The Department of Curriculum and Instruction is pleased to announce the winners of two fellowship award competitions, held each fall for PhD students in reading education and children’s literature. The recipients are:
Lauren Causey: 2012 Norine Odland Endowment for Children’s Literature Fellowship. Lauren’s advisor is Dr. Lee Galda.
Kristen Nichols-Besel: 2012 Schreiner Reading Fellowship. Kristen’s co-advisors are Dr. David O’Brien and Dr. Lee Galda.
Congratulations to Lauren and Kristen!
The Robert Schreiner Reading Fellowship competition is open to Ph.D. candidates in reading education who have completed course work, written and oral comprehensive examinations, and have an approved dissertation proposal. The $2,500 fellowship is designed to support the candidate’s dissertation research in reading education. It is non-renewable. Awardees are selected based of the importance of the research, the clarity with which it is described, the potential the work has for making a significant contribution to the field, and the probability that the research will be completed in a timely manner.
The Norine Odland Endowment for Children’s Literature Fellowship is available to PhD and MA candidates in children’s and adolescent literature who have completed all preliminary course work and examinations, and have had a dissertation or thesis proposal for research in children’s literature approved. The Award grants $2,000 to support dissertation research and $4,000 to support the purchase of books for children and young people in the Fairview University/Amplatz Children’s Hospital. Awardees are selected based of the importance of the purpose for which he/she plans to use the award, the strength of his or her teaching or library experience, his or her expertise in selecting books for children, and the strength of his or her graduate work, particularly that in children’s literature.
LaVoi on Bay Area speaking tour
Dr. Nicole LaVoi embarks Thursday, November 15, on a three-day Bay Area speaking tour discussing aspects of the status of girls and women in sport 40 years after the passage of Title IX.
LaVoi will be speaking Thursday evening at California State University, East Bay. She will then travel Friday to the University of the Pacific where she will speak to the student body on media representations of female athletes and meet with the sport pedagogy club. Saturday she will give a keynote to a group of all-female water polo coaches hosted by Stanford University.
McNair Scholars present at the National McNair Research Conference
Congratulations to the eight TRiO Ronald E. McNair Scholars who presented their 2012 summer research this month at the 21st Annual National McNair Research Conference and Graduate Fair in Lake Geneva, WI. More than 300 McNair Scholars from across the country attended. The conference included an information fair with over 50 of the country’s top graduate schools, graduate school workshops, and networking activities. The presenters were: Christopher Crump, Bezaleel Gebru, Jewel Jeweletter, Biftu Khalif, Touhue Ly*, Merone Melekin, Amy Neguse* and Carlos Reyes* (*asterisk denotes a scholar mentored by a CEHD faculty member). View all of the McNair Scholars research projects.
The McNair program is actively recruiting scholars for summer 2013. Learn more about the program and application process.
Diversity Dialogue: Alexs Pate and Constructing the Innocent Classroom
For the next C&I Diversity Dialogue event, Alexs Pate will present “Constructing the Innocent Classroom: Rethinking Teacher-Student Relationships.”
Friday, November 16, 2012
Noon – 1:30 pm
Peik Hall Room 355
Pizza will be served.
Throughout his career, the issues of guilt and innocence, especially as they impact people of color, have preoccupied much of Alexs Pate’s writing and scholarship. He has developed a program that approaches academic performance by addressing the capacity of public schools to engage the innocence of their children. In this effort, he takes teachers beyond the boundaries of cultural proficiency and cultural competency and helps them understand better the way our society has burdened our children – especially children of color – with the weights of low expectation, stereotypes and negative narratives. Implemented in Omaha Public Schools,The Innocent Classroom helps teachers create more accurate and efficacious relationships with the goal of improving academic performance.
Alexs Pate is Assistant Professor in African American and African Studies at the University of Minnesota, where he teaches courses in writing and black literature, including a course on “The Poetry of Rap.” Pate is the author of five novels including New York Times bestseller Amistad, commissioned by Steven Spielberg’s Dreamworks/SKG and based on the screenplay by David Franzoni. His other novels are Losing Absalom, Finding Makeba, The Multicultiboho Sideshow, and West of Rehoboth.
Fibiger Award Presented to FSOS Undergrad, Samantha Benning
Congratulations to Family Social Science major Samantha Benning, recipient of a Fibiger Award. The award is part of a foundation fund that provides support for notable undergrads to gain professional experience with undergraduate research fellowship, and to enhance the undergraduate experience in the College of Education and Human Development for students enrolled in Family Social Science.
Samantha is a sophomore who took on a full-time NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) internship over the summer with ADAPT. She was drawn to the project because of their focus on strengthening military families, and due to her plans to continue work as a soldier with the Army National Guard..
Samantha was nominated for the Fibiger award by ADAPT‘s PI Abigail Gewirtz. She plans to use the funds to present the results of her internship research project, examining demographics and their influences on participation in post-deployment parenting groups, at the 21st Annual Meeting of the Society of Prevention Research in San Francisco.
Samantha is a great example of the significant initiative the Fibiger award seeks to reward. She plans to use her degree in Family Social Science to find ways to assist families in times of struggle.
CAREI Researchers Present at Mid-Western Educational Research Association Conference
CAREI research associates Beverly Dretzke, Debra Ingram, and Tim Sheldon each presented at the Mid-Western Educational Research Association (MWERA) annual conference, held this year in Evanston, IL. Much of the research resulted from collaboration with community partners. Two of Dretzke’s coauthors, Judy Meath and Susan Rickers, had previously worked as graduate student research assistants at CAREI.
The research presented by Dretzke, Ingram, and Sheldon covered a wide range of educational topics, specifically:
• Staying Power: Assessing the Impact of the be@school Program on Student Attendance Behavior. (Sheldon, T. D.)
• Integrating the Arts to Improve Student Learning.
(Ingram, D., & Weiss, C.)
• How Practice and Evaluation Shape Each Other: An Example from an Arts Integration Project.
(Radzicki, E., & Dretzke, B. J.)
• Be an Artist with Your Words: Integrating Instruction in Language Arts and Visual Arts.
(Ingram, D., & George, A.)
• Summer School Partnerships of Literary Artists and Sixth-Grade Reading Teachers.
(Dretzke, B. J., Meath, J. L., & Rickers, S. R.)
FSoS Susan Walker and SoCS Loren Terveen awarded NSF grant
Congratulations to Family Social Science’s Susan Walker, and Loren Terveen, Computer Science, on their $527,140, three year award from the National Science Foundation for their collaborative research titled Novel Algorithms and Interaction Mechanisms to Enhance Social Production.
FYI Common Book Event: Pathways for Youth: Individual and Institutional Factors
As part of this year’s Common Book events, PsTL First Year Inquiry students attended the Pathways for Youth: Individual and Institutional Factors panel discussion. Five invited panelists presented their work with youth centered research and programs. Each panelist shared their approach to supporting youth develop and understanding the issues and barriers youth face. Sondra Samuels’ work with the Northside Achievement Zone takes a space based approach to address the achievement gap in her community. Ann Masten’s research takes a strength based approach to understanding youth and how to nurture resilience. Sarah Walker’s work with 180 Degrees takes an issue based approach that provides both direct service and advocates for policy reform in the juvenile justice system.
The discussion among the panelists provided CEHD’s first year students a window into a variety of ways to make a different in the lives of young people. One common theme that emerged from the discussion was the importance of setting positive expectations for individuals and communities. Each panelist shared their passion for working with youth and their personal journeys that led them to their current work. Students were interested in hearing how panelists maintained their passion for work that is sometimes very demanding. Panelists described keeping “the fire” alive by staying connected to the communities they work in, building strong networks of support for themselves, and celebrating their successes.
We thank the panelists for their participation in our FYI program. The panelists included Steve Randall (St. Paul Parks and Recreation), Mike Baizerman (Youth Studies, Professor), Sondra Samuels (Northside Achievement Zone, CEO), Ann Masten (Institute of Child Development, Professor), Sarah Walker (Chief Administrative Officer, 180 Degrees).
African American Read-In welcomed Mbulelo Mzamane
Ezra Hyland, teaching specialist in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning brought Mbulelo Mzamane to speak with University faculty, staff, and students last week. Mzamane is a well-known author, academic, and activist from South Africa who made post-apartheid changes alongside former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Mzamane told inspiring stories of his time in South Africa serving with Mandela and energized lively discussion between students and staff on current political issues. Revolution and change, he said, is not something that requires bloodshed. Economic and social reconstruction cannot be achieved through military power, but through politics and the cooperation of the people. “Cooperation is the only way to grow ourselves,” Mzamane said, one of many inspirational and thought-provoking statements. To further explore South Africa’s struggle against apartheid, Hyland suggested Mzamane’s trilogy The Children of Soweto and The Children of Paradise.
FSoS Shonda Craft talks about moving on, post-election, with KARE-11
Shonda Craft, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Social Science, gave relationship advice in an interview with KARE-11 news: Expert talks about moving on after devisive election season.
Craft, whose expertise includes Marriage and Family Therapy, touches on online activism, making sense of why people post what they do online, as well as how to move forward and mend fences now that the elections are through.
McMaster presents at National Special Education Congress in Turkey
Kristen McMaster, associate professor in Educational Psychology, recently gave a plenary talk at the 22nd National Special Education Congress at Karadeniz Technical University in Trabzon, Turkey. Her talk, “Assessment for Instructional Decision-Making: Curriculum-Based Measurement,” provided an overview of the work on CBM initiated by Professor Emeritus Stanley Deno at the U of M, described how CBM can be used for data-based individualized instruction, and highlighted McMaster’s recent work on CBM in writing.
Along with her colleague, Dr. Stephanie Al Otaiba from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX, McMaster spoke with special education faculty and students about current special education practices in the US and Turkey, and toured two schools in Trabzon.
MasterCard Foundation Project conducts international evaluation workshop in Tanzania
The University’s MasterCard Foundation Project team organized and conducted an international evaluation workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Oct. 22-25, that drew participants from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Canada, and the U.S. The team members from the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) participating in the workshop included Carol Carrier, David Chapman, Joan DeJaeghere, Heidi Eschenbacher, Christopher Johnstone, and Laura Williamson, and Brooke Krause (Applied Econ). Chapman, Williamson, and Krause also conducted a data analysis workshop in Dar es Salaam Oct. 21 for staff of the Swisscontact NGO, which is delivering an entrepreneurship training program for economically disadvantaged youth in Tanzania and Uganda. This is part of the six-year MasterCard Foundation project directed by Chapman and DeJaeghere.
Kane, LaVoi, and Lisec to present at NASSS
Dr. Mary Jo Kane and Dr. Nicole LaVoi, along with Dr. Janet Fink from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will be presenting their paper, “Exploring Elite Female Athletes’ Interpretations of Sport Media Photographs: A Window into the Construction of Social Identity and ‘Selling Sex’ in Women’s Sports” at the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) annual conference in New Orleans, LA, November 7-11. Also presenting, sport sociology doctoral student John Lisec will share his paper, “What’s New About New Media? Re-Examining Methodologies for Reading Sport Critically in the Digital Age.”
Stoffregen presents at UMD’s Large Lakes Observatory
On November 5, Tom Stoffregen, Ph.D., professor in Kinesiology, gave an invited colloquium at the Large Lakes Observatory (LLO) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The title of his talk was, “Getting your sea legs: The horizon, the body, seasickness, and mal de debarquement”.
Continue reading “Stoffregen presents at UMD’s Large Lakes Observatory”
Institute of Child Development and MN Children’s Museum partnership grows
The Institute of Child Development and the Minnesota Children’s Museum, with a shared goal of making a positive impact on children’s development, have announced the formation of a Research Advisory Council to build and sustain an ongoing institutional connection.
The council will guide the museum in applying and disseminating research that can improve children’s learning and parenting practices. It also will give museum leadership feedback on important decisions about the museum exhibits, programs, and outreach and flag relevant findings on social, economic, and other trends that are likely to influence children and families the museum serves.
“Minnesota Children’s Museum is honored to work with this distinguished group of scholars and early childhood experts,” said Dianne Krizan, museum president. “This powerful partnership will influence how the museum achieves its mission of sparking children’s learning through play and will benefit scholars in translating research into action that will benefit our community.”
The partnership began earlier this year when the museum commissioned a research summary on the role of play in early learning and development. The research validated the importance of playful learning for a child’s cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development and identified new opportunities for discovery in the early childhood field.
“The value of play in child development is clear,” said Megan Gunnar, Regents Professor, director of the Institute of Child Development, and chair of the council. “We are excited by the opportunity to partner with a respected early childhood organization like Minnesota Children’s Museum to learn more about this important element of childhood and to help parents effectively support their children’s development.”
Continue reading “Institute of Child Development and MN Children’s Museum partnership grows”
OLPD well represented at American Evaluation Association conference
The Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD) was very well represented at this year’s American Evaluation Association (AEA) Annual Conference which took place here in Minneapolis October 24-27.
Continue reading “OLPD well represented at American Evaluation Association conference”
OLPD graduate student has letter to the editor published in Wall Street Journal
Bill Woodson, a Ph.D. student (higher education) in the Department of Organizational Leadership Policy and Development (OLPD) had a letter to the editor published in the Wall Street Journal in response to the article The Unraveling of Affirmative Action by Richard Sander and Stuart Taylor Jr.
See Woodson’s letter to the editor, Is Unraveling of Narrow Affirmative Action Premature?, in the Wall Street Journal.
International Academy of Intercultual Research has chosen OLPD CIDE Ph.D. as featured graduate program
The Ph.D. program in comparative and international development education from the Department of Organization Leadership, Policy, and Development’s (OLPD) has been chosen by The International Academy for Intercultural Research (IAIR) as a featured graduate program.
IAIR is a professional interdisciplinary organization dedicated to the understanding and improvement of intercultural relations through world-class social science research.
FSoS Grad Student Jennifer Sampson, Awarded “MAMFT Doctoral Student of the Year”
The Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy awarded Jennifer Sampson with the MAMFT Doctoral Student of the Year Award at their fall conference on November 1. Jennifer is a Ph.D. candidate specializing in Couple and Family Therapy in the Department of Family Social Science.
Dante Cicchetti wins prestigious award from Jacobs Foundation for child development research
Dante Cicchetti, professor in the Institute of Child Development, was awarded the Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize and over $1 million by the Jacobs Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland, for more than 30 years of work in child development. One of the world’s leading researchers in developmental and clinical psychology, Cicchetti studies the consequences of child maltreatment and neglect and the conditions that lead to resilience — the psychological capacity to withstand difficult life conditions.
Cicchetti combines theory and research in psychosocial behaviors, neurobiology, and genetics to inform interventions that dispel the notion that poverty and child maltreatment are directly linked and that they both have the same impact on development. He has also demonstrated that violence and abuse affect the body and mind differently throughout a child’s life.
“To see the positive and not just the problems — this is crucial when studying the
development and resilience of maltreated children. It’s a dynamic process. There
are things that can be done to promote resilience — even when children have had
terrible experiences at a very early age,” says Cicchetti, who intends to use the cash
prize to expand his interdisciplinary research.
Cicchetti received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1977, taught at Harvard University and the University of Rochester in New York, before returning to the University of Minnesota as the McKnight Presidential Chair and William Harris Professor of Child Development and Psychiatry. He has won numerous national and international awards and has published over 450 articles, books, and other works that have had far-reaching impact on developmental theory, policy, and practice related to child maltreatment, depression, mental retardation, and other fields of study.
The top-ranked Institute of Child Development is part of the University’s College of Education and Human Development, whose mission includes improving the lives of children, families, and communities locally and around the world.
The Jacobs Foundation, founded in 1989 by Klaus Jacobs, promotes child and youth development worldwide by funding research and intervention programs.
Cicchetti will be honored and receive the award at the University of Zurich on Dec. 7, 2012. The University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development and the Institute of Child Development will celebrate his award on Dec. 12, 3:30-4:40 p.m., in Burton Hall.
Read more on Cicchetti’s award in City Pages.