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We have some new, encouraging data about our college's teacher preparation programs. And these data are a breath of fresh air (or perhaps "breaths" of fresh air), especially when you consider current public policy debates.
An Arizona Department of Education survey of principals who hired our 2009 graduates shows ... drum roll, please ... UA grads scored above the state average in terms of meeting or exceeding expectations of beginning teachers.
This is the first time ADE has done this survey.
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Double duty
for Dennis DeConcini
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Arizona Regent and former State Senator Dennis DeConcini was our guest on April 6 for a tour of the Emily Meschter Early Learning Center, which includes an on-site classroom for our students studying early childhood education.
Later that evening, he was the featured speaker at our annual Erasmus Circle Reception at the Lodge on the Desert. He covered the economic impact of education, social and civil projects at the college, science and math education -- and that was just the tip of the iceberg!
Special thanks to Regent DeConcini for giving us his full attention that day and for the far-reaching speech.
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Spring Convocation
McKale Center
Friday, May 13
8 a.m.
Register today!
Check-in begins at 7 a.m. at the College of Education tent on the mall at the northeast corner of McKale Center. Staff will direct you to room 108 inside McKale where you can enjoy coffee and breakfast pastries before the ceremony.
If you have questions, please contact Karen Sesler at seslerk@u.arizona.edu or call 520-621-7865.
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Education E-News
April 2011
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What's the one profession
that makes all other
professions possible?
Teaching! And that's one of the reasons we are thanking all teachers at the UA on Saturday, April 30.
Please join us, especially if you are a teacher, because we want to thank you for everything you do during Teacher Day at UA.
To honor all K-12 teachers, we are offering a treasure chest of goodies. Admission to UA museums, galleries, and science centers is free for all teachers and three members of their families on April 30. Teachers are invited from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
And don't miss the Careers in Education Hub in the College of Education building. You'll find everything from the Desert Legume Program (yes, there is such a program) to the National Park Service to Arizona Repertory Theatre. You'll find more details here, and we'll see you on campus!
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Do you know Lilly Ledbetter?
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Lilly Ledbetter with President Obama |
If you've heard of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, then you're on the right track.
We are happy to announce that Lilly Ledbetter will be on campus Friday, April 29, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Gallagher Theater in the Student Union. She will talk about her EEOC lawsuit against the Goodyear Tire Company for wage discrimination and her lobbying campaign to secure passage of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. (President Obama signed it into law on January 29, 2009.) There will be a reception following the presentation.
We are one of the cosponsors of the event. For more info, contact Jan Lo Vecchio at lovecchio@dakotacom.net or 520-889-6910.
Click here for the full text of Ledbetter's testimony before the United States Senate.
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Oh, Mr. Oh
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Cochise County
Teacher of the Year |
A science teacher at the Center for Academic Success middle school in Sierra Vista was named the 2011 Cochise County Teacher of the Year this month.
Jeffrey Ofstedahl also happens to be one of our MASTER-IP students, in his second year. His internship is at Freeport McMoRan in Sahuarita.
Why is he called Mr. Oh? Here's more.
And here's info on our innovative MASTER-IP program.
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Illustration by Matt Hamm |
Harnessing the power
of social media
Congratulations to Educational Policy Studies & Practice Associate Professor Regina Deil-Amen who received a $735,442 grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundaton. Getting Connected: Harnessing the Power of Social Media Technology to Enhance Community College Student Success will explore the relevance of social media technology and its use across postsecondary institutions.
Here's more on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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Adam Beck and Lauren Dawsey (Wilbur and Wilma) |
"I won't miss having my tail pulled!"
The most recent UA mascot was our very own Adam Beck,
who graduates with a bachelor of science in cross-categorical special education in May. We had a chance to catch up with Wilbur, er, Adam.
A: How did you like being Wilbur?
Being Wilbur was great! I loved representing the school and portraying a character that is the complete opposite of myself. Wilbur flirts with all of the girls, shows off, has a huge ego, dances like no one is watching, and has no "off switch." Contrast that to me: My favorite moments are spent in solitude in the mountains.
Q: What was the weirdest thing that happened to you as Wilbur?
 A: Being furry is always weird. If I had to pick one, it would be something that recently happened at the Pac-10 tournament in LA. I was out on the court during a timeout. I looked up into the stands and saw our esteemed, former basketball coach, Lute Olson. I saluted him and he saluted me back. I didn't even think he was looking at me! I felt honored to have the attention of such a classy guy.
The only other weird things are the superstitious rituals I do before games. Before football, I sleep with my Wilbur socks (red on right foot, blue on left). It usually works. During basketball warm-ups and free throws, I zap the opposing team with spirit fingers.
Q: What else does Wilbur do?
A: Wilbur does just about everything besides funerals. We've been to weddings, done commercials, played mascot pick-up basketball, visited bat mitzvahs, received a doctor's coat from UMC. Last year, I went to ASUA's Spring Fling carnival and bungee jumped!
Q: Will you miss being Wilbur?
A: Strangely, I will miss being physically exhausted to the point of collapse after the first home football game. I'll miss doing horrible one-armed pushups on a wobbly board, suspended 7 feet in the air. I'll miss Wilma, my wife. I'll miss meeting other mascots. I'll miss explaining to my girlfriend why Wilbur has lipstick on his fur. I'll miss those in the community who view Wilbur as a super hero. It's cool to be a super hero. But I won't miss the 6:30 a.m. workout! I won't miss camera phones ... I swear I've taken at least 100,000 photos. I won't miss having my tail pulled.
A: Do you have to train the next Wilbur?
Wilburs are chosen because they already display some unique character traits that Wilbur must possess. Every Wildcat has Wilbur within. I must simply help the student convey Wilbur in an animated way.
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation, Adam. We'll miss seeing you around as both Adam and Wilbur.
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Soaring above the crowd
About 80 UA undergraduates from our Project SOAR (Student, Outreach, Access & Resiliency) visited Tucson-area middle schools to encourage students to attend college and to talk about the wide range of careers made possible with a college education.
Project SOAR is a service-learning experience that routinely places more than 100 UA undergraduate mentors in under-resourced, public middle schools in the Tucson area. Take a look at how far-reaching it really is.
Project SOAR by the numbers
·More than 17,000 mentoring hours have been logged by SOAR students since 2005.
·1,760 middle school students have benefited from a SOAR mentor since 2005.
·A 2010 survey revealed that 74 percent of the middle school students believed they had a mentor who motivated them to do well in school, believed they could be a success (71 percent), and had increased their motivation to get good grades (70 percent).
·70 percent of the middle school students surveyed agreed that their mentors had increased their interest in going to college. Additionally, mentors were credited for increasing their knowledge about getting into college (67 percent) and future careers (64 percent).
Here's more.
To learn more about this program, contact Director Lydia F. Bell at lfbell@u.arizona.edu or 520-621-1517.
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Archrivals? Not really.
 When it comes to anthropology and education, the UA and ASU are staunch allies.
The inaugural Arizona Anthropology and Education Exchange is Saturday, April 30, at the University of Arizona in Modern Languages, room 410.
The one-day academic conference and workshop is designed to give students an opportunity to receive intensive feedback on their research from faculty and peers.
You are invited to attend faculty and graduate student presentations of works in progress. The day will open at 8:30 a.m. with a talk by ASU's Django Paris and will close with a 5 p.m. talk by UA's K. Tsianina Lomawaima. The time between these talks will be filled with four panels of individual 20-minute presentations, each immediately followed by ample time for scholarly discussion around research findings, methods, and implications.
For more information, contact Brendan O'Connor at oconnorb@u.arizona.edu or Lauren Zentz at lrzentz@u.arizona.edu.
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International Children's Book Day
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Language, Reading & Culture
doctoral student My-Kyoung Chang
reads in Korean during the celebration |
Worlds of Words celebrated International Children's Book Day on April 2, the birthday of Hans Christian Anderson. Guests met authors and illustrators, listened to books in world languages, and had a slice of Hans' birthday cake (new cake, of course, not cake from the 1800s).
Children's authors and illustrators Ron Himler, Joan Sandin, James Deem, Marge Pellegrino, and Paul Mirocha brought original drafts of their books and illustrations, answered questions, and autographed books.
Children's books were read aloud in Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic, and Spanish.
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Faculty & Student News
Disability & Psychoeducational Studies
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Bauman |
Associate Professor Sheri Bauman was featured in two articles. "Authorities scour social media for electronic evidence" was in the Homeland Security Newswire. A similar story about police using social networks to build criminal cases was in the Arizona Daily Star.
Adjunct Instructor Phyllis Brodsky received the Apple Distinguished Educator's Award (and, yes, this is Apple as in computers). This two-time College of Education graduate is the first to receive this award in Tucson. Here's more.
Lehigh University Assistant Professor Brenna Wood, who graduated from our college last May, received the Initial Researcher Award at the Eighth International Conference on Positive Behavior Support. This award is presented to a member who has made the most significant early career contribution to the field. Matt Hoge, a doctoral student, received the Ted Carr Poster Session award. This award is given to the person who has presented the most compelling scientific or practical application of positive behavior support.
Educational Policy Studies & Practice
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Milem |
Associate Dean and Professor Jeffrey Milem was featured in the article, "Arizona is immigration debate ground zero with Hispanics rising."
Associate Professor Regina Deil-Amen is the recipient of the 2011 Barbara K. Townsend Emerging Scholar Award from the Council for the Study of Community Colleges.
Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies
Assistant Professor Sheilah Nicholas is the recipient of the Faculty Service/Outreach Award.
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Short |
Professor Kathy Short was named the Outstanding Educator in the English Language Arts. Here's more.
Former faculty member Sally Clark is the recipient of National Association of Secondary School Principals' Gruhn-Long-Melton Award for her longstanding contributions to middle level education. Read more.
Also...
Many College of Education professors just came back from the annual American Educational Research Association conference, which was held in New Orleans. Some of our presentations included:
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Join us on Facebook  Don't forget our new Facebook page at the College of Education. We'd love for you to join us.
Come on, befriend us here!
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Happy Teacher Day at UA!
See you on April 30.
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