October 2021 Newsletter

Sandi Redenbach and Ken Gelatt Gift Names Learning Lab to Transform Classroom

Thanks to generous longtime supporters and alumni Sandi Redenbach (’72, Cred. ’73) and Ken Gelatt (’67, Cred. ’68), the School of Education will renovate and completely upgrade a third classroom, transforming it into a 21st-century teaching and learning environment. “We are so grateful for Sandi and Ken’s continued support and philanthropic leadership,” said Dean Lauren Lindstrom. “Our students let us know through our five-year planning process that upgraded classrooms were a high priority and important for their learning. It’s so fitting that Sandi and Ken are supporting this effort because they always have the well-being and education of our students in mind.” Room 2377 in the Academic Surge building will be named the Sandi Redenbach and Ken Gelatt Learning Lab in their honor.

First Class of Redwood SEED Scholars Arrives at UC Davis

The first class of Redwood SEED (Supported Education to Elevate Diversity) Scholars has started their four-year college experience just like all incoming freshmen, by moving into their dorms. They’re participating in a groundbreaking program for students ages 18-23 with intellectual disabilities, and will take college classes, pursue internships or jobs, join social organizations, and finish their program with a credential. Beth Foraker (’86, Cred. ’87), a longtime School of Education multiple subject credential supervisor, co-founded and co-directs the program in her new role as a MIND Institute staff member. “Redwood SEED is a game-changer,” she said. “It’s the only thing like it in the west. Ninety-seven percent of adults with intellectual disabilities are living in poverty. This is a chance for them to go on to make a living wage, to live an authentic life of true freedom.” Watch a slideshow of the Scholars’ orientation week experiences.

Carlas McCauley Receives UC Davis Staff Stewardship Award

Dr. Carlas McCauley, the School of Education’s Director of Research and Partnerships and Executive Director of REEd, has received the UC Davis 2021 Staff Stewardship Award, which celebrates the important role that faculty and staff play in donor stewardship and relationship-building. McCauley, in photo with UC Davis Foundation Chair Darryl Goss and Chancellor Gary S. May, received the award at an October 9th ceremony. “This year’s winners are among the special community of faculty and staff who go beyond their professions to support UC Davis and help advance our philanthropic goals,” said Shaun Keister, Vice Chancellor of Development and Alumni Relations and president of the UC Davis Foundation, which jointly gave the awards. Read more.

ALUMNI AND STUDENT NEWS

Lina Mendez Appointed Director of HSI Initiatives

Alumna Lina Mendez (PhD ’10) has been named the inaugural director of UC Davis Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives. She will be responsible for implementing the recommendations of the HSI Task Force and leading their future work, a role which will have a profound impact on the university as a whole. Mendez previously served as the founding associate director of the UC Davis Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success. Learn more.

Sharon Tettegah Appointed Associate Vice Chancellor at UC Santa Barbara

When Sharon Tettegah (’88, Cred. ’89, MA ’91) was a UC Davis undergraduate student, then associate dean Douglas Minnis asked if she’d considered a teaching career and encouraged her to take an introductory education course. Tettegah enjoyed the class so much that she ended up launching a career in education, first as a teacher and later as a professor and researcher. Her unique career path led her to UC Santa Barbara, where she is a Professor of Black Studies, the Director of the Center for Black Studies Research—and now the Associate Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Read the full story.

Rosaisela Rodriguez and Lauren Worrell Receive UC Davis Honors

Two members of the School of Education’s CANDEL community have been recognized by UC Davis Graduate Studies. Lauren Worrell (EdD ’20), the Graduate Program Coordinator for the College of Engineering’s Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, received the 2021-22 Outstanding Graduate Program Coordinator Award. CANDEL Associate Director Rosaisela Rodriguez received the 2021-22 Innovation Award. The award recognizes the vital role of graduate program coordinators, who are often a graduate student’s first point of contact on campus and support students all the way through graduation. Read more. 

EVENTS

Maisha Winn Featured in Women & Philanthropy Speaker Series

On Wednesday, November 3, 2021 at 12 pm, the UC Davis Women & Philanthropy’s Speaker Series will present “Histories and Futures: Restoring Justice and Transforming Education,” moderated by LeShelle May and featuring panelist Prof. Maisha Winn, who will discuss the intersection of justice and education and how her background has informed her career and her mission. Register today.

PowerSchool and Microsoft Webinars Address Challenges and Lessons of Last School Year

The School of Education partnered with PowerSchool and Microsoft on a three-part October webinar series titled “Finding Balance: Addressing Today’s Challenges with Lessons Learned from Last School Year.” Recordings of the sessions are available with free registration.

Part 1: Assessing and Teaching with the Whole Child Top-of-Mind moderated by Dr. Carlas McCauley and featuring School of Education Board of Advisors member Linda Luna

Part 2: Lessons Learned from the Evolution of Edtech Innovation in 2020 featuring panelist Prof. Darnel Degand

Part 3: Supporting Educators and Students with Social-Emotional Learning in 2021-2022 featuring panelist Peggy Harte, Youth Education Program Manager for the Center for Community and Citizen Science

CTERIN Policy Briefing on Diversifying California’s Teaching Force

The California Teacher Education Research and Improvement Network (CTERIN), which includes numerous School of Education researchers, recently presented their policy briefing “Diversifying California’s Teaching Force: How Teachers Enter the Classroom, Who They Serve, and if They Stay.” CTERIN researchers are examining relationships between teacher demographics, student demographics, preparation pathways, teacher attrition/retention, and the characteristics of schools where new teachers teach. Watch now.

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

• Prof. Jamal Abedi co-authored “Investigating the Effects of Test Accommodations with Process Data for English Learners in a Mathematics Assessment,” published in Educational Assessment.”
• Prof. Marcela Cuellar, PhD student Mayra Nuñez Martinez and undergraduate student Yadira Sanchez Nava were among the co-authors of the article “Examining Recruitment Practices for Servingness during COVID-19: Perspectives from Institutional Agents at an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI),” published in Education Sciences.
• Prof. Kevin Gee co-authored “In the Aftermath of School Victimization: Links Between Authoritative School Climate and Adolescents’ Perceptions of the Negative Effects of Bullying Victimization,” published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.
• Profs. Jennifer Higgs, Steven Athanases, Alexis Patterson Williams and Danny C. Martinez, and PhD candidate Sergio L. Sanchez co-authored the article “Amplifying historically marginalized voices through text choice and play with digital tools: Toward decentering whiteness in English teacher education” as part of the Teachers as Learners project.
• Prof. Nicole Sparapani co-authored “Concurrent Associations between Expressive Language Ability and Independence in Adolescents and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome,” published in Brain Sciences, and “Self-regulation predicts companionship in children with autism,” published in the International Journal of Developmental Disabilities.
• Prof. Yuuko Uchikoshi co-authored two articles published in the Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development: “‘I think my parents like me being bilingual’: Cantonese–English DLBE upper elementary students mediating parental ideologies about multilingualism,” and, with co-authors including alumni Lu Yang (PhD ’20) and Shuhua He (BA ’18), “Language proficiency and competence: upper elementary students in a Dual-Language Bilingual Education program.”