Teaching Quality

From an early age, Jane Lo was fascinated by how people interact in civil society — the way people come together to improve their communities, support fellow citizens in need and assert their rights.

That interest attracted her to teaching and the opportunity to help students understand the complexity of human interactions. After a few years teaching high school social studies in Texas, Lo reached out to Professor Walter Parker at the University of Washington College of Education to dig deeper.

Making sure schools support every child in reaching their full potential is a complex task. The challenge is even greater at places like Meridian School District in northwest Washington that must run on lean staffs.

David Forsythe, assistant superintendent of Meridian School District, said the district recognized strong teacher leadership could significantly impact student achievement. Yet not every school had teacher leaders, and expectations for those leaders varied widely.

UW Professor Philip Bell is the recipient of the 2015 Washington Science Teachers Association (WSTA) Teacher of the Year Award for Higher Education. Bell, who holds the Shauna C. Larson Chair in Learning Sciences at UW College of Education, is being recognized for the work he and his team have done to help develop and implement the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with a focus on equity, in partnership with a network of organizations across the state and country.

The University of Washington is launching a new effort to strengthen the nation's early care and education workforce by increasing access to programs preparing these professionals.

A flood of new technologies can change how people learn, live and work nearly overnight. For educators like Elzena McVicar, who teaches elementary English language learners in Seattle Public Schools, it's easy to feel overwhelmed.

"I know that I’m expected to teach 21st century skills to my students, but I only have four computers in my classroom, so I had a big problem of practice," McVicar said.

Encouraging students to ask questions, to conduct thoughtful experiments and even to get a bit messy in the lab are among the many joys Erin Flynn and Gretel von Bargen experience in their biology classes.

Dr. Mia Tuan begins her first day as dean of the University of Washington College of Education today, assuming leadership of the nation's No. 6-ranked education school.

Mia Tuan, a distinguished scholar who has worked to strengthen equity and inclusion in educational settings, will officially assume the deanship of the University of Washington College of Education on July 1.

Dr. Tuan joins UW after serving as a professor of education studies at the University of Oregon. During her 18 years at UO, she held a number of leadership roles, including interim dean of its College of Education, associate dean of its Graduate School, and director of the Center on Diversity & Community.

In Washington's Highline School District, as many as 25 languages can be spoken in a single classroom. That presents a serious challenge to educators who want to provide English learners with rigorous, grade-level appropriate curriculum.

While Advanced Placement is looked at by many as the main brand of rigorous coursework in the United States, it has come under scrutiny for lagging research on how students learn and what counts as learning.

Researchers from the University of Washington College of Education presented their work retooling the AP Government course to take a project-based approach to learning during an April 18 session at the American Educational Research Association's annual meeting.