January 2023 Newsletter

FEATURED NEWS

Michal Kurlaender Appointed to Education Commission

Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed Chancellor’s Leadership Professor Michal Kurlaender to the Education Commission of the States, which is comprised of governors and other representatives from all the states, the District of Columbia and three U.S. territories. The commission provides research and consultation on education policy. Kurlaender studies how education policies and programs can impact students’ educational pathways and outcomes, focusing in particular on what types of policies can reduce socioeconomic and racial/ethnic inequalities in educational opportunities. Read more about Kurlaender and the commission. 

Maisha Winn Named to Top Scholars List

For the second year, Prof. Maisha T. Winn is among the top 200 education scholars in the United States, according to American Enterprise Institute director of education policy studies and Education Week blogger Frederick M. Hess. Chosen from more than 20,000 scholars, Winn and others on the 2023 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings are recognized for moving ideas from academic journals into the national conversation and shaping educational practice and policy. Read the entire ranking list.

Wheelhouse Launches Advancing Leaders Institute

Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research is launching a new institute for leaders aspiring to become California Community College presidents, chancellors or superintendent/presidents. The Advancing Leaders Institute will develop adaptive leadership capacity, fluency in facilitating conversations and decisions that improve racial equity and social justice, expertise in strategic communications, and acumen in using data and research to inform good decisions—all skills which are critical for ascendancy as a CEO in California.

Applicants for the 2023 cohort will be chosen based on their breadth of experience, geographic and institutional representation, diversity of backgrounds and roles, and application materials. For the inaugural cohort, tuition will be covered by scholarship, and applications are due February 28, 2023. Learn more about the Advancing Leaders Institute.

Words Take Wing: Honoring Diversity in Children’s Literature

Join us on February 21 for Words Take Wing: Honoring Diversity in Children’s Literature, featuring author, arts activist and translator Aida Salazar, whose fiction and nonfiction for adults and children explore issues of identity and social justice. We will have two virtual events:

• 10–11 am for 3rd grade to middle school classes 
• 6–7 pm with the Sacramento Public Library for all

Register now for the events. Thank you to our presenting sponsor EiroBridge and sponsor Sutter Medical Center Children’s Center for making these free events possible.

Crowdfund UC Davis will also feature Words Take Wing in February, and we will share soon about how you can help support this much-loved program. To learn more, contact Sr. Director of Development Jennifer Martinez at jelmartinez@ucdavis.edu.

Your Legacy Makes a Difference for Their Future

When you include the School of Education in your estate plan, you’re making a decision that will have a far-reaching impact on students of tomorrow. Planned giving can be a powerful way for you to meet your financial goals and create a legacy of educational change that reflects and furthers your values. 

The most common form of planned giving is a bequest—naming a beneficiary such as the School of Education in a will or living trust. Visit the UC Davis planned giving page to use a calculator showing how gifts such as bequests can meet your financial and philanthropic goals, learn about specific tax advantages, and ensure financial security for your loved ones.

Please contact Jennifer Martinez to discuss how we can help you meet your philanthropic goals through planned giving.

FACULTY NEWS

Darnel Degand to Join CAMPSSAH Writing Community

Prof. Darnel Degand is one of four UC Davis faculty chosen to participate in the 2023 Writing Community of the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on the Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities (CAMPSSAH). This writing support group is an initiative based on the successful “P.L.A.C.E. with CAMPSSAH” grant that provided support to pre-tenure and early-career faculty to advance in their career by providing professional manuscript writing guidance. The faculty chosen are engaged in work that centers a critical, intersectional lens focusing on issues of race, gender, sexuality and class inequalities. Read more about the Writing Community.

STUDENT AND ALUMNI NEWS

Art Pimentel Named Folsom Lake College President

Art Pimentel, EdD ’18, has been appointed the fourth president of Folsom Lake College by the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees, and began his tenure earlier this month. Pimentel most recently served as president of Woodland Community College, but had previously worked for five years within the Los Rios district, including serving as the dean for Sacramento City College’s West Sacramento Center and as the district’s interim director of educational services and student success. Read about Pimentel.

Kat Raymond Delivers Commencement Addresses

Teaching credential candidate Kaitlin “Kat” Raymond, BA ’22, was the speaker for both the fall and spring UC Davis makeup commencement ceremonies in December. 
Raymond graduated in June with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and minors in human development and education, and is now working toward a teaching credential and master’s degree at the School of Education. Watch recordings of Raymond’s commencement speeches.

Jasmyn Starke Named Teacher of the Month

Jasmyn Starke, Cred ’17, MA ’18, has been named teacher of the month by ABC10, in partnership with SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union and Sacramento State’s College of Education. Starke is a 5th grade teacher at Stone Lake Elementary School in Elk Grove, and received an award of $1,000. Watch the interviews with Starke and her students.

EVENTS

Lauren Lindstrom Presents in South Africa

Dean Lauren Lindstrom presented on January 10 at the Education Association of South Africa Conference, which was hosted by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the Two Oceans Graduate Institute in Cape Town, South Africa. She led a research session, “Paths 2 the Future: Improving Career Outcomes for Young Women with Disabilities,” and also met with colleagues from University of Cape Town and University of Johannesburg in preparation for her Fulbright visit later this year.

Graduate Group in Education Seminars

Join us for our next two Graduate Group in Education Monday seminars:

• January 30: Prof. Cassandra Hart, at right, will present on “Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Instruction at Community Colleges: Enrollment Trends and Student Performance” 
• February 13: Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Sergio Sanchez presents “Teacher Conceptions on Affordances of Drama: Embodied Pedagogy for Student Learning in Diverse Classrooms”

Learn more about the Monday seminar series.

Michal Kurlaender Delivers Keynote Address

Prof. Michal Kurlaender served as keynote speaker at the Centering Equity in Graduate Education event held by AMIGA (Alliance for Multi-campus Inclusive Graduate Admissions). Kurlaender addressed the challenges and opportunities in the pipeline to graduate school, enhancing diversity, and strengthening the conditions for inclusion. Watch the event recording.

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

Sagit Betser, PhD ’19, Prof. Rebecca Ambrose and Prof. Lee Martin co-authored “‘Excited to crash the party’: Girls self-author their identities as makers in a girls-only design/build space,” published in Equity & Excellence in Education.

PhD candidate Sandy Luong Birkeneder and Prof. Nicole Sparapani co-authored “Measurements of Spontaneous Communication Initiations in Children with Autism in Preschool through Third Grade Classrooms” in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Todd A. DeMitchell, MA ’90 and Terri A. DeMitchell MA ’90 have co-authored “Raising a Cautionary Flag: Educational Malpractice and the Professional Teacher,” published by Rowman & Littlefield.

Prof. Emerita Sandra Murphy co-authored the book “Assessing Writing to Support Learning: Turning Accountability Inside Out,” published by Routledge.