,” said STL director Buffy Bondy, who nominated Terzian for the UFRF professorship. “Each year he takes students to the annual meeting of the History of Education Society, and he facilitates a foundations of education colloquium in the college so faculty and students can meet to discuss their research.”

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

Posted April 21, 2009

Harry Daniels, UF professor of counselor education, is a co-recipient of the 2008-09 Robert O. Stripling Award for Excellence in Standards, given through the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). The national award is named for one of UF’s early giants in the field of counselor education who was best known for his pioneering work in the professional credentialing of counselors.

Daniels received the Stripling Award—along with five fellow members of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program’s standards revision committee, plus four CACREP staff members—in March at the American Counseling Association’s World Conference in Charlotte, N.C.

The award traditionally goes to an individual who has significantly influenced counselor preparation, but this year’s recipients were nominated as a group for their several years’ work in developing the 2009 accreditation standards that the CACREP board of directors adopted last summer.

“Through their work on the 2009 standards, the counseling profession has taken great steps forward in its professional development in so many different areas,” wrote John R. Culbreth, associate professor of counselor education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and past chair of the CACREP board of directors, in nominating the group. “I believe the (new) CACREP standards represent a dramatic shift in the professional identity of counseling.”

Highlighting the new standards are the call for emergency preparedness training for all future counselors and the development of the first accreditation standards for an addiction counseling track. The committee also identified performance-based outcome assessments for the various specialty areas of counselor education.

Perhaps the most dramatic change in standards, though, according to Daniels, is requiring counselor education degree programs to hire faculty members with doctorates in that specialty, ensuring that professional counselors are trained primarily by counselor educators.

Daniels joined the UF faculty as a professor and chairman in 1996 and headed the counselor education department until 2007, when he stepped down to return to full-time teaching and practice. During his tenure as chair, UF Counselor Education placed among the top five programs nationally in its specialty every year (and since) in the U.S. News and World Report’s annual survey of America’s Best Graduate Schools. The UF program held the top spot in the 1997 rankings.
 

Dean’s Message

On rankings, faculty productivity and optimism

The U.S. News rankings of America’s Best Graduate Schools, announced earlier this week, brought some satisfying news for several COE academic programs—including a major “first” for our Educational Administration program. (See related story on the rankings below, under Top Stories.) Additional cause for hope and optimism in these historic, dismal economic times can be found in the impressive list of faculty achievements and key initiatives cited in the Dean’s Annual Report to Faculty. By capitalizing on our strengths, we can tap into new revenue sources to help us cope with the budget reductions we face. (more)

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Top Stories

No surprises, but painful cuts still forecast in UF’s ‘worst-case’ budget plan

The University of Florida’s “worst-case” budget plan announced April 16 held no major surprises for the College of Education, but the final swing of the budget ax still figures to leave some deep cuts in the college’s finances and programs. (more)

COE programs maintain Top 5 rankings

UF’s counselor education and special education programs maintained their Top 5 positions in their respective specialties in the rankings of U.S. News Media Group’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools, which was released Thursday, April 23. Counselor Education retained the third spot from last year’s survey, and Special Education was fifth in its specialty–nearly matching last year’s No. 4 ranking. UF’s Education Administration program also made the rankings, holding the No. 26 position. Congratulations to the faculty, staff and students in these high-achieving units! The College of Education ranked 54th overall among 278 U.S. education colleges–one spot lower than last year. Florida State and Miami, tied at No. 41, were the only Florida education schools ranked among the Top 50. UF, though, was the state’s only education college with any top-10 academic programs in their specialties. To view the complete Education rankings, click here to visit the U.S. News Web site and follow the “Education Rankings” links.

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News & Notices

Global Connections: The College of Education Goes Worldwide (first in a series)

“Teaching students about the world is not a subject in itself, separate from other content areas, but should be an integral part of all subjects taught. We need to open global gateways and inspire students to explore beyond their national borders.” Guest columnist John Bailey (above, with the whole world in his hands), an assistant scholar in the School of Teaching and Learning, uses this quote to introduce his first in a series of articles on the COE’s international academic offerings and activities. This first installment offers a mini-profile of Professor Linda Lamme’s International Children’s Literature course. (more)

ProTeach students promote children’s books to local libraries

As part of Professor Linda Lamme’s course in children’s literature, UF ProTeach student Kathy Warner (MEd ’09) (pictured, right) describes a selection from her list of favorite children’s books to a group of Alachua County Library staff members. Warner is one of four ProTeach students serving a practicum this semester at either the library or a local public school media center. Each student compiled a list of favorite books on a special topic of interest and created flyers on the books for library patrons. They then presented their book summaries April 15 to library staff. (Photo special to coE-News by Debbie O’Donnell)

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Awards & Appointments

Daniels honored for (literally) setting new standards in counselor education

Harry Daniels, UF professor of counselor education, is a co-recipient of the 2008-09 Robert O. Stripling Award for Excellence in Standards, given through the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES). The national award is named for one of UF’s early giants in the field of counselor education who was best known for his pioneering work in the professional credentialing of counselors. (more)

Staff Members of the Year: Brian Lane, Patty Lefevers

One is a main cog in the college’s vital grant application operation. The other has been a stabilizing force during her department’s reorganization implemented over the past year as part of the university’s budget reduction plan. Meet Brian Lane and Patty Lefevers, this year’s COE Staff Members of the Year. (more)

UF honors college’s 2009 Outstanding Young Alumni

A Lake Mary fourth-grade teacher who combines class assignments with community service opportunities for her students, and a 2005 doctoral graduate who now oversees the College of Education’s critical accreditation process have been named the college’s 2009 Outstanding Young Alumni by the UF Alumni Association. Education graduates Jamee Cagle Miller (BAE ’01, Med ’02) and Elayne Colon (MAE ’02, PhD ’05) received their awards April 18 at UF’s Outstanding Young Alumni Awards Banquet. (more)

Terzian adds elite ‘UFRF Professor’ designation as latest honor

The academic honors keep rolling in for Sevan Terzian, associate professor and coordinator of UF’s social foundations of education program. Chosen last year as UF Teacher of the Year and as Undergraduate Teacher of the Year by the College of Education, Terzian recently received the prestigious designation of University of Florida Research Professor. (more)

UF selects Algina as top mentor, dissertation advisor

James Algina, longtime professor of research and evaluation methods, has been selected for the universitywide 2008-09 Doctoral Dissertation Advisor/Mentoring Award. The honor recognizes excellence, innovation, and effectiveness in doctoral dissertation advising.  (more)

Counselor Ed student wins Diversity Research Award

Rachel Goodman, a doctoral candidate in counselor education, has received the 2009 Dr. Daya and Mrs. Usha K. Sandhu Multicultural Counseling/Diversity Student Research Award from the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, a division of the American Counseling Association. The award recognizes students who have embarked on research in the area of multicultural counseling.

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Publications

Mistler, B. J., & Sherrard, P. A. D. (2009). Ecosystemic perspective: An interview with Peter A. D. Sherrard. The Family Journal, 17, 77-88.

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Presentations

A UF education research team recently presented their National Science Foundation-funded work as part of a major address at the National Education Association Women’s Summit in Washington, D.C. The five researchers–faculty members Rose Pringle (P.I.), Thomasenia Adams, Cirecie West-Olatunji, Diane Archer-Banks, and doctoral student Katie Milton–reported on their NSF study in which they are examining ways African-American girls are steered away from science, mathematics and other technical subjects. (Pictured, from left, are West-Olatunji, Pringle and Adams.) Adams also presented the group’s work recently at the annual meeting of the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics, comprised mostly of mathematics supervisors, coaches and curriculum resource teachers.

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Dissertations

Dissertation topics of spring grads reveal hot education issues

Interested in learning what vital education issues our spring 2009 doctoral candidates tackled in writing their dissertations and earning the right to place “Ph.D.” or “Ed.D.” after their names? If so, then check this out: Ph.D. candidate Erik Black (in Curriculum and Instruction) evaluated the influence of family involvement in a child’s achievement in online coursework; James Porter (Mental Health Counseling)  studied how gender and other social factors influence a child’s tendency to defend  victims of school bullying; and David Horton (Higher Education Administration) assessed how student-athletes in community colleges compare with their non-athlete peers in persistence and academic success. To see the dissertation topics of all 22 spring doctoral graduates, click here.

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P.K. Yonge News

P. K. Yonge Presents Ragtime

Ragtime, opened on Broadway on January 18, 1998, christening the brand new Ford Center for the Performing Arts and garnering 13 Tony Award nominations, the most of any show that season. It paints a nostalgic and powerful portrait of life in the turn-of-the-century America. Based on E.L. Doctorow’s distinguished novel, Ragtime intertwines the three distinct stories that poignantly illustrate history’s timeless contradictions of wealth and poverty, freedom and prejudice, hope and despair, and love and hate.

It draws upon traditional Jewish folk sounds to color the haunting music and yearning lyrics of the immigrants, Vaudeville’s outrageous style to capture the spectacle of Evelyn Nesbit, and Joplin and Jazz to invoke the enlivened spirit of Harlem.

For our production of Ragtime, we have procured the original Tony-nominated costumes from the Broadway show. With the addition of a full 20-piece orchestra, incredible sets and an award-winning cast of over 60 PK students, Ragtime promises to be our biggest, most elaborate production ever. Order your tickets now to secure your seat with our reserved seating plan.

Show Dates

• Friday, May 1, 2009 | 7:00pm
• Saturday, May 2, 2009 | 2:00pm & 7:00pm
• Thursday, May 7, 2009 | 7:00pm
• Friday, May 8, 2009 | 7:00pm
• Saturday, May 9, 2009 | 2:00pm & 7:00pm

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In the News

EDUCATION WEEK — Catherine Cavanaugh (Education Technology)—March 18, 2009

Dr. Cavanaugh was quoted extensively in an in-depth article headlined: “Experts Debate Cost Savings of Virtual Education.” The article refers to her upcoming report written for the Center for American Progress, which addresses the timely issue of the costs of virtual courses. Dr. Cavanaugh offered data indicating that the average per-pupil cost of online learning ($4,300) in the 14-state study was less than half of the per-pupil cost for a traditional public school. According to the article, Cavanaugh’s research focuses on the role that virtual courses could play in expanding learning time—which would allow schools to provide instruction “before, during and after school less expensively.”

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Posted April 20, 2009

A Lake Mary, Fla., fourth-grade teacher who combines class assignments with community service opportunities for her students, and a 2005 doctoral graduate who now oversees the College of Education’s critical accreditation process have been named the college’s 2009 Outstanding Young Alumni by the UF Alumni Association.

Education graduates Jamee Cagle Miller (BAE ’01, Med ’02) and Elayne Colon (MAE ’02, PhD ’05) received their awards April 18, along with recipients from other colleges, at UF’s Outstanding Young Alumni Awards Banquet. The UFAA established the award in 2006 to recognize alumni who are 35 or younger and have distinguished themselves in their profession and community.

Jamee Cagle Miller (BAE ’01, MEd ’02)

While Jamee Cagle Miller, a fourth-grade teacher and team leader at Crystal Lake Elementary School in Lake Mary, Fla., teaches with the Sunshine State Standards in mind, she believes teaching goes beyond textbooks. As she explains: “I must equip the students with life skills and street sense … and experiences they need to be successful in life.” Cagle makes it a practice to meet one-on-one with each of her students daily, yet also finds time to supervise junior and senior teaching interns. She recently created a social studies curriculum for the school’s entire fourth-grade program that combines reading assessment benchmarks in tandem with Florida history content.

She was named Seminole County 2008 Teacher of the Year, in part, for creating “Cagle’s Caring Crocs” under a $500 grant from the Golden Rule Foundation. The innovative project combines writing assignments with community service opportunities for her students to become role models in their community. She has also been featured as the Orlando Sentinel’s Teacher of the Week and chosen as Evans Elementary Teacher of the Month.

Cagle graduated summa cum laude for both of her elementary education degrees from UF: a bachelor’s in 2001 and a master’s in 2002.

Elayne Colon (MAE ’02, PhD ’05)

The College of Education didn’t have to look far before selecting Elayne Colón as a 2009 Outstanding Young Alumna. Just one year after receiving her doctorate in school psychology from UF, the College took notice of her extensive assessment background and hired her to head the its national, state and institutional accreditation efforts, including the arduous preparations for the upcoming 2010 accreditation visit and review by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE ) and the Department of Education.

Colón joined the education faculty in 2005, working as a psychoeducational consultant at UF’s Multidisciplinary Diagnostic and Training Program. The MDTP clinic was a collaborative effort between the colleges of Education and Medicine, serving the needs of children with learning and other developmental disabilities.

Her research interests include the assessment and remediation of students with learning disabilities, particularly related to difficulties in reading. Other work has focused on curriculum-based measurement, the response-to-intervention model of service delivery in the schools and program evaluation.

She has published journal articles in peer-refereed journals, including the Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, and presented numerous papers at national and state conferences. She holds state and national certifications as a school psychologist.

Posted March 23, 2009

A college-wide forum held Friday, March 20, to discuss the College of Education’s preliminary budget-reduction plan got off to a surprisingly upbeat start when Dean Catherine Emihovich announced that the college no longer had to consider eliminating its undergraduate teacher-preparation programs.

“I met with UF Provost Joe Glover on Wednesday (March 18) and the options for eliminating our undergraduate programs are now officially off the table,” Emihovich told the crowd of about 100 faculty, students and staff in the Norman Hall auditorium. Her announcement prompted applause and joyful shrieks particularly from education students present.

As part of UF’s budget-reduction process, Glover last month asked the college to submit a separate report analyzing the pros and cons of eliminating its two undergraduate programs—elementary education and early childhood education—and focusing more on graduate education and research. The two programs constitute the undergraduate element of the college’s renowned, five-year ProTeach program.

Some College of Education faculty and students had protested the undergraduate cuts with petitions and a letter-writing campaign, and students held a candlelight vigil outside Norman Hall to show their opposition. Dozens of alumni also reacted with e-mails and phone calls urging that ProTeach be spared.

Emihovich said the college may still have to reduce enrollment in undergraduate programs, but said that option is not part of the current budget-planning process.

“Our undergraduate programs will continue, but they may have a smaller footprint,” she said. “We need to evaluate how elementary and early childhood education fit in with UF’s plans to strengthen graduate education across the university.”

Preliminary budget plan announced

While switching to a “graduate-only” college is off the table, Emihovich presented a first-draft plan calling for a 10 percent budget cut that would slice about $1.4 million from the college’s current yearly allocation of $14.3 million in recurring state funds. The 10 percent reduction is the “worse-case scenario” that all UF colleges have been instructed to prepare for.  (An online link to the dean’s PowerPoint presentation of the budget plan is available on the college’s home Web page—under “News & Notices”—at education.ufl.edu.)

The proposal calls for closing the graduate degree programs in educational psychology beginning in the fall. Students currently in the programs will be able to finish their degrees.

Additional restructuring calls for merging the higher education administration program with the college’s educational leadership program and offering two concentration areas–one in higher education administration and another in K-12 education leadership. The principal certification program in education leadership will remain unchanged. Three existing Ph.D. programs in counselor education also would be consolidated into one doctoral degree, with no change to the master’s and specialist programs.

Two college faculty members and two administrative staff face possible layoffs. The college is not releasing their identities or positions to protect their privacy, since the layoffs would not become official until UF’s final budget is approved.

Rather than make equal cuts across the board, Emihovich said the largest cuts would occur in academic programs lacking enough faculty to teach the required courses or those with shrinking enrollment. “We must provide ample resources to those areas that are most central to the teaching and research missions of the college and the university,” she said.

Emihovich said college administration made sure to consider the concerns, insights and suggestions of faculty during the budget-planning exercise. Emihovich and her executive staff met with department chairs and worked closely with the college’s Faculty Policy Council, which conducted faculty surveys, formed a budget affairs committee and held meetings to help weigh the pros and cons of eliminating the undergraduate programs and provide budgetary recommendations to the dean.

Emihovich said faculty, students, staff and alumni can continue to provide input through Monday, March 30, before the college plan is finalized. The budget affairs committee is expected to meet and collect faculty comments and anyone can post comments online by following the Budget Discussion links on the college’s home page.

All UF colleges must submit their final plans April 1 to the provost. UF President Machen is expected to release a campus-wide budget plan April 15, but Machen and the UF Board of Trustees will wait to draft a final version until lawmakers pass the state budget by May 1, when the current legislative session ends.  The process could stretch well into May before colleges learn their final budget amount.

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CONTACTS

Dean’s Message

Decision on budget reduction proposal will come after legislative session ends May 1

Reports about the possibility of the College of Education becoming a graduate-level-only college have been widely publicized and discussed over the past couple of weeks. The proposal could entail the elimination or significant reduction of our highly regarded undergraduate teacher-preparation programs in elementary education and early childhood education. UF Provost Joseph Glover has asked us—along with the College of Nursing—to prepare an analysis of the pros and cons of such a move as part of the university’s overall budget reduction planning process. This is only one of several alternatives being discussed in dealing with budget shortfalls. I intend to share the analyses and our final budget reduction plan with the college community in an open forum on March 20, 2-4 p.m., in the Norman Hall Auditorium. Our final plan will be submitted April 1 to Provost Glover. No decisions about our budget proposals and the analyses will be made until President Bernie Machen reviews them with his cabinet and discusses the overall UF budget plan with the university’s Board of Trustees. (more)

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Top Story

Schoolyard Wildlife Program chosen as ‘success story’ for Obama’s environmental team

A UF-produced program that shows educators how to use school grounds as effective outdoor science learning laboratories has been selected as a model success story in a national report requested by President Obama’s environmental transition team. The “Schoolyard Wildlife Program,” created by UF science education professor Linda Cronin Jones (right), was one of three model environmental education programs identified by the state of Florida. (more)

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News & Notices

COE scholars will be out in force at AERA annual meeting

As always, the College of Education will have a major presence at this year’s annual meeting of the American Education Research Association, April 12-17 in San Diego. AERA’s online program lists some 30 COE faculty and a like-sized contingent of graduate students presenting or participating in more than 60 presentations, panel discussions and meetings. You can view or print out a complete list of presentations by COE faculty and students, in PDF format, by clicking here. (more)

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Awards & Appointments

NEA fetes retired ex-professor Walter L. Smith

The National Education Association has announced it will honor Walter L. Smith (right), a former professor and graduate coordinator in educational administration and policy, for educational activities “contributing to international understanding and motivating youth to work for world peace.” Smith will receive the NEA’s prestigious 2009 Applegate-Dorros Peace and International Understanding Award July 2 at the association’s 2009 Annual Meeting and Representative Assembly in San Diego. He was a member of the UF education faculty from 1995-2000. (more)

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Publications

Lefave, M., Behar-Horenstein, L.S. & Dix, A. C. (2009). “Productivity and relevance of the curriculum professors’ research.” Journal of Faculty Development 22(3), 179–190.

Goodman, R. D., & West-Olatunji, C. A. (2008). “Traumatic stress, systemic oppression, and resilience in post-Katrina New Orleans.” Spaces for Difference: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 1(2), 51–68.

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P. K. Yonge News

The P.K.Yonge Vocal Ensemble performed at the UF President’s Home recently for a benefit for Climb for Cancer. The performance had an African theme centered around climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. Among other selections, the group performed a Shongan song that Sherman Mackintosh, instructor and director of the PKY Performing Arts Center, brought from South Africa, as well as “He Lives in You” from the musical “The Lion King.” Climb For Cancer is a not-for-profit foundation which funds leading-edge cancer research while supporting patients who need treatment now.

High schoolers break new ground at Spanish conference

Advanced placement Spanish Literature students  Jennifer Aranda-Cordero (12th grade), Celeste de la Llana (11th grade) and Gisela Fernández (11th grade) presented literary research papers at the 9th Spanish Graduate Association (SAGA) Annual Colloquium  on Feb. 27 at the University of Central Florida.  Previously, only graduate students or faculty members were invited to participate in the conference. This year, however, high school students were included.  Students chose and researched literary topics, using at least 10 books or literary journals. Each then wrote a six-page paper and presented her findings in a 20-minute talk. Conference presentation can be daunting, even for seasoned graduate students. But high school students are seldom expected to perform at this level of scholarship. PKY’s AP Spanish teacher Grisell Santiago, expected more, though, and she got it. The conference committee was so impressed that they have decided to continue inviting high school students.

PKY instructors receive grant for greening the golden rule

Ninth grade instructors Mickey MacDonald and Jennifer Cheveallier have received a 2009 Toyota Tapestry Large Grant worth $10,000 through the National Science Teachers Association.  Out of 459 applications, their grant proposal was one of only 50 selected to receive funding.  They will implement their project – titled “Educating Sustainability and Social Responsibility through P.K. Yonge’s Community Garden and Farmers’ Market” – during the 2009-10 school year. MacDonald and Cheveallier will guide their 9th grade biology students from garden planning to selling their food crops at the planned on-campus farmers’ market. Proceeds will go to the St. Francis House homeless shelter in downtown Gainesville. Students will also visit the shelter, interview homeless guests and compile a book of essays—“Giving Voice to the Homeless.”

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In the News

The Independent Florida Alligator (2/3/09)—Troy Sadler, Science Education

The Alligator announced Assistant Professor Troy Sadler’s receipt of one of science education’s premier honors. The National Association of Research in Science Teaching (NARST) will award Sadler its Early Career Research Award at the group’s annual conference in April.

The Gainesville Sun (2/25/09)—College of Education

The Gainesville Sun ran a story about the College considering the move to becoming a graduate-program only school.

The Gainesville Sun (3/1/09)—Cathy Cavanaugh, Kara Dawson, Distance Learning

In response to an opinion column by journalist Bill Maxwell about distance learning, the Gainesville Sun printed an article written by the School of Teaching and Learning’s Cathy Cavanaugh, assistant professor, and Kara Dawson, associate professor. Citing their own professional experience as well as current research, Cavanaugh and Dawson point out that distance learning “works very well for millions of students who learn with instructors prepared to lead 21st century learning environments.”

The Independent Florida Alligator/National Education Association (3/1/09)—College of Education

The Alligator covered a March 4 candlelight vigil staged by approximately 160 students, faculty and community members in protest of the proposed cuts in undergraduate programs at the College. The story also was picked up by the National Education Association (NEA) website.

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