CEHD News Jeff Webb

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CEHD News Jeff Webb

Institute of Child Development and MN Children’s Museum partnership grows

November 6, 2012

1minnesota-childrens-museumThe 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.”

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Dante Cicchetti wins prestigious award from Jacobs Foundation for child development research

November 2, 2012

CicchettiDDante 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.

Kyla Wahlstrom Discusses Instructional Leadership and Teacher Evaluations

November 1, 2012

NasbeKyla Wahlstrom, Director of CAREI, was recently invited to speak at the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) annual conference in Chicago, IL. Wahlstrom participated in a panel discussion on School Leadership, and spoke about how principals have a key role in supporting teacher learning through teacher evaluation. Her comments focused on how principals can strengthen their instructional leadership by using information from teacher evaluations to shape teacher support. The annual NASBE conference brings together members of the nation’s State Boards of Education, where they share and discuss policies that govern all aspects of education at the state level.

CEHD Reads event with Wes Moore rescheduled for November 16

October 30, 2012

WesMoore2The CEHD Reads public lecture with Wes Moore, originally scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 30, has been rescheduled for Friday, November 16, 7:30 p.m., in The Commons Hotel in Stadium Village. See the CEHD events calendar for details.
The Other Wes Moore, by Wes Moore, is a combined autobiography and biography, an alternating narrative that tells the story of two boys — both named Wes Moore — growing up in similar Baltimore neighborhoods and the very different paths their lives take.
A book signing will take place after the event. Read more about the CEHD Reads program.
Watch the book trailer on YouTube.

McDowell Receives the University Women of Color Tapestry Award

October 30, 2012

McDowellACongratulations to Anise McDowell, graduate student in PsTL’s Master of Arts in Multicultural College Teaching and Learning, who is one of two recipients of the 2012 University Women of Color Tapestry Award. This award is given to honor dedication, passion, and steadfast commitment to students of color on the University of Minnesota campus. McDowell utilizes the tools gained in the MA to enhance her work at the University’s Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence and Student Unions & Activities as she works towards her goal to take an active role in strategic planning for equity and inclusion for all students.

Study finds homelessness, high mobility affects achievement; yet some students show resiliency

October 29, 2012

Students who experienced homelessness or high mobility had chronically low levels of reading and math achievement compared to their peers — gaps that either stayed the same or worsened as students approached high school, according to a longitudinal study conducted through a partnership of the University and Minneapolis Public Schools.
The study, published Oct. 30 in the journal Child Development, found that homeless and highly mobile (HHM) students did not catch up to their peers during a six-year period.
Furthermore, HHM students showed lower levels of achievement, and slower growth in math achievement, during years in which they experienced homelessness and high mobility compared to their own achievement and growth during years in which they did not experience homelessness or high mobility.

CutuliJ“This is the first study that looked at academic achievement data for HHM students during a long period of time,” said lead researcher J.J. Cutuli, a former U of M doctoral student who is currently a research director at the University of Pennsylvania. “Past studies on this topic have been able to produce snapshots in time, but now we’re able to see that gains in math achievement among HHM students slow down during periods of homelessness or high mobility.”
Despite the risks, the study found that 45 percent of HHM students were able to meet the expectations of academic success during third through eighth grades.
MastenA-Pref“That is a striking variability,” said Ann Masten, a leading expert on this topic, co-author of the study and Institute of Child Development professor. “Discovering why some children are more resilient than others is key to helping all children.”
“Understanding their successes may offer clues for strategies to address achievement problems in their peers,” added Cutuli. “Solving short-term risks tied to homelessness or moving frequently, as well as long-term risks associated with chronic poverty and disadvantage will help lead to solutions for these youth.”
The study included at data from 26,474 Minneapolis third through eighth graders from 2005-2011, nearly 14 percent of which identified as homeless or highly mobile at various points during that time. “The results are disheartening, but confirm what we previously suspected,” said Elizabeth Hinz, co-author from Minneapolis Public Schools.
MPS provides system-wide training for all staff responsible for the well being of HHM students and the results of this study have led to even more focus on creating informed understanding of the educational needs of these students.
“In order to support HHM students in the best way possible, we are implementing an integrated student information system for teachers that provides immediate access to academic information that supports student achievement,” said Hinz. “Teachers are better able to keep the students’ situations in the forefront and easily access strategies to meet the needs of each student.”
More than one million American school children experience homelessness or high mobility each year, according to The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth (NAEHCY).
“We are not going to be able to tackle the issues of the achievement gap without addressing the issue of mobility in our student populations,” said Masten. “This is not a small problem when you have such significant percentages of children who are homeless or highly mobile.”
The data used in this study are routinely collected as part of day-to-day district operations (attendance, child demographics, eligibility for special services, yearly academic achievement, etc) and include whether students qualify for HHM services.
The study was supported in part by the Center for Neurobehavioral Development at the University of Minnesota, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs at the University of Minnesota, and the Institute of Education Sciences.
See more on this topic in articles in the Star Tribune and MinnPost, and on Minnesota Public Radio. The study has also been posted on the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness website.

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Equal Opportunity and School Desegregation

October 29, 2012

Robert PochRobert Poch, senior fellow in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, chaired a session on Equal Opportunity and School Desegregation at the annual meeting of the Organization of Educational Historians this month in Chicago. He also presented a paper, “Intercepting Justice: The Historical Use of Interposition and Nullification in Blocking Educational Desegregation” during the meeting. Poch’s article, “Shaping Freedom’s Course: Charles Hamilton Houston, Howard University, and Legal Instruction on U.S. Civil Rights” also appears this month in the American Educational History Journal, Volume 39.

The Other Wes Moore and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

October 26, 2012

MIA2Kris Cory, senior teaching specialist in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, brought her PsTL 1525W First Year Inquiry class to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a guided tour. The Other Wes Moore is the Minneapolis Institute of Arts November Book Tour book and all PsTL 1525W students are attending customized tours for their class sections. The docents prepare for the students’ visit by reading The Other Wes Moore and choosing pieces of art that draw thematic connections to the book. With the docent, students discussed a variety of forces that impact young people’s development and paths to adulthood — family and community, friendship, religion, and violence, among others — as they examined works of art from ancient China and Africa to modern America. The MIA trip provided an opportunity for students to deepen their exploration of the common book which continues with the Pathways for Youth panel discussion on Friday, October 26th, and the author Wes Moore’s visit on October 30th.

C&I’s Kaishan Kong earns Graduate and Professional Student SEED Award.

October 25, 2012

KongKCurriculum and Instruction student, Kaishan Kong (Second Languages and Cultures) has been selected as one of the 2012-2013 Graduate and Professional Student Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) award recipients. The Graduate and Professional Student SEED Award honors outstanding students at the University of Minnesota whose research is focused on issues of equity, diversity, and/or social justice, and who demonstrate outstanding creativity, innovation, and potential for scholarly and/or professional excellence in their discipline or field. This year the Graduate and Professional Student SEED Award recipients were chosen from a pool of 26 students from 21 programs. Kaishan Kong’s research, education, and outreach in providing opportunities for young people across cultural boundaries earned her this prestigious award.

Melissa Kwon Keynote Speaker at Asian Pacific Islander Health Summit

October 23, 2012

Melissa Kwon, Research Associate at CAREI, was invited to be the keynote speaker at the recent Asian Pacific Islander (API) Health Equity Retreat organized by Asian Media Access. Kwon spoke about educational research methods and applications in studying API health disparities in Minnesota, with a focus on the importance of culturally relevant research and disaggregating API data by ethnicity. The audience for the Summit included local and national community groups, health professionals, and representatives from the Center for Disease Control.

CEHD academic advisers promote new study abroad financial aid program

October 22, 2012

Mark Bellcourt and Nate Whittaker, academic advisers in CEHD Student Services, presented at the Education Abroad Network’s Financing Study Abroad event earlier this month. Bellcourt and Whittaker highlighted the Learning Abroad Center’s new Bridging Loan program, which assists low-income students with upfront study abroad costs like confirmation fees and airline tickets. “The program was a response to the fact that many low-income students were applying to programs, but dropping out after being charged these fees. This became an issue with my global seminar to South Africa two years ago, so a number of stakeholders on campus met to discuss possible policy changes that would assist low-income students financing learning abroad,” Whittaker says.
Cindy Pavlowski, academic adviser in the School of Social Work, and Ellen Sunshine, academic adviser in CEHD Student Services, also participated in the event. “I’ve seen the incredible benefits when my students study abroad and feel that if a student can make it happen, it will probably be the best experience they have while here at the U. The financial piece is important because it is one of the biggest perceived barriers for students when considering a trip abroad,” says Sunshine.

C&I’s Misty Sato appointed to the AACTE Committee on Research and Dissemination

October 22, 2012

SatoM-2007The Department of Curriculum and Instruction’s Misty Sato has been invited to serve on the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) Committee on Research and Dissemination. Her term will begin in March 2013 and run through February 2016.
The Committee on Research and Dissemination is charged to develop the Association’s research agenda in order to assist the membership in reaching evidence-based professional consensus regarding professional education in five areas: standards, curriculum, assessment, accountability, and membership in the profession. The Committee will also consider effective vehicles and strategies for disseminating research findings. Additionally, the Committee will serve as members of the editorial board for the Journal of Teacher Education.

C&I’s Jessamay Thompson receives scholarship from OAS

October 22, 2012

ThompsonJJessamay Thompson, graduate student in social studies education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction, has received a full scholarship from the Organization of American States (OAS) to participate in an online professional development course entitled “Evaluation of Policies and Programs in Education for Democratic Citizenship – First Edition.” Jessamay’s areas of expertise include civic education (with a special interest in Latin America) and evaluation studies.

C&I’s Scharber and Pazurek present keynote for adult educators, facilitators and managers

October 19, 2012

Angel&CassieThis week, C&I’s Cassie Scharber and Angel Pazurek co-presented the opening keynote for a professional development workshop with the Ronald M. Hubbs Center for Lifelong Learning and Adult Basic Education (ABE) which is affiliated with the St. Paul Public Schools’ Community Education Department. The workshop for adult educators, program facilitators, and managers centered on the Hubbs Center’s Distance Learning Initiative and was held at the Wilder Foundation in St. Paul, MN. This event serves as the beginning of year-long professional development program focused on building effective distance learning programs for adult learners. The keynote was entitled, “Serving as Agents of Change in a Digital World,” and fused research, motivation, and narratives about adult learning, online/distance learning, and digital literacies.

Ernst presents on open textbook catalog at TEDxKyoto 2012

October 19, 2012

In a presentation titled “Knowledge Belongs to Everyone,” David Ernst, college director of academic and information technology, described the potential of the College of Education and Human Development’s open textbook catalog at TEDxKyoto 2012. This seven-minute video, captured on Sept. 16 in Kyoto, Japan, is an introduction to Ernst’s perspective on the future of educational material published under an open license.
TEDxKyoto organizers describe Ernst as part of “a select group of visionaries who understands that education is our species’ greatest hope and finest inspiration.”
Read more about the CEHD vision of educational innovation in technology.

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Nelson receives University Women of Color award

October 19, 2012

Elizabeth Nelson, office manager in TRiO Upward Bound, received the 2012 University Women of Color (UWOC) Tapestry Award. The award recognizes the individual efforts of faculty, staff, and students to create a positive campus climate for women and particularly, women of color.
NelsonENelson began working at the University as a work-study student in the Spanish and Portuguese department and the Upward Bound office, and returned to Upward Bound as staff in 2007. She’s pursuing a master of education in human resource development and mentors Upward Bound’s human resource development interns. She is actively involved in the Community of Scholars program, which supports graduate students who are underrepresented in academia, and is also president of the Graduate Students of the College of Education and Human Development (GradSEHD). Nelson was presented the award at a UWOC reception on Oct. 18.

Maynard Reynolds was leading force for special education students

October 18, 2012

Educational psychology professor emeritus Maynard Reynolds, who died Oct. 16 at the age of 90, was the spirit and the driving force behind the development of the Special Education Program at the University of Minnesota and provided national and international leadership to the development of the field of special education.
After completing his Ph.D. at the University in 1950 he joined the faculty as assistant professor and director of the Psychoeducational Clinic. “There was no department of special education at the University,” he said. “But as clinic director I was first-in-line as inquiries about handicapped/exceptional children came to the College of Education.”
Professor Reynolds turned his attention to school programs and with Governor Elmer Andersen worked to enact the 1957 legislation creating school programs for students with disabilities in Minnesota. From that point forward he helped Minnesota become the national leader in the developing field of special education, contributing significantly to the passage of the federal special education law in 1977. Under his leadership, the Special Education Program was consistently ranked as the top program in the nation.
Later he assumed the chairmanship of the newly formed Psychoeducational Department, composed of the Special Education, School Psychology, Psychological Foundation, and Counseling and Student Personnel Psychology programs. He retired in 1989.
His scholarly work focused on what initially was referred to as “mainstreaming.” The goal of this work was to reduce segregation of students with disabilities and increase their integration into general education classrooms. That work ran parallel with the national and international effort to bring people with disabilities into the mainstream of society.
His many contributions at the University and nationally resulted in his receiving the J.E. Wallace Wallin Lifetime Achievement Award from the national Council for Exceptional Children in 1971 and the University’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2004.
While Professor Reynolds’s contributions to the field were many, for his students and colleagues his role as a teacher and mentor stand out the most. “After I arrived,” said a current faculty member, “Maynard became a fairly special mentor to me. He served on my first few synopsis committees, visited one of my classes early on, and gave me guidance and advice. He was always so generous with his time and attention, and I quickly came to see him as wise, sage, and just a great leader and colleague.”
– written by professor emeritus Stan Deno
See Reynolds’s obituary in the Star Tribune.

President of University of Iceland visits

October 17, 2012

Kristín Ingólfsdóttir, president of the University of Iceland, gave a lecture on campus Oct. 16 on “The Role of International Institutional Partnership in Graduate Education at the University of Iceland.” Her visit was sponsored by CEHD and the University’s Global Programs and Strategy Alliance. Ingólfsdóttir became president of the University of Iceland in 2005 and was reinstated for a second five-year term in July 2010. The University of Iceland has a student population of around 14,000, including 1,100 foreign students.
For more information, contact Christopher Johnstone, john4812@umn.edu.

Welcome Assistant Professor Tania D. Mitchell!

October 16, 2012

MitchellT-2012The Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning is excited to welcome Dr. Tania Mitchell as the newest member of our faculty. Dr. Mitchell received her doctorate in Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and brings an extensive background and expertise in community engagement and service-learning to the University of Minnesota. Her teaching and research focus on diversity in higher education, leadership development, community engagement and the pedagogy, philosophy and practice of service-learning. This spring Dr. Mitchell will teach PsTL 8010: Service-Learning Pedagogy and Praxis, a graduate level special topics course. She will also teach PsTL 1461 Multicultural Perspectives in Public Speaking providing undergraduates an opportunity to work with her. Welcome Dr. Mitchell!