January 2024 Newsletter

Kevin Gee Team Investigates Disparate Educational Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic

New research from Prof. Kevin Gee and PhD candidates Vigdis Asmundson and Tseng Vang identifies how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the education of nearly all children, but put students of color and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds at an even greater disadvantage. Underlying these disparities were numerous systemic barriers, including disproportionate access to in-person learning and technology alongside the intensification of racial discrimination. The research team concluded that dismantling structural inequities to promote positive educational trajectories for each group will be essential in the post-pandemic educational recovery landscape. Read the research brief published by the UC Davis Center for Poverty and Inequality Research or read the original study in Current Opinion in Psychology.

Center News

California Education Lab Examines High School Course Taking

Over the past six months, the School of Education’s California Education Lab, under the leadership of Prof. Michal Kurlaender and Dr. Sherrie Reed, has released several reports on high school course taking.

Two research briefs addressed A-G course completion. “Inequality in Academic Preparation for College” describes how high school students’ participation and access to college prep coursework is unequal across the state, with lower rates of participation in college prep coursework among low-income, Latinx and Black students. “Addressing Inequities in College Preparatory Course-Taking” describes the promising practices of school districts with high rates of course completion for UC and CSU admission.

“Career Technical Education Among California High School Graduates” examines career technical education (CTE), a structured series of courses that provides high school students with technical and vocational skills, paving the way to postsecondary education and careers. CTE is key to aligning secondary education with both labor market needs and college opportunities. The researchers found that nearly 20 percent of high school graduates in California complete a CTE pathway, with slight variations across racial/ethnic subgroups, but that representation by race and gender differs substantially across the 15 industry sectors.

Wheelhouse Releases Research Brief on AB 705

Wheelhouse: The Center for Community College Leadership and Research, under the leadership of Prof. Michael Kurlaender and Susanna Cooper, has released a new research brief on the impacts of landmark legislation, Assembly Bill 705, to reform the practice of remedial education in the California Community Colleges. Key findings were that AB 705 reforms led to large increases in transfer-level course taking in both English and math for all CCC students, irrespective of their college readiness, and that community college students who enrolled in transfer-level courses post-reform succeeded in transfer-level courses at rates similar to or higher than they did before the policy change. Read the Wheelhouse research brief.

Faculty News

Faith Made Flesh: The Black Child Legacy Campaign for Transformative Justice and Healthy Futures

Prof. Lawrence “Torry” Winn and Prof. Maisha T. Winn have co-edited the newly published book “Faith Made Flesh: The Black Child Legacy Campaign for Transformative Justice and Healthy Futures” with Vajra M. Watson and Kindra F. Montgomery-Block.

“Faith Made Flesh” is focused on the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC), a 10-year community-driven initiative to respond to disproportionate health outcomes in Sacramento County. The contributors analyze the impact of the BCLC’s successes, include case studies and personal reflections, and offer an innovative model to other regions aiming to cultivate thriving community-city-school partnerships that center the well-being of Black children and Black futures.

Faheemah Mustafaa to be Co-PI on SEED Funding Project

Prof. Faheemah Mustafaa is part of a research team that has received $20,000 in one-year seed funding for exploratory research in the category of “Challenging Ableism in STEM: Mapping the Intersectional Landscape of Disability Status with Gender and Race/Ethnicity.” 

The seed initiative is co-sponsored by UC Davis, University of California Alianza MX and Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. It supports exploratory research that will develop innovative approaches to studying unique problems and serve as the foundation for new research projects in the areas of climate change, public health and advancing underserved populations. Each funded seed project includes co-PIs from both UC Davis and Tec de Monterrey. Prof. Natalia Caporale will be lead PI and Mustafaa and Cristina Reynaga-Peña of Tec de Monterrey will serve as co-PIs. Learn more about Seed Funding for Exploratory Research 2023.

Alumni News

Lizette Navarette, EdD ’21 has been selected as the new president of Woodland Community College. Navarette has served at the California Community Colleges for the past four years, most recently as executive vice chancellor leading the Office of Institutional Supports and Success, which includes college finance, facilities planning, institutional effectiveness, and government relations. She was responsible for formulating policies that determine the distribution of over $13 billion in local assistance and capital outlay funds to the state’s 73 community college districts, professional development which advances student success, and coordinating state and federal matters for the system. Previously at the California Community Colleges, Navarette served as interim deputy chancellor and as the vice chancellor of College Finance and Facilities Planning, as the first woman to hold that position. Read more about Lizette Navarette.

EdD student Diana Lizarraga has received the Mary Slakey Howell Excellence in Advising and Student Services Award from UC Berkeley’s Council on Advising and Student Services. The award is the highest honor given to staff and recognizes the positive and innovative impact the recipient has had on student learning, engagement and belonging on the Berkeley campus. Lizarraga serves in the Division of Equity & Inclusion as the Executive Director of Cal NERDS (New Experiences for Research and Diversity in Science) programs and student center, focused on elevating underrepresented voices in the STEM fields. In addition, Lizarraga is a STEM Equity & Success Director and an educational technologist who designs web tools for UC Berkeley STEM Training, Activities, and Resources (STAR.berkeley.edu). Her graduate work focuses on developing a new educational theory called TechnoInclusion. She was honored at an awards ceremony this past November. Read more about Diana Lizarraga.

Brian Sanders, EdD ’14, has been selected to be the next president of Modesto Junior College. Sanders has been the interim vice president of instruction at Modesto Junior College since June 2022, and previously served for six years as the vice president of instruction at Columbia College. Sanders began at the college as a math teacher in 1994 and spent 13 years in the classroom before becoming dean of the Science, Mathematics and Engineering Division. He attended college at UC Santa Barbara and received a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Oregon. Read more about Brian Sanders.

Rachel Rosenthal, EdD ’08, has been  appointed an Area 6 Trustee for the Sierra Joint Community College District in December 2023. Area 6 represents the west border of the district shared by Nevada and Placer counties. Rosenthal is a retired community college educator, and her 25-year career includes service as vice president of instruction at Sierra College and president at Folsom Lake College. She earned her MS in Applied Mathematics from UC Davis, her MA in Curriculum and Instruction from CSU Sacramento, and her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma State University. Read more about Rachel Rosenthal.

Events

Expanding Equity in Educational Research: Comics, Identity, & Representation

Join us on February 6th for a special Expanding Equity in Educational Research program with Enrique García, Barbara Brandon-Croft and Tara Nakashima Donahue presenting on Comics, Identity, & Representation.

Moderated by Prof. Darnel Degand, the event will explore how comics have evolved beyond entertainment to become powerful voices that can educate and inspire readers, and will feature a presentation by Enrique García and an interview discussion with pioneering cartoonist Barbara Brandon-Croft and Tara Nakashima Donahue. The event coincides with the exhibition “STILL: Racism in America, a Retrospective in Cartoons,” which showcases the work of Brandon-Croft and her father, the late Brumsic Brandon, Jr. This event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required and space is limited. Learn more and register for Comics, Identity, & Representation.

Graduate Group in Education Winter 2024 Seminars

The Graduate Group in Education’s Research Seminar Series features presentations by our faculty and PhD students. Presentations are held at the School of Education Building, Room 174, on Mondays from 12:10 pm – 1 pm. Attendance is free; no RSVP is required. 

January 29: Prof. Marcela G. Cuellar and PhD students Isabella Cantu, Stephanie Luna-Lopez, and Gaby Perez on “More than Enrollment and Graduation Rates? A Critical Examination of Servingness at Hispanic-Serving Research Institutions”

February 12: Michael V. Singh, PhD, Assistant Professor Chicana/o Studies, UC Davis, presents on “Toxic Masculinity Masking as Cultural Relevancy: Latino Men Navigating Hetero-patriarchal Expectations of Manhood in the Teaching Profession”

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

Erin Bridges Bird, PhD ’19, Peggy Harte and Prof. Heidi L. Ballard co-authored “Birds Near and Far,” published in Science and Children.

Prof. Darnel Degand authored “‘Black lines on white paper’: how comic artist Barbara Brandon-Croft draws on Where [she’s] Coming from,” published in Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics.

Prof. Nancy Erbstein co-authored “Exploring the challenges and benefits of online youth-led nutrition programs,” published in California Agriculture.

Prof. Lauren Lindstrom co-authored “The role of attention problems in predicting applying to college among high school girls with disabilities,” published in Educational Psychology.

Doctoral candidate John Pellman and Jenna Porter, PhD ’10 co-authored “Supporting Equity and Innovation Through a Career Pathway Certificate Program and Career Technical Education (CTE) Credential,” published in the California Council on Teacher Education Fall 2023 Research Monograph.

Prof. Yuuko Uchikoshi and PhD student Maria Buttiler co-authored “Reasons for migration, parental acculturation, and language: the case of Chinese American and Mexican American parents and dual language learners,” published in Frontiers in Psychology.