The COVID-19 pandemic has affected students’ lives in multiple ways and it has deepened the divide in educational opportunity and achievement of Arizona students, especially students living in high poverty areas. Instructional loss led to unfinished learning, with assessments and related studies indicating that this has disproportionately impacted students from low-income backgrounds. Research has also illuminated that lost educational opportunities have affected student socio-emotional development since the pandemic through increased anxiety levels and higher levels of loneliness.
Through a collaboration with Mesa Public Schools (MPS), Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College is offering its master’s and doctoral educational leadership programs in a customized format for cohorts of district faculty and staff.
Through a collaboration with Long Beach City College (LBCC), which is among the largest community colleges in California, ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Ketevan Chachkhiani (PhD, Educational Policy and Evaluation, ’23) grew up in the country of Georgia during the time it gained independence from the then-Soviet Union. Now she will be taking on the role of managing a grant-based project in support of pre-service teacher educator programs and systemic change in her home country.
The country of Georgia is committed to strengthening the quality and equity of its K–12 education system. The government is committed to enhancing the quality of pre-service teacher education programs; building the capacity of school administrators as instructional leaders; and strengthening school autonomy with a specific focus on refining the roles and responsibilities of Educational Resource Centers (ERCs) and improving their capacity to support schools.
There is a teacher shortage in Colorado schools and a critical need to redesign the teaching role to be more sustainable and attractive. In the 2022–23 school year, rural schools in Colorado experienced the most severe impacts of the shortages across the state.
Lisa Norwood Williams (MA, Educational Leadership '13) has thrived in education for 23 years, starting as a teacher and moving into a principal role, most recently at Solano Elementary School in Phoenix, AZ.