April 2023 Newsletter
FEATURED NEWS
Give Day Raises Funds for Scholarships, Research and More
Generous donors gave $165,412
through 107 gifts for School of Education research centers,
scholarship funds and education equity initiatives on Give Day
2023. We had 13 challenge gifts, which were crucial to our
success. Our thanks to every donor, and to everyone who helped
spread the word! Across UC Davis, the university raised more than
$3.3 million from 4,816 gifts. If you weren’t able to participate
on Give Day, you can still make a contribution to the School of
Education
fund of your choice.
From Young Scholars Program to UC Davis Researcher
As a high-schooler, Majken Horton,
BS ’22 participated in the School of Education’s Young Scholars
Program, where she spent a summer conducting research and living
on the UC Davis campus—an experience she’s called “the best thing
that ever happened to me.” Thanks to generous donors, Horton
received a scholarship fee-waiver.
When she applied to and was accepted at UC Davis, Horton felt she had a leg up because of her YSP experience. “The sooner you get into research, the better,” she said, “and the same goes for building relationships on campus.” Horton majored in genetics and genomics, and is now back on campus as an academic researcher. Read Horton’s story.
Piloting Citizen Science in Prison Gardens
The School of Education’s Center
for Community and Citizen Science has been working with partner
agency Insight Garden Project since 2019, exploring ways that
incarcerated people can do science in prisons. Funding from the
UC Davis Public Impact Research Initiative helped lay the
groundwork for incorporating citizen science into IGP’s existing
garden-based educational programming in regional prisons. The
collaboration’s long-term goal is to establish a
first-of-its-kind California program in which a statewide network
of people in prisons advances science that has real meaning and
impact for the participants themselves, and beyond prison walls
for communities and the environment.
Read about piloting citizen science in prison gardens.
Two New Scholarships Established
Thanks to the generous support of School of Education alumnae Deborah Raasch, Cred. ’74 and Sue Hansen, Cred. ’74, there are two new scholarship opportunities to help prepare qualified teaching credential students to be knowledgeable, thoughtful teacher leaders of tomorrow. The Raasch Family Scholarship will help support students pursuing their Multiple Subject Teaching Credential who have a demonstrated financial need, and the Barbara J. Hansen Guardian Teacher Award will provide financial support to former foster youth continuing their post-undergraduate education and careers in teaching.
FACULTY NEWS
Jennifer Higgs Promoted to Associate Professor
We are pleased to announce that
Prof. Jennifer
Higgs has been promoted with tenure to associate professor,
effective July 1. Higgs is a professor of Learning and Mind
Sciences and Language, Literacy, and Culture. She investigates
young people’s and teachers’ sense-making of digital tools and
ecologies that invite new forms of reading, writing, and
participation, support structures that help teachers facilitate
equitable uses and understandings of digital technologies, and
the spread and scale of educational innovations in our advanced
digital age.
School of Education at AERA Annual Meeting
More than 40 UC Davis School of Education/Graduate Group in Education faculty, students and alumni presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in Chicago, April 13–16, with others scheduled to present in virtual sessions May 4–5. Read the full list of School of Education presenters and topics.
ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWS
Vacaville School Named for Shelley Dally
Alumna and former teacher education
supervisor Shelley Dally, BA ’76, Cred. ’77 is the namesake for a
new school in Vacaville. The Shelley Dally Early Learning Village
opened in March, and Vacaville Unified School District recognized
Dally’s 40-plus years of service to the district as teacher and
trustee with the dedication.
“This school being named after me is not only a tribute to me as an educator,” Dally said, “it is a tribute to all those whose shoulders I stood on, those I was lucky enough to work with, who colored outside the lines with me and worked to create a place where all students could learn.” Read the story about Shelley Dally.
Rebecca Andersen a Grad Slam Finalist
Congratulations to EdD candidate
Rebecca Andersen, who represented the School of Education as a
contestant in the 2023 UC Davis Grad Slam. This annual University
of California public speaking competition challenges graduate
students to present their research and its impact to a broad
audience. Andersen’s presentation, “Dismantling the STEM Career
Search Labyrinth,” earned her a spot among UC Davis finalists.
Watch Andersen’s Grad Slam
presentation.
EVENTS
Upcoming Emerging Scholars Event
Join us on May 11 at 4:30 pm at 10
College Park (International House) for the Emerging Scholars
panel, “Expanding Equity in Research on Language, Race & Culture,
and Intersectionality & Policy.” This special panel will showcase
critical, diverse disciplinary perspectives in education from
four exceptional pre-tenure scholars across the nation: Drs.
Sofía E. Chaparro (University of Colorado Denver), Lauren Leigh
Kelly (Rutgers), Manali Sheth (University of Illinois Chicago)
and Krystal L. Williams (University of Georgia). No registration
is required for this free, public event, but space is limited.
Learn
more about our speakers and event.
GGE Research Seminar Series
The Graduate Group in Education’s
Monday Research Seminar Series continues, with upcoming
presentations by our PhD students. Presentations are held at the
School of Education Building and available simultaneously via
Zoom.
May 8: Elizabeth Castro and Silvia Tovar discuss “Generative Tensions amongst Pre-Service Teachers Discussing Academic Language”
May 22: Jade Lee presents on “Who or What Do You Trust: The Boundary Between Interpersonal Trust and Technology Trust”
Visit our GGE Research Seminars page for further details.
Kyle Holmes in Theatre and Dance Panel Talk
Education alumnus Kyle Holmes, ’10,
Cred. ’11, MA ’12 is returning to UC Davis on May 4 at 5 pm to
participate in the Department of Theatre and Dance panel
discussion “New
Voices in Musical Theater,” featuring theatre professionals
discussing the changing landscape of the American musical as it
evolves and pushes the envelope of artistic expression. Holmes
also was profiled in the most recent issue of
UC Davis Magazine.
Job Fair Launches Careers
On March 18th, the School of
Education held our annual Teacher Job Fair at the UC Davis
Activities and Recreation Center. More than 30 school districts
were represented at the event, which was co-sponsored by the UC
Davis Career Center. This event is held each spring for UC Davis
teaching credential candidates and credential alumni as part of
our Job Search Assistance for Teachers program. View the photo
gallery.
CANDEL Alumni Networking Event
Our CANDEL alumni networking events
are fantastic opportunities for current and past EdD students to
gather and discuss the latest in their careers and the field of
educational leadership. At this year’s event, attendees also
heard presentations from alumni Andrea Rodriguez, EdD ’22, Ebony
Lewis, EdD ’21, Lizette Navarette, EdD ’21 and Joseph Wood, EdD
’20. View the
CANDEL networking event photo gallery.
MA Symposium
For the first time since 2020,
School of Education MA students gathered in person to present
their teacher inquiry projects. This year, the event was open to
the public, so students shared their research with not only
faculty but alumni and local educators and administrators.
View the photo
gallery.
Show Off with School of Education Gear
Looking for a way to show off your
School of Education pride? You’ll find shirts of all styles, as
well as mugs, hats and more with the School of Education logo at
the
online UC Davis Store. Proceeds from all store sales benefit
UC Davis Athletics.
PUBLICATIONS
Dean Lauren E. Lindstrom co-authored “Still Stuck: An Examination of the Early Paid Employment Experiences of Young Women With Disabilities,” published in Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals.
Prof. Michal Kurlaender and California Education Lab Executive Director Sherrie Reed co-wrote the policy paper “Innovating High School Math Through K–12 and Higher Education Partnerships,” published by PACE.
Prof. Alicia Rusoja co-authored “In Dialogue: Mapping Our Truths—Envisioning the Future of Multimodal Research for Racial Justice,” published in Research in the Teaching of English.
Postdoctoral researcher Sergio L. Sanchez and Prof. Steven Athanases co-authored “Dialogic teacher inquiry: The case of a preservice teacher learning to facilitate class discussion,” published in Dialogic Pedagogy: An International Online Journal.
Prof. Yuuko Uchikoshi co-authored “Longitudinal relations between self-regulatory skills and mathematics achievement in early elementary school children from Chinese American immigrant families,” published in Journal of Experimental Child Psychology.