e-Newsletter

April 2025 Newsletter

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New Research Brief: How Preparedness Protects Student Success in a Crisis

A new research brief from the School of Education examines how institutional readiness shaped academic outcomes—and what colleges can do now to prepare for the next disruption. Covering a recent study by Prof. Cassandra Hart and her co-researchers, the brief highlights how the rapid transition to online learning in Spring 2020 impacted student success. Learn more about the research team’s COVID-19 findings and their recommendations to prepare for future crises.

Thank You for Your Support on Give Day

A woman wearing a green sweater leans over a desk where a young boy is sitting and writes on a handheld white board.Thanks to the generosity of our community, the School of Education raised $56,960 on Give Day 2025 to support research centers, scholarship funds, and education equity initiatives. Ten challenge gifts played a key role in our success—thank you to everyone who contributed and helped spread the word. Across UC Davis, Give Day brought in over $4 million from 4,103 donors. If you weren’t able to participate on Give Day and want to support one of the featured funds, please reach out to Anna Aukes, External Relations and Development Program Manager, at aaukes@ucdavis.edu.

Heather Schlaman to Lead Yolo Center for Language and Literacy

Portrait of Heather SchlamanThe Yolo County Office of Education has launched the Yolo Center for Language and Literacy and selected School of Education Lecturer Dr. Heather Schlaman to lead its work. The center is supported by the UC Davis Center for Public Service and Education, which is led by Nancy McTygue, ’88, Cred. ’89, MA ’96, a member of the School of Education’s Board of Advisors. Read more about Heather Schlaman’s new partnership with the Yolo Center for Language and Literacy.

Kevin Gee Describes Impact of Chancellor’s Fellowship on his Research

Video still of Kevin Gee sitting in his office, speaking.Prof. Kevin Gee was recently interviewed by UC Davis about his research on chronic absenteeism, bullying, and building more support for vulnerable student populations. Gee talked about what it feels like to be a Chancellor’s Fellow, saying “When I think about the honor of being a Chancellor’s Fellow, it also recognizes all of the people, community, and supports that I’ve had to make me who I am today as a scholar, researcher, and professor. This really reaffirmed that I’m in the right job.” Watch Kevin Gee’s interview.

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Watch Alumnus Mikael Villalobos in Conversation with Chancellor May

A YouTube still of two men sitting at a table together, one wearing a white suit and the other wearing a brown suit.

Mikael Villalobos, Ed.D. ’14, recently spoke with Chancellor May about activism, the Campus Community Book Project, and the UC Davis Principles of Community. Visit us on YouTube or Instagram for more student and alumni stories.

EVENT RECAPS

Two woman stand in front of a poster and speak to each other.M.A. Symposium [PHOTOS]
On March 8, our M.A. students presented their teacher inquiry projects at the UC Davis Student Community Center for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other community supporters.

View photos from the 2025 M.A. symposium.

Two men speak to each other, standing in front of a poster advertising a school district.Teacher Job Fair [PHOTOS]
On March 14, the School of Education hosted the 2025 Teacher Job Fair at the UC Davis Conference Center. This event is held every spring for UC Davis teaching credential candidates and credential alumni as part of our Job Search Assistance for Teachers program.

View the Teacher Job Fair photo gallery.

Two women, one wearing a green sweater and one wearing a grey sweater, sit together at a table and speak to each other while eating lunch.CANDEL Alumni Networking Event [PHOTOS]
CANDEL alumni, faculty, and students gathered on March 7 at the UC Davis Student Community Center for our annual alumni networking event, which included presentations by Dean Tom Smith, Profs. Cassandra Hart and Kevin Gee, and CANDEL alumni Peter Lé and John Pellman.

View the CANDEL Alumni Networking Event photo gallery.

A man wearing a green shirt stands at a table with craft supplies. A woman wearing a red dress and a woman wearing a black dress and grey sweater stand on either side of him.Picnic Day [PHOTOS]
The School of Education hosted two activities on Picnic Day that were led by Profs. Darnel Degand and Lee Martin. Martin and Ph.D. student J.C. Leapman taught visitors how to build light-up greeting cards using electrical circuits, and Degand showed visitors how to create their own comics.

View our Picnic Day photo gallery.

STUDENT AND ALUMNI NEWS

A banner that reads "Alumni Spotlight" is placed over an image of a woman wearing a brown sweater and standing against a classroom background.

As a first-time resident teacher for the School of Education, Lucia Arroyo, Cred. ’17, M.A. ’18 was excited to support future educators in their training. But she didn’t anticipate strengthening her own skills and community in the process. “It’s a full-circle moment,” said Arroyo. Read more about Lucia Arroyo’s experiences as a first-time resident teacher.

FEATURED CONFERENCES

Michal Kurlaender stands at a podium and speaks into a microphone.Michal Kurlaender stepped into her role as Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP) president at the conclusion of the 2025 AEFP conference.

Other recent conference highlights include: Tom Smith delivered opening remarks for the University of California Center for Research on Special Education, Disabilities, and Developmental Risk 2025 Conference…Antoinette Banks presented at the ASU + GSV Summit…and Ariel Collatz was a keynote speaker at the California Counseling & Academic Advising Network Conference.  Visit our conference page for a complete roundup of recent research presentations.

PUBLICATIONS

Blanco, Y. (2024). Testimonios as disruptive texts: Teaching about US imperialism and immigration through Central American testimonio. Curriculum Inquiry, 54(4), 327-348.

Ellison, A.B., Smith, T.M., and Booker, L. (2025). From Student to Teacher: A Descriptive Examination of High School Students’ Interest in Teaching Professions. Peabody Journal of Education. 100(2): 163-181.

Luu, J.*, Reed, S., and Rose, H. (2025). All Else Equal: Charter School Attendance and College Enrollment Rates at California’s Three Systems of Higher Education. Journal of School Choice. 1-21.

Race, A.I., Yan, S., Spurgin, C., Henson, S., Portier, E.F., and Ballard, H.L. (2025). Elementary students learning through data analysis and sharing findings: design-based research for community and citizen science in schools. International Journal of Science Education, Part B. 1-21.

Rillero, P., Jiménez-Silva, M., Short-Meyerson, K., and Rillero, K. M. (2025). From Seeds to Harvest in Seven Weeks: Project-Based Learning with Latina Girls and Their Parents. Education Sciences. 15(2), 246.

Welsh, M.E. and Mastrup, K.L. (2025). Technology enriched teaching simulations. Educational Technology Research and Development. 

*School of Education alumni

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