Curriculum and Instruction (EDCI)
Select Awards and Highlights
Grants:
- Todd Campbell, alongside colleagues from the UConn Chemistry Department (Drs. Clyde Cady and Fatma Selampinar, was awarded a University of Connecticut Quantum-CT Innovation Seed Grant for the project titled Entanglements with Quantum Chemistry – coherence and collaborations through linking secondary and post-secondary chemistry teaching and learning.
Awards:
- Todd Campbell received an Award of Reviewer Excellence for the International Journal of Science Education as an outstanding reviewer for the high quality and number of reviews completed for the Journal in the last two years (2022-2024). Awarded April 2, 2024.
- Alyssa Hadley Dunn was named Outstanding Reviewer for her work with the American Educational Research Association (AERA) journal the American Educational Research Journal
- Sakeena Everett was named a Fellow for the Institute for Teachers of Color Committed to Racial Justice for the Institute for Teachers of Color at the University of California Riverside (2022-2024).
- Danielle Filipiak received the Division K (Teaching and Teacher Education) 2024 Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Grace Player received the Division G (Social Context of Education) 2024 Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Suzanne Wilson was named Outstanding Reviewer for her work for the American Educational Research Association (AERA) journal Review of Educational Research
Service:
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Campbell leads professional
development as part of a Quantum CT initiative on June
25, 2024.Todd Campbell was appointed as a National Science Foundation EDU Advisory Committee Member (April 19, 2024 - December 31, 2027). The committee consists of about 20 national leaders, researchers, and practitioners, who meet twice a year to provide insights and recommendations on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
- Tutita Casa was appointed Chair of the Journal for Research in Mathematics Education Editorial Board Panel (2023-2024). JRME is the leading math education research journal. Casa oversees establishing policies and procedures, advising the editors in reviewing and selecting manuscripts, and attending to the general health of the journal.
Invited Talks:
- Michele Back presented an invited talk titled “Performing Knowledge and Identity in Native/Heritage Spanish Peer Tutoring Interactions” for the UConn Latino Education Spring Series. She also presented this talk in Philadelphia as part of Temple University’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese’s Hispanic Heritage Month Event Series.
- Michele Back also presented several invited talks on using Generative AI for language learning and teaching, including at Yale University’s Center for Language Study and The Ohio State University’s Center for Latin American Studies.
- Todd Campbell presented an invited seminar for the Cary Institute for Ecosystem Studies titled Heterogeneity Seeking Curriculum Planning and Instruction: Engineering for Ecological and Social Justice on April 25, 2024, in Milbrook, NY.
Journal Editorships:
- Joe Abramo served as the Senior Editor for Visions of Research in Music Education.
- Todd Campbell served as the Co-Editor in Chief alongside Drs. Wayne Melville, Lakehead University, Lakehead, Ontario, Canada and Geeta Verma, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colorado for the Journal of Science Teacher Education.
- Hannah Dostal served as the Editor in Chief for served for the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education.
- Rachael Gabriel served as Editor in Chief for The Reading Teacher.
- John Settlage served as the Co-Editor alongside Dr. Sherry Southerland, Florida State University, for the journal Science Education.
- Tom Levine served as an Executive Editor for the journal Teaching and Teacher Education.
Books:
- Tutita Casa co-authored a book titled Illuminating and Advancing the Path for Mathematical Writing Research with Madelyn W. Colonnese and Fabiana Cardetti with IGI Global.
- Rachael Gabriel published a book titled Doing Disciplinary Literacy: A Guide to Engaging Literacies in Action across Content Areas with Teachers College Press.
- Liz Howard co-authored a book titled, Dual Language Tandem Teaching, Volume 1: Coordinating Instruction across Languages through Cross-linguistic Pedagogies, with Shera Simpson with Velázquez Press in March 2024.
Other:
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Alan Marcus leads “Breaking Bias, Embracing Empathy,” an interactive
educational exhibit that aims to reduce bias and racism through virtual reality and artificial intelligence, at E.O.
Smith High School in Mansfield in March 2024.Alan Marcus organized and led a community event at E.O. Smith High School focused on breaking bias, embracing empathy, and fostering a sense of community through sharing the stories of Holocaust survivors to delve into broader issues of antisemitism, prejudice, and identity. The event provided a platform for survivor narratives and dialogue to initiate crucial conversations that challenge stereotypes and promote understanding.
- Megan Staples was the co-author for Equity in Mathematics Education: A Position Statement for Connecticut. The position statement was official endorsed by the CT State Board of Education.
- Tom Levine co-designed and co-implemented a summer and school year of professional development for 25 teachers and 15 high school youth, “Human Rights Close to Home”, with the team running this project. The program promotes youth civic engagement with issues in students’ school, city/town, and region. With Sandra Sirota, he also got an OVPR Research Excellence grant to explore the impact of this work on teachers’ practice and students’ transformative agency.
Educational Leadership (EDLR)
Select EDLR Awards and Highlights
Noteworthy Research/Scholarship Impacts:
- Jennie Weiner published her co-authored book:
- Weiner, J. M., & Higgins, M. (2023). Educational Lead(h)ership: Advancing Women in K–12
Administration. Harvard Education Press. https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781682538319/educationleadhership/
- Weiner, J. M., & Higgins, M. (2023). Educational Lead(h)ership: Advancing Women in K–12
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Jennie Weiner gave 10 talks in support of her new book about women in K-12 leadership, including one at UConn Hartford in May 2024. During 2023-2024, Jennie Weiner gave 10 invited book talks in support of her new publication, including a well-attended discussion she hosted at UConn Hartford that included a panel discussion with graduates from the EDLR Ed.D. program.
- Casey Cobb was lead author on two comprehensive reports submitted to the Connecticut State Department of Education as products of program evaluations. RSCO Transportation Study is a 65-page report on our study of school transportation within the Hartford-metro school choice programs. The study was commissioned by the CSDE Regional School Choice Office.
- Preston Green’s research on the relationship between housing discrimination and racial school funding inequity was cited by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor subject in her dissent in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard.
- Jennie McGarry led an author team with Neag School alumni Kolin Ebron, Jesse Mala, Michael Corral, Nneka Arinze, Kerry Mattson, and Khali Griffith. Their article, “Anti-Racist Research Methods in Sport-Based Youth Development” was published in the Sociology of Sport Journal, 40(2), 185-196. (Special Issue: A Critical Examination of Race and Antiracism in the Sport for Development Field).
Awards & Editorships:
- Adam McCready served as Editor of the Journal of Sorority and Fraternity Life Research and Practice until January 2024.
- Adam McCready received the Associate of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA), Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award in December 2023.
- Chen Chen served as a guest editor for the 40th Anniversary Special Issue of the Sociology of Sport Journal and was a co-author on “Futures–Past,” A Reflection of Forty Years of SSJ: An Introduction. Sociology of Sport Journal, 40(4), 346 – 351. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2023-0151
Conferences/Convenings/Outreach & Service:
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UConn Husky Nutrition & Sport celebrated 20 years this past academic year. UConn Husky Nutrition & Sport (UConn HNS) celebrated 20 years (founded by Jennie McGarry). Justin Evanovich collaborated with the Neag School Office of Communications to develop a UConn Today feature article about the work of UConn HNS.
- EDLR Faculty – lead by Saran Stewart and Frank Tuitt (with support from Milagros Castillo-Montoya) hosted ICare4Justice Conference at UConn in May 2023.
- Kenny Nienhusser’s outreach and engagement focuses on bringing greater awareness to the topic of minoritized communities’ access to and success in U.S. higher education, including his service on the board of Adelante Student Voices (a community-based organization whose goal is to support undocumented youth college success and advocacy). Kenny gave a workshop to California community college professionals titled “Policy implementation and greater educational equity in community college: What’s ambiguity got to do with it?”, which was part of the Instigating Radical Implementation and Action Professional Learning Series coordinated by a colleague at San Diego State University.
- Risa Isard presented her research on fans of the WNBA at the league’s headquarters. The WNBA Chief Marketing Officer was in attendance for the presentation. Risa has had this and other research published as op-eds in the widely read industry publication, Sports Business Journal.
- Alex Freidus is contributing to a new W.T. Grant Foundation strategic initiative led by Janelle Scott and Amy Stuart Wells. The project is titled “Public Learning for a Multiracial Democracy: A Project to Construct a New Narrative” and focuses on synthesizing and disseminating educational research to inform public debates on teaching about race in public schools.
- Laura Burton gave a keynote lecture at the Japanese Association of Sport Management (2024). “Understanding challenges and exploring opportunities for women in sport leadership”. Juntendo University; Tokyo, Japan
- Richard Gonzales supported the State of New Mexico’s effort to redesign their school leader preparation programs at the Residency Pilot Community of Practice. He provided technical assistance on the development of competency-based performance tasks to be completed as part of the clinical experience.
- Milagros Castillo-Montoya & Jillian Ives (Oct 1-3, 2023) presented findings of an organizational literature synthesis on policies and practices that support equity-based teaching to the advisory board for the Gates-founded project focused on developing a policy playbook for equitable teaching.
Grants:
- Casey Cobb received a $80,629 grant from the CSDE to study the implications of how the RSCO School Choice Lottery defines and employs a measure of socioeconomic status of the families who apply.
- Saran Stewart will serve as the external evaluator for the NSF funded project “ADVANCE Adaptation: Institutionalizing Normative Changes for Recruitment, Empowerment, Advancement, and Systematic Equity for STEM Faculty (INCREASE)”.
- Milagros Castillo-Montoya received funding from the Gates Foundation for “Reconceptualizing College Teaching for Equitable Student Outcomes: A Policy Playbook for Systemic Levers that Support Equity-Based Teaching.” This is a sub award from American University (with colleagues from Florida International University); the Gates Foundation provided supplemental funding to initial award to increase award to a total of $1,168,711.
Noteworthy University Service:
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Cara Elmendorf ’25 MS and Lexi Hastings ’25 (ED) attended the 2024 NCAA Career In Sports Forum. Chen Chen is the inaugural Faculty Affiliate for Inclusive Excellence at the UConn Graduate School. In this position, Chen led and managed a university-wide faculty graduate student mentorship program “Network for Enriched Mentorship” (NEM) during the 2023-24 academic year. More than 120 graduate students and faculty/staff members participated in this initiative.
- Danielle DeRosa served as the Career Everywhere Faculty Fellow for the UConn Center for Career Services.
- Danielle DeRosa also hosted the Center for Career Development’s Career Everywhere Awards event in May 2024.
Current Students:
- Cara Elmendorf ’25 MS and Lexi Hastings ’25 (ED) attended the 2024 NCAA Career In Sports Forum.
- Omar Romandia ’26 Ph.D. was the keynote speaker at the Global Cultures Conference on Oct. 7, 2023. The Global Cultures Conference invites students to better understand their role as global citizens by discussing and analyzing the impact of colonization on the growth of modern-day countries of the global south.
Notable Alumni:
- Sofia Read ’18 MS is now the is now the Tyler Family Endowed Assistant Athletics Director, C.A.T.S. Student-Athlete Development. This is the first endowed position in Athletics at the University of Arizona.
- Nick Fahnders ’13 MA was honored as a ACPA Diamond Honoree at the ACPA 2024 Convention for his outstanding and sustained commitment to higher education through student affairs and student development.
Educational Psychology (EPSY)
Research
EPSY continues to be one of the most research productive departments across the university with increases in new grant submissions, new grant awards, and overall research expenditures in 2023-2024.
- EPSY had the highest research expenditures of any UConn department in FY 2023
- EPSY has experienced steady growth in research expenditures over the past five years
- EPSY submitted grant proposals for significantly more funds this fall than last fall (21 proposals for $28,500,000)
Faculty Awards & Accolades
- Brandi Simonsen, Jen Freeman
- U.S. Department of Education
- Catherine Little, Kylie Anglin
- U.S. Department of Education
- Catherine Little
- Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
- Joseph Madaus, Susannah Everett
- CT State Department of Education
- Ido Davidesco, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, Christopher Rhoads, and John Settlage
- NSF
- Kathleen Lynch
- Grants Foundation
- Jack Collier
- NIH
- Devin Kearns
- Appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board for the International Dyslexia Association
- John J. Russell Award for Advocacy in Education Award recipient from the Windward Institute
- Latoya Haynes-Thoby
- Secretary – Connecticut Career Counseling and Development Association
- Vice President Elect of AERA’s Division E
- National Board for Certified Counselors Mental Health Advisory
- ACES Counseling Practice Advisory
- Secretary of AERA’s Division E
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Sally Reis received a special NAGC award for her work in the area of supporting twice-exceptional learners. Sally Reis
- Received a special NAGC award for her work in the area of supporting twice-exceptional learners.
- Diandra Prescod
- President Elect of the Connecticut Career Counseling and Development Association
- Editorial board member for the Journal of Employment Counseling
- National Career Development Association Merit Award Winner (2024)
- Sara Renzulli
- Interviewed by NBC News CT, along with current student Kimberly Richmond about the new LPC program
- Del Siegle
- 2024 Neag School of Education Distinguished Researcher Award
Student Awards
- Lihong Xie
- NAGC student award for “Unraveling the Creativity-Empathy Nexus: A Machine Learning Investigation into the Relationship between Creativity and Empathy”
- Kimberly Richmond
- 2023 National Board for Certified Counselors fellow
- Served as a mentor in supporting incoming National Board for Certified Counselors 2024 fellows at this year’s Bridging the Gap Symposium
Conferences & Symposia
- New England PBIS Network Leadership Forum (480 attendees)
- Confratute (228 virtual attendees, 176 in person)
- Postsecondary Disability Training institute (370 attendees)
- M3 Modern Modeling Methods Conference (200 attendees)
- Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference (175 attendees)
- Wallace Research Symposium on Talent Development (190 U.S. and international researchers in Gifted Education and Talent Development attended)
- Renzulli Center broadcast four one-hour webinars on Talent Development during the academic year (626 attendees across four)
- Renzulli Center held four one-day virtual Tastes of Confratute during the academic year (198)
Journal Editorships
- Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead
- Editor-in-Chief, New Directions for Evaluation
- Editorial Board Member, American Journal of Evaluation
- Latoya Haynes-Thoby
- Guest editor for The Professional Counselor
Promotions
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Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead was promoted to Full Professor. Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead was promoted to Full Professor
Books & Publications
- Kylie Anglin
- Anglin, K.L., (2023) The Role of State Education Regulation: Evidence from the Texas Districts of Innovation Statute. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
- Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead
- Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Schröter, D., & Becho, L. W. (2024). The Garden of Evaluation Approaches. American Journal of Evaluation, 45(2), 166–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140231216667
- Since online first publication on January 17, 2024, it has been the No. 1 downloaded and read paper for the journal every month.
- Montrosse-Moorhead, B., Schröter, D., & Becho, L. W. (2024). The Garden of Evaluation Approaches. American Journal of Evaluation, 45(2), 166–185. https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140231216667
- Joseph Madaus
- Madaus, J. W., & Dukes III, L. L. (eds.). (2023). Handbook of higher education and disability: International perspectives. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Madaus, J., Gelbar, N., Faggella-Luby, M., & Dukes, III, L. L. (2024). ITAC: An International Technical Assistance Center for Research Informed Best Practices in Higher Education and Disability. Award $334,017. Moh Foundation, Singapore.
- Melissa Bray
- Theodore, L.A., Bray, M.A., & Bracken. B. (2024). School Psychology Desk Reference. Oxford University Press.
- Melissa Bray and Jacqueline Caemmerer
- Winter, E. Caemmerer, J., Trudel, S., DeLeyer Tiars, J., Bray, M.A., Dale, B., & Kaufman, A. (in press). Does the Degree of Prematurity Relate to the Bayley-4 Scores Earned By Matched Samples of Infants and Toddlers Across the Cognitive, Language, and Motor Domains? Journal of Intelligence.
- Diandra Prescod
- Prescod, D.J. & Mullen, P. (2023, October). Defining Yourself as a Researcher: Strategies to Create and Manage a Research Agenda. Research Academy Preconference at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Conference. Denver, CO.
- Prescod, D.J., Belser, C.T., Daire, A.P., Karaki, R., Cushey, K. (2023). Experience of STEM-interested students in a career planning course: A qualitative inquiry. Career and Technical Education, 48(3), 39-56. https://doi.org/10.5328/cter48.3.39
- Prescod, D.J., Hannon, M., & Niles, S. (2024, March). Decolonizing Career Theory to Better Serve Socially, Culturally, and Economically Diverse Populations. Presented at the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) Foundation Conference, Bridging the Gap: Eliminating Mental Health Disparities. Washington, D.C.
- Latoya Haynes-Thoby
- Dowie-Chin, T., Haynes-Thoby, L., Coleman- King, C., & Brown, T.T.C. (2023). Reimagining academia: Lessons from Black M(other) Scholars during our duel with the dual pandemics. Journal of African American Women and Girls in Education, 3(1), 49-57. https://doi.org/10.21423/jaawge-v3i1a142
- Jacqueline Caemmerer
- Caemmerer, J. M., Hennessy, B., & Niileksela, C.R. (2024). Third variables in longitudinal research: Application of longitudinal mediation and moderation in school psychology. Journal of School Psychology, 103, 101283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2024.101283
- Caemmerer, J. M., Young, S.R., Maddocks, D.L.S., Charamut, N.R.*, Blemahdoo, E.* (2024). Predicting achievement from WISC-V composites: Do cognitive-achievement relations vary based on general intelligence? Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 42(4), 390-408. https://doi.org/10.1177/07342829241240346
- Multiple Faculty
- Koslouski, J. B., Chafouleas, S. M., Briesch, A. M., Caemmerer, J. M., & Pereira, B. (2024). Developing a whole child school screening instrument: Evaluating perceived usability as an initial step in planning for consequential validity. School Mental Health. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-024-09670-w
New Grants
Grant Award:
- Latoya Haynes-Thoby, ACES Research Grant
Funded Grants:
- Madaus, J., Gelbar, N., Faggella-Luby, M., & Dukes, III, L.L. (2024). ITAC: An International Technical Assistance Center for Research Informed Best Practices in Higher Education and Disability. Award $334, 017. Moh Foundation, Singapore.
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The Connecticut Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Partnership celebrated a productive first year with an eventful site visit from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention representatives in late April. Chafouleas, S., Koslouski, J., & Williamson, K., Connecticut Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Partnership. CDC.
New Proposals:
- Sinclair, T.E., Nagrotsky, K., Madaus, J., Hadley Dunn, A. Project R.I.S.E.: Residents in Special Education – Preparing Special Educators from Traditionally Underrepresented Populations to Serve School-Age Children with Disabilities in High-Need Schools. U.S. Dept of Education, OSEP.
- Bray, M., Renzulli, S. Project Enhancement. U.S. Dept of Education, OESE.
- Bray, M. Relaxation and Guided Imagery for Anxiety. NIH.
- New Grant Submissions (PI, Co-PI) Brandi Simonsen, Allison Lombardi, Kathleen Lynch, Graham Rifenbark, Susannah Everett, Jen Freeman, Tracy Sinclair, Kylie Anglin, Zach Collier, Mike Coyne, Sandy Chafouleas, Jessica Koslouski, Devin Kearns, Betsy McCoach, Ido Davidesco, Chris Roads, Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, Catherine Little, Lisa Sanetti, Joe Madaus
- IES, US DOE, NSF, Spencer, CT SDE
Continuing Grants:
- Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead
- OSEP: OSEP subaward for the Early Childhood Personnel Equity Center
- NSF: Fostering Computational Thinking Through Neural Engineering Activities in High School Biology Classes
- Sandra M. Chafouleas
- Co-Principal Investigator (PI: Chafouleas). Project EASS-E: Expanding Approaches to School Screening with Equity. Funding Source: Institute of Education Sciences. Duration: 7/2022-6/2026. Amount funded: $1,491,821.
- Co-Investigator (PI: Chafouleas). Project PSYCHS: Preparing School Psychologists in Equitable and Effective Service Coordination. Funding Source: United States Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education. Duration: 10/22-9/25. Total Amount Funded: $760,950
- Jacqueline Caemmerer
- Principal Investigator. Relations between children’s cognitive abilities, basic reading, broad writing. Funding Source: Woodcock Institute for the Advancement of Neurocognitive Research and Applied Practice. Duration: 5/2023-1/2025. Amount funded: $15,000.
Other:
- EPSY faculty and students gave a total of 23 presentations at NACG.
- The in-person MS in Data Science program doubled in enrollment between its first and second year. Enrollment is expected to increase next year as well (the third year of the program).
- Kathleen Lynch was quoted in the Washington Post in the article titled “How to turn ‘summer slide’ into learning opportunities for children.” Her research was also cited.
- The School Psychology program welcomed a cohort of 17 students in fall 2023 (5 Ph.D. and 12 MA students) who will contribute to addressing the critical shortages of school psychologists nationally and in Connecticut.
Revenue Generating Programs:
- Giftedness, Creativity, and Talent Development
- 3-summers MA/6th year program
- Gifted online 12-credit certificate
- Educational Technology
- 2-summers MA/6th year program
- Counselor Education
- Professional Counselor Licensing (LPC) certificate
- Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation
- Data Science MS program
- Online MA program
- Program Evaluation 12-credit certificate
- Special Education
- Postsecondary Disability Services 12-credit certificate
- Secondary Transition 12-credit certificate
Summer Programs:
- Licensed Professional Counselor Certification Program
- 2 Summers Program in Educational Technologies
- TCPCG Special Education (30-35 students)
Teacher Education
The teacher education program includes faculty and students from across all three Neag School of Education departments (EDCI, EDLR, EPSY). The program offers two pathways toward initial teacher certification: IB/M and TCPCG, explained more below.
The Integrated Bachelor’s/Master’s (IB/M) program is a three-year program that serves students at the Storrs campus. Successful completers of the program earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree and meet the requirements for state licensure. In 2023-2024, there were 105 juniors, 115 seniors, and 99 Master’s students in the IB/M program.
The Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) is designed for individuals who already hold a degree in a content area and are seeking the needed credentials and certification to become a teacher. They matriculate at one of four campuses: Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, or Waterbury. Students are either recent college graduates or change-of-career individuals who learn to become educators of English, Special Education, Science, Mathematics, Agriculture, World Language, or Social Studies. In Summer 2024, the new TCPCG cohort included 83 students across campuses.
2023-2024 Highlights
- Revised TCPCG program, switching to a three-semester format with a later start date (mid-June). This change reduces tuition by approximately $10,000 per student.
- Worked to start a new paid internship program for IB/M students, the IDEAS Fellowship, to begin in Fall 2024
- Started a new micro-grants program to fund curricular experiences in any teacher education courses
- Began a new Equity and Justice Speaker Series. We hosted two nationally-renowned scholars, Dr. Keisha Green (University of Massachusetts-Amherst) and Dr. Terah Venzant Chambers (Michigan State University).
- Began Community Hours for IB/M students to meet with Office of Teacher Educators leaders about their experiences in the teacher education program.
- Distributed fellowships and scholarships to students to assist with costs for transportation to student teaching and required certification exams.
- Held two Partnership Summits (with over 20 districts) to bring together district leaders and liaisons for collaboration and dialogue about mutually beneficial school partnerships
- Held an appreciation event for Neag School partner cooperating teachers and district leaders to thank them for their service to UConn students.