— Elijah Armstrong, an undergraduate student studying education and public policy, presented the TEDx Talk "Conquering Discrimination and Inequality in Education" at TEDxJWUNorthMiami held at Johnson and Wales University.
— Laura Bray, assistant professor of education (special education), recently published, "The Dynamic Interaction Between Institutional Pressures and Activity: An Examination of the Implementation of IEPs in Secondary Inclusive Settings," which explores how educators wrote, used and conceptualized the role of individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with specific learning disabilities within secondary inclusive settings.
— Erica Frankenberg, associate professor of education (educational leadership) and demography, co-authored "The Disintegration of Memphis-Shelby County, Tennessee: School District Secession and Local Control in the 21st Century" in the American Educational Research Journal. The article shares details from a case study exploring the political impulses behind suburban secession from the 2013 Memphis-Shelby County merger, the largest school district consolidation in recent history.
— Kevin Kinser, professor of education (higher education), authored an article published in The Conversation, "Purdue-Kaplan deal blurs lines between for-profit and public colleges." The article highlights how and why Purdue University and Kaplan University joined forces, a deal which resulted in the removal of Kaplan's for-profit status and the stigma associated with it.
— Amanda J. Smith, STEM outreach and engagement liaison of the Center for Science and the Schools (CSATS) in the Penn State College of Education, has been accepted as one of 36 ambassadors in the Pennsylvania STEM Ambassadors Program. The program aims to shape the future of STEM education in the Commonwealth by targeting vital policy conversations to legislative leadership in the areas of STEM learning ecosystems, computer science, state and federal policy for formal and informal education, and workforce needs. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/CoE_STEMambassador.
— Beverly Lindsay, professor emerita of education (education policy studies), has been selected as one of two fellows by the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Her selection was based upon “her great strength and contributions to the field (comparative and international education) over the decades.” At the annual CIES Conference in Mexico City, the two fellows will give featured presentations on their extensive research and future innovations in the field. Lindsay's presentation will be based upon her Fulbright and Ford Foundation fellowships and grants from several federal agencies, such as the Department of State, the National Science Foundation, and Australian Ministry of Education.
— Two graduate students have won leadership positions in the Association for Educational Communications and Technology election. Nate Turcotte, a doctoral student in the Learning, Design, and Technology (LDT) program, was elected president-elect of the Graduate Student Association. Nicole Wang, also a doctoral student in LDT, was elected as the international board representative for the Graduate Student Assembly. Additionally, Beth Sockman, an alumna of the LDT program, was elected as a division board member in the Systems Thinking and Change division.
— Heather Toomey Zimmerman, associate professor of education (learning, design and technology), recently co-authored a paper that was awarded best paper in 2017 at the Cultural Studies in Education journal meeting on March 13. The paper, "Learning in and about rural places: Connections and tensions between students' everyday experiences and environmental quality issues in their community," is one of two that will receive the award.
"Around the College" highlights accomplishments by faculty, staff and students in the College of Education, including publications; research presentations at conferences and workshops; and awards, grants and fellowships. Please share your news with us and your colleagues by emailing edrelations@psu.edu.