Deb Morrison, Research Scientist for the College of Education, is featured in an article by the Financial Times titled “Schools face calls to boost environmental teaching.” In the article, she makes the case for integrating climate change into existing subjects, rather than developing standalone courses, given that timetables are already crowded and the pace of change is fast. She also stresses the importance of training teachers and emphasizing different pedagogical styles, rather than simply distributing materials in the classroom. “Without more thoughtful approaches, we’ll just have more stuff shoved on to teachers’ desks with no support,” Morrison says. “We have a lot of accountability measures for teachers but not much money to support them teaching better.”
2021’s Best Cities for Soccer Fans
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor and affiliated faculty member with the Center for Leadership in Athletics is featured in a new article from WalletHub detailing the best cities for soccer fans. In a special Q&A embedded within the article, Lee Hoffman brings her expertise on athlete rights, the growth of esports, and the changing landscape governing NIL and athlete entrepreneurship to discuss the biggest issues facing U.S. soccer today and the long-term outlook for professional soccer in this country, among other topics.
Rankings: UW among best in world for education, social sciences, business and law
The University of Washington is among the best universities in the world for education, social sciences, business and law, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2022. The rankings show the UW moved up three spots to be No. 18 in education, placing eighth among U.S. public universities. Education includes the following disciplines: education, teacher training and academic studies in education. This year’s education ranking includes 597 universities.
Southern Colorado community works to preserve the memory of historic school desegregation case
Alumnus Dr. Gonzalo Guzmán (MEd '10, PhD '18) contributed to an article highlighting a landmark school desegregation case in southern Colorado in the early twentieth century that was recently published by Rocky Mountain PBS. Dr. Guzmán's research into the efforts of the Maestas family to integrate the white-only Alamosa elementary school from 1912-1914 was largely lost to history. The case ― Francisco Maestas et al v. Superintendent George H. Shone and the Board of Education, which came at the tail end of a long string of attempts to bargain with the school district ― became what experts believe was the first Hispanic desegregation case in the United States in which Hispanics won. Now a team of historians, community members and descendants of the Maestas family are working to ensure more Coloradans know about this important chapter of the state's history through the formation of the Maestas Case Committee. Dr. Guzmán serves as a member of the committee and previously published research about the case in The Journal of Latinos in Education. He currently serves as a visiting assistant professor of educational studies at Colgate University.
NIL, Social Media and Leveling the Playing Field
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor in Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and faculty member at the Center for Leadership in Athletics, is quoted in an article published in Diverse Issues in Higher Education that focuses on how collegiate athletes are already beginning to profit off their name, image and likeness since the court's ruling in June. While some scholars have speculated that profiting off name, image and likeness will make sports more equitable for all genders and races, Lee Hoffman cautions that institutions must take into consideration the ways in which equity comes into play and what young athletes need to learn to take advantage of the entrepreneurial options now available to them.
What if amateurism turned into entrepreneurialism?
Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor in Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and faculty member at the Center for Leadership in Athletics, co-wrote an article published in the Wiley Online Library titled, "What if amateurism turned into entrepreneurialism?" Lee Hoffman and her co-author discuss the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in NCAA v. Alston, which upends the long-held practice of treating college athletes as unpaid amateurs. The ruling comes at a time when state legislation across the country is opening doors for new economic opportunities for college athletes, primarily their ability to market their name, image and likeness. The authors argue that the ruling provides an opportunity for campus leaders in athletics and in universities to think about the opportunities they provide for all students, including college athletes, to become entrepreneurs in a new economy.
The Pandemic Hurt These Students the Most
Dr. Ann Ishimaru, associate professor of educational foundations, leadership and policy, was quoted in an article published by The New York Times about new research tracking the impact of pandemic disruptions on student learning. Using data comparing test results from the past year with earlier years, the findings paint an alarming picture of an education system plagued by racial and socioeconomic inequities that have only gotten worse. But contrary to images conjured by phrases like "learning loss," almost all students made gains during the pandemic, just at a slower rate than normal. Additionally, the usefulness of measuring student performance during a year of upheaval and trauma has been contested. "The problem with the learning loss narrative is it is premised on a set of racialized assumptions and focused on test scores," said Dr. Ishimaru, who engages in community-based research that centers the experiences of BIPOC and immigrant families navigating educational systems. "What if we were to focus on the learning found, and then we rebuild our education systems from that learning?" she added.
Why students learn better when they move their bodies – instead of sitting still at their desks
Katie Headrick Taylor, associate professor in Learning Sciences and Human Development, wrote about the importance of movement for students' learning outcomes in an op-ed in The Conversation. Dr. Headrick Taylor argues that current models of remote education are inefficient for learning, teaching and productivity. She points out that sitting in front of a computer screen subdues or detaches people from many of the sense-making abilities of our bodies and cites research from embodied cognition ― the study of the body's role in thinking ― that shows that the body must first be interacting with the world to activate and open up the mind for learning. Whether students remain online or return to in-person classrooms this year, Dr. Headrick Taylor believes both models of school can better incorporate the body to support learning and provides tips for how educators can encourage and sustain an active classroom culture.
Rising Principals: School leaders driving mentorship, support, counseling and more
Danforth Educational Leadership Program alumnus Simón Iniguez was named as a K12Dive Rising Principal. The Rising Principals include school leaders across the U.S. who have taken a hands-on role in driving student success by establishing mentorship opportunities and systems of support, as well as expanding counseling services and parent knowledge. A member of the Danforth 31 cohort, Iniguez serves as an assistant principal at Evergreen High School in Burien, Wa. A colleague at Evergreen described Iniguez as a "critical architect" of the school's multi-tiered system of supports used to identify and assist struggling students ― a system that has contributed to rising graduation rates and a renewed focus on instruction.
Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color
Alumni Dalya Perez (PhD '20, MEd '15) and Gage Gorsky (PhD '19), along with doctoral candidate Tory Brundage, recently completed a groundbreaking study highlighting the experiences of Jewish people of color designed to enable the Jewish community to implement more change for racial equity and inclusion. "Beyond the Count: Perspectives and Lived Experiences of Jews of Color" captures unprecedented findings and is the largest and most comprehensive study of Jewish people of color in the United States to date. The movement fighting racism within the Jewish community is heralding the study as a watershed moment and the study has already been featured through several outlets, including the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and The Jerusalem Post.