2018: The School Experiences Student, Center and Faculty Growth

General School News

Number of Education Minor Students Continues to Rise: Open to undergraduate students from any and all majors on campus, the Minor in Education is the largest minor on campus, and it continues to keep growing. The School of Education had more than 300 students graduate with a Minor in Education during the 2017-18 academic year, an increase of 33 percent since the 2013-14 academic year.

School of Education Shakespeare Partnership Has a New Name and Expanded Mission: The School expanded our long-established partnership with Globe Education and re-named it the Center for Shakespeare in Diverse Classrooms. The Center’s team, led by Research Director Dr. Steven Athanases, is partnering with teachers to develop, document and disseminate engaging and equitable K–12 classroom practices for the study of Shakespeare and other complex texts. This combination of scholarly inquiry and teacher professional development programs is grounded in the School’s mission of educational equity, and will continue to benefit K–12 language arts and social sciences students in our region and beyond.

School of Education Centers Expand to Drew Avenue Office: The School of Education continues to increase its faculty and research programs. In April, the School opened additional office space at 1460 Drew Avenue in Davis, a quick drive or bicycle trip away from our main building. The new space accommodates four centers: California Institute for School Improvement, Center for Community and Citizen Science, Resourcing Excellence in Education, and the Transformative Justice in Education Center.

Faculty News

Lee Martin Named a Chancellor’s Fellow: Prof. Lee Martin was named a 2017-18 UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow, a title he will hold for five years. It is one of the highest and most prestigious honors given at UC Davis, and comes with a $25,000 research award that will enable him to pursue his work in new and creative ways. The program recognizes early-career professors who are rising stars in their fields, and is supported by the Chancellor’s Club and the UC Davis Annual Fund.

Margarita Jimenez-Silva Named New Director of Teacher Education: Margarita Jimenez-Silva became the School’s new Director of Teacher Education in the spring and joined our faculty as an Associate Professor. She most recently served on the faculty and administration at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University, where she was an Associate Professor and held multiple administrative positions. She holds an EdD in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and earned her MA at UC Berkeley.

Jennifer Higgs Joins Faculty: Jennifer Higgs, PhD joined the School of Education in the spring as one of two Assistant Professors in the area of Digital Technology and Educational Change. Higgs is exploring how digitally mediated discussion can foster critical thinking, collaboration and productive dialogue through research in K-12 urban, suburban and rural public and private schools. Her research was recognized recently by the American Educational Research Association, which awarded her the 2018 Division K Outstanding Dissertation Award.

Cati de los Ríos Joins Faculty: Cati de los Ríos, PhD joined the School of Education as an Assistant Professor on July 1. Most recently an Assistant Professor of Education, Culture and Society at UC Riverside, she has expertise in ethnic studies, literacy, youth engagement and social change. Dr. de los Rios was recognized with two 2018 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Outstanding Dissertation Awards from the Critical Educators for Social Justice Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Hispanic/Latinx Research SIG, the Alan C. Purves Award and the Promising Researcher Award from the National Council of Teachers of English. She holds teaching credentials in Bilingual Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development and Secondary Spanish Language and Literacy, and previously taught high school. 

Steven Athanases Named Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education: Prof. Steven Athanases was appointed to serve as the Dolly and David Fiddyment Chair in Teacher Education. “This is a well-deserved honor in recognition of his outstanding work as a scholar and teacher,” said Dean Lauren Lindstrom. “Dr. Athanases’ contributions to the field of teacher education have been broad and deep, and he continues to be instrumental in our work in the School of Education to prepare highly qualified teachers who are advocates for equity in learning for all students.” 

Kevin Gee Promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure, Joins CANDEL Leadership: School of Education Professor Kevin Gee will serve as Co-Director of the CANDEL program effective October 1, 2018 through June 30, 2020. He joins current Co-Director Dr. Cassandra Hart and CANDEL Associate Director Dr. Rosa Rodriguez.

Teacher Ed. Faculty Members Fortes and Pomeroy Retire: Dr. Michele Fortes, lecturer and supervisor in the multiple subject credential program, and Dr. Rick Pomeroy, lecturer and supervisor in the science credential program, recently retired from the School of Education. They have been incredible mentors to hundreds of teaching credential candidates who are now wonderful teachers and in turn, helping thousands of students themselves. 

Professor Karen Watson Gegeo Announces Retirement: Professor Karen Watson Gegeo retired from the School of Education. Watson Gegeo dedicated 27 years of teaching and service to the School and campus, serving as a faculty member in the Graduate Groups in Education, Linguistics, Geography, Human Development, Child Development, Community & Regional Development, Cultural Studies, and International Agricultural Development, and as a member of Designated Emphasis faculty in SLA and Feminist Theory and Research. 

Grants

Lauren Lindstrom Receives Institute for Educational Sciences Grant: Dean Lauren Lindstrom was awarded a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences. “Paths 2 the Future for All: Developing a College and Career Readiness Curriculum” will build on her previous work to design and test a career development curriculum for young women with disabilities. Her new curriculum will help prepare underserved students for not only high school success but also for future college, career and life opportunities.

Steven Athanases and Team Secure James S. McDonnell Grant: Athanases and six colleagues—five at the School of Education and one at Stanford University—received a $2.5 million James S. McDonnell Foundation Teachers as Learners grant to explore ways new teachers can more rapidly learn the disciplined and structured improvisational skills needed to lead class discussions. They will focus on high school English and elementary science teaching, technology, cognitive studies for educational practice, and assessment. It’s a truly interdisciplinary group, and the researchers will work in several teams: assessment, tools and technology, led by Prof. Lee Martin; elementary science design and development, led by Prof. Alexis Patterson; and English language arts, led by Athanases and Prof. Danny Martinez. Prof. Jennifer Higgs will work on the technology and English language arts teams, and Prof. Megan Welsh will lead assessment design and development. Athanases will coordinate the project.

Cynthia Passmore Awarded McDonnell Foundation Grant: The James S. McDonnell Foundation’s Teachers as Learners program awarded $2.5 million to a team of researchers at Northwestern University and UC Davis co-led by Prof. Cynthia Passmore. For five years, the team will study how teachers engage in co-constructing knowledge-building environments with their students in alignment with Next Generation Science Standards, contributing to the field’s growing understanding of how teachers learn to do new things in the classroom.

Paco Martorell Awarded $3.2 Dollar Grant to Study Financial Aid Impact on California Community College Students: Principal Investigator Paco Martorell received a $3.2 million Institute of Education Sciences grant for his project “Evaluating Incentives for Full-time Enrollment at California Community Colleges.” Drawing on data and student surveys from California’s community college system, this project will evaluate the causal impact of financial incentives on students’ short-term and longer-term education outcomes.