Features

As more schools open access to advanced courses, teachers increasingly find students in their classes possess a wide range of reading abilities.

So how are teachers to lead an advanced class when their students' reading abilities may range from the 2nd percentile to the 98th?

What keeps kids strong? How can a sense of brotherhood support young men of color and empower them to thrive? Is it possible to make school bureaucracy a key driver of improved learning?

These and other pressing issues in education were the focus of EDU Talks, a fast-paced series of talks by University of Washington College of Education faculty members working to unlock the potential of all students. Each faculty member had five minutes and one image to explore their current research partnerships with schools, districts, families and community organizations.

As a teacher at a San Francisco preschool, Kathleen Kuhl experienced first-hand the gap between the daily practice of teachers and policies created from afar.

“While teaching I felt that I was experiencing every facet of the field of early childhood education that makes it complicated and profoundly challenging and deeply rewarding,” Kuhl said. “All throughout my time teaching I felt cut off from any sort of policy or leadership decisions, and increasingly confronted with the differing quality of programs for children from different neighborhoods in San Francisco.”

University of Washington College of Education Dean Mia Tuan outlines steps that would enable Washington to attract and retain high-quality teachers in an op-ed published January 23 in The Seattle Times.