Zip06.com (EDLR’s alumnus, Carter Welch, came back to campus for innovative PK-3 leadership program)
Author: Leah Ward
Teaching Excellence Honorees
Congratulations to the following EDLR Faculty who received the Teaching Excellence Honor by the University Provost's Office:
Sandy Bell
Laura Burton
Joseph Cooper
Morgaen Donaldson
Justin Evanovich
Michele Femc-Bagwell
Richard Gonzales
Preston Green
Robin Grenier
Marijke Kehrhahn
Sue Saunders
Howard Thiery
Sarah Woulfin
Based on recent teaching evaluations, these individuals are among a select group of faculty who excel in teaching, which involves successfully engaging students and facilitates an environment of learning around a spirit of inquiry and intellectual curiosity. These educators are innovative and are consistently seeking new ways to improve as teachers.
Congratulations on this success as you continue to serve as a model for the students and peers within the department, keep up the outstanding work!
UConn Leader Recognized for Contributions to the Hispanic Community
UConn Today (HESA alumna Fany Hannon was recognized for her contributions to the Hispanic community)
Blanca Rincón Receives SFF Award
Congratulations to Blanca Rincón for receiving a Scholarship Facilitation Fund (SFF) Award! The Office of the Vice President for Research announced Rincón as one of 27 faculty recipients.
The SFF is designed to assist faculty in the initiation, completion, or advancement of research projects, scholarly activities, creative works, or interdisciplinary initiatives that are critical to advancing the faculty member’s scholarship and/or creative projects. Among the 27 awardees, a total of $51,626 has been granted in support.
Rincón explains, "The STEM Race Transfer Gap? Examining STEM Transfer Rates for Connecticut Community College (CCC) Students is a pilot project that aims to identify the two-year options for Connecticut students pursuing STEM degrees in Connecticut. More specifically, this project aims to assess whether there are gaps in student persistence to two- and four-year degree completion in STEM for students of color, as well as identify CCCs that successfully graduate and transfer a large number of students of color in STEM fields."
Rincón and her graduate assistant, Marlyn Davila, will be working on the project.
EDLR Faculty Talks From Neag Anniversary Celebration, October 2014
In October 2014, a conference was held for more than 250 students, faculty and alumni to celebrate to 15th anniversary of naming the Neag School of Education. Preston Green, Morgaen Donaldson and Sarah Woulfin were three faculty that represented the Department of Educational Leadership, below are their presentations.
Having It Both Ways: How Charter Schools Try to Obtain the Funding of Public Schools and the Autonomy of Private Schools by Preston Green, Professor of Educational Leadership and Law.
“The Good Teacher. Are Current Policies and Practices Changing the Nature of Teaching in U.S. Schools?” by Suzanne Wilson, a Neag Endowed Professor, featuring EDLR’s Morgaen Donaldson and Sarah Woulfin.
Click here for an entire list of presentations from the celebration.
Summer 2015, Sport Management Alumni Engagement Efforts
Summer 2015
In an effort to continue to grow the alumni base and strengthen relationships, the Sport Management program hosted two very successful events during the summer months. These gatherings made up the second consecutive summer of alumni events held by the department throughout the Northeast.
Harnessing the momentum from last summer, this year’s events kicked off in New York City. The first gathering, held on June 30, was attended by nearly thirty faculty, alumni and friends of the program. Hors d’oeuvres and drinks were enjoyed by all in attendance. Alumni from various professional backgrounds, including professional sport, collegiate athletics, marketing and development, networked while enjoying picturesque views of the New York City skyline.
A special thank you to alumnus Alex Friedman for graciously hosting the event. Alex showed true UConn pride by generously opening his home to fellow Huskies for the evening.
The second, and most attended alumni event, took place on August 27 in Connecticut’s capital city. Sport Management faculty, alumni, current students and friends of the program enjoyed the beautiful weather in downtown Hartford during an evening of networking. The event also served as a welcome of sorts for the newest cohort of Sport Management master’s students. A great time was had by the over thirty-five people in attendance.
It is through face-to-face communication and enjoying each other’s company that the alumni base will continue to grow, which serves as a strong motivator when planning and hosting these events. A diverse alumni network is a beneficial resource to all who have graduated from the elite program. It provides personal and professional advantages as well as a source of continued involvement with the university.
Future alumni events are in the works to continue to build on this summer’s efforts. We encourage all alumni and friends of the program, to consider attending a future event – it promises to be a fun and productive way to spend a few hours. We’d love to hear your ideas and suggestions for future events and activities! Please contact sport-management-alumni@uconn.edu for more information on this summer’s events or to share ideas.
UCAPP Grad Takes Position as Chief School Turnaround Officer for the State Department of Education
Award-Winning Bloomfield Educator Taking Off For State Job
BLOOMFIELD — Batman is leaving the building.
Metacomet School Principal Desi Nesmith, who on occasion has surprised students by greeting them from the roof of the school in a Batman costume as they get off the bus in the morning, is leaving the school after four years.
Nesmith, 36, has accepted the position as chief school turnaround officer for the state Department of Education.
“This is the hardest personal or professional decision I have had to make in my career,” said Nesmith, who grew up in town and also attended the school. “Bloomfield is home. Bloomfield is in my heart.”
Nesmith started his teaching career in East Hartford at Mayberry Elementary School and was named that school’s teacher of the year in 2006. In 2009 he moved to Hartford and became principal of the America’s Choice at SAND School, where student scores on the Connecticut Mastery Test increased from among the lowest in the state to the highest in the city in one year, earning him an award as the Promising Young Professional by the University of Connecticut Neag School of Education in 2010.
Nesmith left public education briefly in 2010, but when the Metacomet principal’s position opened up, he jumped at it, and quickly had an effect; student performance increased and the achievement gap decreased. In 2013 the school’s third-graders scored above the state average in reading, writing and math, according to district officials.
In 2014 he also received a $25,000 Milken Educator Award, which honors early to mid-career edu
cators throughout the country. Nesmith used part of the award to fund a college scholarship each year for four years to a Bloomfield High School senior interested in becoming an educator.
Nesmith said his experience in helping struggling schools improve quickly and the prospect of helping a larger group of students succeed, made the job of turnaround chief appealing when Education Commissioner Dianna Wentzell approached him.
“I saw this as something that my experiences have led to,” he said. “I thought maybe there’s something I can bring to the table to help here.”
In the new job helping struggling schools in 30 Alliance Districts around the state get back on track, Nesmith said, he plans to approach issues from the same angle he has as a teacher and principal.
“I’m a practitioner,” he said. “What are we doing that’s working? And what’s not working so well that we could do something differently?”
Nick Caruso, a Bloomfield resident, former board of education member and grandfather of a fourth-grade Metacomet student, said he was happy for Nesmith professionally but disappointed for his grandson.
“I said you don’t have to worry about Meta, Mr. Nesmith is there,” said Caruso, who wasn’t surprised by the news based on Nesmith’s long list of achievements.
“Nobody thought he’d be here forever, maybe just a little longer.”
Schools Superintendent James Thompson also said the district was thrilled for his advancement and thanked him for his leadership.
But until Sept. 29 — his last day in Bloomfield — it’s all Metacomet all the time, including a final trip to the roof with Robin — the school’s gym teacher — by his side.
“We’re working on one more,” he said. “The kids just loved it.”
Copyright © 2015, Hartford Courant
UCONN SPORT MANAGEMENT ALUMNI HAPPY HOUR
UCONN SPORT MANAGEMENT ALUMNI HAPPY HOUR
New York area, sport management alumni gathered on June 30th, for a happy hour event in New York City. The event kicked off a summer of multiple alumni events for the program. Professionals from various sport management backgrounds and careers connected and networked while enjoying picturesque views of the New York City skyline. Many thanks to all who attended, and a special thanks to alumnus Alex Friedman for co-hosting the event.
Upcoming alumni locations: Boston, MA and Hartford, CT
For more information on upcoming UConn Sport Management Alumni events please contact Jennifer Bruening (jennifer.bruening@uconn.edu)
Sport Management Professors Scheduled to Present at NASSM Conference in Ontario, Canada
The North American Society for Sport Management Conference, June 2015
Sport Management Professors, Dr. Laura Burton and Dr. Jennifer Bruening are scheduled to present and attend the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) Conference in Ontario, Canada from June 2-6th.
Burton will be presenting on Intersectorial Partnership in Disability Sport: A Case Study Examination, with former graduate student, Ray Cotrufo, who is now an assistant professor at SUNY Cortland.
Burton will also present, Only in Crisis? Leadership Selection in Intercollegiate Athletics After an Ethical Scandal, with University of Cincinnati colleague, Heidi Grappendorf.
Dr. Jennifer Bruening will present with former graduate student, Jon Welty Peachey, who is now an assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on, Positive Results Still Call for Critical Evalution: A Post-Event Assessment of a Sport-for-Development Initiative.
For a schedule of presentations, please visit: NASSM’s Program Schedule
UConn’s Administrator Preparation Program Cohorts Present Change Projects
MAY 2015
Educational leaders are responsible for promoting change, and UConn’s Administrator Preparation Program (UCAPP) students are no exception.
Richard Gonzales, assistant professor-in-residence and director of Educational Leadership Preparation Programs in the Neag School, welcomed guests, including current and future UCAPP students, faculty from the Department of Educational Leadership, and others, to the event. Diane Ullman, UCAPP program advisor, also spoke, touching on the potential power of UCAPP leaders to influence change across Connecticut and the preparation they undergo to lead urban schools. Bob Villanova, director of LEAD CT, discussed change leadership and the ways in which school leaders can foster conditions so that teachers can do the “magic” of high-quality instruction for all students.
The PLUS and Residency students divided into three presentation groups, facilitated by Mike Buckley, associate executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools; Jen Michno, assistant clinical professor; and Sarah Woulfin, assistant professor. Students presented on the change they had initiated, how they served as the leader for that change, what they learned about leadership, and how they will employ those lessons as school leaders.
Understanding the PLUS and Residency Models
UCAPP PLUS students follow a two-year, urban school leadership model in partnership with Hartford Public Schools (HPS). The goal of this initiative is to feed the HPS leadership pipeline, improving teacher leadership in the short term and raising the caliber of principalship candidates in the long term.
The majority of the members of the first UCAPP PLUS cohort moved into campus- or district-level teacher leadership roles during the two years of the program. These individuals primarily serve as program specialists or intervention specialists who support schools in assisting struggling students. Those who remained at their schools assumed leadership responsibility for special projects, above and beyond their teaching assignments.
The LEAD CT/UCAPP Residency, meanwhile, is a one-year, turnaround school leadership model formed in partnership with LEAD CT, a reform initiative of the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Office of Talent Management. The goal of the Residency is to prepare principalship candidates to lead the schools most in need of immediate improvement, particularly in Connecticut Alliance districts.
Residents of this program are based in districts across the state, including Meriden, New Haven, Hartford, and Vernon. They served during their year in the program as school-level administrators, primarily as assistant principals. In addition to generally supporting the work of the schools, they assumed responsibility for projects in the areas of instructional leadership, organizational leadership, and talent management.
“Well-prepared and fully committed school principals are in demand,” says Villanova, LEAD CT director. “Across the country, school districts are recognizing the need to develop strong internal and external leadership pipelines in order to both prepare and attract strong principals.”
Change Projects
Given UCAPP’s emphasis on data-based decision making in program and/or school improvement, students engaging in these change projects were to identify a data-based need or an opportunity for improvement for which they would attempt to collaboratively lead change. Students’ projects were diverse – from writing a handbook for a secondary school and promoting a positive behavior system to creating a culture of professional learning.
Each student discussed the importance of using multiple forms of data to guide decision making and emphasized the interrelated dimensions of leadership: climate, culture, equity, instruction, and management practices.
While the projects varied in topic and scale, they all ultimately aimed to support of the work of the instructional core – teaching, learning, and curriculum.
“Students from both cohorts seemed to identify issues of inequity where the school was systemically not working well, or adequately, for a particular child or group of students,” says Gonzales.
Students also responded to questions and comments from the audience, which offered them not only the opportunity to practice their formal presentation skills and capacity to speak to a broad constituency, but also to learn from other aspiring principals’ change projects. As part of the program, future UCAPP students will conduct similar Change Project presentations as their culminating activity.
“We are incredibly proud of the graduates of these two inaugural cohorts, who aimed to positively impact the student achievement gap through leadership,” says Gonzales, citing the more than 60 cohorts who have completed the traditional UCAPP program over the past 25 years.
“UCAPP has operated to prepare capable and highly qualified leaders for Connecticut schools,” he says. “We believe [these cohorts] will live up to the high standard of being a UCAPP leader.”
The two inaugural cohorts graduated during UConn’s Graduate Commencement Ceremony on May 9, 2015.
by: Combined Reports