For employees wishing to advance their careers in higher education administration, using the to pay for a School of Education is a great choice for professional development.

This program enables students to develop their skills in student affairs, while offering a broad understanding of higher education systems, policies, professional organizations, faculty and staff culture, and student learning and development. Typically, the program takes two years of full-time study, or it can be completed part time while the student continues to work on campus.

Shelby Bergen

But what is it like to both work full time and take this degree program? We interviewed three of the program’s recent graduates to ask how they juggled work and study, why they decided the program was right for them, and how it has benefited their higher education careers.

Shelby Bergen G’23 signed up for the program while an administrative assistant in the College of Law; currently, she is a career advisor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Like Bergen, Carly Signor ’14, G’21 was employed by the College of Law when she entered the master’s program, as program coordinator and communications manager of the New York State Science and Technology Law Center. Now working in the Office of Admissions, Signor recently was promoted to associate director of admissions.

Sarah Tomlinson G’23 began her University career as a temporary office coordinator before moving to the College of Professional Studies’ English Language Institute. After graduating from the Higher Education program, she joined ���ϲ����� Abroad in March, where she now works as senior international program advisor.

1. Why did you decide to take the Higher/Postsecondary Education master’s degree program, using your Remitted Tuition benefit?

Shelby Bergen (SB): I like to think I center equity and justice in what I do, so the Higher Education program seemed to be a culmination of all the things I’m passionate about.

Carly Signor

Carly Signor (CS): I have such a passion for learning and believe in the value of continued education. The opportunity to pursue this program for free was too good to pass up, especially as I was changing careers and seeking to gain knowledge that would help me succeed in the field of higher education.

Sarah Tomlinson (ST): I started my career at ���ϲ����� in 2018 and knew within a few months that higher education was the career I wanted. In my previous role at the College of Professional Studies, they emphasized the importance of continuing your education and encouraged employees to seek out opportunities through the Remitted Tuition benefit. When I found the Higher Education program, I knew it would be a perfect to continue to grow my knowledge and passion for the field.

2. How were you able to fit the degree’s coursework and practicum around your full-time work?

SB: If you want complete transparency, it was a bit stressful! Luckily, I had supervisors that valued professional development and this program valued the “non-traditional” student experience by offering flexible class arrangements.

CS: It was definitely challenging, I’m not going to lie, but a little hard work goes a long way. I dedicated time in the evenings and weekends to complete homework. My practicum—you only have to do one as a full-time staff member—was in Athletics, which provided many opportunities for night and weekend hours. My practicum supervisor—Michelle Giordano ’11, G’15, who is also a Higher Education master’s alumna—was incredibly understanding and supportive of the balance I needed to maintain.

Sarah Tomlinson

ST: Having a full-time job while being in a master’s program is not easy; however, the program really allows for flexibility for part-time students. Most courses are once a week, starting at 4 p.m. The professors work with students to ensure that their schedules meet their needs. Plus, my practicum was a perfect fit for me. At the Stevenson Educational Center for Student Athletes, I met with students outside work hours, and my supervisor allowed me to work on projects during weekends or evenings. Overall, the Higher Education program helps its students every step of the way.

3. What aspect of the program stood out to you?

SB: It sounds nerdy but the literature and classroom structure! We collaborated on assignments and projects a lot, so it was cool to unpack topics in so many unique ways.

CS: The practicum and other hands-on experience, plus research opportunities, mentorship and campus connections.

ST: The ease of being able to build my schedule around my full-time job. Professor worked with me to ensure that my course plan fit well with my job, including my practicum. Also, the program was very applicable to my career. Being able to take what I learned the night before and apply it next day to my responsibilities demonstrates the tangible knowledge that I acquired. I use what I learned every day in my job.

4. How did receiving the Higher Education master’s degree benefit your career?

SB: I started as a part-time temp and didn’t really know what path to take professionally. However, this degree not only built my community but afforded me many professional opportunities, including my current role!

CS: In a very literal sense, this degree program connected me with my current supervisor—I received a job offer on the very day I graduated. The campus connections I made were invaluable. Additionally, it turned me into a self-proclaimed “data nerd,” and I apply the research skills I learned in my everyday work, enabling me multiple opportunities to present at national conferences.

ST: I use the theories, models and presentation skills gained from the program in my work. Having an understanding of how universities work and run is deeply beneficial when developing new goals, procedures and processes. Also, the network I built through the program has been great.

5. What advice would you have for a University colleague thinking of taking the Higher Education master’s while continuing to work?

SB: If you’ve been out of the educational game for a while it can feel intimidating to go back. But know your life experiences are what make you valuable in a program like this. You are worthy of the spaces you’re in.

CS: Just do it! The time flies by, and the benefits are so worth it. As a University employee, you’ll find a supportive community and a sense of camaraderie with many Higher Education alums ready to help you along the way—including myself. Take advantage of this opportunity to advance your education and career!

ST: Do it! It may seem daunting at first to be able to juggle a job and a degree program, but it is truly built with part-time students in mind. It is a very supportive community and provides foundational knowledge about higher education. Time management is definitely important though!

It’s a thorny issue, raising questions of students’ and parents’ rights, school safety, academic performance—and mental health.

A scan of recent news stories offers a snapshot of various positions: banning devices is good for “” it could mitigate and , and even help social media. On the other hand, smartphones help parents in an emergency and, sometimes, they are for instruction or even for monitoring health.

One scholar addressing the potential harms caused by overuse of smartphones—in and out of school—is , assistant teaching professor of in the .

One of Butler’s research and clinical interests is process addictions in children and adolescents, a topic closely related to the smartphone question. Given the groundswell of concern —not to mention high-profile lawsuits for and —about young people’s online habits, the School of Education asked Butler about the connection between process addictions, phones, apps, and mental health—and what, if anything, schools can do.

As a mental health counselor, how does your clinical work and scholarship frame how you view the controversy surrounding smartphone bans in schools?

My interest centers around the overuse of smartphones and other devices by children that can develop into what mental health professionals refer to as a “process addiction.” We become concerned when we see extensive attachment to the phone, including high rates of texting; addiction to online games, such as “Roblox,” or “Call of Duty”; and dependency on social media apps, such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok.

In general, we can say that gaming addiction affects boys more, leading to issues of quality of sleep and academic performance, while for girls social media addiction is more of an issue, leading to self-esteem, body image and other mental health challenges.

The data bears out these concerns. say they play video games, while children 8 to 17 years of age spend an average of one and a half to two hours daily playing online. Statistics reveal that 8.5% of children and teenagers younger than 18 have .

Meanwhile, associate the absence of their phone with at least one of three emotions: loneliness, being upset, or feeling anxious. Girls are more likely than boys to feel anxious or lonely without their phones. Interestingly, some unease is self-reported: 54% of US teens aged 13 to 17 say they spend too much time on their phones.

Sabrina Butler

How is a “process addiction” related to other kinds of addiction?

Process addictions are those compulsive behaviors where no chemical or other addictive substance is used. In addition to smartphone use, other examples include addiction to gambling, shopping, eating, self-harm, sex, and exercise.

Understanding and researching process addictions is hampered by the fact that the “” only recognizes a couple of these examples: gambling and sex addictions.

But process addictions can re-wire the brain much the same way as chemical addictions do. That is, the brain learns to reward pleasurable behaviors (such as checking the “likes” of a social post) and cravings can set in—the need to constantly look at the phone.

Nevertheless, this field is developing, and there are more studies underway, as well as more statistics from national surveys to reference.

What is the nature of your work around process addictions, both clinically and in your research and teaching?

I do a lot of work with children and process addiction in my clinical practice, and as a teacher of counselors, I help school and other counselors in training understand the signs of addiction, how to assess it and how to treat it.

In my research, I am interested in using large data sets to understand the scope of process addictions in young people in order to inform screening tools, treatments and counselor education.

What are some of the negative consequences of smartphone addiction that educators are dealing with?

There are a few. Overuse of smartphones can take away from the educational process because students’ focus is taken up by social media, texting and games. It can cause poor sleeping habits, with students catching up in the classroom or becoming increasingly absent from school. Sleep also can be disrupted by , especially about subjects that cause anxiety, and even the .

Then there are behavioral concerns. Overuse can affect young people’s social skills and interactions, with some finding difficulty making friends in real life or cultivating false friendships online (or worse, being solicited by predators posing as “friends”). We have even seen a change in how children see their futures. Anecdotally, I have heard students say they want to be “influencers” or YouTube stars when they are older.

Devices given to very young children can disrupt play and physical development. While the intentional educational use of web-based multimedia can help development in elementary-aged children, research indicates that screen media usage is negatively associated with fine motor skill development across time, with a particular impact on preschool-aged children.

Moreover, the age of first use is correlated to addiction; thus, the younger the child, the more likely they are to develop long-term struggles. Again, anecdotally, devices given to very young children can lead to some becoming more interested in watching another child play online rather than play—and thus physically, socially, and emotionally develop—themselves.

As a mental health professional, where do you stand on the question of smartphone bans in schools?

It’s a hard call. I think if you took out the unfortunate threat of school shootings in the United States —and therefore the understandable need for parents to stay in touch with their children—then I would say there should definitely be some restrictions on smartphone use.

But even so, one should balance the threat of an emergency in one school against how smartphone addiction is affecting the development of whole school districts. Then again, there are children’s and parent’s rights at stake, so it will be interesting to see how the legal cases play out.

I do believe there has to be some kind of intervention. An abstention-only approach probably won’t work, so the solution would have to involve harm reduction. There might be compromises and practical workarounds to be found—such as those that are used during exams, when devices are dropped in a basket at the front of the classroom—but it will be hard for a school district to find limits and make everyone happy.

What advice do you have for parents and educators concerned about signs of smartphone addiction in a young person?

I have a couple of guidelines to consider. In general, mental health professionals suggest restricting smartphone use to less than two hours at a time. Also, social media should not be put into the hands of children and young adolescents under the age of 13, advice that is in line with many age barriers put forward by social media companies.

Common warning signs of addiction include: negative consequences associated with the addictive behavior; increased intensity or time spent on the behavior and/or the amount of time spent limits the child’s ability to sleep, do homework, spend time with family, etc.; using the behavior as an escape from negative moods; unsuccessful attempts to control or reduce the behavior; and/or emotional dysregulation—that is, excessive anger, sadness, or anxiety—when the child cannot engage in the addictive behavior.

During this prestigious fellowship, Kim will work on her new book “Dignity Archives: Accompanying the Dead and Posthumous Care.”

Eunjun Kim

Kim is among 31 fellows from 492 applicants. In addition to working on her research project, she will have the opportunity to share ideas in seminars, lectures and conferences at the HNC, headquartered at Research Triangle Park in North Carolina.

Kim’s book project asks what kind of political work the dying and the dead are doing and what kind of connections and disconnections are happening around them.

“The collection of cases includes disabled people who were killed in an institution in Japan; factory workers who became disabled and terminally ill from toxic exposure; and people who died from neglect in an AIDS care facility in South Korea,” explains Kim. “By exploring the ways in which mourning and the demand for justice are intertwined in cultural and political discourses, my book aims to encourage others to rethink the primacy of autonomy, ability and health in the understanding of dignity.”

“T��� National Humanities Center is the world’s only independent institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities,” says , professor and associate dean for research in the School of Education. “NHC is a highly prestigious fellowship and former fellows have gone on win a number of distinguished awards, including the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize.”

Additionally, SOE is represented at NHC by , professor of disability studies and a NHC Resident Fellow, who is researching for , “Fermenting Stories: Exploring Ancestry, Embodiment and Place.”

The NHC is the world’s only independent institute dedicated exclusively to advanced study in all areas of the humanities. Through its fellowships, the center promotes understanding of the humanities and advocates for their foundational role in a democratic society.

, only 2% of school-age students with intellectual disability are likely to attend college after high school. Moreover, of the 472 colleges and universities in New York state, only 24 have inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs.

With more than 435 students with intellectual disability enrolled in these programs and an average of 18 students in each program, the Golisano Foundation recognizes the opportunity for CDI—along with the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, which supports InclusiveU, ���ϲ�����’s inclusive higher education program—to expand on its current technical assistance model to increase and enhance the availability and inclusivity of programs across Western and Central New York.

Led by a new technical assistance director, in the first year CDI will pilot technical assistance in a few select colleges and universities, with a focus on creating or enhancing accessibility, promoting inclusivity and providing support services to empower students with intellectual disability in academic and social success.

“With InclusiveU, ���ϲ����� has a nationally recognized model. Serving more than 100 students, this program aims to fully integrate students into all aspects of campus life including academics, internships, social experiences and residential living,” says , professor and director of CDI. “We are grateful to the Golisano Foundation for this generous grant, which will help us build on our expertise in disability related research and inclusive education, practice and advocacy to remove barriers that exclude people with disabilities from campus life in New York.”

“The Taishoff Center’s approach to inclusive higher education—including utilization of existing campus resources—has fundamentally shifted the way in which schools and universities serve and support students with intellectual disability,” says , Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education and executive director of the Taishoff Center. “With this experience, CDI and the Taishoff Center are uniquely positioned to provide technical assistance to support the development and expansion of inclusive college programs.”

“Along with the trustees of the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation, I am thrilled to be able to support the development and expansion of IPSE programs and supportive services,” says , director of the Golisano Foundation. “The trustees and I commend ���ϲ�����’s recognition of the potential throughout New York State, and we look forward to watching CDI and the Taishoff Center build a community of practice and work toward setting a national example and standard for inclusion in the higher education community.”

Among services planned for the project’s first year, CDI and the Taishoff Center will:

• Conduct a comprehensive needs assessment at pilot colleges and universities;
• Increase access to inclusive postsecondary education and participation in the general college curriculum for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities;
• Support improved academic, social, independent living, employment and self-advocacy outcomes;
• Disseminate research and best practices on inclusive postsecondary education;
• Distribute materials to support program development, evaluation and strategic planning; and
• Coordinate data collection with shared outcomes for IPSE programs.

President of Domestic Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures Group Jeffrey Goldstein ’77 (right) with actor Margot Robbie and Warner Bros. President of International Distribution Andrew Cripps. Taken at CinemaCon 2023, the pink suits helped introduce a Las Vegas crowd to Barbie ahead of its blockbuster release. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Getty Images)

If you were told that a (SOE) alumnus began his post-graduate career as a summer intern at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles, got a permanent job with the media giant because he just kept showing up for work, was then promoted and promoted until he became chief of the company’s domestic movie roll-out strategy—and was one of the executives who green-lighted mega-hit Barbie—would you believe it?!

Meet Jeffrey Goldstein ’77, President of Domestic Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

“I’m an OG at Warner Bros.!” says Goldstein, referencing his long career. “I never planned out what I wanted to do. When I graduated college, I thought I would go into teaching special education. I just fell into Warner Bros.”

“The Roots of it All Started in ���ϲ�����”

Goldstein’s fascinating career path began right after he graduated with his special education degree. He wanted to take a year off before considering his next move. “I had an uncle who was in the entertainment business,” he says. “He said, if you are interested, I can get you a summer job at Warner Bros.”

Here’s where the story takes a slightly comical turn.

To explain, Goldstein draws an analogy with the George Costanza character from the TV sitcom “Seinfeld.” In one episode, George dramatically quits a job, only to regret his decision immediately. So he simply returns to work the next day as if nothing had happened, hoping no one will notice.

“I became the guy who wouldn’t leave, just like George Costanza,” says Goldstein with a laugh. “When my internship ended, I had nowhere to go, so I just went back on Monday morning.”

Eventually, his superiors caught on. But instead of showing him the door, they suggested he apply for a sales job in Jacksonville, Florida.

Goldstein admits this was the first time he moved somewhere with no support structure. He had followed his sister—Roberta Goldstein Manning ’76, a nursing student (she was his best friend then), to ���ϲ�����, and he had family in California during his internship. But there was no one in north Florida: “I got homesick. I was miserable. My boss even told me to take three weeks leave to visit my ‘mama’ during the holidays.”

Things got better. “From there, I had two dozen jobs all over the place. But the roots of it all started in ���ϲ�����.”

“I had a Bent for Business”

Today Goldstein has full responsibility for domestic distribution of all Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation and DC Studios movies. He and his team oversee release dates and release patterns, business strategy, sales and administration, specialty formats and exhibitor relations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Since 2016, when Goldstein began in his current position, Warner Bros. Pictures has earned more than $10 billion at the domestic box office, with 49 films opening at the top of the box office and 36 titles crossing $100 million domestically. The hits, as they say, just keep on coming: “Aquaman,” “The Batman,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Dune,” “Dunkirk,” “Elvis,” “It,” “Joker,” and “Wonder Woman.”

And then there is “Barbie.” The summer blockbuster of 2023 was certainly “in the pink,” garnering numerous studio and industry records. It earned $1 billion in just 17 days of release; it recorded daily, weekly and weekend box office highs; and it was the studio’s fastest film to reach�� $400 million domestically.

So what connects ���ϲ�����, Hollywood and a successful movie executive with an eagle eye for a movie hit?

“I got my entrepreneurial spirit by working jobs in the dining hall, as a residence advisor and in the business affairs office,” says Goldstein. “While at ���ϲ�����, I realized I had a bent for business, as well as the ability to teach others, mentor others, be curious—and still make money!”

“That’s the Teacher Piece of it”

“���ϲ����� has been very good to me,” Goldstein says. “My years there formed me into the professional and person I am. It was the right-sized school for me. You could be anonymous if you wanted to, or you could make connections that last a lifetime.”

He cites two legendary SOE professors who were an early influence. “Both Burton Blatt and Douglas Biklen were unbelievable. I learned so much from them about life and relating to others,” says Goldstein.

In fact, over the course of this conversation, Goldstein recites a litany of skills his education degree bestowed: teaching, mentoring, listening, public speaking and managing, to name a few: “T��� thing I’m known for here is listening to colleagues and teams and elevating them. I’m able to manage up, down and across—and that’s the teacher piece of it.”

When asked whether his special education training under two legends in the field of inclusion have played a role in his line of work, Goldstein observes that “diversity and inclusion are crucial for commerce.”

In the movie industry, he explains, you must be as inclusive as you can in order to serve a very broad audience (what Warner Bros. calls its “commitment to serving all audiences at the cineplex.”)

“To be successful, you need to seek out a broad audience, cater to them and address them,” Goldstein says. “You need to look at the world as diverse and positive as it is and include everyone you can.

“Find the Things That Make You Smile”

Goldstein has this advice for graduates looking to leverage the so-called “soft skills” of an education degree into careers outside of teaching: “Keep your mind open and look for things you enjoy doing. Find the things that make you smile and that creatively inspire you. Be open and have curiosity to find out what you don’t know.”

If you remain open to other paths, Goldstein encourages, you might end up doing something you never considered: “I always knew I liked movies and storytelling. I just didn’t know I’d be exceptionally good at telling what will work.”

It is clear as he speaks that another aspect of the “teacher piece” for Goldstein is the sheer enthusiasm he brings to his role. That joy and energy exude even on a Zoom call across a continent on a Friday afternoon. There’s no doubt he would have made an inspirational teacher.

The wider Warner Bros. Pictures team gets to experience this motivating force at CinemaCon, the annual Las Vegas movie industry trade show, held in spring ahead of blockbuster season: “Give me a microphone, and I can do one and a half hours,” Goldstein says, adding he often ties this spotlight appearance into a movie marketing campaign.

In April 2023 he appeared on the stage in a pink suit for the roll-out of “Barbie.” “As Barbie says, everybody looks better in pink!” Goldstein told the audience. He caught the attention of People and Deadline magazines who covered the event and caught the early buzz—foreshadowing that movie’s now-legendary marketing campaign.

“That’s one reason I’m the OG here. I love my job and that enthusiasm really resonates,” says Goldstein, smiling broadly.

“I very much look forward to collaborating with our new faculty members, who help to fulfill the promise of the school’s and University’s academic strategic plans and initiatives,” says Dean Kelly Chandler-Olcott. “As Central New York’s tech sector expands and the University focuses on STEM scholarship, we are adding a K-12 STEM teacher preparation expert, whose research addresses antiracist, inclusive and equitable education. We are also adding capacity to our instructional design and music education teams.”

In addition, “two counseling faculty will help our school meet the growing need to prepare culturally sensitive school counselors, mental health counselors, and counselor educators,” Chandler-Olcott says. “Plus, in Professor Jessamyn Neuhaus, the University welcomes a highly experienced faculty development scholar who will direct the .”

Sabrina M. Butler ’15, G’18

Sabrina Butler

Sabrina Butler joins the school as assistant teaching professor of counseling and counselor education. Before her appointment, she taught mental health counseling ethics, family counseling and group counseling at the University of Central Florida, where she was a doctoral student.

Butler’s research explores counselors-in-training and their clients’ religion and spirituality, feminist ethical decision-making in supervisor-supervisee relationships, trauma-informed approaches to romantic break-ups, and process addictions in children and adolescents.

A member of the American Counseling Association, Association for Specialists in Group Work, Counselors for Social Justice and EMDR International Association, Butler holds a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision (2024) from the University of Central Florida. A scholar, Butler also has an M.S. in clinical mental health counseling (2018) and a B.S. in psychology (2015), both from ���ϲ�����.

David DeAngelis

David DeAngelis

David DeAngelis joins the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Setnor School of Music and the School of Education as assistant professor of music education. Before joining the University, DeAngelis served as an instructor and teaching assistant at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and was the founding music teacher of KIPP San Francisco College Preparatory.

With articles published in the Journal of Music Teacher Education and Update: Applications for Research in Music Education, DeAngelis’s research interests include beginning instrumental instruction and issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in music education, specifically focusing on music teacher preparation.

DeAngelis has served as an advisor for Arts and Music Programs for Education in Detention Centers (AMPED), a music mentorship program offered by the Northwestern Center for Civic Engagement that connects undergraduates with incarcerated youth.

DeAngelis holds a Ph.D. in music education at Northwestern University (2024), as well as an M.A. in music education from the University of Rochester Eastman School of Music and a B.A. in music from Yale University. He earned a certificate in leading equity and inclusion in organizations from Northwestern University.

Heather F. Lavender

Heather Lavender

Heather F. Lavender joins the School of Education as assistant professor of inclusive STEM education. She was most recently a postdoctoral fellow in the mathematics, science and social studies department of the University of Georgia Mary Frances Early College of Education.

Trained as a microbiologist, Lavender moved from the laboratory to the classroom after she began volunteering to educate K-12 schools about activities in her research lab and questioned how children receive science in the classroom.

Lavender’s primary research interests in science education include the awareness and participation of underserved youth—such as Black girls and visually impaired students—in STEM; sociocultural practices in science classrooms; antiracist and equitable science learning; professional development of in-service teachers; the content knowledge of pre-service teachers and women of color in technology.

Holding a Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, science education, from Louisiana State University (2021), Lavender also earned an M.S. in microbiology from UAMS (2012) and a B.S. in microbiology from Louisiana State University (1999).

Ahram Lee G’14, G’19, G’22

Ahram Lee

Now an assistant teaching professor of counseling and counselor education, Ahram Lee was a visiting assistant teaching professor at ���ϲ����� from 2022 to 2024, teaching research, assessment, group counseling and substance abuse courses. Before this appointment, she was a visiting assistant professor at SUNY Oswego.

An expert in multiculturalism and inclusion in counselor education, Lee’s research interests include a Q method analysis of the clinical training experience of bilingual Spanish-speaking counseling students, the clinical training experience of international counseling students and school counselor engagement with students with disabilities.

From ���ϲ�����, Lee earned a Ph.D. in counseling and counselor education (2022), a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling (2014) and a certificate of advanced study in women and gender studies (2019). She earned a bachelor’s degree in counseling psychology from Handong Global University (2011).

Jessamyn Neuhaus

Jessamyn Neuhaus

Jessamyn Neuhaus joins ���ϲ����� as the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) and as a professor in the School of Education. Before arriving in ���ϲ�����, she was director of the SUNY Plattsburgh Center for Teaching Excellence (2022-2024).

A scholar of cultural studies and teaching and learning excellence, Neuhaus has more than 20 years of classroom experience, teaching courses on U.S. history, gender studies, history of sexuality and popular culture history. As an educational developer, Neuhaus supports and promotes faculty teaching and reflection, effective teaching practices and equitable teaching and learning environments.

Neuhaus is the author of “Snafu EDU: Teaching and Learning When Things Go Wrong in the College Classroom” (University of Oklahoma/Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 2025); “Geeky Pedagogy: A Guide for Intellectuals, Introverts, and Nerds Who Want to be Effective Teachers” (West Virginia, 2019); “Housework and Housewives in American Advertising: Married to the Mop” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2011) and “Manly Meals and Mom’s Home Cooking: Cookbooks and Gender in Modern America” (Johns Hopkins, 2003).

Neuhaus holds a Ph.D. (2001) and an M.A. (1997) in history from Claremont Graduate University and a B.A. in religious studies from the College of Wooster (1992).

Rob Pusch G’03

Rob Pusch

Rob Pusch was named an assistant teaching professor of instructional design, development and evaluation (IDDE). An adjunct professor of IDDE since 2003, Pusch was most recently senior associate director at (SUPA), where he oversaw the design of instructional materials, as well as research and evaluation.

Originally trained as a chemist, Pusch began his career as a chemistry teaching assistant before moving into the field of instructional design. He graduated with a doctorate from the School of Education in 2003, the same year he was named SUPA’s chief instructional designer and joined the school as an adjunct professor.

Pusch is a co-founder of the Transgender Alliance of Central New York and board member for Sage Upstate, a not-for-profit promoting the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people in Central New York as they age.

Directed by School of Education Professor , Breedlove Readers encourages girls ages 13 through 17 to celebrate black girl stories through reading, writing and creating in the community.

For the , the club will explore ideas around identity and coming-of-age, two themes that the Art Museum addresses in its latest exhibition, “.”

Book club participants will read a novel that resonates with the life and works of Gordon Parks—a pioneering Black photographer, poet and musician—and then visit the Art Museum to explore connections between the novel and his photographs.

As a photographer, Parks worked in a variety of styles, including fashion photography, celebrity portraiture and social justice subjects. Parks famously called his camera a “tool of social consciousness” and a “weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs.” The exhibition includes photographs from Parks’ full body of work, which spans decades of his career.

About the Breedlove Readers Fall 2024 Program

• Meeting Dates: Saturday, Nov. 2 (���ϲ����� Art Museum) and Saturday, Dec. 7 (���ϲ����� MakerSpace)
• Applications close Tuesday, Oct 1. .
• Space is limited to 10 participants per cohort, ages 13-17.
• All programming is free of charge.
• Transportation is available.
• If accepted, participants must commit to attending all meetings.

Livingston, an inclusive elementary and special education program graduate, sent Chandler-Olcott photos of her in the hand-printed dress and wrote, “I knew I wanted to create something with my students to wear on graduation day. I had each student from my placements pick which color and hand they wanted to use, and also had the teachers and teaching assistants from each class add their handprint.”

In addition to being a creative keepsake for a special day, the dress embodies what Livingston has learned about inclusion during her studies, as this photo essay explains.

Rory Livingston ’24, an inclusive elementary and special education program graduate, wore a hand-made, hand-printed dress to the School of Education’s convocation.

In addition to earning an inclusive elementary and special education degree, Livingston was a member of the and president of the student-led , the international honor society in education.

“Ever since I committed to ���ϲ�����, I saw graduating students decorating their dresses and stoles,” recalls Livingston. “I had never actually seen handprints on a dress, though. I thought this idea was more inclusive of students who maybe didn’t like drawing or had mobility issues. This way, all students could contribute without disrupting the classroom too much.”

One of Rory Livingston’s students applies her handprint to Livingston’s dress.

The dress has 56 colorful handprints in all, including 29 fifth-grade students from the Mae E. Reynolds Elementary School in the Baldwinsville, New York, Central School District, where Livingston had her first field placement, immersed in an inclusive classroom and doing small group math work.

Hosts and mentors Therese Carlin-Erich ’87 and Jaime Young ’05 added their hands. “I enjoyed working with my fifth-graders and enjoyed my relationships with them,” says Livingston. “I think they were excited to work with me as a young person.”

Adding their prints were 18 students from Livingston’s second student teacher placement in the third grade at Smith Road Elementary School in the North ���ϲ����� Central School District, as well as general education teacher Lauren Corbishley-Stuper and special education co-teacher Gia Pilger.

Rory Livingston poses with her handmade convocation dress and her customized graduation cap.

Livingston, a native of Norwich, Vermont, plans on moving to Connecticut after graduation, where she is “interested in mathematics education. I want to teach first, but then think about a master’s degree.”

Livingston has this advice for other student teachers embarking on their field placements: “Remember, you are still learning. It’s okay if you mess up. Don’t try to be the perfect teacher. Being honest with my students was super valuable. I would tell them that if what I’m saying doesn’t make sense, let me know and we’ll find another way. Being vulnerable opens you up and it helps open up your students.”

“I’m debating what to do with the dress” explains Livingston. “I might frame it. I have kept all the cards students in my placement classes have given me in a collage, and it might be fun to add the dress.”

Huntington Hall, School of Education (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

An anonymous benefactor has given $150,000 to the to provide scholarships for Native American students preparing to become inclusive education teachers. The School of Education Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund will provide scholarships to at least seven undergraduate students in its first cohort which will matriculate by the 2026-27 academic year.

The scholarship will pay for a maximum of 30% of an individual student’s tuition. A portion of the fund will provide support for special programming and academic opportunities for Native American teacher preparation students, such as undergraduate research, conference attendance or study away opportunities within the U.S.

“There is a critical need for Indigenous teachers in schools serving predominantly Indigenous communities, especially for those trained in inclusive education at the elementary level,” says Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, assistant director, Partnership Programs and Indigenous Recruitment. “Due to the lack of consistency and persistence in current teacher preparation programs, Indigenous students are left without adequate supports so vital to their educational journey.”

Bluewolf-Kennedy explains that young Indigenous students seeing themselves represented in their teachers—knowing they understand their cultures, histories and ways of life—is a crucial element for academic success.

“This financial aid will fill this gap in Indigenous education and create future leaders to strengthen communities,” Bluewolf-Kennedy adds. “Beyond impacting individual student-teachers, there will be a ripple effect impacting their home communities and Nations. The possibilities this gift opens for Indigenous teachers is very powerful.”

Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund scholarships are reserved for qualified, admitted, first-year and transfer students enrolled in any Native American nation in the U.S. and Canada, with a preference for students from the Haudenosaunee nations. Students eligible for the Indigenous Pathways Grant programs may apply.

Thanks to its new, streamlined undergraduate teacher preparation curriculum, Indigenous students have two inclusive education options when applying to the .

The first option is the Inclusive Childhood Education bachelor’s degree program, which leads to New York State certification in General Childhood Education (grades 1-6) and Students With Disabilities (all grades). Students may also apply for Inclusive Adolescent Education, which leads to NYS certification in Students With Disabilities (all grades) and a chosen content area (English, mathematics, science or social studies).

“Thanks to our donor’s generosity, the Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund is being created at an exciting time for the School of Education,” says Dean Kelly Chandler-Olcott. “Our newly designed undergraduate curriculum has the opportunity to provide unique opportunities for Indigenous students, such as the . Plus, the emphasis in ���ϲ�����’s on experiential learning and study away creates new space to explore partnerships with tribal colleges and universities.”

113 Euclid Avenue, home to the Native Student Program (Photo by Angela Ryan)

At ���ϲ�����, Indigenous student teachers will find a welcoming campus community and with faculty, staff and alumni who are invested in helping Native American students succeed.

Among opportunities open to all Indigenous students include the , which supports students in their transition to college life and throughout their undergraduate experience; , a student-run organization; and the .

To learn more about the Indigenous Teacher Preparation Fund and other Native student supports, contact Bluewolf-Kennedy at tbluewol@syr.edu. To learn more about the School of Education’s teacher preparation programs, contact Heather Macknik, assistant director of Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment in the School of Education at hmmackni@syr.edu or 315.443.4269.

Kayleigh Sandford (left) and Stephanie Spicciati of the Mid-State Regional Partnership Center, part of the School of Education’s Center on Disability and Inclusion.

Before joining the Mid-State RPC, Sandford and Spicciati co-taught fourth grade in the Solvay Union Free School District near ���ϲ�����. Sandford was the general education teacher and Spicciati taught special education, but—modeling the kind of inclusive education that SOE has long championed—together they were responsible for all students in their class.

Sandford then taught special education in the Baldwinsville (NY) Central School District before the pair teamed up again at the Mid-State RPC, Sandford as a Literacy Specialist and Spicciati as a Specially Designed Instruction Specialist.

Building Capacity

Explaining how Mid-State RPC is embedded within and works with other services of the New York State Education Department cooks up something of an alphabet soup, but it’s critical infrastructure for families and communities, guided by NYSED’s .

The overseeing agency is NYSED’s (OSE), which organizes the , described as “a community of practitioners [that] work collaboratively to support students, families, and educational organizations to build capacity and improve educational and post-educational outcomes for students with disabilities.”

Supported by NYSED grants, CDI runs three OSE Educational Partnership programs that work collaboratively: the (EC-FACE), the (SA-FACE), and the Mid-State RPC. Three legs of one stool, if you will.

While EC-FACE and SA-FACE engage families, communities, and local agencies, the Mid-State RPC provides special education training and coaching directly to school districts (this triple support structure is mirrored in 12 other Regional Partnership Centers �����Ի� 14 FACE Centers ��across the state.)

Data-informed Work

Spicciati explains that has held the contract for four-and-a-half years of a five-year grant cycle, with hopes that its funding will be renewed in summer 2024. Mid-State RPC has benefited from the School of Education’s expertise and , which includes administering an earlier version of the Educational Partnership that engaged students and families: the ���ϲ����� Parent Assistance Center. The current partnership structure now adds a focus on systems-level change.

“T��� Mid-State RPC supports pre-K-12 school administrators and teachers in the ���ϲ����� City School District and the surrounding counties of Onondaga, Oswego, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Seneca, Tioga, and Tompkins,” Spicciati explains. “Our team includes literacy specialists, behavior and transition specialists, a culturally responsive educator, a systems change facilitator, and a special education trainer. We go into schools to support and coach teachers and administrators who serve students with individualized education programs (IEPs).”

“Some of our work includes embedded support to help teachers use data to make instructional decisions for student with disabilities ,” adds Sandford. “In addition to this kind of support, we also offer regional training sessions. Our specialists have different packages that they are trained to deliver to teachers, administrators, and educational advocacy organizations.”

The Mid-State RPC works with technical assistance partners who develop professional development packages based on the most current research into statewide schools. The team uses these resources to support schools with evidence-based practices.

Walk Beside You

As a compliment to these in-school trainings, the Mid-State RPC and CDI took their engagement a step further in 2023, launching a lecture series that invited the education community to dig deeper into essential topics around equity, mental health, and inclusion, featuring SOE faculty, community partners, and others.

Sandford stresses that she and her Mid-State RPC teammates work hard to ensure that districts feel supported: “Our motto is, ‘We want to walk beside you, not in front of you.’”

“We are able to build trust and good relationships with teachers and administrators because we are clear that we are there to help them and want our work to be meaningful for their students,” Spicciati adds. “I’ve found the majority of time, people are happy to have us. Once a school has met its goals and state performance plan indicators—and once systems are put in place to sustain that improvement—schools can be sad to see us leave.”

The coronavirus pandemic was especially rough on students with IEPs, says Spicciati. Shutdowns became months of missed instruction for some, and students requiring extra supports and intensive instruction fell behind. Although the first year back to in-school instruction was also demanding, Spicciati sees learning gaps starting to close as teachers adjust their approach to make up for lost skills acquisition.

Nevertheless, according to Sandford, a new challenge has arisen: the over-identification of students with disabilities: “Right now, schools are trying to identify if some students have a learning disability , or if learning loss can be attributed to the shutdown. It’s important to use the right measures and make informed decisions about students who are struggling.”

Promoting Sustainability

Assuming CDI’s OSE Educational Partnership grant is renewed, there will be another five years of growth for The Mid-State RPC, so what do Sandford and Spicciati hope to accomplish in that time?

“I want us to continue building supportive infrastructure within schools to keep things progressing forward for all students, general education and special education,” says Sandford.

“I want to promote sustainability,” adds Spicciati. She says the Mid-State RPC has learned over the years the importance of creating sustainable support systems for the whole school rather than focusing on individual teachers, who might then leave with the knowledge they acquired.

“It’s about focusing on building capacity with school leaders and getting teaming structures in place to help leaders connect data to intervention and ��instruction,” says Spicciati. “Once we have put protocols in place that can be used school and district wide, when we leave, those supports are able to stay in place.”

Janie Hershman ’24 contributed to this story.

Raphael T. Richard

Richard is the emerging talent recruiting lead for tech giant Cisco’s university partnerships, driving recruitment strategies and engaging programs that connect emerging and university talent with career opportunities at the Fortune 100 company.

While earning a bachelor’s degree in urban studies and public policy at Dillard University—a historically Black university in New Orleans—Richard experienced the educational and career benefits created by student leadership. Inspired by his experiences during and after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, Richard launched his professional career as a diversity education specialist at ���ϲ�����, where he received a master’s degree in higher education from the School of Education.

Continuing his higher education career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham (as coordinator of multicultural and diversity programs) and at Columbia University (as assistant director of the office of multicultural affairs), Richard designed, branded, and expanded social justice, intercultural, and dialogue initiatives.

Richard then transferred his passion for diversity recruitment into the non-profit sector, spending four years managing a national internship program for college students at the T. Howard Foundation, which is dedicated to advancing diversity in the media industry. At the foundation, Richard helped more than 700 students secure internships at more than 40 media, entertainment and tech companies, such as Paramount, NBCUniversal, Snap Inc., The New York Times, and ABC/ESPN.

In 2021, Richard earned a certificate in diversity and inclusion through the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, and he joined Cisco in the same year, first as an emerging talent and campus channel manager.

Committed to furthering his impact through service, in addition to advising the School of Education, Richard is an advisory board member for the National Capital Region of Per Scholas, a senior fellow in the Melton Foundation and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.

The event will highlight undergraduate and graduate student teams from across campus who have created concepts for products, services and technologies that can assist intellectually disabled people and their families. A distinguished panel of experts will award a total of $2,500 for the best showcase ideas.

Students present their designed products, services or technologies that can assist intellectually disabled people and their families at the 2023 Intelligence++ Showcase competition. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

Students wishing to present should e-mail , professor of industrial and interaction design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and program coordinator, at dwcarr@syr.edu before April 15 to secure a spot and to receive showcase instructions.

The event is sponsored by , a collaboration among , a program of the at the , VPA School of Design�����Ի� . The event is open to students across campus, and all are welcome to attend the showcase.

Launched in 2020 through a generous donation by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09 and the , Intelligence++ is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design and community. The initiative is available to both undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines, including students with intellectual disabilities. A key element of the initiative is a two-semester course (DES 400/600) that encourages students to work in teams to imagine and create products, devices, digital platforms and services for persons with disabilities, culminating in the spring showcase.

Intelligence++ centers around three main concepts:

• Aspects of Design—once a specific need or opportunity is identified, student teams are supported by a group of experts to help develop a working prototype of their design. By taking a build-to-learn approach, students gain real-time feedback while continually evolving their design.
• Understandings of Disability—including accessibility, disability rights and advocacy, disability history, language, disability culture, models of disability and inclusion.
• Entrepreneurship—students learn to develop a commercialization roadmap that moves through problem solving, solution building, testing, iteration, lean business model development, team formation, finding advisors and strategic partners, developing a funding strategy and pitching for investment.

DES 400/600 is taught by Professor Carr, with support from , Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education in the School of Education and executive director of the Taishoff Center. , founder of and strategic initiatives advisor with the Libraries,��provides entrepreneurial support to teams.

In addition to the course and the annual showcase, students can seek funding to commercialize their ideas through . Students from any school or college can apply for this funding, and they do not need to take DES 400/600 to apply. However, priority is given students working with research and commercialization programs such as the Blackstone LaunchPad, , , , , , Intelligence++, NSF I-Corps, �����Ի� .

Intelligence++ Ventures funding supports specifically defined projects with clearly identified timeframes and outcomes that move a research project or venture toward proof of concept and commercialization. Funds assist tangible needs through four innovation phases: discovery, testing, building and launching to market.

Huey Hsiao

As assistant dean, Hsiao will enhance student success and belonging as leader of SOE’s . In this role, he will oversee undergraduate and graduate recruitment, student advising and support, career services and certification, and leadership and success initiatives such as the and student organizations.

“Huey Hsiao is well known on this campus as a staunch advocate for students and a sterling colleague,” says SOE Dean Kelly Chandler-Olcott. “He has deep institutional knowledge and has collaborated with our school in numerous capacities over the years. We can’t wait to have him on our team.”

Most recently, Hsiao served as Kent G. Sheng ’78 Associate Dean of Students, Director of the Asian and Asian American Center (A3C) and interim co-director of the Centers for Student Equity, Empowerment and Belonging at Cornell University. As part of his role as the director of the A3C, Hsiao established Elevating Asians, a program supporting students’ personal growth and leadership development. He also re-envisioned and centralized the A3C’s work around Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) Heritage Month.

Before Cornell, Hsiao served at ���ϲ����� for 16 years, most recently as associate director of multicultural affairs and director of the Kessler Scholars Program. In these roles, Hsiao directed the WellsLink Leadership Program, an academic and leadership development initiative for first and second-year students of color; served as the campus lead for the Kessler Scholars Program, a national cohort-based scholarship program for first-generation college students; chaired the planning committee for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month; and facilitated workshops and seminars on issues connected to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and the transition to college.

In his previous role as interim director of the University’s Disability Cultural Center, Hsiao partnered with students, faculty and staff to produce “Cripping” the Comic Con, a symposium exploring representations on disability in popular culture.

Hsiao began his ���ϲ����� career as assistant director of student services, MBA and M.S. Programs, in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, where he provided services and programming for more than 200 graduate students aimed at facilitating students’ academic and professional success.

Before joining the University, Hsiao worked for the Council on International Educational Exchange, including as assistant resident director at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan.  He has also taught English at Nankai University in Tianjin, China.

Hsiao holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and an Asian Studies certificate from the University of Rochester; an MBA from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, Spain); and a Diversity and Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.

In doing so, “” (Routledge, 2024) illustrates how the choral music community journeyed through crisis to rebuild itself in an new era.

Moy will celebrate her new publication on April 3, with a in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Bird Library Room 114, from 4:45 to 6 p.m.

When former American Choral Directors Association Executive Director Tim Sharp learned of Moy’s research, he noted that, “It’ll be interesting, and I think important, to document this. In 10 years, we’ll look back and maybe see more clearly what we were up against and what we did, and hopefully, what we did better and what we lost.”

Moy interviewed more than 40 choral musicians from across the United States and Canada and from a spectrum of contexts: community choruses, professional choirs, children and youth choirs, school choirs and choral organizations.

“T��� singers and directors shared with me what it was like to make choral music during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says . “This book documents these interviews. It was heartbreaking to hear personal stories of what they went through as people, as educators and as musicians. There was a lot of loss.”

When the pandemic emerged in early 2020, the impact on choral music was immediate and devastating. The act of gathering and singing together became a source of contagion and potential severe illness or death.

“Nevertheless, it was inspiring to hear how new ideas came about to help singers overcome during a time when singing was deemed a ‘superspreading’ activity,” says Moy. “’Resurrecting Song’ documents how singing became a source of joy during tragic circumstances. It was wonderful to connect human to human through these stories.”

Documenting both pandemic experiences and the lessons learned from surviving and thriving, Moy’s book showcases the resilience of choral music and helps point the way to new directions for the choral community in the wake of the pandemic.

In their own words, community members share how they banded together to innovate, use technology in new ways and generate changes to practice. Moy also explores how the pandemic caused many directors to realize the need to create a more inclusive place of belonging in their rehearsals, and it provides reflections on the philosophy of singing and creating a choral community.

As Moy puts it, during the challenging months of COVID-19 the subjects of “Resurrecting Song” went from being advocates and educators of choral singing to literally “saving the choral art.”

Join University of Michigan’s Jon M. Wargo for the spring 2024 School of Education Ganders Lecture as he uses case studies to explore sound as a material and a design resource for learning and to explore the cultural politics of noise.

“” will take place on March 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Watson Hall 036. The event is free; Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) will be provided.

is associate professor of educational studies at the University of Michigan’s Marsal Family School of Education. Building on a decade of fieldwork, his scholarship addresses the role of media and technology as it intersects with literacy learning, examines how ingenuity is interpreted in schools and classrooms and leverages young peoples’ differences as a way to understand human sense-making.

Fueled by his experiences as a queer, multi-ethnic, first-generation college graduate and elementary educator, teaching in urban multilingual schools, Wargo’s work is informed by longstanding commitments to educational equity, racial justice, the arts and community activism.

Jon Wargo

“Jon Wargo’s interdisciplinary work and innovative methods engages sound in the context of learning, social interaction and play, and the phenomenology of navigating inequality and silencing,” says Professor , SOE associate dean for research.

In this lecture, Wargo will address the material and political aspects of sound with observations of queer youth navigating the sounds and silences of homophobia, the noise of embodied learning in a Pre-K STEAM unit, and the social interactions of undergraduates engaged in an immersive escape room game.

The remembers Harry S. Ganders, the School of Education’s fourth dean (who oversaw the transformation of the Teachers College into the “All University” School of Education) and his wife. The lecture was established by the Ganders’ daughters and is also supported by alumni and other contributions to the Harry S. and Elva K. Ganders Memorial Fund.

The lecture is co-sponsored by the , , �����Ի� .

“Uyghur Genocide: The Ongoing Efforts for Accountability” takes place on Wednesday, March 6, at 6 p.m. in Watson Hall 036. Details, including how the event can be streamed, are found at .

The panelists will be Babur Ilchi, (UHRP) Program Manager; Elfidar Iltebir, President of the ; and concentration camp survivor Tursunay Ziyawudun. Julie Milsap, UHRP Government Relations Manager, will moderate.

, China began a systematic campaign of human rights abuses against Uyghur and other vulnerable minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region more than a decade ago: “More than one million Uyghurs have been imprisoned in ‘re-education centers’ and subjected to forced labor, torture, rape and sterilization. The United States and other nations have determined that these crimes constitute genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.”

“T��� U.S. is beginning to take action,” says Julia M. White, an associate professor and director of the School of Education’s minor program. “In late 2021, in response to the Uyghur forced labor program in the Xinjiang region, the U.S. Congress passed the , which prohibits importing goods, from textiles to solar panels, from this province. It is a start, but it is also a fraught diplomacy issue. This panel will provide context for and lived experiences of this genocide and the efforts to hold the Chinese government, and the world, accountable for these crimes.”

Supported by Lauri ’77 and Jeffrey Zell ’77, the annual spring atrocity studies lectures convene speakers from disciplines at the intersection of history, memory and international human rights. The lectures fundamentally ask how we can use the lessons of the past to inform and improve our world.

The 2024 lecture is co-sponsored by the following ���ϲ����� departments and programs: citizenship and civic engagement program, College of Law Office of International Programs, Department of History, Department of Political Science, Department of Religion, Humanities Center, Journal of Global Rights and Organizations/Impunity Watch News, Lender Center for Social Justice, Maxwell School social science Ph.D. program, Native American and Indigenous studies, and Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration.

The final round—a pitch competition—occurred Feb. 9 in the Whitman School of Management and was led by Don Carr, professor in the VPA School of Design, and Kai Alexander Patricio G’23, a design consultant at Matchstix in Brooklyn, New York.

.

The students behind “Dialog,” an application to increase a sense of belonging on campus for student with disabilities, won the fast-paced, seven-day No Code Design Sprint competition.

A multidisciplinary team, Dialog consists of Fasika Melese G’18, G’19, a doctoral student in SOE’s instructional design, development and evaluation program; Viha Mashruwala, G’24, a master’s degree student in the School of Information Studies’ applied data science program; Lang Delapa ’24, a senior in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ advertising program; and Sawyer Tardie ’27, a first-year student in the Whitman School of Management.

The Dialog team consulted with students from SOE’s to identify a challenge neurodiverse students face—loneliness. To increase their sense of belonging, the team designed and developed a mobile app to help develop communication skills, including journaling prompts, discussion boards, daily challenges and more.

Honorable mention went to LearSona, a team that developed a working prototype of an app that offers academic content to users in a medium that fits their learning preference, such as visual, textual or kinesthetic.

Other teams pitching their ideas—and developing —w�����:

• Optimal Assessment, an artificial intelligence-powered teaching and assessment “co-pilot” for professors, to tailor course content for different learning preferences;
• Equilearn, a learning platform to address the “pain points” of accessible education; and
• BookTalk, a platform that encourages neurodiverse students to better understand material by sharing learnings with each other.

The Design Sprint began on Feb. 2, with an intensive workshop on no code and inclusive design led by Patricio. The author of “,” Patricio is an expert in regenerative design, inclusive design, interaction design and the development of new digital interfaces.

After the initial workshop, teams assembled to create a minimum viable product for an inclusive product or service that could vie for the pitch competition prize of $500, plus $5,000 in Amazon Web Services credits.

Coaches for the week of intensive idea development were: Samantha Calamari, senior learning experience designer, Microsoft; Quinton Fletchall, senior design researcher, Conifer Research; Max Mirho, content creator, Make with Max; and Andrew Tsao, founder, Codeless Coach.

The competition judges were: Samantha Calamari; Seth Gitner and Adam Peruta ’00, G’04, associate professors in the Newhouse School’s magazine, news and digital journalism program; Aimara Rodriguez, co-founder of Function Wellness; Brenton Strine, co-founder and CTO of Kicky Art; and Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09, co-founder of the innovative design firm EPAM Continuum and Founder of . Joining the hosts as competition sponsors were the and .

In this case, the bear is one “Mr. Smithers.” For the student teachers, Smithers is the fictionalized character—played by a hired actor—they most recently tangled with in a simulated parent-teacher meeting, a belligerent parent challenging a tenth-grade book assignment. For Dotger, he was a real person encountered early in his career, when he was an English teacher in the southeastern United States.

Dotger confesses that he did indeed “poke the bear” and then got “chewed out” by his principal for arguing back at Smithers.

The point of introducing teachers-in-training to this challenging scenario in a low-stakes environment is so that they can learn skills and strategies to cope: how to read body language, recognize overly aggressive arguments, maintain authority and professionalism, keep cool under pressure, and communicate with superiors. But also how to empathize with a parent and understand when natural concern for their child is valid.

Clinical simulations involve different methods of student reflection. Here Professor Ben Dotger debriefs EDU 304 students immediately after a scenario. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

Really Quite Mild

Smithers is the proud parent of “Allison,” a straight A student, on the honor roll, active in 4H and Girl Scouts, a future nurse, and, according to dad, with the potential to “change the world.”

The book in question is “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse, which Dotger notes is “really quite mild.” Nevertheless, Smithers objects to its references to female body parts and prostitution. He complains that the teacher is “peddling smut” and that the English class, or at least his daughter, should be given an alternative text.

“What’s a one-word descriptor for Smithers?” Dotger queries. “Aggressive,” “passionate,” “conservative,” the students volunteer. But the challenges of this simulation are less about the parent’s moral, religious or political beliefs and more about book censorship, a challenged curriculum and a teacher’s authority.

Human data on EDU 304 students is being collected by Falk College students to ascertain the stresses role-playing professional interactions have on teacher candidates, part of a National Science Foundation grant. In this photo, students familiarize themselves with the data collection equipment. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

General reflection continues. The logic of a future nurse not being allowed to read a book referencing female body parts is not lost on the students. Dotger notes that the rooms used for this simulation had to be separated more than usual because of all the yelling involved. With a smile, doctoral student and graduate assistant Julie Harnett tells the class she encountered much the same scenario 10 years ago.

One difference now is that students from the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics collected heart rate, breathing rate and other data from the teacher candidates to ascertain how they reacted objectively to the stressful Smithers encounter after weeks of practice with less contentious scenarios.

The semester-long data collection is part of a National Science Foundation grant—“”—that provides STEM-focused undergraduates with hands-on training on how to collect, analyze and communicate human data gathered from clinical simulation subjects.

The hypothesis is that the teacher candidates should be calmer during Smithers—despite the yelling—than they were earlier in the semester, when they were new to one-on-one professional interactions.

It’s the Bear

During the second half of the reflections class, students share with their peers two or three video clips of their encounters, asking what might have been done differently.

Andrew is first up. He observes that he started out adamant that he wasn’t going to provide Allison with an alternative text. “That didn’t quite work out,” he admits, as he prepares to share his first clip.

After the parent’s opening gambit to Andrew—that he is “peddling smut”—Dotger interjects: “Smithers is clearly wrong!” He waits for the class to take the bait on that comment. “He’s bringing politics into it,” “He’s claiming to speak for his household,” “He hasn’t read the book!” they say. That last comment is almost certainly true, but Dotger notes that Smithers hasn’t said anything “strikingly egregious.”

He adds, “it’s not our place to tell a parent how to raise a child in his or her own household.”

A second clip. This time, while Andrew is attempting to be civil, Smithers suddenly says, “Have you got any authority in your classroom, or is someone pulling your strings?!” The class groans and laughs. It’s the bear. “If someone pokes at you, how do you respond?” asks Dotger. “I took the Smithers bait when I was a teacher, but cooler heads prevail.”

Educational clinical simulations involve one-on-one professional interactions between a teacher-in-training and an actor role-playing a parent, colleague, or other character. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

Call the Ball

It’s Carrie’s turn to share clips. She confesses, “I get so scared in simulations that I don’t know how to start a conversation.” The problem she identifies for her first clip is that her Smithers “just crossed his arms and stared at me.” She asks her classmates to suggest how the conversation could have opened better. “If he’s going to be immature, just let it roll off you;” “Quiet angry is worse than loud angry,” her classmates say.

Dotger asks his GA to play Carrie’s first clip again with the sound off: “Why am I going to give credit for the way she approaches the parent?” Now we can see more clearly how Carrie is leaning across the table with her arms out, while Smithers sits grumpily back in his chair. Light bulbs go on: “Her body language shows she is trying to reach out;” “She has not ceded any space.”

Carrie’s second clip brings up an opposite problem. “How did you guys get him out the door?” she asks. “I didn’t know how to end the meeting!”

Some students laugh when they recall how their scenarios concluded: “Mine ended with a circular discussion;” “Smithers said he wanted to talk to my principal, and I said, ‘OK!'” “Mine went on so long that Professor Dotger had to come in and say it’s over!”

“One challenge of this profession is when to make a call,” observes Dotger.

He tells the class that at one time he wanted to be a Navy pilot on an aircraft carrier—“I thought that was cool”—hence the analogy he uses to explain that it’s the teacher who should end the encounter, using their authority: “When the conversation gets ugly or circular, call the ball. Land that plane.”

Jacques Safari Mwayaona

Combining his background in instructional design with an understanding of diversity and inclusion, Universal Design for Learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Jacques Safari Mwayaona G’22 is making a name for himself in the field of educational development.

A Faculty Development Fellow in the University’s (CTLE) and a graduate of the School of Education’s , recently Mwayaona received double recognition from The Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education, or . He also presented two sessions on student-faculty partnerships at the November 2023 POD Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Include Everyone

Mwayaona’s first award is the , named for a former POD Network president and awarded to educational development professionals for “their accomplishments to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their work” and for promoting the integration of DEI into teaching strategies.

Mwayaona humbly suggested his second award—a Graduate Student, Professional Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Development (GPPD) , with similar membership and stipend benefits as the fellowship—be offered to someone else. The committee suggested a compromise. Mwayaona would keep his award, but the benefits could go to another: “Keeping me on the award list allows me to mentor new GPPD awardees for years to come.”

The POD Network awards committees had noticed and rewarded Mwayaona’s work with CTLE that is helping students become active participants in their learning process, an initiative known as .

“My work is about building faculty-student partnerships that empower students to share their perspectives,” Mwayaona says. “Normally, a professor has all the power when producing knowledge, but when students have a say, they can participate in the knowledge creation process by actively sharing with the faculty what is helping them learn and what is not.” For instance, Mwayaona says, students may suggest new strategies that motivate them to learn that the faculty can try out.

Moreover, empowering students and establishing a power-sharing dynamic in the classroom is an equitable practice that increases diversity and inclusion because it allows every student the opportunity to share their perspectives and be heard, “making it easier for faculty to include everyone and make the classroom cultural responsive,” Mwayaona says.

Harnessing the Power

Mwayaona observes that a master’s degree in instructional design was a strong launching pad for his burgeoning career in educational development, saying, “It helped me learn how to integrate technology to improve learning effectively.”

The latest technology to change the educational landscape is AI, which Mwayaona and his CTLE colleagues are introducing to faculty through .”We are helping faculty embrace AI, harnessing the power of the tool but at the same time not putting the learning process in danger,” he says.

Understanding AI is its own learning process for instructors, observes Mwayaona, who recently earned a certificate in Designing and Building AI from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“As AI was being introduced, people were afraid of it, mostly because they didn’t understand it and because media coverage fueled fear,” Mwayaona says. “Now some professors are integrating AI fully into their classrooms, but others are still cautious about the harm it can do. They really want to understand how it works. If we continue to have these interdisciplinary conversations on AI across campus, I think it will help to lower anxiety.”

Mwayaona says there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to integrating AI. “Its use depends on the subject you are teaching or the domain you are in. Literature professors won’t use AI the same way as those in architecture. … Our suggestion to faculty is to focus on and adapt the learning objectives and students’ learning process rather than the final results.,” Mwayaona says, adding that one way AI is disrupting college learning is through its ability to produce quick results from a short prompt.

In other words, AI is getting better at producing a final result.

Instead, Mwayaona suggests, AI could be embraced as a starting point of inquiry. “Say you are writing a paper on the French Revolution—multiple authors and texts can be summarized by AI so that the student can then go on to generate their own ideas.”

AI Is Not Magic

Turning to another of his professional interests, Mwayaona says one benefit of AI is its potential to promote (UDL).

UDL takes into account multiple ways people learn, engage and express themselves. “It can be difficult for instructors to account for all students,” says Mwayaona. “If you really want learning to get better, it should be adapted to the needs of each student. AI can help build that adaptive content.”

At the same time, Mwayaona urges caution: “AI is not magic. We must build guardrails so it does not harm the student.”

“AI is not magic. We must build guardrails so it does not harm the student.”

—Jacques Safari Mwayaona G’22

One of AI’s notable flaws is bias, which has been described as AI’s “” or even “.” “AI brings a lot of bias along with it because of the way it consumes available training data,” says Mwayaona. “We know that data contains a lot of bias, and when AI learns from a biased dataset, it can include it in its algorithm.”

Because AI can throw out —e����� —results, its work and the data it relies on must be well-curated. “So when people ask me if AI is replacing jobs, one answer is to say that we still need controls on what AI produces, as well as people to check it, on top of other opportunities AI brings,” Mwayaona says.

Learn more about the School of Education’s , or contact Professor Moon-Heum Cho at mhcho@syr.edu or 315.443.5259.

The deadline to of both groups is Jan. 29. Meetings are held on Saturday afternoons (1 to 3 p.m. for the book club; 3 to 5 p.m. for the Marigold Arts Group) at the Southside Communications Center, 2331 South Salina St., ���ϲ�����, starting Feb. 24. Space is limited to 15 participants, ages 13 to 17. All programming and materials are free, and snacks are provided.

The Breedlove Readers book club was formed in 2020 by , assistant professor of educational leadership in the School of Education, and , associate provost for strategic initiatives and Distinguished Dean’s Professor of Literacy, Race and Justice in the School of Education. The club combines Mauldin’s and Haddix’s love of books with a mentorship model that also explores social, political and personal topics.

Books selected reflect an array of Black girl experiences that resonate with its young members. Topics—including body positivity, identity formation, navigating high school, community change and social activism—are explored through dialogue, writing and art creation that will be showcased in an exhibition on April 26 at CNY Arts.

To learn more about The Breedlove Readers, email thebreedlovereaders@gmail.com or call 734.358.4611.

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Locally, the ���ϲ����� City School District (SCSD) is similarly challenged, but a new partnership with the (SOE) and aims to address this dilemma.

People With a Passion

���ϲ����� has become that latest school district to join the , administered jointly by SOE and the Maxwell School. , the program recruits teacher candidates who are committed to teaching underserved populations and from populations that are underrepresented in local classrooms.

When joining the program, students choose to take one of SOE’s and are offered a hiring commitment by a program partner, subject to a school’s needs and a student’s successful program completion. In addition to ���ϲ�����, other Baldanza program partners are the Baldwinsville, Jamesville-DeWitt and West Genesee school districts.

“Retirements, the typical turnover of an urban school district and the fact that fewer candidates are entering college teacher preparation programs equal the shortages we are seeing,” says Scott Persampieri, SCSD chief human resources officer, noting that his school district typically needs to hire between 200 and 300 teachers per year.

“We have been struggling to find certified teachers,” says Jeannie Aversa G’13, SCSD executive director of recruitment, selection and retention. “There is a teacher shortage due to members of the baby boom generation retiring early, and the coronavirus pandemic didn’t help.”

She adds, “We are looking for people with a passion for urban education. If people have that passion, they will stay longer.”

Go For It

Jasmine Manuel ’21, G’23 was among the first fellows to graduate from the Baldanza program. A ���ϲ����� native who attended Henninger High School, she notes that program applicants essentially interview twice: “Once you sign up, you have a kind of hiring interview with school districts, as well as an interview with the School of Education.”

For Jasmine Manuel, the Baldanza program “was a surprising opportunity” and an offer so good, at first she didn’t believe it was real.

A human development and family sciences graduate from the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, as a Baldanza fellow Manuel joined SOE’s and received a hiring commitment from Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District, where she did her student teaching and where she now works as a fourth grade teacher.

Manuel admits that the Baldanza program benefits are so good, she thought the offer might not be real.

“I was working as a teaching assistant at Henninger, aiding a visually impaired student,” she says. “The Baldanza program was a surprising opportunity. I wasn’t planning on going for a master’s degree, but then I saw an email about it. My supervisor is getting a certificate of advanced study from the School of Education, so I asked him if the offer was real. He said it was, and that I should go for it.”

Manuel says she enjoyed her mentored student teaching experience at Jamesville-DeWitt. “I learned a lot that way. You hear a lot about theory in the graduate classroom, but it’s different when you do it in your own classroom. You learn what works and what doesn’t,” she says.

All Students Benefit

One of three teachers of color in her school building, Manuel notes that she was a good fit for her school district because of its increasing diversity. “Jamesville-DeWitt has expanded its English Language Learner (ELL) program to all three elementary schools,” she says, “so now students and staff are seeing a highly diverse student population coming in.”

Reflecting on the district’s diversity, Aversa observes that her student population speaks 80 different languages, so ELL is one of the high needs areas into which SCSD is recruiting—”we need teachers who know strategies to work with English as a New Language students”—along with other high needs subjects, such as math, science and special education.

Aversa agrees with national data illustrating that teachers of color and culturally responsive teaching are linked to for students, saying, “Kids will see who they are trying to be, so representation in the classroom matters. The Baldanza Fellows program encourages the recruitment of BIPOC teachers so students can see people who look like them, but all children benefit from a diverse body of teachers.”

The Baldanza Fellows program encourages the recruitment of BIPOC teachers so students can see people who look like them, but all children benefit from a diverse body of teachers.

—Jeannie Aversa G’13

“We know that there is a significant discrepancy between the diversity of the student body and the teaching force. That is true nationally, regionally and it’s certainly true for ���ϲ����� schools,” says Professor G’01, G’07, G’08, director of SOE’s , who oversees the programs along with Professor . “Students benefit from education that is culturally responsive and sustaining, and they benefit from being educated by teachers who make them feel connected to their cultures and communities, and who can provide outstanding role models.”

Continues Ashby, “It’s equally important for white students to be educated by teachers of color, if we want all students to understand inclusive environments. All students benefit from exposure to diverse experiences, cultures and identities.”

Right, Important and Just

Ashby says she is thrilled to have SCSD join the Baldanza Fellows program: “The time and opportunity are right for them to join. After all, ���ϲ����� is our home, and we feel close to ���ϲ����� city schools. Doing this work with them feels right, important and just.”

Pitching their case as an employer, Persampieri cites teachers’ job satisfaction: “A lot of people go into the teaching profession to serve and to make a difference. Few professions have this level of satisfaction, and that’s especially true of an urban district.”

For Aversa, the pitch is two-fold—diversity and professional support. “Our kids deserve people who want to be here and who have a desire to serve a high-poverty urban setting. Our diversity is one of the positive things we offer,” she says. “Plus, new teachers are supported in many ways, and they will learn and grow with seasoned professionals by their side.”

Similarly, mentorship is a key feature of the Baldanza program, along with a tuition scholarship, a stipend to support living expenses and the hiring commitment.

“My host teachers were very good,” says Manuel, recalling her classroom immersion. “They explained a lot about the students to me. They explained about their likes and dislikes, their quirks and what gets them motivated—these are details you don’t necessarily go over in a theory class.”

Adds Manuel, “As a new teacher, all the supports I had as a Baldanza Fellow are still with me.”

Learn more about the , or contact Speranza Migliore, assistant director of graduate admissions in SOE, at smiglior@syr.edu or 315.443.2505 for more information.

InclusiveU students meet prospective employers at the spring 2023 “reverse job fair” in downtown ���ϲ�����.

The School of Education’s Center on Disability and Inclusion has been awarded a five-year, $1.7 million New York State Education Department (NYSED) Core Rehabilitation Services contract to support individuals with disabilities interested in obtaining, maintaining or advancing in employment.

The contract is administered through NYSED’s (ACCES-VR) program.

The agreement will enable to continue and enhance two initiatives it already offers to students, youth, and adults with disabilities. Firstly, CDI provides no-cost (Pre-ETS) for students with disabilities in Central New York aged 14 to 21, including career and college exploration and training on workplace readiness and self-advocacy. Currently, CDI serves more than 300 students through Pre-ETS each year.

In addition to Pre-ETS services, the contract also includes services that will provide increased support to InclusiveU students participating in the initiative’s internship program, traditionally done in a student’s senior year.

InclusiveU brings students with intellectual disability to ���ϲ����� for a full college experience, including inclusive living, inclusive coursework, and career exploration and development. The additional employment support services will enable job coaching mentors to be used directly by students at their internship sites and work experience training to support career development prior to graduation. Each year, approximately 15 InclusiveU students complete an internship.

“T��� and InclusiveU are excited about the expansion of supports and resources we are able to offer students and individuals with disabilities with the ACCES-VR contract,” says InclusiveU Director . “We are looking forward to partnering with ACCES-VR in a renewed way to continue strengthening and improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities on campus and in our community.”

The CritQuant Research Forum meets in person and online in October 2023.

Critical Quantitative Theory seeks to disrupt the traditional dichotomy between quantitative and qualitative research methods, with the former typically assumed to be more rigorous and suited to “hard” sciences and the latter seen as more subjective and better suited for use with critical theoretical perspectives. By disrupting this dichotomy, CritQuant—sometimes called QuantCrit—seeks to use data and statistics in a more equitable way, arguing that by doing so, it might become a useful and more racially just method of examining social justice questions.

Introduced in a 2018 Race Ethnicity and Education journal article—“”—this method calls on education researchers to explore inequity by examining data sets and statistics through critical analytical frameworks, such as critical race theory (CRT), intersectionality and feminism.

At the School of Education, an interdisciplinary team of faculty and graduate students has been meeting twice a month—since spring 2023—as the Critical Quantitative Research Forum. Among its original members are , associate professor of reading and language arts; , associate professor of higher education; , associate professor of counseling and human services; , associate professor of quantitative research methodology; , associate professor of teaching and leadership; and doctoral student ParKer Bryant, a Lender Center for Social Justice Fellow.

Change and Possibility

“T���re is a primacy to quantitative data because it is seen as objective, so its findings have a privileged status,” says Professor Johnson. “Some people tend to trust quantitative data and see it as more valid than qualitative research methods, such as ethnographies, interviews or case studies.”

One reason for this paradigm, explains Johnson, is that in qualitative research, the researcher is the “instrument” that gathers data, through an interview or by analyzing texts “as opposed to a quantitative instrument, such as a survey that is analyzed by software.” Thus, the quantitative researcher is assumed to be impartial and their experiences or beliefs irrelevant. That assumption has sometimes cloaked biased research and conclusions, as with the widely criticized 1994 study .

“If quantitative research is the privileged approach, then it needs to be transformed if we are going to work toward equity,” Johnson says. “We can’t put all the work of addressing critical equity questions on qualitative researchers, so how can we use statistics to tell the story of social justice, point out inequities and put forward ideas of change and possibility that illuminate and address structural inequalities? I’ve been thinking about this since I was a grad student.”

A Challenging Space

As a current doctoral student, Bryant is researching the impact of academic language on creative thought. It’s a topic traditionally suited to qualitative methods, such as interviews, surveys and ethnography, she says. However, she became interested in CritQuant “because I wanted to explore my research question thoroughly. I’m already familiar with qualitative research, but I want to understand quantitative methods such as linear and advanced statistical models. There’s no reason not to know quantitative models.”

The research forum is collegial, Bryant observes. “What I tell my friends is that faculty really want to be there, so it feels as if you are having high intellectual conversation among colleagues. It’s a challenging space.”

Bryant was invited by the faculty members to join an internal grant project that continues the forum’s work.

“How Can Educational Inequities Caused by Racial Wealth Gap Be Reduced? A Critical Quantitative Analysis of Individual, Home, and School” is using quantitative methods to examine whether individual or institutional-level factors have a greater influence on “the mediated relationships among socioeconomic status, opportunity to learn and students’ learning outcomes.”

“This study aims to contribute to advancing quantitative methods in educational research using the CritQuant framework based on critical race theory and intersectionality,” writes principal investigator Jang. “We believe that educational scholars would benefit from our work in considering CritQuant as a racially just method.”

Peeling Back Assumptions

Given her scholarly work focuses on the effects of campus climate on the sense of belonging of students of color in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, Johnson is well-situated to critique the quantitative vs. qualitative dichotomy.

The reason why qualitative research is appropriate for answering questions of social justice is that “it can tap into communities the way that other research can’t, by asking about lived experiences or centering marginalized and minoritized voices,” she says.

Conversely, quantitative research is seen as not amenable to social justice work because statistics can be used to advance and explain non-equitable conclusions, as in “The Bell Curve.” “T��� history and restrictions of quantitative methods are seen as having limited value in an equity agenda. Folks like myself, trained in quantitative methods, are trying to figure out ways to use statistical research methods within critical frameworks such as CRT.”

One technique to make quantitative research more equity-minded—“positionality”—dispenses with the idea that the researcher is impartial. “CritQuant forces researchers to position themselves in the research and asks them to consider their biases and subjectivity,” Johnson says. “Research questions arise from somewhere, after all.”

Johnson says her research interests often return her to when she was director of minority student affairs at Worcester (Massachusetts) Polytechnic Institute, supporting Black, Latinx and Indigenous students. “That experience created lots of questions for me, and I often think back to the challenges my students had,” Johnson says.

“My experiences as a Black woman working at primarily white institutions frames where I’m coming from in my research, and CritQuant makes me reckon with that,” Johnson says. “Qualitative researchers are expected to do this work, so why aren’t quantitative researchers expected to do the same? We encourage our doctoral students to write out their positionality in their research design, in order to peel back assumptions of unbias and objectivity.”

Structures and Systems

Another technique is embedded in the CritQuant forum’s grant project and speaks directly to why the method has the power to transform educational research.

“Quantitative research often can situate deficits on the people being studied, whereas CritQuant research can be used to examine structures,” says Johnson. “In other words, we’ve spent a lot of time trying to fix the student, but critical quantitative research has the power to examine whether outcome differences might be environmental or institutional. Maybe we don’t need to fix the student but instead look at fixing the structures and systems.”

As education graduate students ask more questions about how to integrate CritQuant into their research topics, the research forum is becoming a space where faculty can share their own experiences and challenges, such as how to use quantitative methods with subject groups that are small in number or how to incentivize participation ethically.

“I research groups that are already minoritized on campuses,” Johnson says, “so when researching campus climate, I have to be able to overcome survey fatigue and build relationships in order to ask questions about racism and sexism. There is an extra labor required on the part of the researcher.”

Johnson sums up the work of the research forum as enacting the “critical” part of Critical Quantitative Theory. “It’s exciting to engage with faculty and graduate students in an informal way to sort that out.”

Believed to be the first fully integrated inclusive program offered at a research university, successful graduates receive New York State initial teacher certification in both Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) and Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6).

In 1998, two professors decided to take the school’s inclusive teacher preparation curriculum a step further. Paula Kluth and Diana Straut designed together and then team taught a general education preparation course in combination with a special education course.

The idea behind these combined classes was so that teachers-in-training could learn how to adapt—or differentiate—general education content for students with disabilities, thus supporting all students in the general classroom and training novice teachers to facilitate inclusion.

So successful has been this shared class and team teaching model that it continues to this day, now led in most semesters by Professor (EED 336: Social Studies Curriculum and Methods) and Professor (SPE 324: Differentiation for Inclusive Education). Reflecting on a quarter century of the shared class model, Theoharis and Myers explain how it works and what its advantages are.

Professor George Theoharis (standing, left) and Professor Beth Myers continue the School of Education’s inclusive tradition of combining and team teaching a social studies teaching preparation course with a special education preparation course.

Myers: Students sign up for both of our classes together in a block with other classes and a field experience. Typically, they come to my class in the morning, then to George’s class in the afternoon, except the times when we co-teach both classes at the same time. Both classes share readings, assignments, midterms, lesson planning and field experiences. Across the semester, students do four weeks of intensive university classroom study two to three times a week before going into the field. Then they come back to campus for presentations and more lesson planning work. After that, they go into the field again.

Theoharis: Going back to the ’90s, the original thought behind this team-teaching model for teacher preparation was that, if the School of Education was going to be a leader in inclusive education with a dual certification—so that graduates are equipped to teach both general and special education—then our students ought to experience inclusion in action. Within this block, students get to learn special education strategies and tie that into the social studies content area. All the while, they experience two professors modeling collaboration and co-teaching, something our graduates will have to do in their schools.

Myers: If I’m teaching inclusive practices, then I need content to show the students how you differentiate it for students with disabilities. Our students look at the social studies content and learn to make it relevant for all learners—how to make it accessible and how to modify it. Ultimately, I’m teaching how to differentiate content for any subject and for all aspects of a classroom or even of a school. That even means how to ensure lunch, recess and extracurricular activities are accessible for all students and their families. Social studies is a great content fit for us because it is in that curriculum that we learn about diversity, including disability, and how to consider a wide range of cultures.

Theoharis: My background isn’t in special education, but co-teaching with Beth has forced me to be more special education fluent, which is of course something we want our students to be.

Myers: And I feel the same way about social studies, learning from George how to teach that content and good pedagogical practices. We are learning from each other.

Theoharis: I think our courses have gotten better and better over the years because we do them together. Beth and I meet and discuss about what we have done—along with our doctoral students who help us in the classroom—and if we did something by accident that really worked, we’ll discuss that and decide whether to keep doing it.

Myers: It’s all pretty meta! We’re teaching about co-teaching by co-teaching. It’s important for students to see collaboration in practice and then to take it with them into the classroom.

Theoharis (left) and Myers

Theoharis: This model is something pretty special about the School of Education. We led the nation in dual certification and other colleges followed suit. But I don’t know of many teacher preparation programs that co-teach a general education and inclusive education methods class, and not just for one class sessions or for a couple of student cohorts.

Our co-teaching embeds general education content and inclusive education content for an entire semester, and we have maintained this commitment for 25 years. It reinforces the core values of the school—our commitment to inclusive education and the idea that general and special education do not have to be separated. Thanks to our program, students feel like they have lived through inclusion. They see that it’s possible.

Chelsea Bouldin

School of Education doctoral student and University Fellow Chelsea Bouldin has been awarded an Imagining America (IA) Publicly Active Graduate Education (PAGE) fellowship for the 2023-24 academic year.

for publicly engaged graduate students across humanities, arts and design. The program encourages public scholarship, fosters a national, interdisciplinary community of peer scholars, and creates opportunities for collaboration, networking and mentorship.

An engaged scholar, Bouldin is student lead for the , which builds community among graduate students who self-identify as Black, Indigenous or other persons of color; a graduate student representative on the School of Education Committee on Diversity; and a former Graduate Student Coordinator. Her research interests include Afro-futurist literature, as exemplified by the science fiction writer Octavia Butler.

As an IA PAGE Fellow, Bouldin will attend the in Providence, Rhode Island, including a pre-conference IA fellows orientation and a lightning-round discussion of her scholarship during the conference. She also will meet monthly with her cohort of eight fellows from across the United States during the year. “I’m excited to work in this way. These meetings will be a chance for us to workshop our scholarship and discuss specific topics of our choosing,” says Bouldin. “As I began studying engaged humanities work more formally, I realized the extensive overlap between the values of this fellowship and the dissertation project work I am developing. It felt organic for me to apply for this fellowship, and I am truly honored to be in such an intellectual community-oriented space.”

Also receiving a 2023-24 IA fellowship is College of Visual and Performing Arts undergraduate Rayan Mohamed ’26, a student in the Higher Education Opportunity Program, part of the School of Education’s t.

SOE’s (CDI) will assist Creative’s implementation of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded, $25 million, five-year All Children Succeeding initiative, which supports Uzbekistan’s mandate to improve teacher and paraprofessional inclusive education training. The consortium will help to revise education materials, update the national curriculum and enhance educational access for all students, including those with disabilities.

Sara Jo Soldovieri with local school students in Uzbekistan

Principal investigators Professor G’01, G’07, G’08 and Professor , executive director of the , will work on the initiative’s inclusive educator preparation. One project will address pre-service training for teachers and paraprofessionals in support of improved inclusive education for all children. Doctoral candidate Sara Jo Soldovieri ’18, G’19 supported the SOE team in the co-creation phase of the grant, meeting with USAID and local partners in Uzbekistan in June 2023.

To this end, CDI will audit disability-related programs, courses and certification requirements; develop inclusive curricula, syllabi and courses; create inclusive practicums and student teacher placements; prepare inclusive higher education faculty who can educate future teachers; and develop toolkits for use in inclusive schools that encompass Universal Design for Learning and assistive technologies.

Additionally, CDI will help develop a structure and process for individualized support plans for students with disabilities, prepare teachers and staff to manage these plans and strategize inclusive teaching and learning materials, including high tech (such as speech recognition and text-to-speech software) and low tech (such as adaptive writing tools and noise canceling headphones) options.

“We are excited to collaborate with Creative and the other partners to improve educational access and outcomes for students with disabilities in Uzbekistan,” says Ashby. “We will focus our efforts on in-service and pre-service teacher preparation to ensure that educators have the knowledge, skills and dispositions to educate ALL children, including students with disabilities who have been historically marginalized. We are grateful to USAID for recognizing the importance of this work.”

, Uzbekistan’s education system has historically followed a teacher-centered, textbook-driven model where all students are expected to learn the same material at the same pace, leaving little room for diverse engagement strategies.

“We are hearing from the people of Uzbekistan that they want more inclusive schools,” says Myers. “We are excited that their government has set a goal that 51% of their schools will be inclusive by 2025, and they are asking for support and collaboration on these efforts. ���ϲ����� has a long history of working on deinstitutionalization and school inclusion, and we’re thrilled to expand that work into new spaces and with new partners.”

Joining Creative and CDI to help Uzbekistan reach its inclusive and equitable education goals are , an Uzbekistani advocacy organization for people with disabilities; , an Uzbekistani civil society and development group; and the , which will provide expertise in learning assessments and English language learning.

True, when you enter the library of Roberts PreK-8 School in the ���ϲ����� City School District (SCSD), you see third- and fourth-grade students sitting at the low tables with graduate students. But in addition to picture books, there are computers, notebooks and even drawing paper. The children are allowed to take breaks in the adjoining playground, and colorful, hand-drawn posters adorn the walls.

It might be more appropriate to call this a “literacy camp,” says School of Education (SOE) Professor , who oversees the clinic and the master’s degree students gaining experience in it.

Literacy clinic graduate students guide third and fourth graders through a research project at Roberts PreK-8 School in the ���ϲ����� City School District. (Photo by Randy Pellis)

Reinforce the Lessons

Why a “camp” and not a “clinic”? For one, it uses a community-based model rather than a commercial or medical one. That is, instead of parents paying tuition and board to send their children to campus for reading intervention, this program is part of Roberts’ Summer School activities. Students take other classes during the day and receive free breakfast and lunch.

Secondly, rather than relying solely on phonics and decoding, the summer program “is an intermediate, asset- and inquiry-based program focused not only on comprehension but also digital reading, writing and research skills,” says Jang.

The program offers two sessions a day across three weeks in late summer. In the first session, third and fourth graders are encouraged to research a topic that interests them, guided by the graduate students toward a creative synthesis of material through a process of reading, analysis and synthesis of printed materials and age-appropriate internet research. This approach adheres to state and national literacy standards, says Jang.

The first session culminates in early August with the students presenting what they have learned in front of their peers, using PowerPoint, posters or even video and podcasts. “Publishing is important for literacy learning,” Jang says. “Sharing what is read and discussed helps reinforce the lessons and strengthen social interactions.”

Gaining Independence

The graduate students are working toward an M.S. in literacy education (birth-Grade 12), which leads to initial and professional New York state teacher certification in literacy education (birth to Grade 6 and Grades 5-12). The summer clinic is the final course of a one-year, three-semester program (there is also a two-year, part-time option).

“Because this is a student-centered, inquiry-based program, the teachers must do a lot of work, with thorough planning and implementation of reading and writing strategies, to help students gain independence,” says Jang, adding that many of the graduates will go on to become literacy coaches or interventionists.

After the early morning session ends, around 10:30 a.m., it is the turn of seventh and eighth graders. The second session offers a different tutoring model, again overseen by Jang and his assistants, Ibrahim Kizil, a reading and language arts doctoral candidate, and alumni Kaitlyn Ertl G’21, a third-grade teacher at Chestnut Hill Elementary in the Liverpool Central School District, and Midheta Mujak G’21, an English as a New Language (ENL) teacher at Nottingham High School (SCSD).

Like the younger children, these older students are still guided in reading and research, but this time two graduate students sit at the table with them: One is the trainee tutor and the other is the tutor’s peer observer/coach. “Team teaching is part of the state standards to be a literacy coach,” says Jang. “Literacy coaches need to know how to collaborate and coach other teachers.”

Literacy clinic student and budding artist Maria shows off her research on how to draw hands and eyes. Research and presentation are critical elements for advanced literacy instruction. (Photo by Randy Pellis)

Self-Motivated

“I like working closely with my peer coach. She helps me to grow,” says Tuyet Nguyen, who graduated from the literacy master’s degree program in August 2023, after the Summer Literacy Clinic wrapped up. “In my school, I only get observed twice a year.”

An ENL tutor at H.W. Smith Pre-K-8 School (SCSD), Nguyen says she chose the program so she could help her students learn to read. “Many of them speak fluent English, but they can’t read,” she says, explaining that her undergraduate degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages emphasized decoding language rather than literacy.

The SOE graduate degree, she says, compliments her knowledge as well as her original certification, for teaching kindergarten through 12th grade. Moreover, the program’s inquiry-based approach compliments her understanding of literacy as “not just about language but also about understanding content.”

In the morning session, Nguyen tutors Maria. Born outside the U.S., Maria is a bright fourth-grade ENL student and a budding artist whose research interest is how to draw hands and eyes. Nugyen says she immediately connected with Maria because she too was born in another country—Vietnam—and didn’t learn to speak or read English fluently until after she immigrated, at age 10.

“Maria speaks a different language at home, and she has learned to read by memorization rather than decoding,” Nguyen says. “Like other kids, she needs breaks and benefits from different approaches, but she is very enthusiastic and energetic. She’s self-motivated.”

Shy at first, by the end of the three-week session, Nguyen says she and Maria were joking together. One particular student-centered research technique seemed to work well. “When she asked a question about her research, I pretended not to know,” says Nguyen. “Maria said, ‘But you’re the teacher!’ She can be afraid to make mistakes, but instead of telling her the answer, we researched together so that I could direct her toward it. That took the pressure off her.”

Although posters of Maria’s research and practice drawings are taped on the walls, for her final presentation she chose PowerPoint slides. “She did great,” says Nguyen. “Maria is growing as a student in her own way. She’s becoming more confident.”

‘Really Wonderful’

Jang notes that the Summer Literacy Clinic is one of several community-based literary services offered by the School of Education. It is joined by at Elmcrest Children’s Center, a literacy and creativity program that empowers youth to share their stories, developed by Associate Provost , and the , directed by Professor Another program is SOE’s Spring Reading Clinic, which offers explicit, phonics-based literacy intervention using the Road to Reading program.

Jang praises SCSD’s literacy partnership with the School and University—“T���y have really been wonderful in supporting us”—citing a July 2023 Literacy Summit as another example of how the SCSD and University are working together to improve reading in the district and train diverse literacy coaches.

Led by Haddix at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, the summit featured SOE Dean and Mauldin, who discussed SOE’s literacy initiatives. Also speaking were SCSD representatives (presenting on the “Landscape of Literacy Education in ���ϲ�����”) and the University’s Shaw Center for Community Engagement . Part of America Reads, the Corps sends more than 200 reading tutors into the community each year.

Project Inclusive, Multicultural, Multilingual, Effective and Responsive Special Education (IMMERSE) aims to prepare up to 14 doctoral-level special education professors and educational leaders through a multi-university partnership. These students will gain expertise in inclusive, culturally-sustaining, effective educational practices with the goal of improving outcomes for diverse students with disabilities, both in high-needs schools and minority-serving institutions. Together, this doctoral cohort will represent a new collaborative consortium of diverse scholars in the field of inclusive special education.

Christine Ashby, director of the School of Education’s Center on Disability and Inclusion

Project IMMERSE is led by SOE professor G’01, G’07, G’08, director of the . Ashby is joined by co-principal investigators, SOE professor , executive director of the ; SOE professor G’05, G’07; professors Allison Nannemann, Sarah Carlson and Yen Pham of the University of New Mexico; and SOE alumni professors Casey Woodfield G’10, G’16, Michelle Damiani G’05, G’14, G’19 and Brent Elder G’14, G’16 of Rowan University.

“Project IMMERSE is well positioned to address a of both special education faculty in institutions of higher education and highly qualified pre-K-12 special education teachers, especially with expertise to meet the needs of diverse students with disabilities,” Ashby says. “Through our consortium with Rowan University and the University of New Mexico, this cohort-based project will prepare much-needed and highly qualified leaders with specialization in culturally and linguistically responsive inclusive instruction, interventions and services.”

The project addresses a current critical need for special education teachers at a time when there are and more than 100,000 teaching positions filled by underqualified personnel. This shortage means school districts across the country are relying on uncertified teachers to fill classrooms. Of the approximately 109,000 uncertified teachers, around 5,800 are special education teachers.

At the same time, although demand for special education teachers is expected to increase in the next decade, an unprecedented shortage of special education professors nationwide has led to ready to assume special education faculty and leadership positions.

Moreover, research indicates that current educators in special education roles , with only 18% being teachers of color. Similarly, the makeup of special education faculty and doctoral students is overwhelmingly white and female. Yet almost half of students with disabilities are students of color.

“This is a concerning reality demonstrating that students benefit from having teachers who represent their own identities,” says Ashby.

To counter this disparity, Project IMMERSE will feature a multifaceted recruitment and mentoring process guided by experienced faculty across the three partner universities. Students’ shared academic experiences will emphasize culturally responsive and inclusive instructional practices, while also conducting research into high-needs, diverse communities.

“My colleagues and I are thrilled to be part of this multi-university partnership and contribute to diversifying the field of special education leaders,” Woodfield says. “As three SOE alumni, professor Damiani, professor Elder and I consider this partnership to be an example of the generative possibilities that can grow out of sustained collaboration and shared commitments to cultivating intersectional, culturally sustaining, and inclusive experiences across all facets of schooling. We look forward to working alongside Project IMMERSE doctoral scholars.”

Part of the World Association of Lesson Studies (WALS) Routledge Lesson Study Series, “” is written for teacher educators who may want to try this immersive teacher training method in university contexts without translating the practice from the K-12 context on their own.

Lesson study is defined as a collaborative process that facilitates planning, analysis and continuous improvement of instructional practices through live observation, evaluation of student learning and goal-setting. Under Dotger’s leadership, it is among experiential methods for pre-service teachers offered through SOE’s .

The new book describes lesson study’s constituent steps and offers examples provided from math and science teacher educators using the method in their local contexts.

“Learning well requires teachers and students to take risks together, to trust one another while subjecting public ideas to test and scrutiny. Lesson study gives its practitioners a supportive framework to do this,” says Dotger, School of Education faculty director for teacher education and undergraduate studies. “Lesson study’s roots are almost as old as teacher education itself. I’m excited that the many authors of this volume have shown how it remains relevant and applicable to current contexts.”

The book’s descriptions and cases—although focusing on mathematics and science—are designed to support teacher educators and scholars across subject specialties and geographic lines, as they seek instructional frameworks to advance their pedagogical goals.

“Lesson Study with Mathematics and Science Preservice Teachers” also reports on projects funded by several National Science Foundation awards, including an National Science Foundation Robert Joyce Urban STEM Teachers Capacity Building grant and an award for “A Community-Based Approach to STEM Teaching and Learning.”

Peter Dudley, associate professor of learning and leadership, University of Cambridge, and immediate past president of WALS, says, “This book is a ‘must’ for anyone running or teaching pre-service mathematics or science teacher education courses who either wants to introduce lesson study into their program or who wants to enrich the way they are currently using lesson study. This book will dramatically increase the potential for emerging science and mathematics teachers to gain significantly and lastingly from early lesson study experiences in pre-service teacher education programs everywhere.”

Today, the University defines human thriving as valuing and enabling the contributions of people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds and as understanding the physical and social conditions needed to create and support healthy and sustainable communities for everyone, particularly those who have been historically excluded or neglected.

In this alumni roundtable, graduates of the School of Education’s offer their advice on how we all can support human thriving in broadly diverse, fully equitable and radically inclusive contexts.

Kirsis A. Dipre G’22

Kirsis A. Dipre

Dipre, a core faculty in the Counseling@Northwestern program at The Family Institute at Northwestern University, says:

“To me, human thriving means creating a space where we as a collective can be our authentic selves, bring our existing knowledge, and co-create experiences and knowledge that propel everyone involved forward regardless of differences in the space.

“Human thriving means that we no longer must live in separate worlds, institutions of higher education and our personal lives. It is as if there is no space for our full selves to be received in academia, which creates dissonance and deepens a wound we can recognize but struggle to name. Only when we are able to integrate our full selves are we able to heal from this wound,

“Therefore to answer this question, the ‘we’ needs to be named. Institutions are the ‘we’ because ‘we’ as individuals—who are surviving and aiming to thrive in these systems—can only create spaces of mutuality in corners and pockets within institutions.

“Institutions must first assess gaps, areas that conflate thriving with surviving and provide support for improvements. It takes intentional work for an institution to look at itself, recognize areas for growth and properly care for them to encourage them to grow and thrive.

“One answer is to create spaces that are equitable and responsive to those in it, without privileging certain voices, with the goal of making those spaces the norm. When we are able to challenge and change the current norm—through critical recognition of the parts that are not working—then we can begin to effectively promote human thriving.”

Jordan P. Shannon G’20

Jordan Shannon

Shannon, assistant professor of counselor education in Seattle University’s College of Education, shares:

“As an academic in counselor education, I have been reflecting on what it means to make sure my students are thriving and prepared to embrace a diversity of ideas, challenges, knowledge and experiences.

“Part of that challenge has been making sure students are aware of their own worldview, biases and assumptions. This is often done through presenting knowledge of systemic inequities, diverse needs and culturally responsive strategies to aid wide variety of populations.

“Students and I are further challenged by reflecting quite vulnerably on our individual and collective identities in face-to-face measures (e.g., skills practice, group counseling and delivering feedback). It is a delicate tension to maintain.

“As students and I start to feel emboldened to bring our full selves into the work of diversity, equity and inclusive practices, doing so can leave folx—particularly those who hold multiple marginalized identities—vulnerable to isolation, invalidation and discomfort from majority culture peers.

“I believe as an instructor, with both institutional and social power, it is my responsibility to craft a space that breeds boldness but specifically a space for those in the margins. Often this means modeling vulnerability of my worldview, assumptions and biases for my class, so the power dynamic can feel less present.”

Peitao Zhu G’20

Peitao Zhu

Zhu, assistant professor of counseling and ACUE Distinguished Teaching Scholar in Northern Illinois University’s Department of Counseling and Higher Education, says:

“In the increasingly polarizing global climate, we often interact with one another in non-relational manners. We judge the worth of fellow human beings through the materialistic lens of accomplishment, status and financial assets.

“We segregate ourselves among those with similar identities and immutable characteristics. We stay siloed and sheltered within those who share our same belief systems and demonize those who do not.

“One cannot thrive if actions are motivated by fear, insecurity and defensiveness. One cannot thrive if they are alienated from their fundamental need to be connected to.

“The responsibility to foster human thriving, in my view, does not lie in any abstract ‘system,’ because systems consist of willing participants. By only scapegoating the ‘system,’ we run the risk of not holding ourselves accountable for the same types of transgressions that we condemn others for.

“Instead, I believe each of us ought to play an active role in shifting the global tide of polarization, beginning with an honest reflection of our own biases, flaws and growth edges: Do I judge others based on their opinions and ideologies? Do I value one form of diversity but am dismissive of another? Am I willing to challenge the opinions and beliefs that I hold close to my heart in facing disconfirming evidence?

“In short, only through a shared deep commitment to valuing our human connections can we achieve the collective wisdom to navigate this exceedingly complex global society.”

Note: This story appears in the 2023 issue of .

The first was about helpfulness. “As a kid, I learned that helpfulness runs in my family,” Shablak recalls. “My father was an attorney, but he called himself a ‘counselor at law.’ He was someone who would meet with a divorcing couple and talk them out of it, and he would sometimes accept gifts in kind as payment.”

The School of Education Office of Professional Research and Development team (L to R): Bob Tornberg, Kim Hall, Scott Shablak and Mary Welker.

The second was about business smarts. Short for his age growing up—until a growth spurt in his sophomore year at Colgate University—Shablak says he soon found that success on campus could be earned by being helpful, especially to “bigger students who needed some scholastic assistance.”

Make It Useful

Having earned a master’s degree at Harvard University, Shablak taught English to middle school students in Massachusetts before returning to Central New York to teach in his hometown of New Hartford.

New York State required Shablak take a graduate reading course. His choice to join Professor Margaret Early’s class in SOE’s Reading and Language Arts program turned out to be a career and life changer.

After New Hartford, other teaching jobs followed—in the Liverpool Central School District and then the downtown Central Technical High School.��Shablak next encountered SOE 10 years later when thinking of embarking on a doctorate. He thought back to Professor Early. At the end of the course she had written on his final paper, “If you’d ever like to consider another degree, see me.” He asked for an appointment. “When I walked in, she looked up and said, ‘Are you ready now?'”

After graduating in 1973, Shablak received a job offer at the University of North Carolina. Instead, he decided to return to his entrepreneurial roots. “I wanted to take my doctoral research about ‘curiosity arousal’ and effective content area study for students and make it useful, make it part of a school curriculum.”

With the support of his advisor, Professor Harold Herber, he produced a brochure positioning himself as a “learning facilitator” and shopped it around to ���ϲ�����-area superintendents. Although he received no immediate offers of work, he took the advice of one of those superintendents: help school leaders see how what you do fits a position they are already looking to fill.

Research Into Practice

Eventually, Shablak received a job interview at Westhill Central School District in ���ϲ�����’s western suburbs. It was an odd experience. “I was interviewed by 12 middle- and high-school people, and they were very quiet,” he recalls, assuming bad news. “Yet I was hired the next day.” It turns out that 11 of the 12 voted against hiring him, but they were over-ruled by their superintendent.

That experience led to an awkward first few months as Shablak tried to fit in and be useful. “Helpful is only helpful when it’s on another person’s terms. Not me—them,” he muses. Eventually, he offered to tutor one teacher’s struggling students, and she accepted. After seeing successes with one-on-one tutoring, he suggested he enter her classroom and demonstrate the same techniques on a larger scale.

Soon enough other Westhill teachers were asking for his assistance.

So began Shablak’s long history of professional development and grant writing work on behalf of schools and other clients. He suggested to his Westhill colleagues that he write what became the first of many grants to secure funding for a summer workshop on student development: “Over time—and with increasing teacher engagement—Westhill middle and then high school becoming known for what is now termed ‘inclusivity.’”

“We were the first school around to create a Deaf students program,” Shablak continues. “We worked hard as teams, especially in the middle school, toward real inclusion of students with all sorts of learning differences. Parents with disabled children started to move into the district.”

After about 10 years at Westhill, Shablak interviewed for a position in SOE’s Extension Program. He got the job, he says, partly by explaining how the position could further the school’s mission to convert its research into practice—working directly in some new ways with school districts.

Value and Achievements

Shablak began at SOE in 1982, serving under Associate Dean Sam Yarger and Deena Newman, the first director of what was then the Office of Professional Development, before he took OPD’s helm in the late 1980s. Along the way he earned a degree in educational administration “to help me understand that world of leaders I hoped to work with.”

At OPD, Shablak took responsibility for Extended Campus (graduate courses at educational sites throughout Upstate New York and in New York City) and led development of (providing professional development services to area school districts); The Principals’ Center (the first professional development program of its kind in the state); and the Executive Study Institute (a superintendents’ summer program at Minnowbrook Conference Center that focused on liberal arts, taught by SU professors).

—originally edited by Professor Early and which continues to this day as SOE’s alumni magazine—became the responsibility of Shablak’s team, and he began an internal newsletter—In the Halls—”which recognized the value and achievements of non-teaching staff within SOE.”

In the 1990s, OPD expanded its services both on and off campus, supporting grant writing and providing project implementation and evaluation services, including to large scale New York State Education Department initiatives. In 2004, OPD became the (OPRD) and moved briefly to the College of Professional Studies—then called University College—before Dean Douglas Biklen (2005-2014) requested it return to SOE.

Such Fine Fun

Over his time in charge, Shablak says he has overseen teams of “super talented, super committed” full- and part-time staff, who provide grant development and program evaluation services for a wide range of clients, both on and off campus.

From a long list of OPRD education, human service and industry partners, he notes a few current projects he finds particularly interesting. One is a multiyear evaluation of the (WOVEN) Nurturing Inclusive Community Environments (NICE) initiative, a high school social-emotional intervention program involving restorative justice, community circles and mediation, launched by member Diana Wege ’76 and funded by The Wege Foundation.”

Another is the 10-year evaluation of the , an initiative by 21 school districts in partnership with Corning Inc. focused on increasing the pipeline of students into science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.”

OPRD’s full list of clients includes CenterState CEO; Community4All (an evaluation funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research); Cornell Cooperative Extension and Early Childhood Alliance Onondaga, among others. Shablak also serves as a research professor in the SOE’s program.

“T��� School of Education has given me a life and a career,” concludes Shablak, looking back on his more than four decades of service. “It provided me with a rich education, and it encouraged me to use that education to take chances to serve those within and beyond its walls. The people here from way back through to today also have taught me that other good lesson—take the work seriously, but yourself not so much. It has really been such fine fun.”

George Theoharis

and note that among data-informed disparate outcomes, school discipline disproportionally targets students of color, students with disabilities and transgender students; students with disabilities make up 58% of students placed in seclusion or involuntary confinement; and LGBTQ+ students are targeted in school at alarming rates: 76% are verbally harassed, 31% are physically harassed and 13% are assaulted.

The project recognizes that local, state and federal educational policies have played a role in fostering these disparate outcomes but that contemporary DEI policies are designed to help dismantle such educational and social injustice.

However, “[s]chool policy does not implement itself. There is local ‘sense making’ that happens to put the policy into action,” write Theoharis and George. “This ‘sense making’ leads to policies implemented in a range of ways, including with enthusiasm and in the spirit intended, or only for compliance but nothing in practice changing, or with unintended consequences.”

Leela George

As experts in educational leadership and directors of the School of Education’s —a educational services partnership with Central New York school districts—Theoharis and George often hear from school leaders looking for support, especially with DEI policy “sense-making.” Their experiences have led them to pose the following research questions that will drive data collection:

• How are school districts planning to create more equitable schools in an increasingly diverse society?
• What interventions have school districts chosen to move DEI forward?
• In what ways, have school districts changed disparate outcomes by race and other intersectional identities?

The researchers seek participation from CNY districts, to gather and analyze their DEI policies and plans, to interview school leaders and ultimately to learn the extent to which they are working to disrupt disparate realities and what data they have that indicates impact.

“We see this work as potentially contributing to two of the for Social Justice grant proposal’s requested accomplishments: ‘Identify and capture factors leading to or minimizing the racial wealth gap’ and ‘offer solutions to minimizing the racial wealth gap that are data-driven and evidence-based,’” say Theoharis and George.

That’s after being at the helm for 21 years of STEP and 12 years of CSTEP conferences (co-chairing with Gladys Palma de Schrynemakers of CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies from 2012 to 2019). That is a good proportion of ���ϲ�����’s and New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) collaboration as hosts, for 24 and 29 years respectively.

Leonese Nelson

In addition, Nelson served as treasurer of the Association for Program Administrators of CSTEP and STEP Inc. (APACS) for more than 18 years, until June 2019. At its June 2023 annual conference, APACS recognized Nelson with its Dr. John Staley Award for Outstanding Service.

Nelson’s work on the two conferences and with APACS has been in addition to running the University’s and programs, which—like their analogs statewide—prepare underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students to enter college and participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics professions. The ���ϲ����� STEP and CSTEP programs are part of the School of Education’s .

With her Tuskegee University bachelor’s degree in hand, Nelson came to ���ϲ����� in 1993 as a political science master’s degree student and a teaching assistant in the Department of African American Studies. After her master’s degree, she pursed a doctorate and first became affiliated with the entry programs as a STEP graduate assistant, in fall 1998.

Nelson notes that her political science background gave her the organizational and people skills to juggle both conferences. “It’s important for me to have events that are special for the school and college students, an opportunity and space just for them,” explains Nelson. “The students come first—that is what is most important for me, and all my vendors and committee members know that too.”

To back up her point, Nelson quotes Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Adding, “My mother made sure that I learned to give back, for having had the kind of opportunities that she didn’t have.”

To offer a sense of the scale of planning involved, this year’s middle- and high-school STEP students gathered for their three-day conference in Albany from March 24 to 26, 2023. A couple of weeks later, from April 14 to 16, it was the turn of the college-level students to meet at the Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, New York. In addition to posters, presentations and demonstrations, both events featured speakers and plenty of extracurricular activities, such as dance, talent shows and games. Plus, there’s a college fair for the STEP students and a graduate fair for CSTEP. And that’s not all—the organizers throw banquet dinners for both groups too.

“My name is a placeholder. Vendors have to send packages to someone,” says Nelson humbly, noting that a team across the University helps her organize, including many in the .

Leonese Nelson (fifth from right) with students at the 2023 STEP Conference in Albany, New York.

Nelson says she wanted her final conferences to be extra special. In 2020, the STEP conference was just days away when New York State shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The health emergency also cancelled the 2021 conferences, but STEP convened online in 2022 with 500 attendees. “We needed to come back together in 2023—and go above and beyond. I did everything I could because we needed to start a new normal.”

Now that she has stepped down from her statewide responsibilities, Nelson says she will spend more time on the ���ϲ����� STEP and CSTEP programs—including planning college tours in New York and further afield for the middle- and high-school students—and she will be on hand to help those planning the statewide conferences in her stead.

What favorite memories does Nelson have? Well, she has organized the conferences long enough to have fond recollections of students excitedly calling their parents using pay phones. Now it’s selfies and posting to Instagram. She also mentions the dress-up banquet held for the STEP students, where the hotel convention hall goes from “drab to fab.” “I once heard a student say, ‘Is this all for me?’ ‘Why would it not be for you?’ I replied.”

Sometimes, young STEP students go very far, and Nelson has been there to see these journeys take flight. One such student was “The Professor,” a middle schooler who earned his nickname by being so studious and inquisitive. He went on to earn an engineering degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I don’t put limits on my students,” observes Nelson. “I say to them, don’t compare yourself to others. Your paths won’t always be the same.”

“T��� Reading Buddies program is a chance for our pre-service teachers to get to know a young student while engaging in literacy activities. For most, it’s their first experience in the ���ϲ����� City School District, and for many perhaps their first time in a school not as a student themselves,” says Professor Christine Ashby G’01, G’07, G’08, who coordinates the program.

Adds Ashby, “T��� program is part of our commitment to offer our students sustained field experiences throughout their four years. Reading Buddies gets our students comfortable being in schools, being careful observers and making connections with the concepts—such as inclusive educational strategies—that they are learning in our classes.”

The program is part of our commitment to offer our students sustained field experiences throughout their four years.

—Professor Christy Ashby

Thanks to Reading Buddies, young readers get a chance to practice outside their classroom and form a relationship with a young adult who is a consistent figure in their lives and throughout the year. The program builds on a previous collaborative relationship with that supports grade level reading for SCSD students.

To learn more about how the SOE program works, the joys and connections it makes, and just how a 6-foot-5-inch freshman navigates furniture in a kindergarten library, we spoke to spring 2023 Reading Buddies participants who were assigned to SCSD’s Ed Smith K-8, Huntington and STEAM at Dr. King schools, as well as their supervisors.

Reading Buddy: Qin Gao ’25

Qin Gao

Gao is a rising junior who was assigned to Ed Smith Pre-K-8 School.

“Reading Buddies provides an excellent opportunity for pre-service teachers to support elementary students with their reading skills. During sessions, I encourage students to choose books that interest them, and I ask them to read aloud while I offer guidance and support. I also take the opportunity to observe the lead teacher’s lesson planning and delivery to gain insights to improve my teaching skills.

“One of the most enjoyable aspects of the program is building strong connections with our buddies. I will always remember when one buddy gave me a heart that he had drawn on my first day. This small action reinforced my dedication to teaching. The program has given me many heart-touching memories, and it has given me valuable hands-on experience that I can’t get from simply reading textbooks or attending lectures. I can observe experienced teachers and get a feel for what it’s really like to be in a classroom. I think it helps future teachers become more confident and effective for when they enter their own classroom.”

EDU 202 Coordinator: Lucy Winnie King

Lucy Winnie King

King is a School of Education Ph.D. student and program coordinator for .

“Mediated field experiences are an essential part of our teacher preparation program. Starting with Reading Buddies, teacher candidates are required to participate in the field right from the beginning of our program. These hands-on experiences allow students to apply and reconcile what they learn in classrooms through real-world interactions with students teachers, and administrators.

“Importantly, Reading Buddies offers our students experiences in underserved school districts, so they have opportunities to challenge their preconceptions about other cultures and families living in low socioeconomic school districts. This gives our students a better understanding of the diverse student experiences they work with and increases their confidence.”

Reading Buddy: Jack Withee ’26

Jack Withee

Withee is a rising sophomore assigned to Huntington PreK-8 School.

“I’d say I have a strong relationship with all my reading buddies. They are always excited to see me, and I them. One of my current buddies is learning to trust me, I think. Observing him, I think he struggles with confidence, sometimes with choosing a book or with words I know he knows. I think he understands that he reads below grade level, and he doesn’t want to be seen like that.

“But I’m learning flexibility from him. He recently crawled under the table in the library, so I crawled after him with our book, even though I didn’t fit because I’m 6 feet, 5 inches! I thought, what does it matter where we read? School can be such a controlled environment. Structure is important, but you need to let students take ownership sometimes. It was the same learning going on under the table. It’s valuable to stick with this student. I’m gaining a firm understanding of his abilities and thinking—and that foundation is important.

“Reading Buddies has been a very motivating experience, and I’m not the only one saying that. In lectures you can sometimes forget what you are doing this for, so it’s good to be reminded of that. Oh, and education majors are allowed to bring cars onto campus, so they can drive to assignments!”

Librarian: Janet Schuster

Janet Schuster

Schuster is librarian/media specialist at Huntington PreK-8 School. This was her second year of directing Huntington’s Reading Buddies program.

“Our Reading Buddies program is typically for kindergarten through third grade students, although in spring 2023 we served kindergarten through second grade. ���ϲ����� students arrive at Huntington around 10:40 a.m., with the program running from 11 a.m. to noon. Classroom teachers choose two students whom they think will benefit from a Reading Buddy, letting me know where they are in their reading progression. Each ���ϲ����� student gets two children to read to. We find out where the child is in their reading, and we build on that.

“We lay out book suggestions on the library tables, such as guided reading and ‘I Spy’ books. These books are participatory, which is especially important for English as a new language readers. For older readers, there are the ‘Don’t Let the Pigeon’ and ‘Pete the Cat’ series. The children really, really enjoy one-on-one attention, and our teachers mention that this attention is very useful. We make sure the children are having a fun time, especially at the beginning when it’s get-to-know-you time. You always want to make a lifelong reader. The children get a snack, which is important for those on a late lunch schedule, and there’s a treat at leaving time.

“There are hugs from the ���ϲ����� students as well. In their reflections, the pre-service teachers write about the bonds they are making with the children, as well as the progress they are making with reading. The students are excellent, and I think it’s good for them to practice.”

An engaged learning environment increases student attention and focus. It’s where meaningful learning happens.

—Sabrina Ashkar ’25

Reading Buddy: Sabrina Ashkar ’25

Sabrina Ashkar with her daughter, Selena

Sabrina Ashkar is a rising junior assigned to the STEAM at Dr. King Elementary School.

“One task in Reading Buddies is to build a relationship with young learners. I discuss home life, interests, school life and I share about my life and my kids. I believe relationship-building plays a major role in shaping learning and behavior/social skills. At the school library, we talk about reading experiences and challenges. We find a quiet place to read, taking turns and stopping to make predictions and connections. My buddies know the routine and become more and more intrigued about learning to read.

“I have always enjoyed reading, and this program gives me the opportunity to do what I love with a young learner. One buddy is from Africa, so we connect to other cultures, traditions and the world through books. Of course, research tells us that reading is an indispensable skill that students will rely on throughout their journey to educational success.

“What really stands out to me as a future teacher are reading’s common challenges. When my students come to a word they don’t know, their voice is lowered—they just want to skip over it. The opposite is when they feel like ‘I got this!’ They are so positive about how far they have come. I have learned so much about myself and will carry that with me into the classroom. To be comfortable in the school environment is essential. An engaged learning environment increases student attention and focus. It’s where meaningful learning happens.”

Learn more about the B.S. in inclusive elementary and special education (Grades 1-6) on the .

Ionah M. Elaine Scully

Holding a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College and certificates of advanced study in conflict resolution from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and in women’s and gender studies from the College of Arts and Sciences, Scully’s research involves storytelling, Indigenous methodologies, land pedagogy and Two Spirit critiques.

Scully adds this fellowship to their New York Public Humanities Grant (2021), University of California Davis’ Publicly Active Graduate Education (PAGE) fellowship (2019) and ���ϲ�����’s LGBT Resource Center Social Justice Award (2016), as well as awards for excellence in teaching, activism, writing, scholarship and land-based education initiatives. Scully also is a professional dancer and dance instructor who has been one of the most sought-after teachers and performers in Upstate New York.

A member of the University’s (IGD), a theory and practice-based initiative of social justice education, Scully has created an Indigenized IGD course—offered in community, school and higher-education settings—that employs land, Two Spirit and other Indigenous pedagogies to create generative dialogue and communities of care and learning across difference.

Scully teaches foundations of education, gender studies, and Native studies, describing their teaching philosophy as publicly engaged, activist, and holistic. In their courses, they encourage multi-sensory learning, the mitigation of classroom hierarchies, and addressing equity issues to move learning toward antiracist ends.

About Ionah Scully’s Doctoral Thesis

Scully’s dissertation—”Nehiyaw Two Spirit Creation Stories: Re-mapping Home, Desire, and Indigenous Education Through the Body”—brings together Two Spirit (Native 2SLGBTQIA+) people of Michel First Nation (MFN) to dialogue about Nehiyaw (Cree) creation stories and subsequently recreate—or re-map—their own creation stories as Two Spirit (2S) people to understand how these stories can support Indigenous and decolonizing educational practices.

For more on Scully’s dissertation, visit the .

“From beginning to end of the practicum, we push students to model core tenets of our program, especially social justice, equity, student success and the professional competencies required of the student affairs profession,” explains , associate professor and chair of the .

Program faculty place students in units such as residential life, academic advising, intercollegiate athletics and multicultural affairs across ���ϲ����� and with local partners such as the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF), LeMoyne College and Upstate Medical University.

At the start of the practicum, under the leadership of , associate professor of higher education, students explore potential assignments through a round robin practicum fair. Once their assignment is confirmed, students develop a learning contract with their supervisor, much like a job description negotiation. When it concludes, they participate in a performance appraisal that includes a meeting with their supervisor, written performance reviews and a summary report.

In between, students gain a broad understanding of the higher education workplace—its policies, staffing, culture, even budgets—and learn how to listen to, develop relationships with and advocate for students, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds. They are also expected to highlight policies and practices enhance or create barriers to student success.

Critical reflection about their own performance and practice is key. “We regularly ask students to reflect on their site’s organizational culture, espoused versus enacted values, and climate. Students analyze what they are learning and recognize the benefits of using peers to seek confidential advice about workplace issues,” says Engstrom. “Let’s face it, we always need workplace soulmates we can trust to get through challenging situations.”

As part of this reflection, we got to know five HED students during their spring 2023 placements, asking them why they chose this career path and what the practicum is teaching them.

Robbie Opalecky G’24

• Hometown: Hawley, Pennsylvania
• Bachelor’s Degree: environmental biology from SUNY ESF
• Activities/Hobbies: hiking, spending time outdoors, relaxing, watching TV, playing video games with friends

What drew you to the M.S. in Higher Education?

Robbie Opalecky

While working as a temporary staff member in the SUNY ESF residence hall, I fell in love with student affairs. I worked with a practicum student in this position, and she told me about SOE’s Higher Education program. As a SUNY ESF graduate, I was familiar with SU, so the decision to stay for a two-year program was easy.

What are your current responsibilities?

In SU’s (CLASS) most of my responsibilities are related to academic integrity. I grade the Academic Integrity Seminar to which students found in violation of the policies are assigned, and I offer them help on revising answers. I also serve as a Maximize Your Learning leader.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?

When I applied, I wanted to go into residence life. After my graduate assistant position in Fraternity and Sorority Affairs and my CLASS practicum, my future is a little less clear—I want to work in student affairs, but I am still trying to figure out the exact area.

How is this program helping you to “affect change and enact critical reforms in higher education”?

This program is opening my eyes to the experiences of students who identify differently than I do and inequities in higher education. I plan to do my best to reduce and hopefully remove some of these inequities.

Melisa Larranaga G’24

• Hometown: Perris, California
• Bachelor’s Degree: agricultural science and education from California State University-Chico
• Activities/Hobbies: reading, nature walks and relaxing by watching shows and movies

Melisa Larranaga

What drew you to the M.S. in Higher Education?

Through my undergraduate experiences, I realized I wanted to pursue a career that allowed me to be a supportive resource for students on a college campus.

What are your current responsibilities?

At SU’s , I meet one-on-one with student athletes to assist them in their college academic skill development.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?

To work in first-year experience programs, academic advising or student support services.

How is this program helping you to “affect change and enact critical reforms in higher education”?

We have learned about challenges that each student may face in an institution. The work we do in our classes allows us to think critically about ways we can support students in getting past those challenges.

Ariel Gratch G’24

• Hometown: Huntington Beach, California
• Degrees: bachelor’s degree in theatre from Kennesaw State University; master’s degree in communication studies from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; Ph.D. in communication studies from Louisiana State University
• Activities/Hobbies: storytelling, woodworking, reading sci-fi/fantasy, and helping my 7-year-old figure out who he wants to be in the world

What drew you to the M.S. in Higher Education?

Ariel Gratch

The faculty are all critically minded. They push students to consider why a career in higher education is important for us and to find ways to support students we work with. As a current faculty member at Utica University, I enrolled so I can better serve our students and my institution.

What are your current responsibilities?

I’m working in the at LeMoyne College. I assist students who are on academic probation, conduct workshops for student leaders and help them organize events.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?

Continue the work I’ve been doing at Utica, especially as it relates to and first-generation students, as well as build more bridges between student affairs and faculty.

How is this program helping you to “affect change and enact critical reforms in higher education”?

I have been drawn to issues around student retention, especially as it relates to first-generation students and those who may have experienced trauma. This program has helped me build stronger relationships, made me a better mentor to TRIO students, and helped me get students resources they need to persist. It also helped me complete research, such as “” published in Departures in Critical Qualitative Research.

Rachel Allen G’24

• Hometown: ���ϲ�����, New York
• Bachelor’s Degree: political science and global and international studies with a minor in Spanish from the State University of New York at Oswego
• Activities/Hobbies: crossword puzzles, walking by the lake, learning how to crochet and hand lettering

Rachel Allen

What drew you to the M.S. in Higher Education?

As an undergrad, I loved the collegiate environment, and I want a career that allows me to stay in that space and make connections with students.

What are your current responsibilities?

In at Upstate Medical University, I do outreach work for the ���ϲ����� City School District, work on Accepted Student Days and interact with students who engage with MASI (multicultural affairs and student inclusion) programs.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?

I always wanted to be faculty in either political science or history—and I still might. My interests in student affairs right now lie in admissions, educational opportunity, and advising and mentorship.

How is this program helping you to “affect change and enact critical reforms in higher education”?

We learn a lot about the barriers to education and how higher education can become more inclusive and equitable. Even in my first year, I have learned how to come up with initiatives that allow students to gain access to higher education and to persist toward getting their degree and developing valuable skills, no matter their educational journey.

Jordan Signor G’24

• Hometown: Watertown, New York
• Bachelor’s Degree: English literature from LeMoyne College
• Activities/Hobbies: reading, guitar, golf and tennis

What drew you to the M.S. in Higher Education?

Jordan Signor

My interest in student affairs started while engaged in student government at LeMoyne College.

What are your current responsibilities?

At SOE’s , I meet with students in an academic advisor capacity to help them succeed and to learn about the undergraduate admissions process.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?

I hope to work in admissions. I was able to connect with the central admissions office at ���ϲ�����, and I appreciate how much they have been able to teach me in such a short time.

How is this program helping you to “affect change and enact critical reforms in higher education”?

The program has made me a better resource for students. My professors strongly emphasize the barriers that are still present throughout higher education and how we can implement healthy practices to take them down.

Learn more about the , or contact Assistant Director of Graduate Admissions and Recruitment .

—in existence for more than 50 years—is comprised of educational leaders from Central New York school districts and BOCES. They collaborate through monthly Zoom sessions, with School of Education faculty serving as facilitators to help bridge educational theory to school and classroom practice.

Interesting Shift

“Going virtual really opened The Study Council up,” says , noting last year’s online session, , saw 21 districts participate. “We’ve had a lot of membership before, but often people couldn’t commit to a two-hour, in-person session.”

Membership now spans from Watertown in the north of the region to Cortland County in the south.

Meghan Thomas ’03, G’05, G’15

“It’s a vast range of schools,” says triple SOE alumna Meghan Thomas ’03, G’05, G’15. “Members have a variety of backgrounds, expertise and life experiences, and everyone has really great ideas and thoughts.”

Thomas, who works as associate director for Special Education at East ���ϲ�����-Minoa Central School District, has participated with The Study Council for the past three years. “This year is an interesting shift,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for collaboration and discussion around current issues that we are all facing in our districts.”

For the 2022-2023 sessions, Professor has been facilitating Community of Practice sessions with a focus on ways districts can advance DEI policies. “I appreciate his professionalism, his insight, and his research into how we can work to build better schools and better educational communities,” Thomas says of Theoharis efforts.

Really Valuable

Community of Practice sessions serve as a follow-up to the 2021-2022 book study in which participants unpacked the disruptive leadership practices outlined in Theoharis’ book, .

Peter Reyes

Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District’s assistant superintendent for Educational Services, Peter Reyes, says the book study provided a good knowledge base for districts to build on this year as they look to increase educational equity and address marginalizing issues of race, religion, disability, socioeconomics, gender and sexual identity. “T��� book study was a good partnership,” Reyes says. “And this year, it is very helpful to hear both the experiences districts are having and to hold dialogue. The inter-district work has been really valuable.”

The Community of Practice is designed to support leadership teams that are continuing the difficult, ongoing work of equity-focused school leadership. One requirement of The Study Council is for districts to participate as full leadership teams and commit to attending together. Discussions center around the culture and climate of each district and for all their stakeholders. Members share strengths, initiatives, problems and questions for the entire Community of Practice to engage with and learn from.

“Every district is signed up for two presentations,” Thomas notes. One presentation looks at a DEI project that a district is taking on. The second is an opportunity to pose a question or challenge to the group and then get feedback from colleagues.

Two-Way Street

Entire administrative teams from nine districts signed up for the Community of Practice, including Baldwinsville, Cato-Meridian, Jordan-Elbridge, Jamesville-DeWitt, Fayetteville Manlius, East ���ϲ�����-Minoa Central School District and Watertown.

“It’s really a two-way street,” says George, who has served as The Study Council’s executive director for the last six years. A goal, she says, is to hold discussions—not just give presentations.

Thomas says she views the group as a safe space to share challenges and even, at times, very sensitive topics her district faces: “It’s safe for us to ask some really challenging questions.”

Reyes agrees. Challenges in Jamesville-DeWitt, he says, are similar to others, particularly as districts emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and work to ensure communities that were most impacted are getting back on track. “Those tended to be your most marginalized populations,” he says, referring to COVID-related learning loss and disengagement. “We are addressing those populations, ensuring they are getting resourced appropriately, so there is no inequity in final outcomes.”

Attending sessions and hearing that colleagues are dealing with similar situations, Thomas says, affirms her work. “Talking with them about equity, how we’re navigating instances of racism or bias—there’s a reassurance knowing that it’s not just a school-specific or a district-specific issue.”

Feedback from a community of educators across the region and academics, Thomas says, is valuable. “I think the ability to connect with experts in the field, such as professors Theoharis and George, who are working with their colleagues across the country and reviewing the data, is really something special,” Thomas concludes. “I’m very grateful for the partnership between our districts and The Study Council.”

Learn more about at ���ϲ����� School of Education or contact Professor .

By Ashley Kang ’04, G’11 (a proud alumna of the M.S. in Higher Education program)

Runners-up were the teams of Carolyn Fernandes ’23 and Cassia Soodak ’25; Chase Coleman ’27 (InclusiveU), Domenic Gallo ’23 and Bella Young ’23; and Kate Allyn ’26 (InclusiveU), Jillian Castle ’25 (InclusiveU) and Wyatt Gillespie ’23.

Intelligence++ competition winners took home a combined $10,000 in prize money.

Optimal Assessment, Levy’s and Schreiber’s winning design, is a course planning application that takes instructors through steps that encourage them to think about the different ways they can facilitate learning and assessment, helping them design courses that meet the individual learning styles of students, guided by data.

A collaboration among , the , and , is an interdisciplinary initiative focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design, and community. The project is available to both undergraduate and graduate students across the University, including students with intellectual disability from , a Taishoff Center program.

The 2023 competition was judged by Erik Geizer, CEO of The Arc New York; Chris Kennedy McKelvy, founder, K Ventures, vice chair, Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation, and former head of partnerships, Oculus VR; and Matthew Van Ryn, founder, law office of Matthew Van Ryn PLLC, and business counselor, New York State Small Business Development Center. Program donor Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09, was on hand to offer teams advice about intelligent, inclusive innovation by design.

Also providing comments were Professor , program coordinator, MFA in design and industrial and interaction design in VPA; , founder, Blackstone LaunchPad; , interim dean, Whitman School; Professor , executive director, Taishoff Center; and , dean, ���ϲ����� Libraries and interim dean, School of Information Studies.

The competition’s showrunner was Ben Ford ’23, a previous Intelligence++ winner and founder of , an all-in-one platform to automate and streamline corporate social responsibility efforts.

Intelligence++ Competition 2023 Inclusive Designs and Teams

DoorWays App
Zhengrong Chai, Yajie Lan ’23, Jonathon Rossi ’23, and Noah Soliman ’26
An AI-powered app that addresses social challenges faced by individuals, particularly neurodivergent students, in large community contexts. It provides personalized recommendations for activities and friends based on the user’s interests and personality.

Wear-it Fidgit Cuff-it
Carolyn Fernandes ’23 and Cassia Soodak ’25
A collection of fidget devices for neurodivergent people working in professional environments, designed to provide stimulation for the hands. The discrete fidgets are attached to a cuff, hidden by fabric matching the sleeve.

Optimal Assessment
Alex Levy ’24 and Sam Schreiber ’25
A course planning application that takes instructors through steps that encourage them to think about the different ways they can facilitate learning and assessment, potentially helping them design courses that meet individual learning styles of students, guided by data.

Sensory Pod
Riley Blumenthal ’23, Wyatt Gillespie ’23, and Jessica Mitchell ’23
A small enclosure which combats the effects of sensory processing disorder. This product aims to serve as a space for children who are overwhelmed, agitated, or upset.

FlipACC
Chase Coleman ’27 (InclusiveU), Domenic Gallo ’23, and Bella Young ’23
A design research project that explores the implementation of emerging technologies into Augmentative and Alternative Communication tools. The research aims to create generalized translation tools for people who rely on nonverbal speech methods to allow for seamless adaptation to verbal conversation.

AdaptED
Ryan Brouchoud ’25 and Adya Parida ’25
AI-powered adaptive learning software to support children with disabilities. This software offers personalized learning experiences based on individual needs and abilities, while incorporating multiple teaching methods to accommodate different learning styles.

Sense
Kate Allyn ’26 (InclusiveU), Jillian Castle ’25 (InclusiveU), and Wyatt Gillespie ’23
Sensory-friendly clothing that promotes comfort and well-being for individuals with Sensory Processing Disorder. The Sense Hoodie is designed with the four primary drivers of SPD discomfort in mind: auditory, tactile, visual, and proprioceptive.

Never Sew Alone
Kate Allyn (InclusiveU), Christina Alicia May, and Vineet Narayan ’25 (InclusiveU)
A non-profit that empowers individuals to create their own vision of art through textiles. Through a series of creative workshops, neurodivergent community members are guided through projects that merge artistic expression with the development of skills such as sewing, embroidery, quilting, and similar crafts.

To learn more about Intelligence++, visit .

Professor Corrine Occhino, director of the American Sign Language program, signs “hello!”

Wonderful New Worlds

ASL is housed within the School of Education (SOE) thanks to the school’s long, pioneering history in disability studies and inclusive education.

The school began by offering classes in Signed English (a visual representation of English words, grammar and syntax). Later ASL (which has its own grammar and syntax, independent from English) was added as a special topic elective. In 2013, courses were regularized, and the to the list of course offerings in the School of Education for the first time.

First studying ASL as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, says, “like many of our students, I was curious about ASL and interested in learning more about the language and culture. Taking ASL classes really can open the door to wonderful new worlds!”

Occhino came to ���ϲ����� in Fall 2021 from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she was a research assistant professor in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. In keeping with another SOE tradition, she now has a dual appointment in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) (LLL).

Occhino says it’s important that ASL classes at ���ϲ����� are taught by Deaf ASL teachers. “T��� Deaf community should be the keepers of their own language,” she says. “T���y have the cultural and linguistic knowledge to best teach the language and culture to future signers.”

Becoming Allies

ASL classes are taught by a roster of three Deaf instructors: Kimberly Amidon, Tamla Htoo and Michael Mazzaroppi (with another instructor being added in fall). “Each of these instructors has several years of teaching experience,” says Occhino. “It is good for Deaf ASL teachers to have the opportunity to teach ASL, and it shows that the University supports cultural values among the Deaf community.”

Mazzaroppi says he is excited for the expansion of ASL at the University. “T���y have been discussing this for years now,” he says. “SU is big on being inclusive and diverse, so it would make sense that they would offer more ASL classes. I believe ASL’s popularity has to do with the exposure in mainstream Hollywood, and I know it is growing popular among the disability community as the language for the Americans with Disabilities Act.”

“Taking ASL classes really can open the door to wonderful new worlds!”

—Professor Corrine Occhino

“When I was first hired, students found ASL fascinating because of facial expressions, body language and immersion of Deaf culture,” says Amidon. “Students learned more from a native Deaf teacher, and when they found out that I am providing level 3 instruction, that has made them even more excited to go further with their ASL studies. I enjoy giving back to the students and sharing my passion for the Deaf community, to teach them how to become allies.”

Amidon says she hopes to see more courses related to Deaf studies added, addressing history, culture and language: “Deaf studies includes Deafhood, a deeper look at history and culture, as well as linguistics.”

The ASL program holds regular game nights in Huntington Hall so students can practice their language and meet members of the ���ϲ����� Deaf community.

Up to Par

Along with directing the ASL program and teaching the 300-level course Diversity of Signed Languages and Deaf Cultures, Occhino is an active researcher. She collaborates with the local Deaf-run non-profit Deaf New Americans (DNA) on a funded by an A&S Engaged Communities Grant. The grant supports a storytelling initiative for members of ���ϲ�����’s Deaf refugee population to share their experiences with the broader Deaf and hearing community, both in ���ϲ����� and beyond.

Another project—Documenting Individual Variation in ASL (DIVA)—is a continued partnership with researchers at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf. It charts the language’s minoritized and marginalized varieties.

To elevate ASL to a core language requirement offering, Occhino teamed up with Htoo. “We began to bridge the gap between LLL and the School of Education, to make sure that the ASL curriculum was up to par with other core requirement languages housed in LLL.”

The pair reviewed and re-designed the ASL curriculum to meet national benchmarks, designed new syllabi, and ran the curricular changes through the SOE and A&S curriculum committees. The re-designed program was launched in fall 2022. Currently, Occhino and her team are working to develop new courses to add to the ASL and Deaf studies curriculum.

A Fun Class

What can students expect in an ASL class?

First—there’s no talking. “Our classes are fully immersive—’voices off, hands up’ as we say! ASL is a visual language that uses three-dimensional space, so it’s different from learning a new language in a spoken modality. “Students also learn about the richness of Deaf culture and the Deaf community,” says Occhino. “It’s a fun class—very interactive, and you learn to move your body to make language.”

“I enjoy giving back to the students and sharing my passion for the Deaf community, to teach them how to become allies.”

—Professor Kim Amidon

Students in Tamla Htoo’s ASL 102 class practice new words by playing ASL bingo.

To facilitate learning, students play games, put on skits and practice using ASL in small groups. There’s regular conversation tables and game nights that meet in Huntington Hall throughout the semester. “These extracurricular activities also are a chance for students to meet members of the local Deaf community, and a chance for the Deaf community to see what a great job ASL at ���ϲ����� is doing.”

“We as a Deaf community are so excited to see SU promoting our culture and language for students to learn,” says Amidon. “We are thrilled to share our perspectives and teach the students a beautiful language that will promote accessibility. A student might encounter a Deaf person in their career—by knowing ASL, they can communicate and remove barriers and frustration.”

Adds Mazzaroppi, “The ���ϲ����� Deaf community looks forward to being more involved with the University’s signing community.”

To learn more about American Sign Language classes, contact Professor Corrine Occhino at cmocchin@syr.edu.

Yung’s course asks student teams to develop real-world solutions to biomedical challenges, taking them from concept through prototype design. It can be a challenging environment.

“T���se are long projects, and students are working day in and day out,” says Yung. “But I began to notice my student teams were having a hard time with the collaboration and with concepts such as shared leadership and how to accommodate and adapt to other team members.”

Zoe Rennock

Adds Yung, “Having a partner to help me take a look at team dynamics would be awesome, and it would help with real needs in my teaching practice.”

In fall 2022 Yung got such a partner: Zoe Rennock ’24 a (SSE) student in the School of Education, whose focus area is “Schooling and Diversity.” The program that brings Yung and Rennock together is the (PIE), a initiative.

Happy Coincidence

PIE pairs faculty and students for a semesterlong exchange of perspectives on teaching, learning and inclusivity in a particular course. Faculty members sign up voluntarily and are paired with a student—often one from the SSE undergraduate degree program or the —who is not enrolled in the course.

“T��� Partnership for Inclusive Education was developed in summer 2020, in the wake of campus and national protests, such as #NotAgainSU and May 2020 unrest in the wake of the George Floyd murder,” says PIE Coordinator . “It’s a perfect complement to the diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) compliance initiatives all staff and faculty must participate in. PIE extends the DEIA focus over an entire semester, with one student collaborating with one faculty member on one course. The program contextualizes DEIA initiatives within a student-professor relationship that encourages respect, reciprocity, and shared responsibility.”

Willingham-McLain says that the program defines “inclusion” as being culturally responsive to all students. “We define it together—students and faculty—during our orientation,” she explains. “We ask, ‘What does inclusion mean broadly?’”

Responses include, “That all students are invited and supported in learning” and “That each student is respected as having a unique set of experiences.”

“For this program, inclusion means creating culturally responsive learning environments for all students at ���ϲ����� by opening a systematic exchange of perspectives on teaching and learning,” says Willingham-McLain.

The relationship between PIE and the School of Education began in summer 2020. SSE undergraduates must complete more than 270 hours of applied learning experiences across campus and in the community, including internships and shadowing. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding these placements became a challenge for program coordinators Kathy Oscarlece and Professor .

“SSE needed placements, and we needed students. It was a happy coincidence,” says Willingham-McLain. A PIE internship can be an especially perfect fit for an SSE student going into K-12 or higher education. “It can be a plum internship because students get to pull back the curtain on faculty and discover how much they care about students and the depth of their concern.”

Classroom Dynamic

Rennock, a junior, started discussing how to fulfill her two semesters of internship credits with Kathy Oscarlece in spring 2021. “Kathy brought up the Partnership for Inclusive Education, and because my concentration is in Schooling and Diversity, it went perfectly hand-in-hand.”

Paired with Professor Yung for the fall 2022 semester, the two began meeting in August, to discuss what Rennock’s consulting role would be—to attend classes, observe project teams and communication among students, and give Yung recommendations for improvements.

“T��� main thing Professor Yung wanted help with was for each group to manage its teamwork and to include everyone in their discussions,” explains Rennock. “As the capstone course evolves into its second semester, group work can become unorganized and dynamics can become a little more tense.”

“In our teams of four there are naturally students who like to participate more,” observes Yung. “Leadership roles naturally emerge, but other students can feel muted and alienated. I might not be aware of this. But with Zoe observing, she can assess each team for who is and isn’t communicating. Then we can take action. For example, Zoe might send out material about shared leadership, or I might discuss teamwork best practices with everyone.”

Adds Rennock, “I brought what I learned from my education classes about including people and group dynamics, as well as how we support students with disabilities such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. I also learned a lot about project-based learning.”

Yung explains that Rennock helped with another classroom dynamic, the relationship between Yung’s teaching assistant and the class environment. “Zoe helped onboard my TA. He is new to the country and from a more lecture-based academic setting, so he was also new to the concept of student collaboration. Zoe noticed he was not fully comfortable at first. She is kind of like the connective tissue that helps the course run harmoniously, helping me to build trust among the student teams and among the leadership team.”

Stepping Up

PIE creates a unique space, says Willingham-McLain. “It’s where students and faculty think together about learning without grading or evaluating each other. There’s nothing else like this program on campus.” For students, PIE is an opportunity to “step up” their professionalism: “It’s on them to organize weekly meetings, observe classes, ask open-ended questions, and give feedback.”

The program is also an undergraduate research and publishing opportunity. For instance, in November 2022 SSE student Jingzhe (Jackson) Qi ’23 co-presented on PIE at an educational development conference in Seattle, Washington, while SSE alumna Madison Jakubowski ’22 co-presented “Creating and Sustaining a Student-Faculty Partnership for Inclusive Education” at Pedagogicon 2022.

Ultimately, Willingham-McLain says she loves the “nimbleness” of the program and deeply appreciates her partnerships with the School of Education and Shaw Center. “T���y have access to students, and I have access to professors,” she says. “I’m looking forward to the next push toward expanding this program and ways to incentivize more faculty to join.”

That enthusiasm is shared by Yung and Rennock. “It’s a great program,” says Yung. “I’ve been recommending it to my ECS colleagues and have even brought one of them on board.”

Adds Rennock, “I’d recommend that other professors do the program. When student consultants and faculty develop a good relationship, we can make change.”

As for how useful her PIE internship will be to her career, Rennock says she is thinking of teaching young children: “This experience can be used across grades, for teaching skills such as interpersonal communication and project-based learning.”

Learn more about the School of Education’s , or contact Timothy Findlay, assistant director of undergraduate admissions and recruitment, at twfindla@syr.edu or 315.443.4269.

This hybrid event takes place in person in the Melanie Gray Ceremonial Courtroom, Dineen Hall, and via Zoom from 5 to 7 p.m. ET. For more details and to register for the Zoom simulcast, .

Born and raised in Ohio, Zimmerman dreamt of becoming a teacher. She started out eager to learn, but she was soon separated from the other children. Unable to communicate, teachers thought she was also unable to understand or learn. As her behavior worsened, she was restrained and placed in seclusion. She found herself caught in a system that turned her life into a living nightmare.

But at 18, Zimmerman met educators who saw her differently. They gave her a tool—Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)—that allowed her to communicate, advocate for other students and engage in learning. She graduated high school in just a year and went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in education policy from Ohio University and a master’s of education from Boston College.

Jordyn Zimmerman

Recognized by the International Council for Exceptional Children with the “Yes I Can!” Award, Zimmerman has keynoted and presented at conferences around the world, is board chair of , works at �����Ի� has been featured by prominent media outlets on an international level. In 2022, Jordyn was appointed to the .

Filmed in an observational style, “This Is Not About Me” offers a glimpse into Zimmerman’s daily life, difficult moments in her childhood and interviews with teachers who worked closely with her. Piece by piece, her story reveals how professionals misunderstood her, pushed her deeper into a broken education system and how she eventually flourished. Today, she is passionate and determined to make a difference in the world of education by ensuring every student can access effective communication and exercise their right to a truly inclusive education.

The film screening and Q&A with Zimmerman is presented by the School of Education’s Ganders Lecture Series and the . The event is co-sponsored by the , , Karen Colapietro Seybold G’92 and Family, and the School of Education’s minor program.

The Ganders Lecture Series memorializes Harry S. Ganders, the School of Education’s first dean, and his wife, Elva. The lecture was established by the Ganders’ daughters and is also supported by alumni and other contributions to the Harry S. and Elva K. Ganders Memorial Fund.

David Crane L’80

The 2023 Atrocity Studies annual lecture—presented by the —will address how war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities are documented across the globe and the implications of this evidence for international courts and justice. The lecture features Ewa Schaller, senior program officer, , and David M. Crane L’80, ���ϲ����� College of Law Distinguished Scholar in Residence.

“” takes place in person on Thursday, March 23, at 5:30 p.m. in 107 Hall of Languages. The lecture also will be live-streamed. For those participating via Zoom, .

Ewa Schaller

Ewa Schaller has participated in Yahad-In Unum’s investigative work in Ukraine, Poland, and Latvia. She holds a Ph.D. in Humanities from the University of Torun, Poland. Deeply interested in the Holocaust history that has marked so much of her country’s history and identity, she joined American Friends of Yahad-In Unum in 2015.

David Crane L’80 was the founding chief prosecutor of the special court for Sierra Leone and former director of the Office of Intelligence Review and assistant general counsel of the Defense Intelligence Agency. As a College of Law faculty member, he founded , an online student-run review and public service blog, and the , which documents war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Syrian Civil War and other conflicts, including Ukraine.

“I am happy that this lecture will set out the methodologies through which Yahad-In Unum documents atrocities,” says Professor Julia M. White, director of the School of Education’s . “We often hear about the causes of, responses to, and aftermaths of atrocities, but we don’t often get insight into what happens on the ground to build cases for prosecuting perpetrators of atrocities and how to use the documentation to understand how genocides and other atrocities are committed in order to prevent future crimes.”

Supported by Lauri ’77 and Jeffrey Zell ’77, the annual spring atrocity studies lectures convene speakers from disciplines at the intersection of history, memory, and international human rights. The lectures fundamentally ask how we can use the lessons of the past to inform and improve our world.

The 2023 lecture is co-sponsored by the following ���ϲ����� schools, colleges, departments, and programs: College of Law , ; ; ; Maxwell School , , , , , , , ; and .

Bergen Nkenge ’95

is pleased to announce that Nkenge A. Bergan ’95, Board of Visitors member and an expert in educational leadership and school climate training, will address graduates at its 2023 Convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 13, at 3:30 p.m. in the Schine Student Center Goldstein Auditorium.

Named to the School of Education in August 2021, Bergan became associate vice president for student development services of Kalamazoo Valley (MI) Community College in September 2021. She was previously director of student services at Kalamazoo Public Schools (KPS), where she served 13,000 students and their families for more than 10 years.

At KPS, a team of behavior specialists, culture/climate coaches and campus safety professionals, and was awarded a $1 million grant to establish a Social Emotional Learning Professional Development Center. She created KPS’s “Culturally Responsive Education” professional development program, was a member of the Equity Task Force, and as an Adverse Childhood Experiences master trainer, she helped plan a community trauma summit to seek “to eliminate policies, practices and procedures that may be creating more trauma” in students KPS serves and the greater Kalamazoo community.

“As an educational leader and trainer, Nkenge challenges and empowers stakeholders to seek intentional solutions and interventions to strengthen their learning communities. As an advocate for student success, she ensures that every student has equitable access to tools, supports and opportunities to learn,” says Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Dean of the School of Education. “The passion she brings to these dual strengths, as well as her journey from special education teacher to higher education administrator, will inspire our graduates to challenge themselves as they begin their careers.”

Bergan graduated from the School of Education in 1995 with a . She earned a master’s degree in educational leadership and administration from Western Michigan University and a certificate in education from Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

Before her KPS leadership position, Bergan taught special education at Douglass Byrd Senior High School in Fayetteville, NC, where she also coached freshman girls’ basketball and volleyball. From 1999 to 2011, she served as building principal in elementary and middle schools advocating for students in urban and suburban communities. In 2010, Bergan was awarded the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association Region 4 Principal of the Year.

David Knapp

Modern music technology—and in particular digital audio workstations (DAWs), such as Garage Band or Soundtrap—are changing that paradigm. But by how much and to what end?

New research by , assistant professor of music education in the and , sets out to assess the extent to which creating, arranging and storing digital music online has increased in music education classrooms, especially during and after the coronavirus pandemic that sent learning online in 2020-2021.

In doing so, Knapp is exploring how affordable DAWs are making music education more democratic, equitable and inclusive; how they are shifting music education away from performance toward computer-mediated creativity and composition that may appeal to more students; and how big data collected on their use—given that students’ creative behaviors are automatically encoded—can give researchers new insights into music learning that were once unfathomable.

“As practices and practitioners in our field move farther into digital spaces, we will need to develop new research methodologies that respond to these new spaces and attend to the different ways music making and learning are taking place,” says Knapp and his co-authors in “” (Research Studies in Music Education, 2023).

Knapp sat down to explain the background of this research project, why he chose to study Soundtrap’s use, how his research is being applied to his teaching and practice, and the exciting future of digital music-making in schools.

Master’s-level

• The prepares graduates to question, analyze and deepen insights into the foundations of education’s relationship with culture and society.
• The (online option) builds understanding of how to identify, design and evaluate instructional solutions for learning and performance challenges.
• The degree prepares graduates to affect change and enact critical reforms in academic, student affairs and administrative settings in higher education.

Certificate-level

• The (fully online) advances knowledge of designing instructional materials specifically for digital learning platforms.
• The (online option) invites students to examine disability as a social, cultural and political phenomenon.
• The provides a foundation for how both instructors and students use instructional systems, learning environments and performance technologies.
• The (online options) teaches how to design instructional materials for use across a variety of platforms and delivery methods.
• The examines how to lead and advise in complex intercollegiate sports programs to promote the development, learning and success of student-athletes.

To learn more about these and other degree and certificate offerings, . Find out more about using remitted tuition by or the .

Together, and are facilitating two simulations for art therapy students in spring 2023. The first simulation took place on Feb. 14 and a follow-up session is scheduled for April 4. “T��� clinical simulations will provide art therapy students with an opportunity to practice with a standardized client, played by an actor,” says Dotger.

Art therapy student Julia Mumpton G’24 performs a clinical simulation with School of Information Studies graduate student Chirag Sable G’23 in the Fall 2022 semester.

The art therapy simulations are part of an initiative by the (CEPP)—directed by Dotger—to invite new groups from across campus to experience simulations and learn how these face-to-face interactions with standardized individuals center on meaningful, real-world problems and emphasize skills that transfer from learning to practice.

To this end, Dotger has invited faculty and staff for pre-service teachers throughout the spring semester.

Supportive Group

Nolan first learned about CEPP through similar outreach efforts. “When I first began at ���ϲ�����, I learned about clinical simulations through the in the College of Professional Studies,” she says. She later attended an October 2021 SIMS retreat in Bird Library, where Dotger shared experiences, readings, and data, as well as plans for future simulations.

Emily Nolan

“It was a great, supportive group to be around,” says Nolan of the retreat. “I’m just grateful to know there are others solving the same challenges and doing similar work with experiential learning.”

Once CEPP formally opened in March 2022, Dotger’s and Nolan’s collaboration intensified. “We began to have more conversations about supporting my work,” says Nolan. “I shared how difficult it can be to hire and train actors to be standardized patients. Ben said that he would help do this and that we could write simulation vignettes together.” Dotger assisted Nolan with the logistics of her fall 2022 art therapy simulations, and the two agreed to strengthen their collaboration for spring 2023.

Nolan first used trained actors to interact with her students at her previous post, with Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, WI. There, she taught a class called Helping Relationships but found its experiential learning methods problematic. Students were being asked to practice therapy on friends and family, but without the necessary skills to follow up if a simulated session uncovered actual issues. “I wasn’t comfortable with this situation, and then one student came to me and said that a friend had to go to hospital after a practice session.”

Building Rapport

Dotger innovated clinical simulations by adapting the practice from the medical profession, which has trained physicians and other medical personnel for years using standardized, simulated patients. In parallel, Nolan first took notice of this training method thanks to her husband, who was performing simulations while in medical school. “So I went to the medical school to see how it is done. That’s when I started to use paid actors with my students.”

Adds Nolan, “We send students into the community for internships, and we’d love to see those sessions, but with confidentiality that’s also problematic. It’s a lot easier to view a student’s progress in a simulated environment.”

In spring 2023, art therapy students will simulate two sessions with the same client/actor. “This two-step method has been used with counselor education simulations in the School of Education,” observes Dotger. “In the first simulation, the student therapist and client/actor can build rapport, and in the second, they can move on to business.”

During the art therapy SIMS, an actor will play a patient based on an actual case study from Nolan’s practice. “T��� client is very depressed and has tried numerous other treatments,” she explains. “T���y have been referred to an art therapist by their psychiatrist. The student knows about the patient’s background and family history, as well as a history of sexual abuse. But that detail is a red herring that students must navigate.”

Areas of Growth

Aside from the actual simulation, critical elements of this experiential training method include observation, feedback, and reflection, which are built into the two-step art therapy SIMS. “In the first session, we will be looking at how the therapist creates a positive relationship with the client. We are looking at a hierarchy of ‘micro skills’ and how those are used to build rapport,” says Nolan. Students will be debriefed after the sessions “to look at their thought processes and learning opportunities.”

Further data will be gathered from the client/actor who will rate each student on an empathy scale. In addition, students will view video of their sessions, assess themselves using a skills rubric, and then write a reflection paper.

“Students also learn how to write a SOAP (for subjective, objective, assessment, and plan), a standard progress note that helps clinicians document a session,” adds Nolan. “After the second session, I view the video in a more evaluative way, looking for how micro skills are being deployed and for areas of growth.”

For Dotger, expanding SIMS to art therapy is further proof of the adaptability of simulated training and assessment. “T���re are similar forms of practice and rehearsal across all SIMS,” he says, “but they are flexible enough to be able to accommodate any number of professional learning environments and practice objectives.”

Already adapted to counselor education, educational leadership, , (for students to practice human subject data collection), and now art therapy, Dotger says more SIMS are in the pipeline—in financial management and accounting, human sciences, post-secondary inclusive education, and exercise science.

“It’s so cool that simulations can be used in such different ways and that we have such a resource on campus—I’ve never had that before,” notes Nolan. “It’s a relief to be around such like-minded people.”

Students, faculty and staff from ���ϲ�����’s InclusiveU joined representatives of other schools and colleges across the state to advocate for increased state funding for disability services in higher education on Feb. 8.

In partnership with the University’s ,�� and , —part of the —brought more than 40 representatives to this full-day event. The ���ϲ����� team visited the Senate Chamber as guests of Sen. Rachel May (D-48).

“T��� trip to Albany was monumental on several levels,” says , Lawrence B. Taishoff Assistant Professor of Inclusive Education, Taishoff Center executive director and head of the . “Not only was it an opportunity to join with colleges and universities from across the state to advocate for much needed funds for disability in higher education, it also gave our students a chance to make the connection between what we do at ���ϲ����� and how this all fits into a larger structure and goal.”

Representatives of InclusiveU pose with State Senator Rachel May (fourth from left).

Lawmakers, led by Assemblymember Harvey Epstein (D-74) and Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-26), introduced a resolution memorializing Feb. 8 as Students with Disabilities Advocacy Day in the State of New York.

Among the budget priorities the students advocated for are $13 million in state funding for , supporting access and inclusion of all New Yorkers with disabilities in higher education and , expanding financial aid options for college students with intellectual disabilities and making aid sources—such as the New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP)—accessible for these students.

The club is run by , assistant professor of educational leadership in the School of Education, and is getting ready to welcome its fifth cohort of teenagers who are fans of young adult fiction.

The Breedlove Readers, a teen book club run by Courtney Mauldin, assistant professor of educational leadership in the School of Education,�� is seeking applications for its Spring 2023 cohort.

The deadline is Feb. 25.��The club meets in the Southside Communications Center, 2331 South Salina St. in ���ϲ����� on the following Saturdays from 1-3 p.m.

Spring 2023 Reading List

• March 25: Meet and greet, plus discussion of “,” by Talia Hibbert
• April 22: Discussion of “,” by Tiffany D. Jackson
• May 20: Discussion of “,” by Dhonielle Clayton, et al., plus art exhibition and dance
• June 17: Discussion of “,” by Kalynn Bayron

Space is limited to 15 participants, ages 14 to 17. Participants receive books and materials at each meeting, with the first book mailed ahead of the March 25 get-together.

The book club was formed in 2020 by Mauldin and , ���ϲ�����’s associate provost for strategic initiatives and Distinguished Dean’s Professor of Literacy, Race, and Justice. The club combines Mauldin’s and Haddix’s love of books with a mentorship model that also explores social, political and personal topics.

The novels selected for the spring cohort��reflect an array of Black girl experiences that resonate with its young members, according to Mauldin. Topics—including body positivity, identity formation, navigating high school, community change, and social activism—are explored through dialogue, writing and creating art pieces that will be showcased in an art exhibition later in spring.

“The fall 2022 cohort of The Breedlove Readers read young adult novels from the sci-fi/fantasy, romance, and suspense genres that created space for rich dialogue among the girls and creative making of monster illustrations, shibori fabrics, and artifacts that spoke to themes in the various novels,” says Mauldin.

To learn more about The Breedlove Readers, follow the club on social media by searching for “T��� Breedlove Readers.” Questions can be directed to��thebreedlovereaders@gmail.com, or by calling��615.852.6196.

Rob Buyea ’99, G’00

When Rob Buyea ’99, G’00 first began teaching, he remembers talking to his students about writing and challenging them in their skills—but he wasn’t doing that himself.

“Simply put, that didn’t sit well with me, so I got started. I said to myself, ‘You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?’” says Buyea, reflecting on his journey out of the classroom and toward publishing award-winning middle grades novels

These days, doesn’t so much walk as run. The former Orange wrestler, elementary and high school teacher, and wrestling coach is now the of two popular book series—”Mr. Terupt” and “The Perfect Score”—and the stand-alone novels, “” and “.” Much in demand, Buyea visits schools across the country and—virtually—throughout the world.

Despite his success—which includes for his books—Buyea, who studied biology and elementary education in the School of Education, remains humble about the origins of his vocation: “I began writing so that I could become a better teacher of writing, and that happened because of my students. They were my inspiration.”

With his inspirational students and inquisitive readers in mind, Buyea put aside his latest manuscript to discuss “creative concoctions,” why he prefers not to physically describe his characters and whether Mr. Terupt will ever star on the big screen.

Moshiena Faircloth created Building HER: Honoring Empowering Relationships to better help young women understand self-care, financial security, and sexual health.

Delaware Primary School Principal Moshiena Faircloth is exactly the type of student the ���ϲ�����’s educational leadership program wants to recruit, says George Theoharis, professor of educational leadership and inclusive elementary/early childhood education in the School of Education. “When this program was redesigned five years ago, the aim was to attract strong and talented ���ϲ����� and Central New York school leaders who are committed to the hard work of equity,” he says.

This , or Ed.D., program prepares students for academic and administrative roles in K-12 and higher education and encourages them to develop new research to improve practices in the field.

Under Moshiena Faircloth’s guidance, Building HER participants complete community projects once a month, including donating to Vera House, ���ϲ�����’s domestic and relationship violence service.

Faircloth’s research focuses on Black single mothers and their experiences with and perspectives on schools’ parental involvement plans. This is an area of research that has gone largely ignored. “Moshiena’s work is filling a critical void,” says , noting almost six million children in the U.S. live in families with a Black single mother. “Gaining a better understanding on these mothers’ perspectives is an important step to strengthening education for Black children,” he says.

Faircloth recently took the time to go in-depth on her career journey, educational and administrative philosophies, doctoral research, and her work to empower Black girls and single parents to help close academic gaps.

What inspired you to become an educator?

My mother really molded me to be who I am today. She always had little groups going, and they always needed someone to babysit while they held meetings. I was that lucky person. I remember playing school with the kids.

My mom went on to be a lobbyist for rural migrant rights in New York state. One initiative she started was a residential camp for farmworker families. All the children would come for seven days each summer. I worked as a counselor from age 14 to 18. Then I became program director. I saw how seriously the migrant children took education. Seeing that fired me up and built a foundation for me to become an educator.

What is your favorite part about being an administrator?

I love seeing the families. I love being outside each morning to greet students. I want to make sure they are all well and happy. If someone is not, then I can pinpoint that first thing in the morning. I make sure I am present in the afternoon, too. I do not want parents to worry about finding me if they have questions.

Can you tell me about the Building HER: Honoring Empowering Relationships program?

Oh, that’s my baby. When I started it, I was a middle school vice principal. I had a lot of young ladies posing a variety of questions to me because nobody had ever taken the time to answer them. The school already had a group for boys where they were having deep conversations. I wanted to do the same with the girls.

We want girls to understand the importance of being themselves and to understand self-care, financial security, and sexual health. We complete community projects once a month. Recently, we made blessing bags for Vera House, a nonprofit working to end domestic and sexual violence, and we are now collecting diapers for the CNY Diaper Bank. I want the girls to understand we are all part of the community and should be there to help.

I’ve found our girls don’t have many people to network with, and they definitely don’t have a lot of capital resources. This can stagnate our kids and keep them in the inner city where they can feel like they can’t get out. I want them to know the sky’s the limit.

What is the focus of your doctoral degree?

Single mothers’ perception on the parent involvement plans of urban school districts. Typically, districts’ plans are rarely made in conjunction with parents. Due to the number of hours our families work, take care of homes, and raise their children, sometimes it is hard for districts and families to collaborate. Plans state what we want you to do as a parent, but districts don’t always have a large number of families that get asked what their needs are.

When you are dealing with single mothers of color, we know they’re juggling a lot—jobs, family, the household, and their kids. That is no easy task. On top of this, the school is asking them to make sure homework is done and that education is the priority. When you live in an urban area, education cannot always be a priority. Instead, priorities might be, “I want my child to survive passed an early age; I want my African American son to make it home safely.”

What really pushed me first was the lack of literature I’ve been able to find around single mothers’ and minority parents’ involvement perceptions and differentiated plans to meet the needs of these family groups. Secondly, I’m hoping to gain enough information to work with districts and offer my knowledge and help around creating adjusted and varied plans.

Knowing that single mothers of color have a wide range of immediate priorities, it is very important that we look closely and are able to differentiate to meet their needs. It is not always going to be an open house where all those families are going to be able to attend. Maybe a solution can be to hold an open house that is offered virtually or maybe we have to plan for a home visit so we can still garner that home/school connection.

My first step has been to find research that supports why it’s important for educators to differentiate for families so we can meet their needs and start to close academic gaps. To add to this conversation, I plan to hold a focus group with families, so they can share their triggers when working with schools, such as, “I don’t want to come in to school because it’s not a welcoming environment.”

I believe the focus group will be important, because as educators, I think we see from our vantage point but we don’t always get the chance to see others’ perspectives. This focus group will allow parents to say, “T���se are the things that I need from the school so I can better help my kid. But I also want you to understand, these are the things that I’m dealing with, things that might prevent me from doing recommendations in the school’s plan.”

What comes next for Principal Faircloth?

In the next five years, I would like to become a superintendent. If not superintendent, I want to work with school districts on improving and/creating their parental involvement plans. I think this is huge and can definitely close many gaps for families and build a more positive culture within schools.

Schools are part of our communities. We need to let the community in and let the community feel safe when they come, not feel judged. I want to bridge that gap and create productive and positive parent/school plans. That would be a dream job.

Learn more about the School of Education’s program, or contact George Theoharis at gtheohar@syr.edu or 315.443.9080.

Story by Ashley Kang ’04, G’11

Six SUNY-ESF graduates joined the School of Education’s M.S. in Science Education (Grades 7-12) program together in fall 2022. Pictured in Professor Sharon Dotger’s science education teaching methods class are (front row, L to R) Nolan Lawroski, Lara Collins, Mary Hillebrand, and Liz Malecki and (back row, L to R) Meghan Morrol and Mae Hurley.

That last scenario is certainly the case for six SUNY ESF graduates who, in summer 2022, enrolled in the School of Education’s (SOE) 13-month

Recruiting science students from SUNY ESF just made sense to , associate professor and science education program leader. “Science education students must have a bachelor’s degree in a science that aligns with New York State’s criteria for the subject-area certification,” she says. “SUNY ESF offers 27 undergraduate programs, many of which are aligned with biology certification. Our close proximity and collaborative arrangements with SUNY ESF make communication regarding our master’s program relatively easy.”

“Having a critical mass of SUNY-ESF alumni beginning their teacher preparation together as a cohort has the potential to support them on their journey as well as catalyze a deeper relationship in the future for the two institutions,” says SOE Interim Dean .

Dotger first met with prospective science education students at SUNY ESF before the 2021 winter break. She explained the advantages and benefits of SOE’s science education teacher preparation program, including a curriculum that focuses on putting equitable and antiracist education into practice, a 50 percent SOE scholarship for all master’s and certificate students, New York State teacher certification for successful graduates, and extensive, guided field placements that begin within a few weeks of the start of SOE classes.

“This term, my students have a nine-week, half-day field placement in Jamesville-Dewitt or Solvay, two local school districts where I have had long-standing collaborations with science teachers,” says Dotger. “I’m grateful that host teachers have been so welcoming, and I know that the teacher candidates will have opportunities to practice the inclusive and equitable science teaching we’re studying in methods class.”

“Our candidates are clear that science is relevant to the daily lives of everyone,” says Dotger. “This course and its placements are designed with the intent of our student teachers helping young people develop that clarity, too.”

The SUNY ESF Science Education Cohort

Lara Collins

• Hometown: Coppell, TX
• SUNY-ESF Major: Wildlife Science
• Activities/Hobbies: Hiking, snowboarding, swimming, kayaking—“Basically anything related to the outdoors and nature”

What drew you to the M.S. in science education?

The fact that it’s a one-year program, the 50% scholarship, and that I qualify for a teaching certificate if I successfully complete the program. Also, there is no relocation because the program and placements are in the ���ϲ����� area, and I can teach older school students, which I prefer.

What do you hope to learn that you can bring to your classroom?

I want to learn from my peers about how to be a student teacher. I also want to understand how to deal with bullying, how to communicate with parents, and so forth. I hope to take ideas I like but also remember things I don’t want to duplicate in my class.

Why should young students learn and understand science?

We are continuously expanding our knowledge about the earth, but so much still needs to be discovered. Young students need to learn about scientific methods so they can solve problems and create a better quality of life.

Mary Hillebrand

• • • Hometown:��Buffalo, NY
    • SUNY-ESF Major:��Environmental Education and Interpretation
    • Activities/Hobbies:�����ϲ����� Western Equestrian Team, SUNY-ESF Bass Fishing Team, plus hiking, birding, and horseback riding

What drew you to the M.S. in science education?

Professors Ben and Sharon Dotger led an informational meeting at SUNY-ESF, which was recommended to me by SUNY-ESF Professor Shari Dann. They were so kind, passionate, and really got me interested in the program. I love to share the “cool stuff” about science and help people connect to nature.

What do you hope to learn that you can bring to your classroom?

I ultimately want to learn how to best engage, inspire, and empower every single student. I want to help students find their voice and show them how cool science can be.

Why should young students learn and understand science?

Science is understanding the world we live in, from what’s going on in our bodies to how you turn on the TV to how elephants came to be. Knowing how to engage in science and scientific thinking is how we make sense of the world.

Margaret “Mae” Hurley

• • • Hometown:��Rochester, NY
    • SUNY-ESF Major: Environmental education and interpretation
    • Activities/Hobbies:��Writing, art, collecting, roller skating, and video games

What drew you to the M.S. in science education?

This is a formal teacher preparation program, with good career options and the possibility that I can travel with my degree.

What do you hope to learn that you can bring to your classroom?

An understanding of my practice, including planning, as well as learning skills and then practicing them in the field placements.

Why should young students learn and understand science?

Learning science creates informed and educated members of society that will continue to help, protect, enhance, and understand the world around us.

Nolan Lawroski

• • • Hometown:��Shelby Township, MI
    • SUNY-ESF Major: Environmental biology, with specialties in mycology and parasitology
    • Activities/Hobbies:��Baking, cooking, and video games

What drew you to the M.S. in science education?

It was a perfect opportunity at the perfect time. And all things considered, it is relatively affordable.

What do hope to learn that you can bring to your classroom?

Classroom management, lesson planning skills, and how to adapt to different learning needs of my students.

Why should young students learn and understand science?

It is the reason we are able to understand how everything in the world works.

Elizabeth “Liz” Malecki

• • • Hometown:��Buffalo, NY
    • SUNY-ESF Major: Governmental education and interpretation, with a specialty in governmental writing and rhetoric
    • Activities/Hobbies: SUNY ESF Woodsmen team during undergraduate, plus hiking and backpacking

What drew you to the M.S. in science education?

It was a great opportunity to further my education at an excellent school.

What do you hope to learn that you can bring to your classroom?

The methods and skills to make science more accessible for all students.

Why should young students learn and understand science?

Biology is much more than just learning about mitosis or evolution. Biology—and science as a whole—is about learning how to observe, question, and critically think about the world around us. These skills are used every day, and it is important that young people are equipped with them.

Meghan Morrol

• • • • Hometown:��Rochester, NY
      • SUNY-ESF Major: Conservation biology, with a specialty in native studies and a major interest in mycology
      • Activities/Hobbies:��“I love all things outdoors and find myself doing lots of hiking and camping. When I am not outside or in the classroom, I am usually crocheting, writing, or doing yoga”

What drew you to the M.S. in science education?

The idea of an accelerated one-year program that prioritized antiracist pedagogy drew me to this program. Now, more than ever, we need teachers who can work collaboratively to educate diverse learners in a way that honors each student’s strengths and needs.

What do you hope to learn that you can bring to your classroom?

I hope to find equitable teaching strategies that push students to investigate their world and approach problems with a spirit of inquiry. At its core sciences pushes us all to meet everything with an open mind. As a teacher, I strive to reflect open-mindedness and reasoning and to constantly encourage my students to think critically about their environment.

Why should young students learn and understand science?

Young students need to learn how to ask questions and decipher the world around them using evidence. Science is crucial to preparing students to have the reasoning and inquiry needed to understand the world we live in.

Learn more about the School of Education’s�� or contact Rebecca Pettit, inquiry and application specialist, at rrpettit@syr.edu or 315.443.2956

Self-portrait by Alexa Kulinski ’09

Meet Alexa Kulinski ’09: “artist + researcher + teacher,” as she describes herself on social media.

A graduate of the University’s bachelor of fine arts program with a 2017 master’s degree from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Kulinski returned to ���ϲ����� to pursue a teaching and curriculum doctorate in the School of Education.

Her research and practice explores art making and visual journaling with the aim of helping students—and their teachers—”make meaning and explore their voices.”

Kulinski began visual journaling during her master’s degree studies at MICA. “It just clicked with me,” she says. In particular, she found that journaling helped her document experiences in the Enfield, Connecticut, public school district, where “Miss K” taught from 2009-20: “Journaling helped me reflect on my teaching, on educational equity and assessment, and the inequities that I saw. It was a transformative practice.”

As a doctoral student, Kulinski shares her visual journaling experiences with school teachers, to help them bring the concept into their lives and their classrooms. It can be used as a metacognitive, goal-setting and problem-solving act for themselves and their students. “Journaling can help with social and emotional learning. It can let students reflect on what has gone well with their learning, what they are in control of, and what they can improve,” Kulinski says.

Although fully trained as an oil painter, Kulinski enjoys cartooning in her visual journal because of how that genre mixes the visual and the narrative. “I encourage journalers to do a page or two a day, or whatever they can do.”��Not that oil painting isn’t able to tell a story, Kulinski adds. You can explore her work through her Instagram account, . This oil on canvas piece is titled, “Moment in Time.”

As a graduate assistant, Kulinski is teaching Creative Processes and Curriculum Structures in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. This course encourages “experimentation, divergent thinking, and openness to discovery” in order to explore “curricular ideas and opportunities for creative learning.” According to Kulinski, “I’m doing journaling practice with my students, along with exploring art making, to help them find ways to use both practices for K-12 content that diverges from a traditional school arts curriculum and integrates contemporary art making practices.”

Kulinski has presented her ideas on visual journaling across New York State. More than 50 art teachers joined her August 2022 New York State Art Teachers Association “Visual Journaling for Art Teachers” professional development program. In September, she presented “Problem Solving Through Visual Journaling” at Buffalo State College, encouraging participants “to learn how to use visual journaling as a teacher to solve problems and help your students do the same.”

During summer 2022, Kulinski taught , part of ���ϲ�����’s long-running pre-college program. High school students learned about comics, the graphic novel and other forms of visual storytelling.

Visual journaling was central to her course. It gave Kulinski—as a researcher—excellent opportunity to observe what stories her students chose to tell, why they chose to tell them and how they went about it: “Examination of student work revealed that the self was a starting point for their narratives, students remixed dominant narrative arcs, and students continually explored and pushed conventions of the artform” (from Kulinski’s paper, “Stories We Live By: Exploring Graphic Novels with High Schoolers.”)

One student—”Trey”—created the comic book character “Split Johnson,” heavily influenced by the character Two-Face from the 1990s TV series “Batman: The Animated Series.” Her Summer College students told Kulinski they wanted to explore the kinds of characters they would like to see in popular culture and that spoke to them. For “Trey,” his shadowy gangster/anti-hero character was a way to address his interest in a criminal justice career.

Two students struck up a friendship while working together on a graphic novel that explored alternative versions of themselves. “Felix” created “Maja Wyzkiewicz” a 22-year-old archaeology student who enjoys debating, is “confident and focused” and wears patched-up clothes. “Maddie’s” alter ego—”Velma Thatcher”—is “a 14-year-old quirky middle schooler who is extremely confident in herself but misses social cues.” After developing their characters, the two students wondered what it would be like if Maja and Velma were to become roommates, so they collaborated “to explore what happens when these two worlds come together.”

In addition to her work on visual journaling, Kulinski’s research explores how the use of materials in art classes can offer a more equitable approach to art education. “T��� use of found objects, for instance, can open up students’ art making ideas and make art much more accessible. Art materials, after all, can be expensive, and there is an exclusivity to that,” she says.

Ever observant to student expression and storytelling, Kulinski adds that the use of found or recycled materials can provide “an opening for students to tell their stories and find their voice so they are empowered to create work that counters injustices in the world.”

or contact Rebecca Pettit, inquiry and application specialist, at rrpettit@syr.edu or 315.443.2956

Fatemeh Moghaddam

A doctoral candidate in cultural foundations of education and women’s and gender studies, Fatemeh Moghaddam’s areas of interest are decolonizing pedagogy and transnational feminist praxis, solidarity and coalition building, and ontological leadership.

In particular, Moghaddam’s current research charts indigenous feminist leaderships in Iran and the possibility of transnational coalition building. In this light, Moghaddam recently offered her expertise and opinion on the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests that began across Iran in September 2022. In this interview, she explains the background of the uprising, her collaborative work to support the protestors and what steps can be taken by educators and others to show solidarity.

Describe the current state of affairs in Iran regarding recent protests by young women and the crackdown by the Iranian state.

On Sept. 16, 2022, Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, a 22-year-old girl while in the custody of the “morality police.” After this killing and during the past few weeks, there have been ongoing protests all over the country, with protesters facing a severe crackdown by the Iranian state that has led to mass incarceration, damage to protesters’ property and the killing of hundreds by the riot police and the plain clothes militia.

These recent events have pinnacled ongoing protests. Just this year, the Iranian state repressed protests and strikes by teachers in more than 50 cities and arrested hundreds of trades union, labor and environmental activists. Although the Iranian state has severely limited internet access—and obstructs journalists’ coverage of the unfolding situations—Iranian people are recording and broadcasting the events through their phones.

Is this current moment exceptional? Does it differ from other protests and uprisings in Iran?

Despite ongoing protests in Iran, these new uprisings are distinct in many ways. Whether it can be called a “feminist revolution” or not, the way women’s body sovereignty is centered is unprecedented, as is the geographical distribution of the protests. The slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” is borrowed from Kurdish movements in Turkey, and protests that started from the so-called periphery have since united people nationwide.

Compared to this moment, protests in the past few decades have been either less expansive across the country or have lacked a central unifying slogan. The recent violent reactions of the state to the protests have evoked immense rage and trauma that have been accumulating in marginalized bodies for hundreds of years under different regimes. It is notable that women’s bodies have been the site of patriarchal control and power in different eras—from secularist Reza Khan’s (1936) mandatory unveiling of our grandmothers to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s mandatory veiling of mothers and daughters.

Describe your petition in support of the protests, as well as the coalition that is convening to show solidarity with Iranian women.

With the support of my advisors—professors and —I wrote “.” In the process of the petition writing, a collective was created. Now my colleagues and I are working on different fronts to raise awareness about this struggle.

The petition was signed by more than 450 scholars, as well as activists from various disciplines and all around the world. The National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) has included this petition with Iranian women. This support shows the extent to which brave women and girls on the streets of Iran have made their cause unavoidable with the unfortunate reality of a huge price—one that we must help them avoid paying.

There will be awareness raising sessions in conferences, such as NWSA, this year. Iranians are paying with their lives for their cause, and I hope we find ways to raise awareness and create authentic, ethical solidarity. I hope for an anti-imperial, anti-colonial, anti-racist, queer, and intersectional solidarity with the feminist revolution in Iran. Our coalition is against the Iranian regime and its expansionist colonial dogmatic politics; at the same time, we condemn US sanctions and right-wing racist, Islamophobic politics.

At the institutional level, what can educators and others do to help raise awareness?

Women protestors dancing around a bonfire in Bandar Abbas

Right now, it is absolutely necessary that we all speak up and raise awareness about these events. This struggle has implications for all groups around the globe and especially ones who are committed to social justice. We are crafting syllabuses for teaching about the movement and are ready to provide collaborative guest lectures in different courses at universities.

As educators, some ways to support are:

• Dedicate one week or one session to Iranian protests and assign readings on it or invite guest lecturers to your class.
• Talk about the protests in faculty meetings and ask faculty and instructors to discuss the protests in their classrooms.
• Invite activists and scholars to speak about the Iranian protests in your program.

Are there any resources that can be used in the classroom and by affinity groups and organizations?

Here are some resources for teaching and raising awareness about this struggle. Plus, educators and others are welcome to contact me at fmoghadd@syr.edu:

• (San Francisco State University Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies)
• (by the University of Minnesota Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies/”AGITATE!”)
• “” (a panel organized by the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Nima Naghibi)
• “” (an article by an Iranian artist in Iran, translated and published in “Jadaliyya,” Oct. 5, 2022)
• “” (an article by Sima Shakhsari in “AGITATE!,” 7, 2022)
• “�Ę” (“Le Monde,” Oct.10, 2022)

A national conference—chaired by Taishoff Center Director —SOTA convenes colleges, universities, researchers, program staff, parents and self-advocates to discuss the current state of research and effective practices in the field of inclusive postsecondary and higher education.

The is “A Decade of Progress at State of the Art: Exploring the Next Frontier of Inclusive Higher Education.” Speakers include faculty and staff from postsecondary education initiatives across the United States—including many representing ���ϲ����� and the School of Education—as well as parents, advocates, and other experts.

This year’s pre-conference event on Oct. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Hotel ���ϲ����� Ballroom promises to be the largest in the United States. Attendees are invited to learn about post-secondary options from representatives of more than 30 colleges, universities and inclusive organizations. Registration for the Inclusive College Fair is free and open to the public.

In parallel with the SOTA Conference and Inclusive College Fair, the (Oct. 19-20) will bring current and future college students into the conversation to learn useful tools for the transition to college life, expand their skills as student advocates and leaders,and meet peers from across the country. Among its topics, the leadership conference will discuss academic skills, advocacy, wellness and employment.

The keynote address opens the SOTA Conference at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 19. Giving the welcome will be , director of the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education Programs. In this role, Williams is responsible for overseeing administration of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and authorizing IDEA grants.

The will be conferred on Oct. 20, starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Sheraton Ballroom. Myers, responsible for the growth of ���ϲ�����’s InclusiveU into the largest inclusive campus in the country, will receive the 2022 National Leadership Award.

Receiving the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award is Madeleine Will, who served as assistant secretary of special education and rehabilitation services in the U.S. Department of Education for six years and was chairperson of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities for four years.

In addition to her public service, Will has advocated for persons with disabilities for several decades, leading national efforts to improve services for children and adults with disabilities and establishing national programs for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; transition and supported employment programs for youth with disabilities; and postsecondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities.

Sponsors of the 2022 SOTA Conference are the School of Education ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and .

Emily Liu leads her class in song during their “hello circle/morning meeting” at Bernice M. Wright School on the ���ϲ����� campus.

The ink was barely dry on her master’s degree diploma when Emily Liu G’22 began prepping her new classroom at Bernice M. Wright School, an early childhood education program on the ���ϲ����� campus.

Having graduated only a couple of weeks earlier in August 2022 with a master’s in early childhood special education, Liu is now responsible both for teaching her toddler students and supervising her first teaching assistant. “I’m both excited and nervous, but I will use a lot of strategies I learned at Jowonio School,” says Liu.

If Liu sharpened her teaching and leadership skills in her master’s degree courses, it was at her summer guided teaching placement where those skills were honed, giving her an edge as she takes the lead in her own classroom.

Legendary School

“Jowonio is a legendary school,” says�� Thomas Bull, assistant teaching professor and School of Education (SOE) director of field relations. “It’s one of the originators of pre-school inclusive education, and many of the practices you see there are the basis of what is taught at the School of Education.” Founded in 1969 in ���ϲ�����’s near East side, —the name means “to set free” in the language of the Onondaga Nation, whose ancestral lands encompass the city—is an alternative pre-school that practices full inclusion of students with disabilities.

Fellow SOE alumna, Allison Fuess G’19, mentored Liu during her placement. A former SOE student teacher at Jowonio herself, Fuess began welcoming student teachers to her classroom from day one. “Jowonio threw me right into mentoring,” says Fuess. “A lot of ���ϲ����� students come through our school, and it’s wonderful. I felt privileged to move into the role of lead teacher and mentor. I’m proud to be involved.”

According to Fuess, Jowonio’s philosophy is that every child should have equal access to learning and equal opportunities to grow.

“T���re is no reason a child who uses a wheelchair should not have access to outside space or sports activities,” she says. “We make sure every child is included in everything. That means lots of adaptation all the time, but it gives our students an amazing outlook on life. They realize there is no reason any child shouldn’t be treated as equal and with respect. It’s really cool to see in action.”

Truly Inclusive

Emily Liu reviewing the day’s schedule with one of her students.

Typically, Jowonio classrooms serve around a dozen children during the regular school year, and between five and eight during the summer. During her summer placement, Liu took on different roles as she learned both classroom management and how to serve each student’s unique needs.

“Emily was my teaching aide, learning about the lead teacher role and covering some of the administrative work to make sure things went smoothly,” says Fuess. As part of her SOE coursework, Liu also developed lesson plans, with Fuess offering feedback. “Emily had independence in the classroom within ���ϲ����� program requirements and especially when interacting with students.”

“Summer lessons revolved around themes of weather, monsters, and transportation,” says Liu. “It was a lot of fun. I designed lessons on these themes that targeted a wide range of developmental domains, including physical development, social and emotional development, communicative development, and cognitive development.”

“Every kid had a different needs profile,” she continues, “so I needed to offer the right accommodations so each child could learn. I learned a lot about providing accommodations and modifications during my time at Jowonio. Not only did I have support from my professors, I felt well supported by my mentor.”

Although not every school supports students with disabilities in the way Jowonio does, Bull says it’s important for ���ϲ����� students to understand what an effective inclusive teaching space can look like. That is part of the reason why the SOE and Jowonio have worked together on guided field placements since the 1980s.

“I tell our students that although this is a pre-school school setting, everything you want to see in a truly inclusive space is being done here,” Bull says. “It’s a place of structure and support based on the idea that everyone belongs. That means individualized support, building community, responding to students’ needs, creating accessible spaces, and fostering collaboration among the teachers and providers in the classroom.”

Working Together Seamlessly

That last element—collaborative teaching—is a critical piece of what ���ϲ�����’s student teachers experience in this immersive placement. “It’s a key component of what our students learn—how to purposefully and successfully work with other adults in an inclusive space,” says Bull.

“In my classroom half of the students have some kind of disability or developmental need,” says Fuess. “Because of that, we have a lot of adult help—a lead teacher, special needs assistants, a teaching assistant and a teaching aide. That’s a lot of adults, but it’s due to the structure.”

With as many as six adults in the classroom, students receive plenty of one-on-one time, with teachers and aides rotating among them. As part of her duties, Liu worked closely with individual students and led small learning groups.

“My biggest takeaway was seeing how well the adults can work together seamlessly. Sometimes without even exchanging words, everyone knew their role and where they needed to be in the moment,” says Liu. “That’s a great benefit to the kids. They have equal time with the teachers, and every child has their needs met.”

Painting with a student during the morning play and learn session in Emily Liu’s classroom.

Offering her assessment of how Fuess managed her classroom aides, Liu says, “Ally was open-minded as she led her team. She let us bring new ideas and offer new lessons, and she gave us feedback based on her knowledge and understanding of her students.”

“This kind of inclusion is not always easy in a larger school district,” says Fuess. Nonetheless, she observes, the more that student teachers observe and practice in classrooms such as hers, so the philosophy and methods of full inclusion will spread.

“I believe getting this perspective as a student teacher makes you want to try different ways of making inclusion work,” Fuess says. “It’s a great perspective to give a young teacher—showing them that inclusion can happen.”

Learn more about the School of Education’s and .

The deadline is Sept. 29. The club meets in the Southside Communications Center, 2331 South Salina St. in ���ϲ����� on the following Saturdays from 1-3 p.m.:

• October 22: Reading
• November 19: Reading
• December 17:�� Reading

Participants receive books and materials at each meeting, with the first book mailed ahead of the October 22 get-together.

“This year, we are partnering with ���ϲ�����’s newest local bookstore——for our kickoff meeting. In doing so, we are supporting a local business which has a fantastic young adult selection that mirrors the types of novels our book club reads. We also are again working with , assistant professor of art therapy, who led a collective mask art project for our last cohort of young readers. Plus, we’ve been fortunate to have two authors of the books we’ve read join us virtually and talk about their work as well,” says Mauldin.

Courtney Mauldin (left) and Marcelle Haddix (right) founded the Breedlove Readers, a teen book club for middle and high school Black girls who are fans of young adult fiction.

The book club was formed in 2020 by and , ���ϲ�����’s Associate Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Distinguished Dean’s Professor of Literacy, Race, and Justice. At that time, both Haddix and Mauldin were wondering how Black girls between 14 and 18 years old were holding up during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The two came across the , which stands for “Poised, Gifted, and Ready.” This nonprofit organization mentors girls between 6 and 18 years old, focusing on community service and socializing through “sister bonding” events.

Mauldin and Haddix wanted to do something similar in their community, so they combined their love of books with PGRs mentorship model to create The Breedlove Readers. Additionally, they wanted to explore current racial topics with the students amidst the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

When coming up with a name for the club, Mauldin recalled “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison. “We were thinking about the character Pecola Breedlove and how much she struggled to be in love with herself and be comfortable in her own skin,” she says. “T��� idea was to reclaim the Breedlove name as one by which girls love all aspects of themselves.”

Since its inception, the club has picked novels with themes that resonate with its young members, such as harassment, body shaming, what love is, and activism. This range allows for deep discussions amongst the group paired with a writing exercise and the ability to respond to the text through the creation of art, Mauldin explains.

Follow the club on social media by searching for “T��� Breedlove Readers.” Questions can be directed to thebreedlovereaders@gmail.com.

The , as it is known, prepares high-achieving undergraduate students for graduate or doctoral studies with hands-on research, academic services, and scholarly activities.��

The program provides motivation, encouragement and support to students annually from all disciplines across the University campus. The McNair team works closely with participants through their undergraduate requirements, encourage their entrance into graduate programs and track their progress to successful completion of advanced degrees.

Additionally, scholars attend summer academy and research courses; perform a year-long research project, guided by faculty; have opportunities for poster and oral presentations; and may receive funding to attend conferences and for a research stipend. Participants also must engage in a host of scholarly activities, including the graduate school application process (done with the assistance of McNair program staff), Graduate Record Examination instruction and weekly community meetings and workshops.

Christabel Osei-Bobie Sheldon

“Program Coordinator Ahlam Islam and I were thrilled with the feedback we received from the readers, which is also reflected in our scores,” says Christabel Osei-Bobie Sheldon, program director. “In particular, Ahlam’s commitment to health and wellness for marginalized identities served as a foundation for our new Wellness and Empowerment Initiative. As an additional competitive priority, we successfully promoted mental wellness as an important marker of student and personal success. We look forward to expanding our wellness model by building new initiatives with the (CLASS) Mindfulness Program this semester.”

“It is obvious that this is a collective success,” says Sheldon. “The McNair community—including our current scholars and alumni—thank the School of Education and the ���ϲ����� Office of Sponsored Programs for their work, time and effort. We did it!”��

Julia White

Julia M. White, associate professor in the School of Education’s (SOE) Department of Teaching and Leadership and director of the atrocity studies and the practices of social justice minor, has been awarded a $1.14 million U.S. Department of Education grant, with the primary aim of recruiting, preparing and retaining fully certified, diverse special education teachers and school counselors to work with students with disabilities with high-intensity needs.

Project IMPRESS (Interdisciplinary Master’s Preparation of Urban and Rural Educators in Special Education and School Counseling) will focus on recruiting professionals for two high-needs school districts in Central New York: the LaFayette Central School District (which includes the Onondaga Nation School) and the ���ϲ����� City School District.

Working with are Sultan Kilinc, assistant professor in SOE’s Department of Teaching and Leadership, and Yanhong Liu, associate professor in SOE’s Department of Counseling and Human Services.

“Project IMPRESS responds to the critical need to increase the number of special education teachers and school counselors prepared to work with students with disabilities with high-intensity needs in high-needs urban and rural schools,” says White. “This cohort-based project will prepare highly effective, equity conscious professionals with the knowledge, skills and disposition to serve these communities.”

To prepare and retain diverse (including Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color) master’s level scholars, Project IMPRESS will provide inclusive, culturally responsive training with the goal of improving learning, developmental, social and transition outcomes for students with disabilities who have high-intensity needs. The professionals in training also will be encouraged to collaborate across disciplines through shared project experiences, including distance learning.

“This project represents an innovative partnership between our programs in inclusive special education and counseling, a key related service provider,” says Beth Ferri, professor of inclusive education and disability studies and SOE associate dean for research. “School of Education scholars will benefit from cross disciplinary training, particularly around supporting students’ social emotional learning and integrating high-intensity supports in inclusive and high needs settings. The project will have a lasting impact, addressing critical shortages of highly qualified teachers and counselors who are able to meet a range of student learning, social, and emotional needs in culturally responsive ways.”

Starting in May 2023, Project IMPRESS will prepare four cohorts of 12 special education (elementary and secondary) and school counseling (P-12) scholars per cohort over five years. To thoroughly prepare them to serve in high-needs schools, the students will be offered interdisciplinary collaborative experiences, including shared coursework, assignments, and mentored field experiences.

Upon program completion, graduates will be able to meet requirements for New York State certification in their respective fields, be prepared to work with students with disabilities who have high-intensity needs, and diversify the teacher population in school districts they serve.

Dotger’s fourth NSF award, “The Simulation Physiology (SIM-Physio) Data Science Model: Engaging STEM Undergraduates in Data Science Practices” will provide undergraduates with hands-on training on how to ethically collect, analyze, and publicly communicate complex, human-generated data, gathered from subjects in CEPP’s programs.

Professor Benjamin Dotger

Dotger is joined in the research project by co-principal investigators , associate professor of exercise science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics; , associate professor of exercise science and director of the Human Performance Laboratory in the Falk College; and , Dean’s Professor in the School of Education’s Department of Counseling and Human Services. , associate professor in the School of Information Studies, is a project advisor.

“T��� founding director of SOE’s new , Professor Dotger has an impressive track record of securing NSF funding,” says Beth Ferri, professor of inclusive education and disibility studies and the SOE’s associate dean for research. “This SIM-Physio data science project is designed to help undergraduate students in STEM fields learn to collect and analyze and then communicate biomedical data to laypersons in a highly-structured, hands-on learning environment involving real-time data collection and analysis. The project—involving students and faculty from the School of Education, Falk College and iSchool—shows the CEPP’s potential to leverage Professor Dotger’s leadership in developing and implementing experiential learning models and applying them to an ever-widening set of instructional contexts, across the University and beyond.”

The SIM-Physio project will pair—one on one—undergraduates preparing to enter science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields with real human subjects, drawn from students engaged in clinical simulations, a core research and practice component of CEPP, . Clinical simulations consist of live and recorded interactions that approximate a challenging professional interaction, such as between a student teacher and a trained actor portraying a concerned parent. Currently, CEPP offers clinical simulations for teacher preparation, counselor education, and professional development for school leaders and military veterans navigating the college experience ().

Because simulations reproduce challenging, high-stakes professional interactions, they offer ample opportunity for SIM-Physio students to collect physiological data. Learners in high-stakes environments often experience minor sign of stress, such as increased perspiration, respiration rates, blood pressure and heart rate. SIM-Physio students will be tasked with collecting and analyzing the physiological data—according to ethical human research guidelines—at seven points during a semester: a baseline measurement followed by six simulations. After analysis, each SIM-Physio student will be challenged to communicate the data back to the human subject they are paired with.

“STEM undergraduates planning to enter the fields of biology, data analytics, exercise science, neuroscience, nutrition science, pre-health/pre-med, psychology, and sports science must practice accurately collecting and analyzing human physiological data, as well as communicating complex data to the general public,” says Dotger. “This project’s fundamental objective—guiding STEM undergraduates in learning the three basic data science practices associated with human subjects—aligns with the National Science Foundation’s emphasis on developing the 21st century data science workforce.”

Derived from medical education’s use of standardized patients, the potential for clinical simulations to revolutionize professional training across multiple fields is explored in Dotger’s book, “” (Harvard, 2022), co-edited with SOE Interim Dean Kelly Chandler-Olcott. The book illustrates how simulations are deployed in mathematics and science education, physical education, educational leadership, counseling and inclusive education.

The SIM-Physio data science project represents an evolution of CEPP’s experiential learning model. “This project is centered on leveraging an existing learning environment—clinical simulations to prepare educators—and these students’ resulting physiological data in order to prepare STEM undergraduates who are learning basic data science principles,” says Dotger. “That’s two learning groups—teacher candidates and STEM undergraduates—impacted at the same time. Refinement of this data science pedagogical model offers opportunities to expand simulations into biomedical training programs.”

This project is a continuation of research that Dotger began in 2016—”Exploring Physiological Responses to Clinical Simulations”—funded in part by the SU Office of Research Internal Grant Program, a precursor to the .

“This NSF award is an excellent example of the ongoing benefits of intramural grant funding,” says Interim Vice President for Research Ramesh Raina. “Professor Dotger has continued to grow and leverage a $7,500 institutional investment for a collaborative project with SUNY Upstate Medical University into a large interdisciplinary federal grant that broadens experiential STEM learning for our undergraduates.”

According to Dotger, “Investments in initial research allowed me and my collaborators to conduct a proof-of-concept and collect some pilot data, both of which were included in the broader NSF proposal.”

Courtney Mauldin

Facilitated by , assistant professor of educational leadership, and third-year doctoral student Easton Davis G’21, the Educators of Color Dialogue follows a similar framework and pedagogical design adopted by the , developed from the University’s participation in the .

At ���ϲ�����, Intergroup Dialogue—directed by Professor —o�ڴڱ���� and co-curricular dialogues that focus on race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, class, and faith-based identities. Each opportunity brings together students and community members from diverse social identities, sometimes with a history of conflict or limited opportunities to engage in meaningful discussion of challenging issues.

The Educators of Color Dialogue also leveraged partnerships formed among the School of Education and multiple Central New York school districts by the , a research, networking, and support collaboration led by Professor and East ���ϲ�����-Minoa Central School District Superintendent and School of Education alumna Donna DeSiato G’04.

After signing up for the Educators of Color Dialogue, teachers received a welcome kit, including a journal in which they could process their thoughts and ideas after and between dialogues. They also received the book “,” which help to extend the group’s conversations.

“The conversations we held were open and very vulnerable,” says Professor Mauldin. “People showed up as their true selves and had a space to share what they were experiencing in their districts without fear of backlash.”

Easton Davis

Easton Davis spoke at length about his experience facilitating the first Educators of Color Dialogue and how this experience informs his doctoral study, which “centers Black bodies and (re)defines well-being.”

Q: How would you describe the Educators of Color Dialogue?

It’s a collaboration between the Study Council and Intergroup Dialog initiatives. We held dialogue sessions between Jan. 24 and May 16, with 13 participants spread across ���ϲ����� city and area schools. We invited educators with multiple, intersectional identities that ranged in years of teaching experience—from three to 17-plus years—and various grade levels, including kindergarten, third, fourth, sixth, ninth and 12th grades.

Professor Mauldin and I worked to create an affinity space for these teachers so we could engage in dialogue around topics such as social equity in schools and develop resources to affirm educators of color experiences.

Q: In Intergroup Dialogue, trained facilitators frame co-learning, encourage open discussion and guide a group process designed to build trust and explore intersections. Does the Educators of Dialogue follow this process?

The Educators of Color Dialogue follows a similar process and structure used to sustain dialogue; however, our dialogue was co-facilitated by two individuals who identify with members of a similar or shared racial and ethnic identity groups—Black, African American or Latinx.

The content and curriculum were based on the educators’ interests. We created an overview of various topics, including the history of teachers of color, exploring social identities, naming conflict and establishing a community of care for students and educators.

Most intentional in bringing together these educators of color was centering our perspective in healing. Part of our intention was rooted in a healing justice approach, given the current social and political climate and what teachers of color experience, including often being one of few in a majority White profession and feeling burned out because of the pandemic and social uprisings spurred in 2020.

That’s why we centered what healing looks like or feels like—affirming their experiences as enough, while also acknowledging larger systems of inequality and oppression.

Q: Could you expand on what you mean by “larger systems of inequality and oppression” in this context?

Our group sometimes discussed how larger systems of oppression such as racism, sexism, and homophobia are reinforced within institutions such as education, especially for educators of color.

We acknowledged how these systems of oppression manifested within our thoughts, policies, and larger school systems, such as the over-policing of Black children, stereotypes and racial microaggressions towards Black, Asian and Latinx educators, such as name-calling and bullying.

Aspects of our dialogue also touched on the practice of self-care as an act of embracing joy, when reflecting how larger systems of oppression often perpetuate issues of social inequality and racial injustice in schools.

Q: How would you describe the goals of the dialogue?

Our goal was to be present to the needs and desires of educators and be mindful of their experiences as educators of color.

It is important to note that although the climate and culture within school districts for some might be described as exhausting and insensitive to educators’ needs for support, we co-created a space to discuss how advocating for joy and imagining acts of radical care during a moment of intense inequity, violence and precarity is critical to our survival and sense of thriving.

Professor Mauldin and I are not trying to act as though there is a panacea to fix what is wrong in the world. We engaged in dialogue with these educators to acknowledge the challenges of centering their voices and to become attuned to the power and genius they bring to their classrooms.

Q: What feedback did you get back from the participants?

The teachers appreciated our vulnerability modeling activities and valued the space. The tools we offered were prompted from issues that the teachers themselves raised. We used this self-guidance to develop session topics and content and to help contextualize issues that were raised.

Q: Will this work inform your doctoral research?

Yes, my work and support with the Educators of Color Dialogue will undoubtedly continue to inform my work and dissertation topic, especially as I continue to understand the relationship between emotions and healing justice.

This dialogue occurred during a time of profound racial injustices, precarity, and inequality—anti-Black and anti-Asian racism, transphobia, homophobic policies and legislation, most notably within schools across the country. It is essential to create spaces, particularly for educators of color, in which to talk about challenges and issues of inequity that they experience as one of few persons of color across districts.

However, this is not the only aspect of dialogue that I find significant to my approach to healing justice for people of color. I interpret healing justice within dialogues that explore issues of social inequality as both an acknowledgment of historical oppression and its manifestations and an opportunity to discuss what reclaiming might look and feel like in the body.

For me, this exploration necessitates an approach to dialogue that affirms lived experiences as enough and encourages folks to play and have fun in the process. Remembering how a negative experience affected a person’s sense of self and identity might evoke myriad emotions, but it also can become an invitation to center practices of joy and love.