News Archives
Students Prioritize Inclusion at Undergraduate Research Conference
Eleven undergraduate researchers from the School of Education presented studies in inclusivity and representation at the 2025 UC Davis Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities Conference.
UC Davis Addresses Equity at 2025 AERA Annual Meeting
Over 50 UC Davis School of Education faculty, students, and alumni attended this year’s American Educational Research Association annual meeting, addressing topics that included Hispanic-Serving Research Institutions, foster youth, and the use of artificial intelligence in English language learning.
An Untapped Resource
Elizabeth Castro’s Dissertation Research Elevates the Role of Bilingual Paraeducators
Bilingual paraeducators are often seen as peripheral figures in the classroom, working closely with bi/multilingual youth in English immersion contexts. But this perception overlooks the central role they play in a class’s success. According to new dissertation research from Ph.D. candidate and National Academy of Education Spencer Dissertation Fellow Elizabeth Castro, paraeducators contribute to learning environments, offer mediating instructional dialogue to bilingual and multilingual students and encourage participation in classrooms and with teachers.
Full-Circle Moment
Reflections on Resident Teaching from a UC Davis Alumna
When alumna Lucia Arroyo, Cred. ’17, M.A. ’18, applied to be a resident teacher in the School of Education’s credential program, she wanted to empower future educators to teach with confidence and resilience. As an eighth-year teacher, she approached this new role with the same professionalism and thoughtfulness she brings to her fourth grade classroom in Davis—and she found herself learning more about teaching in the process.
Moving Beyond Burnout
What Teachers Say They Need to Stay
How can the education field better support teachers to build resilience and increase their career satisfaction? Prof. Margarita Jimenez-Silva and her colleagues Drs. Eleonora Villegas-Reimers and Janine Bempechat say it starts by listening to teachers.
Picnic Day 2025
The School of Education celebrated Picnic Day on April 11, 2025 with two booths hosted by Profs. Darnel Degand and Lee Martin.
New Research Brief: How Preparedness Protects Student Success in a Crisis
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced an abrupt shift to online learning, not all universities were equally equipped—and students paid the price. A new research brief from the School of Education examines how institutional readiness shaped academic outcomes and what colleges can do now to prepare for the next disruption.
Transforming Math Classrooms with Cognitively Guided Instruction
How Five Pop-Tarts Can Change the Way Students Learn Math
While subjects like language arts and science frequently evolve to meet students’ needs, math instruction has traditionally followed a rigid format: teachers model the problem and students solve for the answer. But does this approach truly support all learners—especially emergent bilingual learners?
M.A. Alumna Examines Finnish and U.S. Education Systems Through Fulbright Program
Cristina Buss, Cred. ’09, M.A. ’10, was one of 11 K-12 school administrators selected to participate in the 2025 Fulbright Leaders for Global Schools Program. The program, which aims to deepen administrators’ commitment to preparing the next generation for success, sent this year’s participants to Finland for 10 days, where they examined the Finnish education system and explored educational models and strategies to deploy in their own work.
The Power of Belonging
Education Minor Varsha Gaddipati’s Mission to Support Peers With Disabilities
For many disabled students,
navigating higher education is about more than academics—it’s
about finding a sense of belonging in an environment that often
overlooks their needs. UC Davis undergraduate student Varsha
Gaddipati is determined to change that. She is launching a study
on disabled students’ sense of belonging across four UC campuses:
Davis, Merced, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz.
School of Education Welcomes the Annual WESTOP Student Leadership Conference
TRIO Participants from Across Northern California Gathered for a Day of Leadership Workshops and Community Building
The School of Education hosted the Western Association of Educational Opportunity Personnel (WESTOP) Northern California chapter’s annual Student Leadership Conference on the UC Davis campus.
Alexis Patterson Williams Named 2024-25 Chancellor’s Fellow
School of Education Associate Professor
Alexis Patterson Williams has been named a UC Davis 2024-25
Chancellor’s Fellow. She is one of 10 faculty members across UC
Davis to be recognized for their work as early-career academics
who have demonstrated excellence in their research, teaching, and
service to the community. Patterson Williams will retain the
honor and title of “Chancellor’s Fellow” for five years, and she
will receive $25,000 in unrestricted funds to support her
academic pursuits.
Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica Transforms Research Into Action as School Board Trustee
Prof. Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica has been elected to the Woodland Joint Unified School District (WJUSD) Board of Trustees. An expert in educational equity and a UC Davis alumna, Dr. Rodriguez-Mojica’s election to the Board represents an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between academic research and grassroots reform in our local community.
Assessing the Root Causes of Absenteeism
Chronic absenteeism—missing more than 10% of school days—can have major impacts on a child’s learning, social skills, and self-confidence. While the education system is working to address these challenges, the reality is that an alarmingly high number of K-12 students are not coming to class. A team of researchers including Prof. Kevin Gee have identified nine systemic barriers that impair a student’s ability to attend class.
Jadda Miller Receives UC Davis Recognitions for Work With Community-Based Environmental Education
Ph.D. student Jadda Miller has received two recognitions for her work at the intersection of environmental education and community-based approaches to scientific research. She has been named a 2024-2025 Earth Scholar by the UC Davis Institute of the Environment and, with her advisor Prof. Heidi Ballard, has accepted a 2024-2025 Public Impact Research Initiative (PIRI) grant from the UC Davis Office of Public Scholarship and Engagement.
Charles E. Wilkes II Joins School of Education Faculty
Research focuses on teaching and learning of Black students
The School of Education welcomed Dr. Charles E. Wilkes II as an assistant professor in September. Wilkes focuses on the teaching and learning of Black learners in K-16 contexts, including how mathematics instruction supports the learning of mathematical content and the nurturing of positive mathematics identities for Black learners. His research also supports pre-service and in-service teachers in cultivating equitable teaching practices through interventions and professional development.
Alicia Rusoja Presents at International Conference
Listen to a Colombian radio interview with Rusoja about migrant education
Professor Alicia Rusoja was
an invited international speaker in the Expo Educación
Medellín 2024, which took place in Medellín, Colombia
from August 17-19, 2024. The event was attended by
4,800 people, including students, teachers, scholars and
advocates. While at the event, Rusoja was also interviewed
by the Universidad de Antioquia (UdeA) radio station for
their segment ”Programa 30: El futuro de la educación es
ahora,” (“Episode 30: The future of education is now”).
Jennifer Higgs Joins Research Team to Examine the Impact of Asian American Studies
Professor Jennifer Higgs is among a group of researchers recently awarded a prestigious $3.5 million Transformative Research Grant from the Spencer Foundation. Their project aims to examine the implementation of Asian American Studies (AAS) in five states with divergent political contexts. Together, they hope to uncover that educational reform toward AAS inclusion can lead to justice, solidarity, and expansion of the curriculum.
Lauren Lindstrom Speaks at International Symposium on Fatherhood and Neurodiversity
The event aimed to empower fathers in their journey of supporting neurodiverse children
Professor Lauren Lindstrom recently presented at the international symposium, “Reimagining Support for Fathers of Children with Neurodiversity,” hosted by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Centre for Neurodiversity. Her presentation addressed career transition pathways for neurodiverse youth and provided tools that fathers can use to help their children navigate the shift from education to employment.
CANDEL Publishes Journal Issue on the Impact and Importance of Ed.D. Programs
The new edition underscores the critical importance of a doctorate in education
Faculty and alumni of the UC Davis Capital Area North Doctorate in Educational Leadership (CANDEL) program have published a themed issue of Impacting Education: Journal on Transforming Professional Practice. This special August 2024 issue, Voices from CANDEL: Leading for Equity and the Scholar-Practitioner Journey, responds to a gap in research by scholar-practitioners informing the field of educational leadership and underscores the critical importance of a doctorate in education (Ed.D.) for fostering equity-driven leadership.
