We are looking forward to 2016, but first, let’s look back at just a few of the milestones from the CU Boulder School of Education’s 2015. Here are 15 highlights from 2015.
'Schools of Opportunity' Project Announces First Honorees, Goes National
The National Education Policy Center at the CU Boulder honored 17 high schools as the first to receive the “School of Opportunity” designation. These outstanding schools demonstrated a range of practices that ensured that all students had rich opportunities to succeed. All put students, not test scores, first. The program was piloted in Colorado and New York during the 2014-15 school year, and now the project will include high schools nationwide.
>> Read more about the schools and the program
Friends of the School of Education Form a Giant LGBT*Q Flag to Show Support
Roughly 200 faculty, staff, students, and community supporters posed for the camera in September, forming a human-sized version of the LGBT*Q flag. "We are very proud of our campus and the steps that have been taken to affirm and support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and queer communities at CU and within Boulder County," said sj Miller, associate professor for literacy studies and organizer of the event.
>> Check out the photo and 9News report
Meet Our 2015 Scholarship and Fellowship Awardees
We are proud to support our students academically and financially. The 2015 Scholarship Ceremony in October awarded 66 scholarships and fellowships with a total of $386,572 in support. Noyce Scholar Emma Carr and Miramontes Doctoral Scholar Jennifer Pacheco served as the student speakers, and Steve Ollanik, who has endowed two scholarships for teachers, offered the donor remarks.
>> View the photo album of awardees
Learning Assistant Program for STEM Education Expands with NSF Grant
The National Science Foundation awarded the University of Colorado a $3.6 million grant — including a $2.5 million grant for the Boulder campus — to expand and study the campus’ Learning Assistant Program. The program aims to increase student engagement and retention in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) classes, especially among students who are underrepresented in STEM fields. Many of the learning assistants go on to become K-12 teachers, deploying key lessons and inspiring a younger set of students to consider STEM fields.
>> Learn more about the Learning Assistant Program
CU Engage Selects Inaugural Class of Faculty Fellows in Community-Based Learning
CU Engage selected the inaugural class of 2015 Faculty Fellows in Community-Based Learning this summer. Attracting applicants from disciplines such as Theatre, Law, Jewish Studies, and more, Faculty Fellows develop and teach courses that integrate academic content with community-based learning.
>> Learn more about this interdisciplinary group
Alumni and Friends Celebrate 28 Years of Partners In Education
Nearly 100 Partners In Education (PIE) program participants and friends from the past 28 years reunited on campus in September. PIE is a unique opportunity for novice teachers entering their 1st-3rd years of teaching to earn their Master's degree while benefiting from intensive coaching with mentors and collaboration with other PIE teachers.
>> View the photos from the reunion
Summer Reading: New Books Address Youth Activism and School Commercialism
In June, Ben Kirshner, associate professor of educational psychology and learning sciences, released a book titled, “Youth Activism in an Era of Education Inequality,” which gives readers insight into the political power today’s youth have come to acquire in an era of racial inequality, diminished educational opportunity, and an atrophied public square. In August, Alex Molnar and Faith Boninger of the National Education Policy Center released, "Sold Out: How Marketing in School Threatens Children's Well-Being and Undermines their Education." This book examines the threats school commercialism poses to children's psychological health, physical health, and the integrity of their education.
El Pueblo Mágico After-School Program Engages Students, Youth in STEM Learning and Inquiry
A unique after-school program at Sánchez Elementary School is proving that learning can be fun and a bit unconventional. El Pueblo Mágico, or the Magic Community, is facilitated by students at the CU Boulder. "Our School of Education students, who are studying to become teachers, are here working alongside the children," said Susan Jurow, associate professor of educational psychology and learning sciences.
Terrenda White Teams Up with White House Initiative for Recruiting & Retaining Educators of Color Webinar
In May, Terrenda White, assistant professor of educational foundations, policy and practice co-led a webinar sponsored by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. The webinar, Recruiting & Retaining Educators of Color, focused on school working conditions, urban charter schools, and the attrition of teachers of color and featured an interactive discussion where researchers, policy makers, and educators shared best practices.
>> Review the webinar slides and transcript
INVST Community Studies Celebrates 25 Years
For the past 25 years, CU Boulder's INVST Community Studies program has worked with CU students to help them learn to become engaged citizens and leaders. Housed within the newly formed Center for Community-Based Learning and Research in the School of Education or CU Engage, INVST has more than 340 alumni who have fanned out all over the world and contributed well over 225,000 hours of community service over the past 25 years. "We are so humbled to be celebrating 25 years as part of the CU Boulder community," said Sabrina Sideris, program director of INVST.
>> Learn more about INVST's 25 years
CU Boulder Makes Top 25 List for LGBTQ-friendly Campuses
The University of Colorado Boulder made the Top 25 LGBTQ-Friendly Colleges and Universities list issued by Campus Pride, a leading nonprofit national educational organization for LGBTQ and ally students and campus groups.
Teachers Learn Ins and Outs of Using Infographs for STEM classrooms
In a world seemingly deluged with data, learning how to make sense of all those numbers is an increasingly important life skill. This summer, a research project trained local teachers to use infographics as a tool to engage students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The researchers, led by Joseph Polman, associate dean for research, also offered interested high-schoolers an infographics design class and an after-school program in the fall through the Science Discovery program.
>> Read more about the infographics initiative
National Academy of Education Celebrates 50 Years: Dean Shepard Reflects
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the National Academy of Education, NAEd, Lorrie Shepard, dean of the CU Boulder School of Education, asks an important question for the education community: If we know so much from research on learning, why are educational reforms not successful?
>> Read Dean Shepard’s NAEd essay or hear her remarks on the NAEd Panel: The Assessment Box
Teachers and Administrators Gathered for 2015 Teachers of Color and Allies Summit
More than 100 teachers and administrators from several area school districts, faculty and staff from institutions of higher education, and local community leaders gathered in the CU Boulder University Memorial Center for the 12th Annual Teachers of Color and Allies (TOCA) Summit in October.
Show of Support: Peers Award and Honor Our Alumni, Faculty, and Students
Here are just a few of the awards and honors bestowed on our faculty, students, and alumni this year:
Out Boulder honored Sara Staley and Bethy Leonardi as this year's Jack and Jean Hodges Big Hearts Award winners for their work co-founding A Queer Endeavor.
Two Social Studies Teacher Ed alumni, Christy Hayashi and Corey Wiggins were honored with teaching awards from their schools.
The Knowles Science Teaching Foundation named three CU Boulder alumnae—Christine Askham, Meghan Mosher and Dawn Yetter— to its 2015 Teaching Fellows cohort.
Enrique López, assistant professor of science education, and Susan Miller, PhD student in math education, were awarded Chancellor’s Awards in STEM Education.
PhD Candidate Becca Kaplan was awarded Top Graduate Student Instructor Award by CU's United Government of Graduate Students.
sj Miller, associate professor of literacy studies, was selected by the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on GLBT Issues as the recipient of the Joanne Arnold Courage and Commitment Award.
Valerie Otero, professor of science education, was named a President's Teaching Scholar, CU’s highest recognition of excellence in and commitment to learning and teaching.
Michael Domínguez, PhD candidate, was named a recipient of the 2015 Thomas Jefferson Award, among the highest honors given at CU for embodying and advancing the ideals of Jefferson.
What was your favorite part of 2015? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Better yet, submit a class note.