March 2023 Newsletter

FEATURED NEWS

Maisha T. Winn Elected to National Academy of Education

Prof. Maisha T. Winn has been elected to the National Academy of Education. She joins a prestigious group of U.S. members and international associates who are elected based on outstanding scholarship or leadership related to education. Eighteen new scholars were invited to join the Academy this year. In addition to serving on expert study panels that address pressing issues in education, members are also deeply engaged in the Academy’s professional development fellowship programs. Read more about the National Academy of Education.

Prof. Winn is a Chancellor’s Leadership Professor and the Co-Founder and Co-director of the Transformative Justice in Education Center in the School of Education. Her program of research examines the ways in which teachers and/or adult allies for youth in schools and in out-of-school contexts practice “justice” in the teaching of literacy.

Marcela Cuellar Named Chancellor’s Fellow

Prof. Marcela Cuellar has been awarded a Chancellor’s Fellowship for 2022–23. She will receive a one-time award of $25,000 to be used in support of her research, teaching and service activities. “Dr. Cuellar has worked tirelessly since coming to UCD to make our campus a place where Latinx students can thrive,” said School of Education professor and department chair Rebecca Ambrose.

Cuellar is the ninth School of Education faculty member to be named a Chancellor’s Fellow and will retain the title for five years. The Chancellor’s Fellowship honors the achievements of outstanding early-career faculty members who clearly demonstrate excellence in academic pursuits, including especially high achievement in the quality and significance of their research and teaching. Read more about Marcela Cuellar.

Rosalie Vanderhoef Honored by CAAA

The California Aggie Alumni Association has named Rosalie Vanderhoef a Distinguished Friend of the University in recognition of her outstanding support. At the School of Education, Vanderhoef’s leadership and support have provided learning opportunities for future educators and facilitated international partnerships in the teacher education program. Among many other achievements, she helped nurture the program that links the school with Globe Education, an outreach program affiliated with Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Read more about CAAA’s honorees.

Beta Lab and Craft Center Kick off Collaboration

The School of Education’s Beta Lab and the UC Davis Craft Center showcased a new collaboration at a February 15 open house event. Chancellor Gary S. May spoke to visitors and gave a screenprinting demonstration. A newly renovated Maker Space in the Craft Center will be used as a Beta Lab classroom where K-12 students will have hands-on access to equipment such as a 3D printer, vinyl cutter and soldering kits, and have opportunities to incorporate multidisciplinary crafting into their modern designs. UC Davis students and community members will be able to use the Maker Space as well. View the photo gallery and read the full story.

Successful Crowdfund Campaign Supports Words Take Wing

Thanks to generous donors, the School of Education’s Words Take Wing February Crowdfund Campaign raised $5,100 through 31 gifts. That crucial support allows us to introduce regional schoolchildren to acclaimed authors from diverse backgrounds. This year, Words Take Wing hosted award-winning children’s author and arts activist Aida Salazar in a virtual matinee that was attended by over 1,100 teachers and students. We couldn’t have done it without your help and without generous sponsors EiroBridge and Sutter Health.

Thank you again to every donor—and to everyone who helped spread the word. If you weren’t able to participate, you can still make a contribution to ensure full support of this valuable program.

FACULTY NEWS

Kevin Gee to Lead Research Team

Prof. Kevin Gee will lead a team of researchers examining how school climate influences the bullying experiences of California’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth. The project is being funded by a grant from the AAPI Data program at the University of California, Riverside, which is making a total of $1.1 million in grants to support social science research as part of an investment by the California Legislature to improve data available on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities in California. The grants were made to eight projects across five University of California campuses. Read more about the AAPI grants.

Pauline Holmes Receives Mentoring Award

Dr. Pauline Holmes, a lecturer and supervisor in the School of Education’s teacher education program, has received the UC Davis Academic Senate and Academic Federation Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching or Mentoring Award. Holmes was recognized for her more than 31 years of consistent excellence in teaching, leadership and innovation in teacher education. As a liaison between administration, teacher education faculty and students, she has excelled at keeping everyone connected in an ever-changing social and educational environment, and has been a mentor and a role model for her students. Read more about the award.

STUDENT AND ALUMNI NEWS

Mikael Villalobos Named Associate Vice Chancellor

Mikael Villalobos, ’93, EdD ’14, has been selected to serve as the Associate Vice Chancellor for the UC Davis Office of Campus and Community Relations in the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Villalobos’s long-standing dedication to campus climate and inclusion initiatives is central to the UC Davis Diversity and Inclusion Education and Training program and the Campus Community Book Project, and he also has been instrumental in the development of the Police Accountability Board. Read more about Mikael Villalobos.

EVENTS AND WEBINARS

HSI Showcase to Feature Faculty and Alumni

“Avanza: Cultivating Chicanx/Latinx Leaders for the Future,” the UC Davis 2023 Hispanic Serving Institution Showcase, will feature multiple School of Education speakers. The March 23 event will include a keynote address by Prof. Marcela Cuellar, a panel on dean’s leadership in hiring and retaining faculty moderated by Prof. Danny C. Martinez, a researcher spotlight featuring Prof. Alicia Rusoja, opening remarks by Lina Mendez, PhD ’10, and a fireside chat with Chancellor Gary S. May and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Pablo Guillermo Reguerín, EdD ’17. See the full HSI Showcase schedule.

Alicia Rusoja to Present at CAMPSSAH Colloquium

Prof. Alicia Rusoja will present her research “My Son Was Teaching Me How to Really Act in Solidarity: Latine/x Immigrants Organizing Intergenerationally through a Communal Pedagogy of Resistance” by Zoom on April 6 from 3:10–4:30 pm. This research colloquium will be hosted by the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Social Science, Arts, and Humanities (CAMPSSAH), and will include an informal discussion and Q&A. Learn more about the CAMPSSAH colloquium.

Faheemah Mustafaa and Tadria Cardenas Rico Featured in Aoki Series

Prof. Faheemah Mustafaa and PhD student Tadria Cardenas Rico presented “Promotive and Inhibitive Outcomes Among Black Girls in California Schools: A Civil Rights Data Collection Exploratory Study,” as part of the Aoki Center on Critical Race and Nation Studies. The March 7 presentation examined proportionality and disproportionality in promotive and inhibitive outcomes among Black girls in schools and districts throughout California. Read more.

Youth Participatory Action Research Webinar

The School of Education’s CAP-Ed and REEd centers hosted a webinar for principals, teachers and district leaders focused on Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), a strategy to support youth learning and development and strengthen institutions and communities. The webinar provided an overview of YPAR and used a case study that highlighted the recently produced Youth Career Pathways Toolkit: a Guide for CalFresh Healthy Living, University of California YPAR Facilitators, developed by Prof. Nancy Erbstein and colleagues. Watch the YPAR webinar recording.

Team Presents on High School Math Access Research

A research team including Dr. Sherrie Reed and Prof. Michal Kurlaender have co-authored a report titled “Innovating High School Math Through K–12 and Higher Education Partnerships,” published through PACE. The report examines university–high school partnerships designed to increase equitable access to advanced math classes for high school students. The team discussed their results in a March webinar available online.

Torry Winn Participates in Campus Community Book Project Panel Discussion

In February, Prof. Torry Winn participated in the 2022-23 Campus Community Book Project panel discussion on restorative justice in practice with author Zach Norris and other campus and community scholars. Norris is the author of Defund Fear: Safety Without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment. The thought-provoking discussion and contextual framework set the stage for Norris’s appearance in the Mondavi Center’s Vanderhoef Studio Theatre. Watch the panel discussion.

SOE Researchers Present at PACE Conference

At this year’s PACE conference in February, Prof. Kevin Gee participated in the opening plenary on the State of the State, and Prof. Michal Kurlaender moderated a panel including Dr. Sherrie Reed on Strengthening Equity in College Access: The Role of High School Courses. Learn more and watch conference videos.

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

PhD student Maria Belen Buttiler and Prof. Yuuko Uchikoshi were two of the co-authors of “Teachers’ Language Use in Multilingual Head Start Classrooms: Implications for Dual Language Learners,” published in Children.

Prof. Marcela Cuellar authored “Transforming Higher Education—Reflections on the Past and Possibilities for the Future,” the introductory chapter of the book Emancipatory Change in US Higher Education, published by Palgrave Macmillan. Cuellar also co-authored “Advancing ‘Intersectional Servingness’ in Research, Practice, and Policy With Hispanic-Serving Institutions,” published in AERA Open.

Prof. Jennifer Higgs co-authored the research article “Exploring equity issues with technology in secondary literacy education,” published in Technology, Pedagogy and Education.

PhD student Emily Mak, Natasha Nichiporuk Vanni ’22, Xintong Yang ’22, Maria Lara ’22 and Prof. Yuuko Uchikoshi were among the co-authors of “Parental perceptions of bilingualism and home language vocabulary: Young bilingual children from low-income immigrant Mexican American and Chinese American families,” published in Frontiers in Psychology.