Endeavors Winter 2018

Endeavors UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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WINTER 2018

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ISSUE 32

Best Practices and Support for TESOL Teachers Improving Outcomes for Deaf-Blind Children From Students to Leaders: COE Alumni in Maryland Leadership FE AT U R E

Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

Meet the Dean

“Understanding how we can structure educational opportunities in ways that lead to more equitable outcomes is fundamental to a just society.”

JENNIFER KING RICE, DEAN

This Issue FEATURES

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UMD’s New Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

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Meet the Dean

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Q & A: Candace M. Moore, Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education

12 FACULTY PROFILE

John B. King, Jr. Returns to the Classroom 14 GRANT HIGHLIGHTS

Spotlight on Diversity-Related Grants Drs. Killen, Stapleton Receive Grant for Childhood Prejudice Intervention Study COE Researchers Awarded $6.8M to Help Prepare Students with Disabilities for College, Workforce COE Researcher Awarded Grant to Advance Diversity in STEM $1.2M Award for Incorporating Computational Thinking into Elementary Science Teacher Education 18 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

The Conversation: The Enduring Power of Print for Learning in a Digital World

WINTER 2018

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COE’s Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement: Fostering Collaboration Between the University and PK-12 School Systems

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To Educate Deaf-Blind Children, Willis Joins Connections Beyond Sight and Sound

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Providing TESOL Teachers Support In and Out of the Classroom

20 ALUMNI NEWS

COE Alumni in Maryland Leadership Karen Salmon (M.Ed. ’76, Ph.D. ’86) Part Of Legacy of Maryland Educators Douglas Anthony (’92, M.A. ’01, Ed.D. ’16) Shows Loyalty, Dedication to UMD, Prince George’s County Kimberly Hill (M.A. ’93) From Student to Superintendent in Her Home County Vivian S. Boyd (Ph.D. ’75) Leading the Vanguard in Cross-Cultural Counseling 24 PHILANTHROPY

COE Alumnus Wilfried Busse’s Support of Early Intervention Programs Reflect Background as a Therapist 26 PHOTO GALLERY 28 CLASS NOTES

EDITOR Audrey Hill WRITERS Andrea Castillo Audrey Hill Holly Simmons

CONTRIBUTORS Patricia A. Alexander Lauren M. Singer Trakhman DESIGN Laura Figlewski COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Tony Richards

FEATURE

Jennifer King Rice, who had served as an associate dean for graduate studies and faculty affairs and professor of education policy at the College of Education since 2009, became the dean of the College on July 1, 2017. She initially joined UMD as an assistant professor in 1995 and has served the College and the campus in many capacities.

Dr. Rice’s research draws on the discipline of economics to explore education policy questions concerning the efficiency, equity, and adequacy of U.S. education systems.

She has published numerous articles and book chapters and serves on the editorial boards of American Educational Research Journal and Education Finance and Policy. In addition to positions as a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow and a Visiting Fellow at the Urban Institute, she is a past president of the Association for Education Finance and Policy. She was also recently recognized as a University of Maryland Distinguished Scholar-Teacher.

BY AUDREY HILL

In an interview, the Dean discussed her vision for the College, its role in meeting the needs of the state, and why she’s passionate about the education field.

What drew you to serve as dean of the College?

I’ve worked at the College for 22 years, in many different roles; I began as an assistant professor and transitioned to associate and then professor before moving into administration. When I learned the deanship was opened up to applicants, it seemed like a great opportunity to step into a different level of leadership. The College is full of talented faculty, staff, and students and I am energized to lead this academic community in working together to develop a collective identity and shared goals. Taking on the role of dean presents a great opportunity to raise the College’s profile as a leader in research on education and human development. We have numerous nationally ranked programs, and I look forward to capitalizing on that excellence as we move into the next chapter of the evolution of the College.

What would you like alumni to know about the State of the College?

As I explained during my “State of the College” address at the fall College Assembly, the College is in a very strong position. We’ve had a history of great leadership and the previous dean left the College in good standing, which enables me to transition into this role and pick up where her work left off. We have strong relationships with our partner school districts and with state education leaders and policymakers. Our programs are well-regarded, and our alumni hold influential leadership positions at the school, district, state, and national levels. In addition, our faculty and students are well-known for their cutting-edge research in the areas of education and human development, and they are routinely recognized with national and international awards. Where I think I can contribute as dean is by helping the College to articulate and advance a shared mission that will elevate our College to the next level and position us to be the go-to institution around questions related to education policy and practice.

Meet the Dean

What are you looking forward to developing or expanding as dean?

I would like to see us be more influential in educational policy debates and discussions, finding a more prominent seat at the table around state and national policy discussions. The College is well-located near the nation’s capital, and as the flagship institution in the state, COE is poised to serve as a leading voice on education issues that span from early childhood through higher education. I think this is an incredibly exciting time for education policy, with state and national leaders grappling with thorny problems related to equity, access, and the distribution of resources—among many others—and I envision the College’s expertise playing an important role in those deliberations. I hope to draw on my background in education policy to help share the powerful research that is being done in the College and, ultimately, to enhance the impact of that work on education policy and practice in the state, nation, and world.

What role do you see for the College in meeting the state’s needs in regards to education?

We have strong, longstanding partnerships with school districts in the state, particularly in our local area. As a first order of business, I have met with a number of superintendents to hear their perspectives on education policy and educator preparation, and to gauge how we might serve them better. Those partnerships are essential because we work directly with school districts to secure sites for internship placements for our teaching students and for school-based research projects. The superintendents provided many good suggestions for collaboration, which included how our scholars might help them address pressing issues, how we might develop pipelines for more diverse educators and shortage-area teachers, and how we might provide innovative programs and professional development opportunities that address the most salient challenges facing school systems.

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At the state level, I and other leaders in the College are working to steer conversations around educator preparation, education policy, and school funding. Our faculty routinely serve on influential state committees and commissions that make recommendations to state leaders on highly consequential education policies.

Finally, the high quality research produced by College faculty addresses critical education issues in the state.

Our scholars examine some of the most pressing challenges in education, including early childhood and special education; teacher preparation, diversity and quality; school finance; counseling and student support services; culturally relevant curriculum; STEM education; testing and accountability systems; diversity, inclusion, and equity; and the list goes on and on. I look forward to working with state leaders to leverage the excellence of COE’s scholarship to address challenges in education and work to develop programs, approaches, and strategies that can scale up and be implemented more broadly.

How would you describe your leadership style and core values?

I see my leadership approach as inclusive and forward-thinking. A first step in my deanship will involve the excellent COE faculty, staff, and students in a strategic planning process that will help to shape the future of the College. Reaching our potential depends on engaging the College community to define a shared vision, articulate collective goals, identify strategies and align resources in ways that promote those goals, and operate with transparency about how we are measuring and meeting our desired outcomes.

My leadership style reflects my commitment to principles of shared governance, diversity, equity and inclusion, and transparency. I have a strong commitment to excellence in all that we do—research, teaching, and service —and I believe that all dimensions of our work should have a demonstrable impact on education policy, practice, and research.

What inspires you about education policy as a field? What drew you to the profession originally?

The primary driver for my work has always been my commitment to social justice and equity. When I was in college, I thought about becoming a lawyer as a way to advocate for underserved populations, but I came to recognize that education is the single most important social mechanism for leveling the playing field and promoting equal opportunity for all individuals to participate fully in the social, civic, economic, and political institutions of society. Education policy appeals to me because I want to understand how we can structure educational opportunities in ways that lead to more equitable outcomes. Because teachers are the most important resource we give to children in school, understanding how to shape policies and allocate resources in ways that enhance the supply and distribution of effective teachers is essential to addressing equity issues. Questions about the policies, practices, and resources needed to staff all schools with high quality educators have been a focus of my research.

Any other topics you’d like to touch on?

While my scholarly background is grounded in education policy and economics, I recognize that the College’s instructional programs and areas of scholarly expertise are diverse. The work we do in educator preparation and our basic and applied research that examines education and human development in multiple contexts from infancy to adulthood is fundamental to advancing the field of education.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I spend most of my free time with my husband and my five children. As a family we love to spend time outdoors, especially on the water sailing and boating. We enjoy travelling and exploring new places near and far. 

PHOTO: TONY RICHARDS

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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FEATURE

UMD’s New Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education PHOTO: AUDREY HILL

ROGER L. WORTHINGTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CDIHE, LEADS CENTER MEETING.

The new Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education, a national hub for research, policy, professional standards, and consultation for universities on critical issues related to diversity and inclusion in higher education, was launched this fall by the University of Maryland.

Housed in the College of Education, the Center brings together key faculty from UMD and other major universities, and major national higher education associations, to form a high level think-tank and research center for diversity and inclusion issues across the country and abroad in higher education.

The Center is led by Executive Director Roger L. Worthington, interim associate provost and chief diversity officer, and professor; and Director Candace M. Moore, assistant clinical professor.

“We will engage with a broad range of thought leaders with expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education representing diverse communities, governmental agencies, higher education institutions, and international partners to set an ambitious agenda for the development and distribution of research, scholarship, and best practices,” said Dr. Worthington,

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in a press release announcing the launch of the Center. “We will work with colleges and universities to think through critical issues and develop customized plans to help move them forward.”

The Center aims to foster collaborative and interdisciplinary research among faculty, staff and students at the local, national, and international level; and promote, support, and showcase diversity and inclusion scholarship. The new Center will engage researchers in critical reflection on the significance and transformative impacts of diversity and inclusion practices in higher education, and communicate the results of such research and reflection to national and international audiences.

“By drawing on the expertise of faculty in the College of Education and across the university, the Center will provide consultation and guidance to other higher education institutions regarding diversity and inclusion,” said College of Education Dean Jennifer King Rice. “The Center will establish a national research agenda around diversity issues in higher education and through consultation and conferences, ensure that our research informs and is informed by policy and current issues related to inclusion on campuses.” 

Candace M. Moore DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

BY AUDREY HILL

Candace M. Moore joined the University of Maryland College of Education in 2016 as an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education (CHSE).

She is the inaugural director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education (CDIHE), which launched in the fall of 2017. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling and Student Personnel Services from the University of Georgia. Previously, she worked as a student affairs administrator, co-developed and coordinated an Ed.D. program, as well as taught at the University of Georgia.

Could you provide an overview of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education?

The Center was recently established in the College of Education at University of Maryland to become a national center for research, policy, professional standards, and consultation for universities across the country on critical issues related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice in higher education. The Center is housed in the College of Education’s Counseling, Higher Education and Special Education department.

What are some of the short and long-term goals of the Center?

In the short term, the Center is planning to organize two national conferences. We will convene a national thought leaders summit that brings together scholars, activists, campus administrators, and individuals who have contributed to the knowledge base around diversity and social justice issues. Through this gathering of experts, we’ll work to articulate the research agenda around diversity issues in higher education by considering the national trends and pressing issues that we should focus on. Then, we’ll address those topics through white papers and other research avenues, using those findings as frameworks to build our plan of providing consultations to other universities. [Ed. note: CDIHE hosted the Thought Leaders Summit on Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 2018.]

As it relates to our long-term goals, we’re also planning a national conference on diversity and inclusion in higher education that will be open to higher education faculty, administrators, policy makers, etc., in order to engage individuals in a broader national conversation on this topic.

Attendees will be able to participate in educational and professional development opportunities. Additionally, the Center will offer consultations to other higher education institutions to help them develop diversity and inclusion plans that meet their campuses’ needs, as well as providing grant funding and developing educational outreach initiatives on diversity and inclusion.

(CONT. ON PAGE 6)

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FEATURE

Why is there a need to change the way campuses approach diversity and inclusion issues?

My parents always said, “If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.” How we negotiate issues around diversity on campuses is very reactive—our goal is to help develop measures that lead to a more universal and proactive approach to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. We have a dynamic and ever-changing campus population, and the policies and directions of yesterday aren’t necessarily holding for today. In general, higher education’s approach to diversity and inclusion is informed by models of yesteryear.

PHOTO: JOHN T. CONSOLI

TWO UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND STUDENTS

“My parents always said, ‘If you stay ready, you don’t have to get ready.’”

We want to make sure campuses are better prepared. It’s important that individuals in campus communities are a valued part of the campus fabric. If members of the campus community are truly part of the institutional mission, campuses would not have to come up with a reactive response plan—the campus culture and climate would fully incorporate the entire campus community. Essentially, many of our higher education institutions were designed to keep people from certain backgrounds out and these institutional structures continue to support barriers that have evolved over time—it will take time and commitment to dismantle those barriers.

CANDACE M. MOORE

What are some examples of meeting diversity and inclusion needs on campus?

In our higher education and student affairs graduate programs, we’re

What is the consultation model and what will motivate other institutions to participate in the Center’s service?

The Center’s affiliate faculty are drawn from the College of Education and the broader campus—they have a variety of areas of expertise, ranging from social justice education to student affairs and higher education policy.

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teaching students how to be attentive to higher education communities to ensure they’re promoting a safe, inclusive, and just environment.

For instance, our campuses should use a universal design approach to fostering inclusive campus environments. The goal is that whomever enters into the environment will be successful.

When we talk about universal design, we’re generally talking about accessibility and accommodations. For example, faculty and/or the program designers have thought about all the ways in which an

For the most part, higher education institutions want to be more

individual might enter in the space, and have already set it up so

responsive to diversity and inclusion issues on their campuses, but

that an individual can be successful in that space. Moreover, we

what is the most appropriate way for your campus environment to

know that no individual holds just one identity; often, we have

do it? There are institutions in higher education who are looking for

multiple identities, such as our racial background and our various

individuals to give them guidance on diversity and inclusion issues,

abilities, including learning, physical, mental abilities. Those multiple

including how to be proactive in addressing their campuses’ needs,

identities are a part of that individual. In higher education, we can’t

and the Center’s expertise, funding, and resources can help other

just be ready for a person who identifies as a “freshman” solely—

campuses do that. We’ll help campuses think through these critical

there are so many complexities within the human design. Campuses

issues and move forward—recognizing each institutional response

need to be ready to meet those needs. 

is contextual.

This interview has been edited, condensed, and reorganized.

COE’S CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL INNOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT

Fostering Collaboration Between the University and PK-12 School Systems

BY AUDREY HILL

The College of Education launched the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement in the fall of 2017. Designed to foster collaborations between the university, school systems and educational organizations that focus on improving pre-K-12 education, the Center serves as an incubator for innovative initiatives that address critical issues in public education in Maryland and the region, advance collaborative research partnerships, and provide professional education programs.

“The Center is designed to cultivate robust partnerships amongst the university and pre-K-12 educators across Maryland, so that together we can help improve teaching and learning in school districts,” said Segun C. Eubanks, director of the Center for Educational Innovation and Improvement and chair of the Prince George’s County Board of Education. “We want to ensure that faculty research and expertise are meeting the needs of the school districts and addressing their most pressing issues.”

The Center brings together key faculty from UMD, educators from area school systems, and policymakers from local, state and national organizations to tackle challenges in pre-K-12 education, such as the growing student population of English learners and teacher attrition. The Center also serves to advance school leadership and teacher preparation in Maryland and the region through the development and expansion of new and existing professional education programs. The Center houses the Doctorate of Education in School System Leadership, an innovative, practice-based model that brings together school administrators from a particular county to work collaboratively on solving a problem in the school system.

“The Center serves as a vehicle for an interdisciplinary, collaborative approach that enables us to address critical issues that face our school systems and the state,” said College of Education Dean Jennifer King Rice. “With our faculty expertise in research and educator preparation, the Center helps expand the College of Education’s role as a local and national leader in education policy, scholarship, and practice.”

An advisory committee, comprised of members who hold college and pre-K-12 leadership roles, will play an important role in providing input that will help guide the Center.

“The Center is grounded in an improvement science model, which is a problem-centered approach to issues in education,” said Margaret McLaughlin, associate dean for research and innovations and partnerships at the College of Education. “We can help school districts address significant issues and provide tools to ensure that improvements are measurable. Our goal is to foster interaction between researchers and those responsible for developing research based policies and practices to create meaningful and sustainable change.” 

“WE WANT TO ENSURE THAT FACULTY RESEARCH AND EXPERTISE ARE MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND ADDRESSING THEIR MOST PRESSING ISSUES.” SEGUN C. EUBANKS, CENTER DIRECTOR

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FEATURE

In 2015, Associate Professor Megan Madigan Peercy formed a group of teacher educators and student or alumni teachers in TESOL to understand the experiences of novice teachers as they begin to work in classrooms and to identify what they view as the centrally important practices they need to be able to excel in teaching English Language Learners (ELLs).

“There’s tremendous need for well-qualified, knowledgeable teachers of ELLs, as they are the most rapidly growing population in U.S. schools,” Dr. Peercy said.

At this time, the group includes teacher educators—three faculty members and five doctoral students—as well as 12 teachers—nine UMD alumni in the first five years of teaching and three current pre-service teachers in area classrooms—working to develop practices that can be implemented in the classroom by novice teachers. The group meets in-person several times per semester and communicates through a Facebook group.

“We have been using this examination of their experiences to inform our practices in our TESOL [teacher preparation] program at UMD, and to develop a set of ‘core practices’ for teaching ELLs,” Dr. Peercy said. “I realized that as a field, we needed more teacher voices involved in figuring this out – other content areas, such as science and math, have identified core practices, but have not taken this approach of bringing together teachers and teacher educators in a sustained collaboration to examine and develop these practices.”

The group brought together ideas from a review of the literature on the strongest teaching practices for ELLs, and also drew upon student teacher and novice teacher ideas and experiences regarding the kinds of practices they needed to do their work successfully. The group identified six core practices for success in the classroom, but they consider teachers knowing their students, including their language, culture, and schooling background, to be of central importance, so that educators can plan and enact language instruction that meets students at their level. The feedback they received from ELL teachers led the group to also identify ELL-specific issues related to assessment and classroom management as key practices. They have presented on these findings at a number of conferences.

Providing TESOL Teachers Support In and Out of the Classroom Group Advances Research While Providing Support in a Demanding Field

BY AUDREY HILL

MEMBERS OF THE TESOL GROUP MEET TO DISCUSS TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS.

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ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018 PHOTO: AUDREY HILL

MEGAN MADIGAN PEERCY

NANCY CANALES, M.ED. ’16

ANDREA STUTZMAN, M.ED. TESOL STUDENT

What Dr. Peercy hadn’t expected was that in addition to developing some important recommendations for the TESOL field, the group became equally important as a support group and a venue for professional development for its members.

“As we worked together on developing core practices, though, we’ve also really developed into what the teachers have called a ‘safe space’ for them to bring their teaching dilemmas and challenges, and to continue to be connected to their program and to other alumni as they figure out how to do the hard work of teaching students that are often underserved and marginalized,” she added.

One of the group members, alumni teacher Nancy Canales (M.Ed. ’16), teaches English at the highly regarded International High School in Langley Park, Maryland, where the student body is comprised entirely of English Language Learners.

“It’s a space for reflection on teaching and on yourself,” Canales said of the TESOL group. “Often times, we don’t have a space for this during the hustle of the school year, or in regular professional development at school. It’s a supportive environment to be honest and sincere about our own strengths and limitations as educators.”

Andrea Stutzman, who is completing her last year of the M.Ed. TESOL program, said she appreciates how the group is trying to tie theory with practice and equipping students with practical ideas.

“I like meeting with colleagues who are at different points in their teaching journeys and sharing experiences and ideas. It is both morally and practically supportive,” Stutzman said.

One teacher-instigated suggestion for the group was to start engaging in self-care activities, including mindfulness activities like meditation, journaling, exercise, and connecting with an accountability buddy. Kathryn Byrnes, president of the Mindfulness in Education Network, led a workshop for the group on teacher mindfulness, which was opened up to a larger community of teachers from Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.

They are also working on a book chapter about teacher self-care, a subject which has been increasingly prominent in the education community.

Teaching ELLs can be demanding for teachers, Dr. Peercy said, as some students have limited literacy in their first language and may be coming from very difficult backgrounds, such as fleeing drug violence in Central America. Maryland, and in particular the suburbs of Washington, D.C., have seen a significant increase in the ELL population over the last 15 years.

“People who are drawn to teaching ELLs usually have some sort of language learning experiences themselves; they know how great and challenging it is to learn another language,” Dr. Peercy said. “They’re usually deeply invested in working with this population, because they see how it is important to provide equal opportunity for these students as well.”

Stutzman echoed this sentiment.

“I’ve always enjoyed working with children, and have been curious about different languages and cultures from a young age,” Stutzman said. “I am driven by a desire to bring students encouragement who don’t have the language and/or academic skills to fit in or be successful in the classroom.”

Canales also mentioned the transformative effect of education and its role in addressing equity issues.

“I am drawn [to the teaching field] by the immediate impact that I see when working in a classroom, especially with English Language Learners,” Canales said. “I had great teachers and I had not so great teachers growing up. I think that the first step to leveling the playing field in our society is in the classroom.” 

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FEATURE

J

ennifer Willis began her college career with dreams of the stage.

“I was a musical theater major my first year of college and that didn’t work out so well,” she laughed. “I realized I enjoyed acting and performing, but I didn’t like learning about it.”

She’d completed her high school community service hours volunteering at a school for the deaf-blind, chosen because it “was something my mom could drive me to,” and Towson University had a deaf studies program, so she switched her course of study.

“I loved working with that type of kids,” she said. “I never wanted to be a teacher of typically developing kids. Seeing the innocence of this type of population—every little thing is progress for them. I just wanted to be a part of that. I enjoy learning about special education, which motivates me to constantly want to learn more to do better.”

After undergrad, Willis earned a master’s degree in deaf education at McDaniel University, and went on to teach at Maryland School for the Deaf. In August 2017, she joined Connections Beyond Sight and Sound: The Maryland and D.C. Deaf Blind Project at the University of Maryland in the role of project coordinator.

Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, a federally funded, statesupported program, is a resource for deaf-blind children and their families in Maryland and D.C. and is a partnership between the University of Maryland and the Maryland State Department of Education. At present, they are wrapping up a five-year grant cycle via the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs.

According to Project Director Donna Riccobono, there are about 200 children in Maryland and 20 in the District of Columbia who have a combination of visual and auditory disabilities.

“Our mission is to improve child outcome around collaboration and family support,” Riccobono said.

Because of the rarity of the condition, however, finding teachers who are properly trained is an ongoing challenge.

At present, there is not a specialized certification for teachers of the deaf-blind.

To Educate Deaf-Blind Children, Willis Joins Connections Beyond Sight and Sound PHOTO: AUDREY HILL

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BY HOLLY SIMMONS ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

Willis sports a spiky bracelet to help her students use their tactile sense to identify her.

“We need someone who understands the importance of both senses and the impact of both senses, and how it affects development and learning,” said Jeni Smith Stepanek, education & technical assistance specialist. “It’s not just taking deaf strategies and blind strategies and using a little of each.”

The tactics employed, she added, “will impact how a child will connect with their world.”

Willis described, for example, going to visit the home of a deaf-blind child. “When you arrive at a typical person’s house,” she said, “they hear the doorbell. They see you. They hear your voice.”

With students who lack visual and auditory abilities, Willis relies on tactile symbols—things that can be felt—to create a sense of recognition.

She wears a distinctive spiky rubber bracelet that allows the child to identify her.

The home visits, she said, are centered around the family’s needs—helping them navigate services and resources, and helping them engage with the child. Willis’s new position allows her to help even more children and families.

One of the primary goals of Connections Beyond Sight and Sound is to “try to unlock the box of [the student’s] potential,” said Riccobono.

How are the students communicating? What is their communication system?

“We cannot continue to teach new concepts and skills if we don’t have a communication system. It’s very important that we follow the child’s lead,” she said.

Because of the challenges in communication, a trained professional, called an intervener, acts as a critical “bridge” between the child and their environment. Currently, efforts are underway to have intervention recognized as an official related service under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

“Interveners are absolutely necessary for the education of these students,” Riccobono said.

Interveners are an essential element of helping deaf-blind children move toward a life that is more integrated with broader society and access meaningful education.

“Deaf-blindness is so low-incidence,” said Willis.

“A lot of education institutions don’t know how to educate these kids. Just a deaf classroom or just a blind classroom doesn’t work. That’s when the intervener comes into play. That person knows how to help [the child] access their world and the people around them. [The intervener] knows how to help them learn language and become a successful individual.”

In the upcoming months, they are planning a series of workshops on special topics “to continue to provide ongoing quality training to families and professionals around children and youth with dual sensory challenges,” Riccobono said.

Goals include building capacity for more deaf-blind students in local schools, as well as ongoing training on communication matrices, building language foundations, and cooperative teaching of children, families and professionals together.”

“Our goal is to be able to support these kids in whatever way they need, and to be able to support them in all settings,” said Willis.

The staff of Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, including Willis, Riccobono, Stepanek and Dr. Sandy Newcomb, are all faculty and staff members in COE’s Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education. 

PHOTOS RIGHT AND ABOVE: AT A CONNECTIONS BEYOND SIGHT AND SOUND EVENT HELD FOR STUDENTS IN THE PROGRAM AND THEIR FAMILIES, WILLIS INTERACTS WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE HEARING AND VISION CHALLENGES. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ORGANIZATION GO BABY GO, THE EVENT WAS HELD IN ORDER TO BUILD ADAPTED RIDE-ON CARS FOR CHILDREN WITH MOBILITY ISSUES.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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FACULTY PROFILE

John B. King, Jr. Returns to the Classroom

BY AUDREY HILL

“Some of our richest class discussions have been about issues of racial and socioeconomic segregation in schools and the degree to which the United States continues to fall short of the promise of Brown v.

Board of Education.”

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PHOTOS BY: MIKE MORGAN

In fall of 2017, John B. King, Jr.—former U.S. Secretary of Education and President and CEO of The Education Trust, a national nonprofit advocacy organization—joined the College’s faculty as a visiting professor.

Q & A WITH DR. KING ON TEACHING AT COE

Dr. King, who served as education secretary in President Obama’s administration from 2016 to 2017, brought his expertise in education policy, commitment to equity, and longtime dedication to ensuring that all students have access to a high-quality education to his new role.

“I am delighted to have Dr. King on the UMD College of Education’s faculty,” Dean Jennifer King Rice said. “His commitment to eliminating educational inequity and promoting excellence for every student aligns with the mission of our College, and his rich background as a teacher, principal, and leader at the state and federal levels indicates his deep commitment to addressing these issues.”

This fall, Dr. King taught an undergraduate course on education policy, returning to the classroom and to teaching, about which he is passionate. “Education has the power to be the great equalizer—a force that can overcome differences of race and background and poverty and privilege. But in too many places across the country students of color and those from low-income families do not have equitable access to opportunities that will allow them to reach their full academic potential,” said Dr. King.

“I’m excited to be a part of the University of Maryland community, which I know is a vibrant and diverse community, and to participate in the conversation about education equity with faculty members, students, and the broader community.”

Dr. King, who now serves as president and CEO at The Education Trust, first began his career in education as a high school social studies teacher and middle school principal. In 2011, he became the commissioner of education for the state of New York, where he oversaw the state’s elementary and secondary schools, as well as its colleges and universities. He is the first African American and Puerto Rican to have served in this role.

Before becoming Secretary of Education under the Obama administration, Dr. King carried out the duties of Deputy Secretary of Education. In that role, he directed the agency’s operations and managed policies and programs related to P-12 education, English learners, special education, and innovation. He also led cross-agency collaboration on President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper’s initiative, which was designed to improve outcomes for boys and young men of color and to ensure that all young people can reach their potential.

Dr. King came to know the transformative power of education from a young age. He grew up attending New York City public schools, and both his parents, who were educators themselves, passed away by the time he was 12 years old.

“During the period when I lost my parents, it was school that saved my life,” Dr. King said.

He cited the dedication of his public school teachers in making all the difference in the outcome of his life, by keeping him engaged throughout his schooling during a very difficult time.

In turn, his career has been dedicated to helping ensure that all students have the opportunity to achieve and succeed.

on the research and policy analyses they are

How is it to be back in the classroom?

I love being back in the classroom. The students’ energy, enthusiasm, and curiosity are inspiring. I particularly appreciate their great questions and thoughtful insights informed by their reflections reading for class and by their own K-12 experiences.

I love hearing things like: “I used to think...but now I realize...” and “I never knew policymakers had to consider...”

What are your impressions of UMD students? Any interesting classroom experiences to share?

As a former high school social studies teacher, I really enjoy having students in my class who are preparing to become teachers. They have been able to draw wonderful connections between their teacher preparation coursework, their student teaching experiences, and the education policy dilemmas we are discussing in class.

What education policy topics are most engaging to students and do they bring any unique perspectives to those issues?

Some of our richest class discussions have been about issues of racial and socioeconomic segregation in schools and the degree to which the United States continues to fall short of the promise of Brown v. Board of Education. Students bring to the discussion a diversity of K-12 school experiences with segregation and integration, as well as the perspective of attending a racially and socioeconomically diverse college. 

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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS

GRADUATE STUDENT MICHAEL T. RIZZO WORKS WITH A CHILD FOR RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE SOCIAL AND MORAL DEVELOPMENT LAB.

Drs. Killen, Stapleton Receive Grant for Childhood Prejudice Intervention Study

BY ANDREA CASTILLO

Two professors in the Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology received a three-year, $438,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in August 2017, “Promoting Intergroup Friendships and Reducing Prejudice in Childhood.”

Professor Melanie Killen, principal investigator, and Professor Laura Stapleton, co-investigator, will conduct a randomized control design study to test the effectiveness of an intervention program, designed to change children’s attitudes and behaviors in ways that promote greater inclusion and less bias.

MELANIE KILLEN “Stereotypes and biases based on race, ethnicity, gender and wealth status are deeply entrenched by adulthood and difficult to change. The time for intervention is childhood, when such attitudes are only just forming and have been shown to be malleable under certain conditions,” Dr. Killen said.

LAURA STAPLETON The project aims to create conditions that promote positive intergroup friendships and to decrease stereotypes using a web-based curriculum tool. The tool was designed by Dr. Killen and her research team, made up of four doctoral students and six members of the Science Advisory Board who are internationally known experts on the origins of prejudice and bias.

Drs. Killen and Stapleton’s study will involve measuring the attitudes of 720 children in 36 third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms at six schools, half watching a series of animated scenarios with voice-over narration, depicting peer encounters in which children are excluded from an activity by a majority group of peers, and half will participate in a control group.

After watching the animated scenarios, the children will respond to online prompts about their decisions, and then participate in a 15-minute classroom discussion using a guided manual supplied by the research team.

Dr. Killen has conducted extensive research about children and the development of their morality and peer interactions, including peer exclusion, rejection, and victimization. She is a member of the Brain Trust Group for Educational Initiatives at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and has served as an expert witness and contributor to two amicus briefs filed to the U.S. Supreme Court for school desegregation cases. Dr. Killen also serves as the director of the Social and Moral Development Lab, as well as the associate director for the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture.

Dr. Stapleton is an expert on quantitative and statistical models appropriate for the data analyses for this project. Her research interests focus on analysis of administrative data and survey data obtained under complex sampling designs; multilevel latent variable models; and tests of mediation within a multilevel framework. She also serves as the associate director of the research branch of the Maryland State Longitudinal Data System Center. 

FORMER DOCTORAL STUDENT JEEYOUNG NOH CONDUCTS RESEARCH FOR THE SMDL.

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ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

COE Researchers Awarded $6.8M to Help Prepare Students with Disabilities for College, Workforce

BY AUDREY HILL

In October 2016, College of Education researchers Ellen Fabian and Richard Luecking received a $6.8 million grant from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to

ELLEN FABIAN

RICHARD LUECKING

help students with disabilities prepare for postsecondary education or entry into the workforce upon high school graduation. The grant award was funded through a larger initiative by the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration, which provided $7.5 million to MSDE’s Division of Rehabilitation Services, as part of $39 million total in awards given to five states.

“Youth with disabilities lag behind their peers in college and career readiness,” explained COE Professor Ellen Fabian. “Innovative programs that help students with disabilities enter the workforce represent an important investment in their long-term success.”

To ensure evidence-based outcomes, the project, deemed Way2Work Maryland, includes a randomized control design implemented across diverse school districts in Maryland, and will ultimately include 400 students with disabilities. Students enrolled in the research project are those who are two years prior to high school graduation, largely 16 to 18 years old.

The research will examine the most effective ways to use Pre-Employment Transition Services, which include work-based learning experiences

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF STATE EDUCATION’S DIVISION OF REHABILITATION SERVICES

and is one of the provisions of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. “This research is designed to help students with disabilities overcome barriers to employment or postsecondary education,” said Sue Page, assistant state superintendent of the MSDE Division of Rehabilitation Services, which is leading the overall project. “Identifying effective interventions will help inform the field and the state of how to best support students with disabilities in achieving career goals.”

To garner participation, Way2Work staff have been busy visiting Maryland schools to introduce the project to parents and students, talking to school personnel, and inviting families to attend its events. By the close of 2017, 200 students with disabilities from four county school districts—Worcester, Charles, Carroll, and Harford—were enrolled in the study.

Half of the 200 enrolled students will receive standard services and the other half will receive Way2Work interventions, which may include touring employment sites, attending informational interviews, or help securing paid employment during high school. Other key components of the comprehensive project are early referral of youth to MSDE’s Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) to connect them to services, as well as collaboration amongst the state, local educational agencies, and other key partners. Technical assistance staff have convened inter-agency teams at each of the four participating county school districts to start serving those students who will receive Way2Work program interventions.

In collaboration with project partners at

MSDE, Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), the Way2Work project team issued a new request for proposals at the end of 2017 that went out to all school districts in the state in order to select three or four districts to participate in the second program cohort starting in the fall of 2018.

“Workforce participation of people with disabilities is low—estimates range from five to 45 percent of people with significant disabilities holding employment. Addressing the real challenges for youth with disabilities has the potential to significantly improve their adult employment prospects,” said University of Maryland College of Education Research Professor Richard Luecking.

Drs. Fabian and Luecking, both housed in the College of Education’s Department of Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education, have extensive experience conducting research with practical applications and are experts on issues related to special education and vocational training for people with disabilities. 

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GRANT HIGHLIGHTS

COE Researcher Awarded Grant to Advance Diversity in STEM

BY AUDREY HILL

COE researcher Julie J. Park won a National Science Foundation grant in April 2017 to investigate how social capital and social JULIE J. PARK networks influence the academic and career outcomes of college students in STEM. The grant award, which is expected to total approximately $500,000 during the three-year research period, will help identify factors that affect individuals’ ability to leverage connections in ways that support achievement and advance equity in STEM fields.

Led by Dr. Park, assistant professor, the research is designed to help advance diversity in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics arenas.

“Our study examines how social connections affect key outcomes for STEM students, including retention in STEM majors, GPA, and job placement,” Dr. Park explained. “It will also shed light on areas of inequality that affect persistence in STEM, helping educators understand barriers that affect different populations.”

This research addresses an NSF goal of broadening participation of underrepresented

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ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

groups in STEM fields. A 2017 NSF biennial report on STEM field representation found that women, people with disabilities, and people of color continue to be underrepresented in STEM education and employment.

For this project, the team of researchers is analyzing data on STEM student peer groups, student-faculty interactions, and information networks. Researchers will also conduct interviews with STEM majors in their senior year and STEM field employees on how their social and professional networks influenced their academic and career paths.

The research team, comprised of Dr. Park, Mark Kevin Eagan of UCLA, and Young K. Kim of Azusa Pacific University, seeks to

understand how STEM students move from having social ties to gaining the critical information and resources exchanged within networks of social ties. They are examining this link in three STEM higher education settings: student-faculty interaction, friendships and study partners, and information networks that influence post-graduate plans.

The study explores diversity and participation in the STEM field by examining a variety of issues, including the role of race/ethnicity and gender in study partners and peer groups and the likelihood of STEM students of certain backgrounds experiencing discrimination from faculty.

“By identifying inequalities in students’ abilities to turn social ties into support that facilitates success, this research could help educators design interventions that aid success for STEM students of diverse backgrounds,” Dr. Park said.

Dr. Park is a faculty member in the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education. Her research expertise is in diversity and equity in higher education, including the role of race, religion, and social class in higher education setting. 

ELEMENTARY SCIENCE METHODS COURSE STUDENTS DOCUMENT EXPERIENCES TEACHING COMPUTATIONAL THINKING.

$1.2M Award for Incorporating Computational Thinking into Elementary Science Teacher Education

BY AUDREY HILL

At the UMD College of Education, undergraduate preservice teachers learn how to incorporate computational thinking into lessons they teach in elementary science classrooms. The project, funded by a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, aims to improve the ability of teachers to provide young children a foundation in computational thinking in order to increase access to and diversity in the field of computer science.

Led by Associate Professor Diane Jass Ketelhut, a faculty member in the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, the leadership of the research team also consists of Professor J. Randy McGinnis DIANE JASS KETELHUT (TLPL) and Principal Lecturer Jandelyn Plane from the Department of Computer Science. As part of the investigation into how to best integrate computational thinking into teacher preparation, the team is researching and developing materials to teach computational thinking principles and methods to preservice teachers. The team is also designing and testing pedagogical methods for including computational thinking in elementary science classrooms, such as through the use of educational robots and citizen science.

Past research indicates that most learners opt out of interest in STEM in middle school and there is scant research on preparing elementary science teachers to integrate computational thinking into their teaching.

“Only 19 percent of high school students enroll in computer classes and the vast majority who take the AP computer science test are white males,” Dr. Ketelhut said.

“By transforming science teacher education and introducing young children to computational thinking, we aim to create a much broader pipeline into STEM careers.”

One component of the project is a series of science teacher inquiry group afterschool sessions that includes the mentor teachers and COE preservice teachers plus science teaching

and computer science experts on topics like coding and robots. Another component is that preservice teachers in their Elementary Science Methods course, taught by Professor McGinnis, innovatively learn about computational thinking as a core theme in the course. In December 2017, 57 senior-level elementary preservice teachers in Dr. McGinnis’ methods course gathered to debrief on their experiences teaching computational thinking in local elementary science classrooms.

In a future phase of the project, preservice teachers will evaluate how integrating these principles into science teaching impacts their students’ interest and understanding of computational thinking. The team will also develop lessons that other science educator professors can use with their elementary science methods classes.

“Computational thinking is learning to think about problems in a systematic way, such as how we can break down a problem into smaller parts and come up with a step by step way of solving it,” said Emily Hestness (Ph.D. ’16), a postdoctoral researcher on the project team. “This study tackles the important question of how to bring it into the elementary classroom.” 

AT A DEBRIEFING SESSION FOR STUDENTS IN THE ELEMENTARY SCIENCE METHODS COURSE, THREE STUDENTS THANK TLPL CHAIR FRANCINE HULTGREN, SECOND FROM RIGHT, FOR HER SUPPORT OF THE COURSE, LED BY J. RANDY MCGINNIS, FAR RIGHT.

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RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

Today’s students see themselves as digital natives, the first generation to grow up surrounded by technology like smartphones, tablets and e-readers.

Teachers, parents and policymakers certainly acknowledge the growing influence of technology and have responded in kind. We’ve seen more investment in classroom technologies, with students now equipped with schoolissued iPads and access to e-textbooks. In 2009, California passed a law requiring that all college textbooks be available in electronic form by 2020; in 2011, Florida lawmakers passed legislation requiring public schools to convert their textbooks to digital versions.

Given this trend, teachers, students, parents and policymakers might assume that students’ familiarity and preference for technology translates into better learning outcomes. But we’ve found that’s not necessarily true.

As researchers in learning and text comprehension, our recent work has focused on the differences between reading print and digital media. While new forms of classroom technology like digital textbooks are more accessible and portable, it would be wrong to assume that students will automatically be better served by digital reading simply because they prefer it.

THE CONVERSATION

The Enduring Power of Print for Learning in a Digital World

BY LAUREN M. SINGER TRAKHMAN PH.D. CANDIDATE IN EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND PATRICIA A. ALEXANDER PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND 18 |

ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

Speed—at a cost Our work has revealed a significant discrepancy. Students said they preferred and performed better when reading on screens. But their actual performance tended to suffer.

For example, from our review of research done since 1992, we found that students were able to better comprehend information in print for texts that were more than a page in length. This appears to be related to the disruptive effect that scrolling has on comprehension. We were also surprised to learn that few researchers tested different levels of comprehension or documented reading time in their studies of printed and digital texts.

To explore these patterns further, we conducted three studies that explored college students’ ability to comprehend information on paper and from screens.

Students first rated their medium preferences. After reading two passages, one online and one in print, these students then completed three tasks: Describe the main idea of the texts, list key points covered in the readings and provide any other relevant content they could recall. When they were done, we asked them to judge their comprehension performance.

Across the studies, the texts differed in length, and we collected varying data (e.g., reading time). Nonetheless, some key findings emerged that shed new light on the differences between reading printed and digital content: • Students overwhelming preferred to read digitally.

• Reading was significantly faster online than in print.

• Students judged their comprehension as better online than in print.

• Paradoxically, overall comprehension was better for print versus digital reading.

• The medium didn’t matter for general questions (like understanding the main idea of the text).

• But when it came to specific questions, comprehension was significantly better when participants read printed texts.

PLACING PRINT IN PERSPECTIVE From these findings, there are some lessons that can be conveyed to policymakers, teachers, parents and students about print’s place in an increasingly digital world.

1

Consider the purpose

We all read for many reasons. Sometimes we’re looking for an answer to a very specific question. Other times, we want to browse a newspaper for today’s headlines.

As we’re about to pick up an article or text in a printed or digital format, we should keep in mind why we’re reading. There’s likely to be a difference in which medium works best for which purpose.

In other words, there’s no “one medium fits all” approach.

2

Analyze the task

One of the most consistent findings from our research is that, for some tasks, medium doesn’t seem to matter. If all students are being asked to do is to understand and remember the big idea or gist of what they’re reading, there’s no benefit in selecting one medium over another.

But when the reading assignment demands more engagement or deeper comprehension, students may be better off reading print. Teachers could make students aware that their ability to comprehend the assignment may be influenced by the medium they choose. This awareness could lessen the discrepancy we witnessed in students’ judgments of their performance vis-à-vis how they actually performed.

3

Slow it down

In our third experiment, we were able to create meaningful profiles of college students based on the way they read and comprehended from printed and digital texts.

Among those profiles, we found a select group of undergraduates who actually comprehended better when they moved from print to digital. What distinguished this atypical group was that they actually read slower when the text was on the computer than when it was in a book. In other words, they didn’t take the ease of engaging with the digital text for granted. Using this select group as a model, students could possibly be taught or directed to fight the tendency to glide through online texts.

4

Something that can’t be measured

There may be economic and environmental reasons to go paperless. But there’s clearly something important that would be lost with print’s demise.

In our academic lives, we have books and articles that we regularly return to.

The dog-eared pages of these treasured readings contain lines of text etched with questions or reflections. It’s difficult to imagine a similar level of engagement with a digital text. There should probably always be a place for print in students’ academic lives—no matter how technologically savvy they become.

Of course, we realize that the march toward online reading will continue unabated. And we don’t want to downplay the many conveniences of online texts, which include breadth and speed of access.

Rather, our goal is simply to remind today’s digital natives—and those who shape their educational experiences—that there are significant costs and consequences to discounting the printed word’s value for learning and academic development.  This article was originally published on The Conversation http://theconversation.com. Read the original article at https://theconversation.com/the-enduring-power-of-print-for-learning-in-a-digital-world-84352.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Karen Salmon (M.ED. ’76, PH.D. ’86) PART OF LEGACY OF MARYLAND EDUCATORS

COE ALUMNI IN MARYLAND LEADERSHIP

BY ANDREA CASTILLO

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I believe I have to see what’s happening in classrooms [and] talk to teachers and principals.

You can’t run the state school system from 200 W. Baltimore Street.”

ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

Education is in Karen Salmon’s blood.

Dr. Salmon (M.Ed. ’76, Ph.D. ’86), who has been serving as Maryland’s State Superintendent of Schools since July 2016, earned her master’s degree and doctorate at the College of Education, following in the footsteps of her mother, Dr. Ruth Burkins (M.A. ’65, Ph.D. ’78), a longtime educator in Harford County.

Both mother and daughter even had the same graduate advisor, Dr. Jean Hebeler. Dr. Salmon’s own daughter, Rachael, also attended UMD and graduated in May 2017, and is now working in Caroline County teaching children with special needs. “We are a real family of educators from the University of Maryland and think very highly of the institution,” Dr. Salmon said.

But becoming an educator wasn’t always an obvious choice. She grew up watching her mother teaching students with special needs, and saw her dedication to her work, but when Dr. Salmon left home to start her undergraduate studies at the University of Delaware, she didn’t expect to follow in her mother’s footsteps. However, after taking speech communications and linguistic courses there, she changed her mind. “It just became a passion and an interest to look at language development and development in students with severe communication disorders,” she said.

As a graduate student at UMD, Dr. Salmon studied special education, with a focus on students with autism, working with students at the university and in Anne Arundel County. “I’m glad I did it,” she said. “Forty-two years later, I’m still enjoying being with children and being in classrooms.”

After finishing her master’s degree and getting her first teaching job in Caroline County, her advisor suggested she get an advanced graduate certificate. For eight years, she made the commute to College Park after the school day was over, getting less than six hours of sleep on the nights after class to get the certificate. She was later convinced that a doctorate was not too far out of reach, and she completed it 10 years after earning her master’s degree.

Building on her experience as a teacher and administrator, Dr. Salmon is dedicated to making sure students are college and career-ready, bolstering skills in reading and writing analysis, as well as computing. She is also making it a priority to improve early childhood education in the state. In October, the state of Maryland was awarded a three-year $45 million Striving Readers’ Comprehensive Literacy Grant from the U.S. Department of Education in order to boost pre-literacy, reading and writing skills. Dr. Salmon would also like to see more funding for programs such as pre-K and the state’s Judy Centers, which provide access to early childhood education and family support programs located at or near Title I schools.

“We have a great public school system in Maryland, and yet, we don’t reach every child that walks through that door. That means that some children need more. We’re still dealing with a huge achievement gap with students of color and white students,” she said. “The only way to eradicate the achievement gap is to level the playing field before they walk through the school door.”

In her first year as state superintendent, Dr. Salmon has made it her mission to see firsthand what’s happening in classrooms across the state, visiting 150 schools in 24 systems.

By doing so, she hopes to learn about innovative programs that are happening in local schools and share them across the state, including a program at Frederick High School that emphasizes project-based learning and internship experience, as well as a global studies program for high school students in St. Mary’s County.

“I believe I have to see what’s happening in classrooms [and] talk to teachers and principals,” Dr. Salmon said. “You can’t run the state school system from 200 W. Baltimore Street. I’m out in the field trying to [spread the emphasis on equity in early childhood and] … see what we can do to make the school system stronger.” 

(’92, M.A. ’01, ED.D. ’16) SHOWS LOYALTY, DEDICATION TO UMD, PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY

BY ANDREA CASTILLO

Douglas Anthony (’92, M.A. ’01, Ed.D. ’16) moved to Prince George’s County from his hometown of Englewood, N. J., to attend the University of Maryland almost 30 years ago, and never left the area.

Drawn to attend Maryland after following UMD sports from a young age, Dr. Anthony started out as a student teacher at Charles Carroll Middle School and Northwestern High School as part of his undergraduate degree program at UMD. From there, he has gone on to become a teacher, principal, executive director of the county’s Office of Talent Development, and now serves as the associate superintendent of Prince George’s County Public Schools.

“I’m a proud Maryland Terp,” Dr. Anthony said. “What kept me here is the fact that I’m a loyalist to my university. I follow Maryland both in the College of Education and from a sports standpoint, and the good work the university does internationally.”

Dr. Anthony said part of his success in his studies has come from his relationships with faculty members such as Francine Hultgren, who now serves as the chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning, Policy and Leadership, and Margaret McLaughlin, the current associate dean for research and innovation and partnerships. Overall, his studies at UMD have helped give him a more global understanding of the world, according to Dr. Anthony. “[Dr. Hultgren] pushed me in a lot of ways to challenge my thinking,” he said.

Dr. Anthony and Executive Leadership from PGCPS also

worked with former Dean Donna Wiseman and faculty at UMD to help develop an Ed.D. program for principals and administrators in Prince George’s County, with a third cohort now completing the program.

Now, as an associate superintendent, Dr. Anthony oversees professional development for the educators in Prince George’s County to include leadership and mentoring opportunities for teachers and principals. In his doctoral dissertation, he wrote about principal attrition, which is in his wheelhouse as he helped lead the school district’s efforts in securing a $12.5 million grant from the Wallace Foundation for its Principal Pipeline initiative years before.

Dr. Anthony sees opportunities for partnerships among the school district, local universities, and community organizations to tackle issues in Prince George’s County and around the country, including closing student achievement gaps and finding enough teachers who are willing to work with the diverse student population in the district. In an effort to address these challenges, Prince George’s County Public Schools competed for and won a $25 million U.S Department of Education grant to improve teacher hiring, placement, support, and retention focusing on 40 highneeds schools. Dr. Anthony, along with the Chief Human Resources Officer, Herman James, will serve as co-principal investigators for the grant.

“Maryland gave me a really good foundation that I’ve been able to apply in every position I’ve had in the district,” Dr. Anthony said. 

COE ALUMNI IN MARYLAND LEADERSHIP

Douglas Anthony

“Maryland gave me a really good foundation that I’ve been able to apply in every position I’ve had in the district.

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ALUMNI NEWS

Kimberly Hill (M.A. ’93) FROM STUDENT TO SUPERINTENDENT IN HER HOME COUNTY

COE ALUMNI IN MARYLAND LEADERSHIP

BY ANDREA CASTILLO

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I don’t want to create 26,000 computer scientists.

I want to instill computational thinking skills in every kid: perseverance, logical thinking, taking a problem and taking it into smaller pieces, creativity.”

ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

Thirty-one years ago, Kimberly Hill (M.A. ’93) started a job as a high school social studies teacher in Charles County, Maryland, in the same high school she herself attended.

Today, after working as a teacher, vice principal and principal, she is in charge of the school system that educates Charles County’s 26,000 public school students.

“I love teaching and I love kids,” Dr. Hill said. “Doors opened and 31 years later, you’re the superintendent.”

While working full-time as a teacher, Dr. Hill enrolled in a master’s degree program through the University of Maryland College of Education that held classes in Charles County. She would eventually earn a degree in education administration and supervision in 1993, while juggling classes and work while pregnant with her first child. Dr. Hill would later go on to George Washington University to earn her doctorate in educational leadership and policy.

With its reputation, as well as its flexibility in her busy life, Dr. Hill said the program at UMD was a great fit. Academically, her studies at Maryland combined extensive reading and writing with opportunities to hone practical skills, working together in groups and making presentations.

“We as students were able to gain the theory, but also get real-world experience for using the theory in action,” Dr. Hill said. “It changed the way I look at problems and issues, because it broadened my horizons.”

She hopes to broaden the horizons of the students in Charles County, too. In her second term as superintendent, Dr. Hill wants to continue to promote student-centered and project-based classrooms that give children ownership over their lessons.

Under her leadership, the county has made a strong push for computer science education from kindergarten through the 12th grade.

For Dr. Hill, that push comes from a desire to build problem-solving skills and improve equity for all students.

“I don’t want to create 26,000 computer scientists. I want to instill computational thinking skills in every kid: perseverance, logical thinking, taking a problem and taking it into smaller pieces, creativity,” she said. “If we can get every child to have those skills, those skills could be transferred to English class, math class—those are skills for life.”

Improving equity in the district is also important as leaders try to close achievement gaps among students eligible for free and reduced lunches, special education students, and English Language Learners, Dr. Hill said.

With all of those needs in the district, Dr. Hill believes it is critical to recruit university students to consider careers in education, especially by emphasizing the rewards working in the field can bring.

“I had some outstanding teachers who inspired me,” she said. “When I speak to new teachers, I ask them to close their eyes and think of a teacher they had that inspired them and challenge them to become that person for the new generation.” 

(PH.D. ’75) LEADING THE VANGUARD IN CROSS-CULTURAL COUNSELING

BY HOLLY SIMMONS

Dr. Vivian S. Boyd (Ph.D. ’75), director emerita of the University Counseling Center, has been a change agent and influential figure in the world of college counseling.

“Things were a little different,” she said, when she completed her doctorate at the University of Maryland in 1975 and began teaching the following year. It was a time when women were expected to be married by the age of 25 and Dr. Boyd’s mother, a teacher, was considered “a maverick” for asking her daughter questions like, “What do you think is important?” and “What is a good use of your time?”

Her father, she said, was supportive and understanding of the fact that his only daughter “might do some things differently from the narrow path that was laid out for women back then.” Indeed, everything, she noted, occurs in a historical milieu. “The amazing thing about my journey is how many things happened for me despite the context.”

The relevant context being that Dr. Boyd is a woman. That she is also African American. That she opted to eschew the traditional pathway for women of her generation. And she did so, in a male-dominated society that still thrives on basic assumptions and stereotypes about gender roles.

It was in her counseling and student personnel administration graduate program, under the tutelage of her mentor, the late Dr. Thomas Magoon, that Dr. Boyd learned the importance of reexamining established norms, a lesson that put her on the path to developing essential courses in cross-cultural counseling, including a historical-context-based course on women in society.

“When I started as a practicum student (working directly with clients, akin to a student-teacher) there were only 14 students in the whole program.” Her first client was a convicted murderer. A number of her clients had issues with working with a black counselor. She wanted to know if others had the same experience, so she asked Dr. Magoon if she could create a databank. “A lot of college and university counseling center directors at that time, couldn’t respond to my initial survey because they didn’t have racial diversity on their staff.”

Over four decades, the Databank of Mental Health Professionals of Color, now renamed the Vivian S. Boyd Databank for Mental Health Professionals of Color, has become a leading resource on the experiences of minority counseling professionals employed in college and university counseling centers nationwide.

When Dr. Boyd became Counseling Center director at the University of Maryland in 1989, all five divisions were headed by males. Therefore, she had to create a space where a woman of color could serve in a leadership role.

“As long as you focus on your job,” she said, “you gain multiple forms of knowledge which spur imagination. I think that Albert

Einstein said it best when he observed that ‘the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.’”

Never one to rest on past laurels, Dr. Boyd has served on the Maryland Higher Education Commission since 2012, focusing on career counseling and internship programs. As one of the few commissioners appointed by Gov. Martin O’Malley, and armed with an extensive background in the higher education field, she brings a fresh perspective. “I have a lot of experience,” she said, “with issues that challenge students.”

A brief litany of these issues would include training future counselors in the art of understanding the individual, applying the right approach in group counseling, and formulating coping strategies for students awash in a world of digital technology, along with easy access to information which can undermine due diligence toward a research topic.

“Today, it’s simply too easy to access information. Thanks to mobile devices, we literally have information at our fingertips. This being so, I worry that students have lost (or never acquired) the joy in struggling with academically rigorous concepts. In my view, it remains paramount that college students are encouraged to grapple with big ideas and messy constructs. By design, this mental activity leads to mastery of subject matter. In the educational realm, there should always be an investment by the individual in the process, and that investment leads to ownership.” 

COE ALUMNI IN MARYLAND LEADERSHIP

Vivian S. Boyd

“I think that Albert Einstein said it best when he observed that ‘the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.’

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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PHILANTHROPY

Alumnus Wilfried Busse’s Support of COE’s Early Intervention Programs Reflects Background as a Therapist

BY ANDREA CASTILLO

F “Dr. Busse’s personal gift has allowed us to build the center at a faster rate than would have otherwise been possible.”

DR. TIRRELL-CORBIN

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ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

or more than 20 years, UMD College of Education alumnus Wilfried Busse (M.A. ’91, Ph.D. ’93) has worked as a therapist, counseling individuals and couples, including those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Dr. Busse’s career, however, started off on a different path.

For years, Dr. Busse worked as an ironworker for a steel fabrication and erection firm, but after an on-the-job injury in his mid-30s, the owner invited him to run the company’s drafting and engineering department. However, after the challenge and novelty of the new position wore off, he decided to meet with a career counselor in hopes of pursuing a different field.

He discovered that he would be a good fit in helping professions, such as teaching and the ministry, eventually enrolling in a master’s program in counseling and personnel services at the University of Maryland. He quit his previous job and completed his degree in 1991. Two years later, he went on to complete his Ph.D. in counseling psychology.

In his practice, Dr. Busse specializes in the use of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a specialized therapy used to treat trauma and other conditions, such as anxiety, stress, and depression.

Raised as a Seventh Day Adventist and earning a master’s degree in the philosophy of religion from Andrews University in Michigan, Dr. Busse also counsels members of the clergy and clients who have religious identity issues and those experiencing crises of faith.

In recent years, Dr. Busse has given back to his alma mater, and since 2015, in conjunction with matching gifts from the Bainum Family Foundation, donated $192,000 to the Center for Early Childhood Education and Intervention. The BFF funds early childhood and preschool education and intervention initiatives in the D.C. region.

Thanks to the gifts from Dr. Busse and the foundation, the center has been able to hire a research associate, who supports the overall mission and operations of CECEI. More specifically, the research associate publicizes information about CECEI projects through social media, while also sharing research findings about child development, teachers, and education, not just to the UMD community, but to others in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and throughout the U.S., said Christy Tirrell-Corbin, CECEI’s executive director.

“His personal gift has allowed us to build the center at a faster rate than would have otherwise been possible,” Dr. Tirrell-Corbin said.

Through additional grant dollars from the Bainum Family Fund, faculty from CECEI and Pennsylvania State University are collaborating on the development of a testable trauma-sensitive curriculum that can serve as an important classroomlevel intervention by providing educators with the necessary knowledge and skills to address the learning needs of young children who have experienced trauma.

An earlier family fund grant to CECEI supported a Summer Institute for Early Childhood Special Educators in Prince George’s County. Dr. Busse has become personally invested in the work of CECEI, evidenced by his attendance at the Center’s summer institute.

The goals of the Bainum Family Foundation align closely with CECEI, whose mission is to conduct high-quality research on early childhood education and early intervention programs in order to inform state and federal policy, to translate research into scalable education programs and best practices, to build capacity in schools and communities, and to promote family engagement in their children’s education.

Like CECEI, the foundation works to intervene in students’ lives from an early age, building capacity of community-based early learning providers to deliver evidence-based infant and toddler care and to increase community-based supports for these children, including mental wellness and other wraparound services. It also has a strong public policy emphasis and supports innovative research, according to Dr. Busse.

“That’s why our interests align so closely with the center,” he said.

On November 28, 2017, Dr. Busse turned 70, but with his counseling practice in full swing and his continued support of the College of Education, “I haven’t thought much about retiring,” he said.

“In my profession,” he explained, “age seems to be associated with greater experience and wisdom.

Or at least, this is what I choose to believe to keep me motivated.” 

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UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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PHOTO GALLERY

COE STUDENT AMBASSADORS

ON CAMPUS

STUDENTS AT THE College’s Jump Start Your Job Search networking and career planning event.

MARYLAND DAY 2017

THIS FALL, WE HONORED FORMER DEAN DONNA WISEMAN for her

ten-year tenure as dean of the College of Education. She continues to serve the College as a professor.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS at COE’s event featuring Diary of a Wimpy Kid Author and UMD alumnus Jeff Kinney.

MURAL CREATED BY Anne Arundel County Public School teachers at a professional development workshop, now displayed at COE.

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ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

MARYLAND DAY 2017

A MATHLETICS camp participant presents her research.

PH.D. CANDIDATE TABITHA KIDWELL conducts research on TESOL in Indonesia.

BALTIMORE COUNTY FIFTH-GRADE TEACHER RACHEL SOLOMON (’16) beams after a successful principal observation of her classroom.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS in an arts integration course developed by COE and the Phillips Collection.

OFF CAMPUS

COE FACULTY MEMBER Daniel Levin traveled to Ecuador to lead professional development workshops for science teachers and teach science class.

STUDENT TEACHER Melissa Bitter teaches at Greenbelt Elementary School.

MENTOR BONNIE RAZLER and senior interns Carly Goodman and Ethan Stewart await students on the first day of school.

COE ALUMNI AT ASHE 2017

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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CLASS NOTES

A STUDENT TEACHER READS TO CHILDREN AT THE CENTER FOR YOUNG CHILDREN, PART OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION IN COLLEGE PARK, CIRCA 1971.

1970s

1980s

Sharon Allen Gilder (’72), an author and freelance journalist, has published her historical romance novels, “The Rose Beyond” and its sequel “Beyond The Rose.” In 2015, she was a featured author at the Gaithersburg Book Festival. Gilder is currently working on her next novel.

Deborah A. Diaz-Arnold (’80) was

Joseph F. Snee Sr. (M.Ed. ’73) was

Would you like to keep in touch?

Please let us know if you would like to submit to Class Notes.

Contact coecomm@umd.edu or www.go.umd.edu/coealumni.

Howard County Public Schools after serving as interim for eight months. He previously served as director of elementary schools and then as director of school administration in Howard County. Most recently, he had served as statewide superintendent in West Virginia.

Patricia Kinney (’74, M.Ed. ’81, Ph.D. ’87) presented at an October 2016 event at

deputy state superintendent for teaching and learning in the state of Maryland, beginning her tenure with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in August 2016.

Jacqueline Holland (’76, M.Ed. ’83), an assistant professor of family and consumer sciences at Morgan State University, was installed as president of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences at the organization’s conference in June.

ENDEAVORS WINTER 2018

Michael J. Martirano (’81, M.Ed. ’85, M.Ed. ’92) was named superintendent of

inducted into the Harford County Public Schools Educator Hall of Fame in summer 2017 in recognition of his 28 years of service to the school district. Snee retired from Harford County Public Schools in 1983. His wife, Rosemary, who worked in the district for 25 years, was also inducted posthumously.

the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center with her son Jeff Kinney (’93), author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series. The event also featured a panel discussion with College of Education faculty.

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named assistant principal of Smith Elementary School in Fauquier County, Virginia, in July.

She had previously served as the assistant principal of Lynbrook Elementary School in Springfield, Virginia.

Carol Williamson (Ph.D. ’82) was named

Thomas McHugh (’86, Ph.D. ’09), an English content area liaison/teacher at Century High School in Carroll County, was named among seven finalists for 2017-2018 Maryland Teacher of the Year.

1990s

Jeanne Eslinger Branthover (’78), a

Denise Childers (’92), an English teacher

partner at DHR International Inc. and frequent media commentator on workplace issues, was honored at the University of Maryland Alumni Association’s Annual Awards Gala in September 2016.

and department chair at La Plata High School, was named 2017 Charles County Teacher of the Year. Childers, a 2012 semifinalist for The Washington Post’s Agnes Meyer Teacher of the Year award, is also the director of La Plata High School’s a cappella group, Unplugged.

Cynthia Moore-Koikoi (’92) became bishop of the Western Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, which includes 830 congregations with a net membership of 168,185 in 23 counties, in September 2016.

Terry Alban (Ph.D. ’02), superintendent of Frederick County Public Schools, was named 2017 Maryland Superintendent of the Year. Dr. Alban took the helm of the school system in 2011, and her current contract runs through June 2019.

Mary Ann Huntley (Ph.D. ’97) was

Cherin (Orlin) Hershowitz (’03), a

inducted into the Oneida City (New York) School District Foundation’s 2017 Wall of Distinction in September. Dr. Huntley is senior lecturer and director of K-12 Mathematics Education and Outreach in the Department of Mathematics at Cornell University, as well as co-editor of the international book series “Research in Mathematics Education.”

math content specialist at Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown, was a finalist for the 2017–2018 Montgomery County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Award. The award is given to teachers who have at least five years of teaching experience in the county.

John C. Hernandez (Ph.D. ’99) was named president of Santiago Canyon College in Santa Ana, California, in July. He had previously served as the college’s interim president for one year and vice president of student services for 11 years.

2000s Maria Bovich (M.A. ’00), principal of Holy Redeemer School in College Park, was given the National Catholic Educational Assocation’s 2017 Lead. Learn. Proclaim. Award. In September 2016, Bovich was named the Archdiocese of Washington’s Distinguished Principal of the Year.

Adrienne Forgette (M.A. ’04) was named principal of Nardin Academy in Buffalo, New York, in March and assumed the role in July. In 2014, Forgette was given the Journalism Education Association’s Rising Star award when she was working as a high school teacher in Massachusetts.

Nora Illia Morales (M.A. ’06) was named Officer of Diversity, Latina/o Affairs for Prince George’s County Public Schools in July 2016, where she works to address the academic and social needs of the diverse families served by the school district, with a special focus on Latino children, parents, and communities. Prior to that, she served as vice-president of the MidAtlantic Equity Consortium, Inc., and directed a 21st Century Community Learning Center at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in PGCPS.

Michelle Colegrove (’08), a teacher at Ocean City Elementary School, was named a finalist for 2017 Worcester County Teacher of the Year. Colegrove, who teaches third grade special education, has worked at the school for three years.

2010s Maddy Halbach (Ph.D. ’10), a financial literacy teacher at Howard County’s Academy of Finance Applications & Research Laboratory, was named among seven finalists for 2017-2018 Maryland Teacher of the Year.

Caitlin Westhall (’13, M.Ed. ’14), former English teacher at General Smallwood Middle School in Charles County, was awarded the Crystal Apple from the American Legion Auxiliary, Department of Maryland, the top award the organization gives to teachers, at its annual convention in July.

GIVE A GIFT BUILD A LEGACY You can make a lasting difference by including the College of Education in your estate plans. It’s simple.

Our knowledgeable gift planning staff can show you how to maximize your impact, provide for your family, and create tax benefits—all while spending nothing during your lifetime.

Contact us today for a confidential consultation.

Office of Gift Planning giftplanning@umd.edu 866.646.4UMD www.giftplanning.umd.edu UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

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BENJAMIN BUILDING 3942 CAMPUS DRIVE COLLEGE PARK, MD 20742

Note to Mt. Royal: be sure to cut blanket on address panel since some magazines may be addressed by UMD campus mail services

Join the COE Alumni Book Club!

The College of Education Alumni Book Club is an online community that reads books covering professional development and education topics The books selected for the related to careers and the education group will offer a combination of space. We’ll focus on books which high-level insight and practical ways cross disciplines and are easy to to improve ourselves, the organizations read for busy professionals, within which we work, and our communities. with a new book every two months.

The book club is free to join.

Interested?

Sign up today at www.pbc.guru/umd/education.