In the News

College-going rates for low-income and first-generation high school students in Seattle area schools are rising thanks to the efforts of the UW Dream Project, which is partnering with the College of Education to improve college access.

Faculty members David Knight and Meredith Honig were quoted in an article recently published in The Seattle Times about how schools have responded to Gov. Inslee's school reopening order. While nearly all school districts in Washington state have complied with Gov. Inslee's order to reopen schools, some students are getting much more in-person time than others. Knight, an assistant professor of education finance and policy, commented on the variety in schedules and responses to Inslee's order and highlighted that the imbalance is concerning. Honig, director of the District Leadership Design Lab and professor of education policy, organizations and leadership, emphasized the need for data that includes race and class when studying in-personal learning as well as measures that can speak to the quality of the time spent in the classroom.

College of Education professor Virginia Berninger comments on her recent study that found children who wrote cursive performed better on spelling and composing tasks.

Associate professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Policy Ann Ishimaru was featured in an article by The Seattle Times titled “How a tumultuous school year for Seattle students sparked a movement to demand change.” In the article, Ann discusses how young people have long organized for change and there has been an upsurge in student activism since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. While students have been making their voices heard about COVID safety, they’ve also been a part of (and even started) other national movements in schools.

Professor Brinda Jegatheesan discusses how dogs can be of benefit to children in school classrooms and her scholarship on animal-assisted interventions for children of trauma.

Professor Ken Zeichner comments on teacher preparation provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act.

June Rimmer, associate director at UW's Center for Educational Leadership, highlights the role of the principal in closing achievement gaps, describes the work of an equity-centered instructional leader, and explains how to build the capacity and expertise of principals so every student experiences excellence in their learning.

Master's in education policy student Katie McCarthy is leading the establishment of a campus food pantry to help members of the University of Washington community who are food insecure.

Kristie Kauerz, director of the UW's National P-3 Center, is cited on the importance of preparing principals to be leaders for pre-K, kindergarten and the early grades of elementary school.

Ken Zeichner, Boeing professor of teacher education, comments on what research says about the quality of alternative certification programs for teachers.