A growing number of states want to strengthen career and academic pathways in the computer sciences, and they are creating new statewide roles, policies and course requirements at the K–12 level.
MLFTC and Barrett, The Honors College student Jenna Tulonen (BAE Educational Studies, ’24) envisions a world in which everyone matters, and through her degree aims to help educators and school systems build trauma-sensitive classrooms and curricula that support the development of healthy coping skills and social and emotional learning in learners.
New faculty
Stephen Balliet, clinical assistant professor: Balliet comes to us from Grand Canyon University where he was an adjunct professor.
Kristin Borruso, clinical assistant professor: During her career in education and prior to joining MLFTC, Borruso held positions as a teacher, reading specialist and administrator.
Assistant Professor Meseret F. Hailu’s research focuses on how institutions of higher education retain minoritized women in STEM pathways. She was selected as a 2023 National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow and awarded $70,000 for research expenses. Through the funding, Hailu will explore how private African universities foster equitable learning experiences for women.
Virtual exchange is a vital learning tool with the capacity to connect people around the world on an unprecedented scale without a need for travel. Virtual exchange connects young people from diverse places using everyday technology for collaborative learning and interaction through sustained and facilitated engagement. Through virtual exchange programs, young people have access to life-changing opportunities that can shape their trajectories, bring new friends into their lives, and expand their worldviews.
Special education models are designed to personalize learning experiences for students who acquire and retain knowledge and skills at different paces. As special education services expand, some educators see an opportunity to explore and integrate these approaches to better serve all students.
The need for systemic, student-centered change could not be greater at this moment. The pandemic’s effect on education systems revealed a need to better prepare for uncertainty, meet diverse student needs, and marshal strong leadership on behalf of student interests. Durable systems change is notoriously hard, and long-standing policies and lack of effective change management strategies have been the primary barriers to past efforts at sustained systemic innovation.
Effective early education experiences are critical for all students, but particularly for students who historically have been marginalized in schools, like emergent bilingual students and students with disabilities. Early language, literacy and socioemotional development are known predictors of subsequent academic achievement and they are all highly correlated with supportive and rich learning experiences in pre-K.
Researchers have identified a growing need for education institutions to serve students of diverse backgrounds. In the case of Hispanic Serving Institutions, that means also taking into account the diversity that is present in Latino communities as it relates to various identities, including LGBTQ+ students.