This is my last column for the New Educator as I have announced that I will be stepping down as dean of the College of Education in August 2011. After 18 years in this role, it was certainly a bittersweet decision. I have enjoyed my tenure as dean and looked forward to each year...
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Meet Sara Jones I’M EXCITED TO introduce myself as the new alumni coordinator for the College of Education. I started in mid-December and landed in Spartan country by way of another Big Ten institution, Penn State University. I worked at Penn State’s Alumni Association, with responsibility for overseeing all student engagement programs for the...
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THE MASTER OF ARTS in Special Education at MSU has been attracting larger numbers of students—especially teachers working full time—since it became a completely online program for the first time in fall 2010. Students can earn an endorsement in Learning Disabilities (LD) or in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), which is new at MSU this...
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New institute to explore technology for individuals with intellectual disabilities FROM VIDEO GAMES, to smartphone apps, to geo-tagging on Facebook, technology plays an ever-increasing role in just about everyone’s life. At Michigan State University, researchers in the field of rehabilitation counseling want to know how technology can make a difference for those with intellectual...
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A Common Language for Coaches Coaching has become a common word in school reform, it seems. There are leadership coaches, instructional coaches, data coaches, assessment coaches and more. “They have been a centerpiece of the intervention for schools that need improvement in Michigan,” said Barbara Markle, assistant dean for k–12 outreach in the College...
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College hosts iNet International Conference on Education Reform Educators from around the world gathered at Michigan State University in February for the 7th iNet International Conference, an event focused on transforming education. Showcasing the best strategies and technology in schools, the “Navigators of Learning” conference gave Michigan teachers and school administrators an unusual opportunity...
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College of Education reflects on 18 years of excellence under the leadership of Dean Carol Ames By Nicole Geary “In the last 18 years, education research at Michigan State University has arguably become broader, bolder and more connected to the world beyond campus. Technology has transformed the way faculty members teach and the very...
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Cassandra Book devotes career to communicating, realizing College of Education mission She is one of the firstt smiling people greeting alumni outside the Homecoming tent, a presence on stage each time the college honors educators and the driving force for all pieces of public communication. But for every time Cassandra Book shares the College...
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Susan Melnick champions academic outreach, student needs as long-time leader in the college Many doctoral students in the College of Education get to know Susan Melnick. They know she will make time for them, for advice, for a chance to test their thinking about teaching or another topic. She may have taught one of...
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Paying Teachers for Performance, Options and Rationale In any given year, a teacher’s pay with a school district is primarily set on the basis of a “schedule” that determines the annual salary as a function of the teacher’s level of education and years of experience. A teacher with a bachelor’s degree and three years...
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The Erickson Hall Kiva was packed with students, faculty, alumni and current and former educational leaders from across Michigan on January 14, 2011 as well-known educational administration Professor Philip Cusick set out to summarize an entire half-century of educational change. The talk, as friends say, was “pure Cusick.” It started with a wry comment...
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Books The fifth edition of Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, co-authored by MSU kinesiology Professor Daniel Gould and Robert S. Weinberg (of Miami University of Ohio), was published by Human Kinetics in January 2011. The volume is one of the most highly used textbooks in the field. Sally Labadie, instructor and intern coordinator...
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Beloved Professor Emeritus Louis Stamatakos died Jan. 25, 2011 at home in Okemos. He was 85. In 1967, Stamatakos joined the faculty of what is now called the Higher, Adult and Lifelong Education (hale) program and retired 25 years later. Along with a few other professors, he is credited with developing programs in student...
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The College of Education’s first and most popular online program, the Master of Arts in Education, better known as the maed, has helped more than 800 graduates meet their personal and professional goals since it launched in fall 2001. With six concentration areas available, students find they can focus on the issues most relevant...
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Teacher intern establishes recycling program in Detroit school, inspires activism Every week, Maybury Elementary School collects three 96-gallon bins full of paper that’s sent to be recycled. A few months ago, students and staff at the southwest Detroit school didn’t think they could ever fill the giant containers. And at the beginning of the...
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We have much to celebrate this spring. Our College of Education programs have again received top national rankings with elementary and secondary education remaining No. 1 for the 17th consecutive year. Six additional study areas also were ranked within the top-11. Congratulations to our faculty and students—their leadership, scholarship and dedication are unmatched. New...
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Looking for upcoming events to attend, want to read what former classmates are currently doing or searching for the perfect way to show off your Spartan pride at home, the office and the classroom? The new College of Education Alumni and Friends website can provide all of that and more. To keep up with...
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Alum named Superintendent of the Year The Michigan Association of School Administrators (masa) named Brian Davis, Ed.S. ’00 (k–12 Educational Administration), as the 2011 Superintendent of the Year. Selected by a panel of Michigan’s education stakeholders, the Holland Public Schools leader was recognized for his leadership in exploring new learning models, increasing accountability and...
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Getting the attention of young children with severe autism can be challenging enough—let alone teaching them to speak for the first time. By Nicole Geary Doctoral graduate Josh Plavnick has experienced that moment more than once. In a recent study, he showed preschool-age students, who until that time were completely non-verbal, video footage on...
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Fundraising: The Impact 1993–2011 The College of Education endowment represents funds designated by college alumni and friends to specific areas. Typically, this includes funding to support students through scholarships and fellowships, funding to support faculty, and funding to support specific programs. When donors establish an endowed fund, they have the option to name the fund—for...
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Ripe for Recognition The College of Education honored 16 professionals for outstanding careers in education during the 2010 Crystal Apple Awards. The event, held Oct. 29 at the Kellogg Center, featured an elegant dinner, a keynote address from James E. Ray, Superintendent for School Redesign at Detroit Public Schools, and tributes to each distinguished...
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Are Contingent Faculty Transforming Higher Education? The American college faculty is undergoing a major transformation that has gone largely unnoticed. In recent years, the number of faculty eligible for long-term (tenured) appointments has declined while the number of faculty on short-term (contingent) contracts has ballooned. Today, more than half of the instructional workforce in...
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