March 2019 Newsletter
PhD Candidate Kaozong Mouavangsou, Advocate for Hmong Americans in Education, Receives Activism Award
School of Education PhD candidate
Kaozong Mouavangsou has been honored with the UC Davis Equity
Summit’s Award for Community-Engaged Scholarship and Activism. A
Hmong American herself, Mouavangsou is writing her dissertation
on what makes a difference in helping Hmong Americans
successfully navigate their undergraduate studies.
In 2015, Mouavangsou designed and taught the first UC Davis course on the Hmong American experience. In a second course she created and taught last summer, she had a staff member from the California State Assembly walk students through the legislative process and recent California bills on education to show how advocacy from the community can develop into legislation. “Just because you have an education doesn’t mean it will lead to your liberation,” Mouavangsou said. “Who is in the classroom teaching? What materials are being taught? It’s the type of education you receive that can lead you there.” Learn more about Mouavangsou and her recent award in this news article.
School of Education Hosts South African Professor Focused on Educational Equity for Students with Disabilities
Last month, Dean Lauren
Lindstrom welcomed Professor Maximus Sefotho from the
University of Johannesburg, South Africa, on a weeklong visit to
the School of Education. Sefotho is a Professor of
Educational Psychology who focuses on teacher preparation and
building inclusive education for students with disabilities in
South Africa. During his time in Davis, Dr. Sefotho met
with faculty, staff and students affiliated with the School of
Education, the MIND Institute, Global Affairs, and UC Davis
Continuing and Professional Education. Dean Lindstrom and Dr.
Sefotho are currently attending the Pacific Rim Conference on
Disability and Diversity in Hawaii, and Dean Lindstrom will be
visiting South Africa later this year as part of her tenure as a
Fulbright Specialist. Learn more about Dean Lindstrom’s
commitment to international educational equity on our
website.
FACULTY NEWS
We are pleased to announce
that Dr. Nancy
Erbstein will join the School of Education faculty in
Spring 2019. She has been appointed as an Associate Professor in
Residence, the first position of its kind in our School’s
history. This new position is a collaboration with Global
Affairs, and Erbstein will also serve as Director of the
Global Education for All initiative at UC Davis. Coming from
the UC Davis Department of Human Ecology, Erbstein has research
expertise in the areas of youth civic learning and engagement,
youth development and healthy youth environments. She has already
been serving as a member of our Graduate Group in
Education.
Dr. Yuuko
Uchikoshi Tonkovich was recently promoted to Full
Professor in the School of Education. Uchikoshi Tonkovich is an
outstanding scholar with a unique focus on language and literacy
development for dual language learners. She serves as Director of
Undergraduate Programs and has been a committed mentor for both
graduate and undergraduate students. Uchikoshi Tonkovich also led
the School’s efforts to develop new coursework for international
students here at UC Davis.
Dr. Cassandra
Hart, School of Education Associate Professor and CANDEL
Co-Director, has been named an Educational
Researcher Outstanding Reviewer for 2018 by the American
Educational Research Association (AERA). Each year, AERA journal
editors recognize the invaluable contribution of volunteer
reviewers who have provided exemplary, thorough and timely
reviews of manuscripts received by their respective journals.
Hart’s service to the field will be celebrated at a reception
hosted by the Journal Publications Committee during the AERA
Annual Meeting this April.
Postdoctoral Researcher Nidia Bañuelos Discusses the “Dangerous” History of For-Profit Colleges and Universities
When Congress granted for-profit
colleges and universities (FPCUs) access to federal financial aid
in 1972, the field of higher education shifted. FPCUs expanded
their reach, began making large profits and started being
publicly traded. According to Nidia
Bañuelos, a postdoctoral researcher at the School of
Education, this change was an important point in the history of
higher education, and it’s a historical moment that feels
familiar and dangerous for students at FPCUs today.
“The rhetoric used to defend granting FPCUs access to federal aid
in the 1970s is very similar to the rhetoric Secretary DeVos is
using now to de-regulate the industry and roll back Obama-era
reforms around consumer protections against educational fraud,”
said Bañuelos. “The last time this rhetoric was used resulted in
regulatory structures that allowed FPCUs to not only grow big but
to do some harmful things to students.” Bañuelos is working on a
book about the history of FPCUs and recently published an
article, “Dangerous Metaphors: The Consequences of Treating
Higher Education Like a Consumer Good,” on the subject. Read more
about her current research in this new research
spotlight on our
website.
Alumni Spotlight: Susan Catron (EdD ‘12)
“What excites me about working in
the field of continuing education is the potential to have a
substantial impact on people’s lives and career trajectories,”
said Susan
Catron (EdD ’12). As interim dean of UC Davis Continuing
and Professional Education (formerly called UC Davis Extension),
Catron focuses on how to best serve non-traditional, part-time
adult learners regionally and globally using a variety of
educational delivery approaches. She directs a team of 230
academic and professional staff who provide educational
opportunities to nearly 60,000 students from more than 100
countries each year.
Catron decided to earn her doctorate in educational leadership from UC Davis to strengthen her pedagogical know-how and pursue research in online educational quality. “The CANDEL program allowed me to round out my expertise,” she said. Learn more about her in our latest alumni spotlight.
EVENTS
Get Ready for the Annual UC Davis Give Day, April 12-13
UC Davis Give Day is fast
approaching! The UC Davis community collectively raised $1.8
million during last year’s Give Day to help support students,
research and more. We’re now gearing up for the third annual Give
Day, which takes place in conjunction with Picnic Day—April
12-13. Here’s what you can do now to help make this
year’s Give Day a success:
Give Early: If you’re ready to make an impact before April 12, you can show your commitment to education starting March 11, when the “Give Early” button goes live on the School of Education’s Give Day website. You’ll be able to give any amount to any area of your choosing at the School of Education.
Become a Social Media Ambassador: Are you a social media all-star? The more Social Ambassadors we have sharing the news, the better the results. Sign up now to be a Social Ambassador and get the official hashtags, graphics to share and other useful tips. We are counting on you—our Aggie alumni, friends, students, parents, faculty and staff—to make this the best Give Day yet!
Words Take Wing Event Brings Newbery Award-Winning Author to UC Davis
On February 26, 2019, the School of
Education welcomed Newbery Award-winning author Erin Entrada
Kelly for the annual Words Take Wing:
Honoring Diversity in Children’s Literature program, a
philanthropically funded celebration of acclaimed children’s
literature authors and illustrators.
Kelly gave two public presentations, including one at the Mondavi Center to an audience of more than 1,600 elementary and middle school students. She discussed the importance of curiosity and shared tips and techniques for young writers based on her own writing process. Watch a video of the event, and learn how you can support this important community program here.
CANDEL Networking Luncheon Happening Next Week
CANDEL alumni are invited to a
CANDEL Networking and Luncheon Event, Saturday, March 16th,
from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., at the Alpha Gamma Rho Hall in the Walter
A. Buehler Alumni Center, UC Davis. At this event, you’ll
have the opportunity to hear from Dean Lindstrom about her vision
for the School of Education, visit with CANDEL Co-Directors and
faculty, and network with CANDEL alumni and students. CANDEL
alumni who haven’t received an email invitation should contact
Rosaisela Rodriguez, CANDEL Associate Director, at (530) 754-6664
or at rrodr@ucdavis.edu
for details. If you have recieved an invitation and plan on
attending, please RSVP as soon as possible. We hope you’ll be
able to join us!