In 2014, the leadership of every school district in America received a letter sent jointly by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. More than 10,000 words long and available in seven languages, it was titled “Nondiscriminatory Administration of School Discipline.” It was sent to offer “... guidance to assist public elementary and secondary schools in meeting their obligations under federal law to administer student discipline without discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin.”
The first of four strategic initiatives undertaken by ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College to carry out its mission asks, “How should we develop and deploy a 21st-century education workforce?”
America Reads isn’t just about getting a job in order to help pay for necessities while being a student. It’s about gaining skills and giving back.
Niraj Javia graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in engineering and quickly found work as a sales engineer at an electric company. Javia traveled to manufacturing plants all over the Southeast U.S., selling equipment to help the plants become more efficient. “I met with thousands of engineering teams and there was no diversity whatsoever,” he said.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for spring 2018 commencement.
When a teenage boy in his community committed suicide, Jameson Lopez decided he wanted to do something for his tribe.
That something was dedicating his life to higher education and finding opportunities for Native Americans to obtain their degrees.
The ASU Prep Poly STEM Academy in Mesa tied for the top spot in Arizona school ratings for 2017, based on the final letter grades and scores recently released by the state Department of Education.
The K-4 charter school, located on ASU’s Polytechnic campus, and Ocotillo Ridge Elementary School in Pinal County tied for the highest percentage in scoring based on a formula that weighs proficiency in the AzMERIT standardized tests, as well as improvement in scores of some subgroups of students, and other factors, such as absenteeism.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for spring 2018 commencement
Maria Ramirez feels like she’s lived her life in reverse. Married at 15, mother at 16, putting two daughters through ASU in her 30s, and today, finally graduating college herself at 47.
Bobbi Doherty is not your typical ASU graduate. She was in her 40s when she decided to switch her career path and turn to education. In addition to her roles of wife and mother, Doherty has managed to complete her coursework, student teaching and the necessary Arizona educator certifications. Most recently, she secured a job at a local school district while maintaining a GPA to qualify her to graduate summa cum laude.
Chelsey Sands taught special education for five years, in Tucson. An active and healthy lifestyle has always been important to Sands, so it made sense to combine her two passions. She returned to ASU to pursue a degree in physical education.
Editor’s note: This is part of a series of profiles for spring 2018 commencement.
Chelsey Sands taught special education for five years in Tucson. An active and healthy lifestyle has always been important to Sands, so it made sense to combine her two passions, and she returned to Arizona State University to pursue a master's degree in physical education.