Alumni News

Gary Cohn (PhD '99), superintendent of Everett Public Schools since 2009, has been named 2017 Superintendent of the Year by the Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA).

Cohn, who earned his doctorate in education and superintendent leadership credentials from the University of Washington College of Education, was honored for his leadership in Everett, which is recognized statewide and nationally for student achievement.

Elizabeth Loftus, a 2014 graduate of the University of Washington College of Education’s Applied Behavior Analysis Distance Education Program, has been named Northwest ESD 189 Regional Teacher of the Year.

Loftus, one of eight Washington educators to be honored this fall, teaches at Olympic View Elementary in Oak Harbor District.

In school systems, discipline systems speak much louder than words. How can actions taken by school leaders shape the messages students receive about their value in society?

Ever since he volunteered at a community justice center in Vermont, University of Washington College of Education graduate Nicholas Bradford (MEP ‘12) has sought an answer to this question.

His quest led him to the concept of restorative justice.

Laura Tyler (MEd ‘94) of Seattle’s South Shore PK-8 School is one of 13 educators in the United States to win this year’s Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators.

Tyler, who graduated from the University of Washington College of Education with her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, has dedicated three decades as an educator to improving urban students’ environmental understanding and the environmental sustainability of her school system.

Is there a way that smartphones can decrease achievement gaps in math classes?

Sam Woodard, co-founder and CEO of the app MathChat, believes that they can. After graduating from the University of Washington College of Education with a Masters in Teaching in 2013, Woodard went on to teach in various K-12 settings, including Cleveland High School in Seattle.

Since coming to the University of Washington a decade ago, Anne Browning (PhD ‘14) has helped transform how the institution supports undergraduates and their student experience.

Nancy Ngan Trinh (MEd '13) understands firsthand how common it is for students to face personal and academic hurdles while in school.

In large, diverse metropolitan areas such as Seattle, students in K-12 systems can speak well over 100 primary languages.

As the cultural and linguistic diversity of the nation's schools steadily increases, Grace Blum (PhD '16) is focused on preparing future teachers to work effectively in classrooms where students may have several different primary languages.

Streamed live online.

The University of Washington College of Education will celebrate more than 400 graduating students during commencement ceremonies on June 11.

Speaking to the Class of 2016 is Gloria Ladson-Billings, a 1972 graduate of the College who holds the Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education at University of Wisconsin School of Education.