2017 spring alumni magazine

Spring Two Thousand Seventeen

Research changes lives in rural Peru Project makes education available to girls in remote communities in Peru

Contents Dean

David H. Monk

Editor

Annemarie Mountz

Writers

Jessica Buterbaugh, Jim Carlson, Annemarie Mountz

Contact Us

247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 814-863-2216 www.ed.psu.edu • edrelations@psu.edu Published twice a year by the Penn State College of Education

College of Education

Alumni Society Officers

Tonya DeVecchis-Kerr, President Pamela Peter, President-Elect William Vitori, Immediate Past President Douglas Womelsdorf, Secretary

Directors Larry Carretta Joe Clapper John Czerniakowski David Dolbin Kaela Fuentes Roseilyn Guzman Tracy Hinish Henry Laboranti Amy Meisinger

Sandie Musoleno Stephanie Preston Bill Stone Cathy Tomon Larry Wess Jeannene Willow

Student Members Amanda Demsey Hannah Kohler

Yiran Zhao Ya-Fei Yang

Affiliated Program Groups

For information on any of the following groups, contact: COEalumni@psu.edu American Indian Leadership Program Educational Leadership Program Higher Education Program Multicultural Advancement Professional Development School Workforce Education Program

Dean’s Message Research project changes lives in remote communities in Peru

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Two College of Education graduate students are part of a larger group that is making an education available to residents of rural regions of Peru, which in turn is making a real difference in their lives and the lives of their families.

Teacher-leader academy helps students feel at home in school

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Penn State Professional Development School graduate helps elementary students in Tampa look forward to attending school.

New project serves military families affected by autism

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TeleConsult, a three-tier, collaborative program, provides guidance and information regarding a child’s autism diagnosis.

Doctoral student shares culture of his Indonesian homeland

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Usep Syaripudin wants students in his home country to be able to tell people, “This is what I learned.”

For alumna, ties to alma mater included a personal connection

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In the late 1950s through mid 1960s, the late Jean Spagnolo taught at Westbury High School in New York with Carl Monk — Dean David H. Monk’s father.

Research focuses on training needs of African teachers

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Penn State faculty member Elizabeth Hughes and a colleague are collaborating with professors at African universities to identify the special education professional development needs of teachers in four African nations.

Prospective teacher thankful for Penn State’s educational environment

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Leigh Boggs hopes her role as a leader in various campus organizations will help her in her future classroom setting.

The University is committed to equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment for all persons. It is the policy of the University to maintain an environment free of harassment and free of discrimination against any person because of age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information, or political ideas. Discriminatory conduct and harassment, as well as sexual misconduct and relationship violence, violates the dignity of individuals, impedes the realization of the University’s educational mission, and will not be tolerated. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to Dr. Kenneth Lehrman III, Vice Provost for Affirmative Action, Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 168025901; Email: kfl2@psu.edu; Tel 814-863-0471. U.Ed EDU 17-33

Grant enables College of Education to expand science and language programs in Hazleton 18 Penn State receives five-year, $2.1 million grant to foster ambitious science and language teaching practices to contribute to English learners’ academic success.

On the cover: Graduate student Kayla Johnson teaches at Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu (CEPA), or Pallata Community Education Center.

Photo: Joe Levitan

Dean’s Message Last spring, Gay and Bill Krause pledged $1 million on top of their previous gifts to the College to create the Krause Learning Space across the second-floor atrium from the existing Krause Innovation Studio. The Krause Learning Space will make it possible to pursue a variety of innovative initiatives. Renovations should be completed in time for students to use the new learning environment this fall. We are excited to add this new space to other areas of Chambers Building that already are helping us to transform both teaching and learning – something that fits in well with the University’s strategic plan and associated fundraising campaign, A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence. The campaign is focused on three key imperatives: open doors, create transformative experiences and impact the world. I would like to give you a sense of what those imperatives mean for us in the College of Education.

Dean David H. Monk

Open Doors: This is a key imperative for our College and our students.

Access and affordability are challenges that can be significantly impacted by philanthropy at any level from endowed scholarships to unrestricted gifts. We are also seeking investment in a new Center for Ensuring Student Success in Higher Education and the existing Center for Education and Civil Rights.

Create Transformative Experiences: We are pioneering digital innovation through capital projects like the Krause Learning Space and new programs such as the Learning Sciences Initiative, to focus on design and applications of technology to teaching and learning. As we invest in a global future, we will raise support to help cover travel costs of College of Education students seeking study abroad opportunities, including the student teaching abroad program.

Impact the World: We will renovate the science education wing of Chambers building to better prepare the next generation of science teachers. Support for the existing CEDAR Clinic and a new Student Mental Health Center will strengthen both research and practice for learners of all ages.

The College also is deeply committed to the strategic utilization of all human talent and will thereby contribute to the expansion of economic development for Pennsylvania and beyond.

Each of the above imperatives is an opportunity for our alumni and friends to contribute to our students’ success. To learn more, visit http://ed.psu.edu/alumni-friends online.

On the pages that follow, you will read about a few of our faculty, students and alumni who already are contributing to a Greater Penn State by making a tangible difference in the world through their research. You’ll meet a student who is using her undergraduate research experience in her studentteaching classroom; graduate students who helped make education available in rural regions of Peru; and a graduate student who is learning how to fit different learning styles into the teaching culture of his home country of Indonesia. Our faculty are helping military families affected by autism through use of innovative technology; identifying professional development needs for special-education teachers in four African nations; and expanding science and language programs in a Pennsylvania community. We also feature an alumna who is replicating our College’s Professional Development School (PDS) program as an assistant professor at the University of South Florida.

If you are interested in learning more about what we’re doing in the College, please visit our website at http://www.ed.psu.edu/ where you will find information highlighting various initiatives along with information intended to be of interest to alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and current as well as prospective students. You also can “like” us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ PennStateCollegeOfEd or follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PSU_CollegeOfEd online.

As always, I welcome suggestions regarding what we can do to communicate more effectively with you. Send your ideas to edrelations@psu.edu. Many thanks for your interest in the College!

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Photo: Kayla Johnson

The Pallata community gathered for the opening of Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu (CEPA), or Pallata Community Education Center.

Research project changes lives in remote communities in Peru

By Annemarie Mountz

For Joe Levitan and Kayla Johnson, their research quite literally has become their life’s work. What started as Levitan’s research has expanded to include Johnson’s area of expertise, and it has been life-changing for both of them, as well as for the indigenous people in rural communities in Peru with whom they are working.

The two graduate students, who earned their doctorates this past semester and will marry this summer, are part of a larger group that is making an education available to residents of rural regions of 2

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Photo: Joe Levitan and Kayla Johnson

Joe Levitan and Kayla Johnson spend about three months a year living and working in rural communities in Peru.

Photo: Kayla Johnson

The Peru project is named for where it got its start — in the Sacred Valley of the Peruvian Andes.

Peru, which in turn is making a real difference in their lives and the lives of their families.

The Sacred Valley Project (SVP), founded in 2009, provides access to secondary school for Quechua or indigenous girls, in the Peruvian Andes. While Levitan and his colleagues initially thought that the main issue preventing these girls from receiving an education was the distance between these rural communities and the nearest school, they quickly discovered there were bigger issues to overcome.

“Students coming from the rural communities have linguistic differences from the kids in the town because students from rural communities are bilingual but primarily speak Quechua, and students in towns primarily speak Spanish, although many town students understand Quechua,” Levitan said. “Secondary school

(in the larger towns) is taught only in Spanish, but primary school in the local communities is mostly taught in Quechua, so students from rural communities are developing secondlanguage learners, even within their same region.

There also are academic differences because the rural students go to school for only two or three hours Photo: Kate Lord a day. “They need to Through the Sacred Valley Project, girls in rural communities in herd animals and help Peru are given the opportunity to get an education. on their family farms,” overcome. If parents must choose Levitan said. “The town to educate only one child, which kids usually go to school for four, five or six hours a day in elementary is a common dilemma in the area because of material poverty, boys school. So, we learned that we are much more likely to be chosen, needed to offer a lot more academic because they are seen as having and linguistic support for the greater economic opportunity. students.”

Also, it is common for boys to stay Girls have additional barriers to with families in town who have Penn State Education

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businesses, and work while they go to school. “However, parents see this practice as more dangerous for girls, so it is not a common option for them,” Levitan said.

In response, they created a comprehensive, culturally grounded educational approach, which included on-site living, to cater to the developmental challenges facing each student. The Sacred Valley Project was designed to facilitate students’ healthy growth cognitively, socially-emotionally and phsycially, to provide young women the opportunity to grow into powerful leaders in their communities, better their academic success, and engage them in a stimulating educational environment.

“Research shows that educated girls have a more profound and positive influence on the well-being of communities in terms of health, economics and social justice,” Levitan said, citing another reason the project’s primary focus is on educating girls.

Photo: Jhoel Surco

Kalya Johnson, right, and Joe Levitan with colleagues Yubitza Galvan, left, and Alberto Loyaza in the computer lab of the Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu (CEPA).

and we teach computer skills as well as health, literacy and English classes,” Levitan said.

“The community elders also lead lessons on plant identification and traditional farming practices. This

up the educational repertoire of the project.”

Johnson, who with Levitan spends about three months a year in Peru, also teaches English as a foreign language to the students, and has held conversation classes where she teaches the students English and they teach her Spanish.

“Research shows that educated girls have a more profound positive influence on the well-being of communities in terms of health, economics and social justice.”

The project expanded in 2015, with a new dormitory opening in another region. “The new dormitory is doing great,” Levitan said. “The 16 new students in Calca have been working hard, and are learning a lot. They have been doing well in school, and Gladys, the dorm director, says that the girls are wonderful to work with — diligent in their chores and homework.”

They also opened a new learning center for any Quechua student. This new project — Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu (CEPA), or Pallata Community Education Center — is located in the small community of Pallata, about two hours (walking) from the original SVP dorm, in Ollantaytambo.

“CEPA has about 30 regulars and about 45 students signed up. The ages range from 4 to 30, 4

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Since 2010, Levitan has taught a wide variety of courses as well, from experiential science classes such as physics and astronomy to leadership skills, geography, English and computer science.

~ Joe Levitan

project has been a real partnership with the community as we have worked collaboratively with Quechua teachers.”

It was through CEPA that Johnson became involved with the project. She visited Peru with Levitan in 2015, as CEPA was being launched. “We were talking about their desire to build a new education center that would be open to the general public. I taught English as a Foreign Language in France and have worked with kindergarten through adult learners, so Joe and his friends asked for my help in creating the curriculum and assisting with pedagogy for this new project,” Johnson said. “Now I am directing the curriculum for the Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu and building

“Early secondary school science is probably my favorite subject to teach because learning can be best facilitated with low-cost or no-cost, easy-to-run experiments that show really exciting and cool properties of the physical world,” Levitan said.

He also regularly facilitates Socratic seminars that foster philosophical reflection based on students’ current questions or issues that they want to discuss, including friends, school, their aspirations, life in general or culture.

“My pedagogy while in Peru is mostly based on an idea of a

Photo: Joe Levitan

The village of Pallata, in the region of Cusco, is roughly 334 miles east of the capital city of Lima. Because Pallata is a remote village in the mountains and Lima is on the coast, a trip between the two places can take between 19 and 20 hours by car.

teaching exchange, in which the students teach me something, and I teach them something,” Levitan said. He also usually tries to make teaching experiential and grounded in students’ background knowledge. This way he can help foster students’ recognition and appreciation of their own knowledge.

The work Johnson is doing with CEPA is not part of her dissertation, which is focused on what college students learn in study abroad programs. However, her experiences in Peru have driven home to her that outcomes should be reciprocal.

“Educators should not only concern themselves with the ways in which students are impacted by their experiences abroad, but also how locals are impacted by the students who live and learn with them,” Johnson said. “I have learned so much from the SVP and CEPA students, their parents, and local project staff, but as a researcher, I need to remember that I am impacting them as well, in one way or another, for better or for worse. It is my responsibility as a researcher to investigate the ways in which my presence and

the presence of students studying abroad are impacting the host culture and the people who inhabit it.”

The schools in Peru are a living laboratory for Levitan. “I have learned that my research benefits from continued interaction with the community and vice-versa; that my reflexivity is one of the most important aspects of learning what information is important and useful for sharing with the larger population of education scholars,” he said. “I have begun to examine how to incorporate minority opinions within the community so that all are heard and can contribute to educational decisionmaking,” he said.

Levitan said being involved so deeply in a project of this magnitude both personally and as a researcher has enabled him to gain a more nuanced understanding of the strengths and struggles within the community, among other issues.

“The new education center also allowed me to expand the group of people I work with, and to gain new perspectives on culture and education, as well, which has added significant depth to my dissertation topic, which is about democratic

leadership, identity and social justice,” he said. “The dissertation writing process has allowed me to reflect upon what my colleagues and friends say in a deep way, as well as my own position within the community and the work we do.”

For Johnson, her experience in Peru has underscored for her the importance of recognizing and respecting different cultures and ways of life. “I cannot travel to Peru every summer and expect to live life my way,” she said. “The Quechuaspeaking people I have come to know and love do things differently than I do, and I must always remember that my culture – and all the comforts it affords me when I’m home – is not their culture. And that’s OK.” Levitan and Johnson both have jobs lined up at McGill University, an English-language university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Levitan will be an assistant professor of international leadership, and Johnson has a post-doctoral appointment.

“We both also will continue to work with the Sacred Valley Project and Centro Educativo Pallata Ayllu indefinitely,” Levitan said. “It’s important work.”

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Photos: Elizabeth Engasser

Rebecca Burns, who earned three degrees at Penn State, is the driving force behind a Professional Development School program between the University of South Florida and a Tampa, Florida, school district.

Teacher-leader academy helps students feel at home in school

By Jim Carlson hen Rebecca Burns was asked to degrees from Penn State’s College of Education, was help solve voluminous organizational instrumental in creating the now, one in which there is problems in a Tampa, Florida, school a waiting list of teachers and a much smaller wish list district, she drew on the abundant, of necessary improvements. hands-on experience she accumulated When Burns perused the situation and thought back from Penn State’s Professional Development School to instruction at Penn State led by Professor Emeritus program.

Jim Nolan, she said to the Mort Elementary principal: The assistant professor at the University of South “Mr. Johnson, I can do this. We can figure out how to Florida was tasked with forming a collaboration do this together.” between USF and Mort That was the genesis Elementary, a sprawling, of a four-year professional cinder-block school development plan that surrounded by palm spanned frustration and trees and shade trees frowns and surged to but squarely lodged in an satisfying achievement. impoverished area plagued by alarmingly high crime “When I was brought ~ Rebecca Burns rates and drug issues. to USF, Mort Elementary

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“I couldn’t be happier with my preparation at Penn State.

It really transformed me; it’s a transformative place.”

Not too long ago, just five children among an entire class of fifth-graders who started in the fall were actually still enrolled at the final spring bell. When Burns committed to examine Mort’s predicament in 2012, there were 16 classrooms that began and ended the year without a teacher. A substitute filled in or students were divided among other classes – every day.

That was then. Burns, who earned her bachelor’s (elementary education, 2002), master’s (curriculum and instruction, science education, 2008) and doctoral (curriculum and instruction, supervision, 2012) 6

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was one of three brand new schools USF was bringing into their partnership,” Burns said. “USF wanted to create this professional development school model. I think I was brought in primarily for my background and my experiences at Penn State and being raised in the PDS setting.

“It was just a huge development in building relationships with the principals and the teachers, mostly because the line of thinking was very typical of what I see in schools – thinking that the university was just going to come and drop off their student teachers and there’s really no kind of collaboration.

“That’s not how I was raised at Penn State,” Burns said. “I really was raised to believe that together we can do this better and to value the expertise that school administrators and teachers have and to show them that we’re really there for the kids. When you have that mind-set, when that guides all of your actions, it creates a very different relationship.”

Burns grew up in the Reading area and attended Wilson High School, a fairly large school district in Berks County. “And I always thought State College was a big district,” she said. “You know, 10 elementary schools, and for Pennsylvania it is pretty big.

“Then I was working down here with Hillsborough County and they’re the eighth-largest school district in the country. At one point, there were 143 elementary schools; it’s like 15 State Colleges in terms of the superintendent and all the assistant superintendents and all of the structures that need to be in place when you’re managing such a large district.”

Burns’ department chair at USF at the outset of the project, Diane Yendol-Hoppey, also had worked in a PDS, and a faculty member, Jenn Jacobs, was in the first PDS class at Penn State, Burns said.

“Because we were all raised in a PDS program, we all had a similar vocabulary, we all had a shared understanding, we all had an image of the possible,” she said.

The changeover at Mort started with basic emotion. “The whole goal is that the children who come in every day get a smile, that they feel loved or they feel cared for or they feel understood,” Burns said.

“And that teachers recognize the assets they’re bringing to school every day and they capitalize on those.

“The children are very capable and it was just sort of starting to flip that mind-set.”

The school was turned into a “winter wonderland” after a recent Thanksgiving, according to Burns.

Photo: Elizabeth Engasser

Rebecca Burns, left, received her doctoral degree from the College of Education in 2012. She is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida and has helped change the fortunes of Mort Elementary School in Tampa through a partnership between the two.

Community partners donate gifts with a goal that every child goes home with three toys around the holidays. “They do everything possible to make school a special place, a fun place, a place of learning but a place where children want to go every single day,” Burns said.

The school district’s superintendent is looking to implement similar programs elsewhere in the district, and neighboring districts such as Pasco and Pinellas have inquired, according to Burns.

Word also spread south. Burns received an offer to speak to administrators at the University of The Bahamas, which is starting a PDS program.

“The teacher-leader academy model that I’ve developed really draws on the PDS tenets and it works,” Burns said. “And it’s also a tribute to the education I got at Penn State. Had I not been there, I would not be who I am today.

“Jim (Nolan) and Bernard Badiali (associate professor of curriculum and instruction) made an enormous difference in my life. I just think about things differently and I didn’t

realize I was so different until I left there. We don’t do things to people, we do them with them, and that’s just a very different mind-set. PDS taught me that,” she said.

USF’s elementary programs have earned the PDS Exemplary Achievement award as well as an Association of Teacher Educators Distinguished Program in Teacher Education honor and a Spirit of Partnership award.

“PDS gives me hope,” Burns said. “Penn State’s PDS is really a model for what high-quality school/ university partnerships should be across the country. And if others can really actualize the shared norms and the ideas and fact that kids come first and that really together we can make a difference, I truly believe in my heart that that’s how we can renew education.

“I couldn’t be happier with my preparation at Penn State.

It really transformed me; it’s a transformative place. I really hope that Penn State recognizes the gem that they have as they continue to develop high-quality teachers.”

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New project serves military families affected by autism

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By Jessica Buterbaugh

obody ever thinks that they’ll have a child with autism. Yet, according to the National Autism Association, the number of children affected by the disorder has increased steadily in the last 20 years.

Today, 1 in 68 children are diagnosed with autism.

Unexpected diagnoses leave parents searching for resources and treatment options to help their children.

While this can be stressful for any family, military families who have children with autism face unique challenges.

“Military families move three to five times more than other families,” said Lt. Col. Eric Flake, a developmental pediatrician for the U.S. Air Force. “It is not uncommon for us to diagnose a child with autism weeks before families move to another base.”

The constant moves make it difficult for parents of children with autism to locate effective treatment programs and early intervention services. Additionally, Flake said that a number of families may be stationed abroad where resources are limited and they are separated from extended family and support systems.

Recognizing this as a real problem for military families, Flake’s colleague, Scott Aikens, a developmental pediatrician working with the U.S. Navy in Europe, reached out to Penn State’s Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness for help.

“These families had children that were being identified as having autism and then they were faced with the very difficult decision about whether to remain in Europe and not really have access to services that could help them with their child or return to the United States,” said Cristin Hall, assistant professor of school psychology and faculty affiliate for the Clearinghouse.

“So, we were asked to develop programming that could

help parents make better choices about what they decide to do in these types of circumstances.”

The result was a collaborative, three-tier program known as TeleConsult.

Learning and research Created as a consultation transitional care program, TeleConsult is a pilot research program that provides military families with guidance and information regarding their children’s autism diagnosis. It also allows Hall to study how to provide services to families from a remote location using assisted technology and has served as a way to provide training for selected students enrolled in Penn State’s school psychology graduate program.

Advanced doctoral students serve as consultants and hold virtual sessions with families on a weekly basis. Once a family joins the project, they complete an intake interview with an assigned consultant and complete an Introduction to Autism online learning module.

“We work primarily with families who have recently received a diagnosis of autism, usually within the past year although the program has expanded to include ‘veteran’ families who received the diagnosis years ago who still need answers,” Hall said. “We ask them to complete a learning module so that we are on the same page in terms of what autism is and basic terminology and language.”

The module, which provides information from the latest research regarding autism, also goes over common myths and questions about the developmental disability. Then, consultants observe the parent and child complete simple interaction tasks together such as blowing bubbles.

EdLion Free Online Seminars for College of Education Alumni Every spring and fall, the College offers a series of online seminars through EdLion.

Participants can attend the seminar through a traditional web browser. No special software is needed.

www.ed.psu.edu/educ/edlion

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“That is my favorite part,” said Megan Runion, a TeleConsult consultant. “We actually get to observe the parent-child interaction and see what that relationship looks like and how it functions. It’s not something you normally get to see as a school psychologist working in a school setting.”

While Runion and Rebecca Bertuccio, another student consultant, observe their clients, they simultaneously are supervised by either Hall or Erica Culler, a research and evaluation scientist for the Clearinghouse, licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist who is the coprincipal investigator on the project. The sessions also are recorded so the consultants and their supervisors can view the sessions later to provide feedback and analyses.

move that caused TeleConsult to extend services.

Consulting vs. counseling What makes TeleConsult unique is the model it follows. While many look to psychologists to provide therapy to parents or children, that is not the purpose of TeleConsult.

“We don’t necessarily counsel families — we provide guidance,” Bertuccio said, explaining that consultants are trained to follow a motivational interviewing and behavioral consultation model that focuses on goal setting and

go away, but therapy to help them cope with how the diagnosis affects their day-to-day life, therapy to help them hold on to hope of some kind.

And, there are ways in which we can provide information to families about research and evidence that doesn’t have to negate their hope or negate their need for answers.”

That is why Hall wanted TeleConsult to be different.

“With TeleConsult, we’re meeting with families on a weekly basis for a period of weeks or months and we’re building a more trusting relationship with them,” Hall said.

“When the military first approached us, the issue was that parents were not informed and they just didn’t know where to go to get the information they needed to help their child and family,” Hall said, adding that parents “Based on the stationed abroad face the information we gather, additional challenge of not we set goals and make being able to find resources suggestions for the client in their native language. “So and provide a menu Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh that is our primary purpose — of options,” Bertuccio to educate these families and The TeleConsult researchers review and evaluate each consultation said. “The menu is session with the student consultants as part of their training. help them find information different for each family that is accurate and evidencebecause each family has talking to a family about realistic based.” a different set of needs and their accomplishments. experiences are different. Some Currently, TeleConsult provides “We listen to families and talk parents, for example, may feel that services to 10 U.S. military families with them about their needs and they need help managing their based at locations throughout the experiences, much like a counselor stress or trying to figure out how world, including Germany, England, would do,” Runion said. “But the to manage their child’s behavior.

Cuba and Alaska. Consultations will Some might need to learn about the key is that we don’t tell clients continue through next fall as Hall what they need to do. Instead, different treatment options that are and her team of researchers collect we work with them to locate available.” data and test the TeleConsult information and then we help them model.

When TeleConsult was first understand what that information established in 2014, Hall anticipated means and how it may or may “I really like how this project is that her team would provide customizable to meet the needs of not be beneficial for their family’s families with services for up to six the family while still having a set particular situation and their child’s months. However, because each curriculum that is directed toward goals.” client has different experiences, empowering the families to be Hall also acknowledged the fine goals and circumstances, services strong self-advocates,” Flake said. line that separates counseling and may be provided for up to one year “Every family and child with autism consultation. in some cases. is different and although they need to learn foundational principles to “When a family has a child who “A lot depends on where help them live in the new normal is diagnosed with autism, many families are at in the diagnostic of having a child with autism, all parents go through a grieving process and their current living families learn differently.” process and are in search of situation,” Hall said, explaining that therapy,” she said.

“Not therapy the team has worked with a family To read this article in its entirety, to fix their child or to make autism that experienced an unexpected visit http://bit.ly/2oZWHL6 online.

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Doctoral student shares culture of his Indonesian homeland

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By Jim Carlson

any students of all ages seemingly want to change the world. Usep Syaripudin simply would like to have an effect in his little far-away corner of it in Indonesia, and he’s pursuing his doctorate in curriculum and supervision to make that happen.

He was a high-school English teacher for five years and then taught in the English Department at Teachers College in Indonesia.

“I will pursue my Ph.D. (in the College of Education) and go back to Teachers College to continue my work teaching educators,” Syaripudin said.

If nothing else, Syaripudin would like to draw on his College of Education experiences to help his students broaden their horizons similar to the way his have developed and advanced while in the United States.

“What I like is my professors, they assign me reading, but they cannot enforce us to agree with it; it’s a freedom thing,” he said. “I work in different context. Not all the reading and all the concept of the reading in the classes fits to my context. How do I make it fit then, what kind of adjustment do I need to make, and my professor helps me with that.”

Disagreement with opinions in Indonesia is frowned upon, Syaripudin said. “Our religion is so strong … I’m in a lower level; I can’t disagree with people above me so I learn differently how to express my disagreement. It’s a different concept. I need to be alternative at some point but at the same time I need to be democratic. It’s in the context,” he explained.

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Photo: Provided

Usep Syaripudin helps run an Indonesian Student Association and conducts a cultural night for Penn State students and others who might be interested in leaning about Indonesia.

What he’s learning in the College of Education is how to change, and he’d like to teach that as well. “What I’m going to change is the way I talk with my students,” he said. “I usually use my work as their lecture and you’re going to do this and this, and next I’m thinking that my teaching has to change, that my style has to change – to be more open and to provide them with the opportunities to express the ideas of what I’m thinking, even though I know it’s not easy to do in my context.”

Syaripudin attended Nusantara Islamic University in Indonesia and earned a degree in English education prior to attending the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville for a master’s in educational leadership. “One thing that I’m really interested in and why I decided to go to Penn State is learning about school and university partnerships in teacher education,” Syaripudin said.

“When I did research about this, I found Penn State is one of the best schools for that. I contacted some professors here to ask if I’m good for this College and they said yes and I applied.” He expects to graduate with his doctoral degree in spring 2019.

“If I have the skill to speak English I will have more opportunities for employment,” Syaripudin said. “I went to Teachers College for my undergrad but I had no idea to become a teacher at the time. I didn’t want to become a teacher but my first job is teaching.”

Syaripudin said when students in Indonesia learn something, they have to learn it from teachers. “We do reflection but we don’t regard it as a way to learn something,” he said. “The teacher is a source of knowledge so people can really fit in if they learn something from somebody and not from their

reflection. I need to deal with that.

“You have to look back on your experience and use that to learn something new.

I want to facilitate you to do that. When it comes to introducing something new, of course I need to teach them. But when they are implemented and how they learn from it, I need them to reflect on the problem,” he said.

Syaripudin also works with Assistant Professor Amy Crosson in her projects about teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) students.

“I’m not only learning about research but about how to teach ESL students because in my country I’m teaching foreign language students, so I learn a lot from this very good experience,” he said.

His advisers, Assistant Professor Rachel Wolkenhauer and Associate Professor Ann Whitney, have invited him into various programs, and Professor Jamie Myers has offered him a chance to assist in his Professional Development School Secondary English program.

“It’s really a good fit for me because I’m teaching English teachers in Indonesia and Jamie’s program works with English teachers here, so it’s like how it works working with those teachers,” Syaripudin said.

“After participating in this program, I’m like, ‘OK, how do I make this fit into my context? What should I do? What people do I need to work with to make this thing work?’”

Until Syaripudin returns home to Indonesia to teach, he’s been helping a number of Penn State students from Indonesia feel at home.

He participates in the Indonesian Student Association that has between 50 and 60 students, and he assists them with their programs; he helped them organize an Indonesian cultural night over spring break. “It’s fun to have friends from our country where someone can share,” he said.

Syaripudin entered the blogging world as well, to share what he’s learned in the U.S. with people in his country and with his friends and colleagues in the Teachers College where he once worked in Indonesia.

“I share everything from not only academics but also about my personal journey here, some fun stories,” he said. “I just want to share the story with my people, especially my students. I want them to pursue the big dream, to study abroad, but not everyone can afford it.

“Luckily, we have so many funding programs in Indonesia; our government spends lots of money to fund people who study abroad, but it’s really competitive.

“Hopefully by sharing my story with my students, it can inspire them to at least be like me and travel the world.

To tell people, especially teachers, this is what I learned.

“One thing that I’m interested in is about teacher research and I write on my blog about teacher research to share that with them.

Academic resources are difficult for our teachers in Indonesia. That way by writing a blog and sharing it with them, I can provide them with how to learn about teacher research.”

Graduate Program Rankings Penn State’s College of Education and its graduate programs continue to earn high rankings, as shown in the latest national rankings of graduate programs released by U.S. News & World Report.

Ten of the College’s graduate programs appear at least in the top 20 of their respective program rankings, with six programs in the top 10.

The College is now ranked 38th in the nation among 379 graduate programs of education identified

by U.S. News & World Report. The programs are ranked this year as follows:

Technical Teacher Education (Workforce Education)............................2 Higher Education Administration.........................................6 Rehabilitation Counseling.......................6 Student Counseling/ Personnel Services....................................8 Education Administration/Supervision (Ed Leadership)........................................9 Education Policy.....................................10 Special Education...................................13 Secondary Education.............................14 Curriculum and Instruction.................15 Elementary Education...........................16

And have an effect in his little corner of the world.

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For alumna, ties to alma mater included a personal connection The College of Education learned recently that alumna and longtime friend of the College Jean Spagnolo passed away. Her ties to the College go beyond her status as an alumna and her generosity, however. In the late 1950s through mid 1960s, as Jean Angstadt, she taught English at Westbury High School in New York with Carl Monk — Dean David H. Monk’s father. Here are some reflections from Dean Monk.

I have clear memories of making a telephone call to Jean Spagnolo, one of our graduates from 1953, to thank her for a gift to the College.

In looking over Jean’s alumni record, I noticed that she spent time teaching and serving in administrative roles within school districts on Long Island.

As a Long Island native myself, I saw this as a good area of common interest and mentioned it in my call. Jean picked up on the topic nicely and started to reminisce about how this was where she started her career as a high school English teacher.

The conversation proceeded and then moved in a very unexpected direction. It turned out that she started her career in the Westbury School District where my father was also a high school English teacher. She put two and two together and realized that my last name is the same as the last name of the more experienced teacher, Carl Monk, who, as she explained, took her under his wing and was immensely helpful to her. She 12 Penn State Education

remembered that Carl had two little kids back then with the stunning realization that I was one of these and that I was now the dean of her alma mater college.

A strong bond developed between Jean and my dad. He was the faculty adviser for the school newspaper and she was the faculty adviser for the yearbook. A parallel closeness developed between Jean and me, and I had the occasion to visit her several times over the ensuing years in her new home in North Carolina. She very graciously prepared a scrapbook for me that contained memorabilia from her days working with my dad in Westbury. Some of the contents of that scrapbook appear on these pages.

Jean pursued a very successful career and went on to serve as the first woman principal of a high school on Long Island. I got to know her after she retired to North Carolina and over the years she made a number of gifts to the College.

She is on my mind these days as

we recently received word that she passed away last October. In my conversations and correspondence with her, she assured me that she had included the College in her estate. This was welcome news, of course, but Jean was also always careful to make sure I understood that this would be a modest commitment.

The relevant terms of her estate plans have now become known to us and what Jean did was provide a percentage of her estate to support the L. Jean Spagnolo Scholarship in Education. It appears that this percentage will do marvelous things to support future students in the College. Thanks to Jean’s generosity, roughly $300,000 will be added to the scholarship

endowment she created.

What a wonderful legacy from a truly wonderful person. We are very proud of Jean and her accomplishments. Jean never thought of herself as a major donor. She worked hard at salaried jobs for her career. She lived modestly and provided for her retirement.

She cared deeply about the field of education and saw the Penn State College of Education making important contributions to the field as we work to prepare new professionals and to expand the frontiers of knowledge. By setting aside a percentage of her estate she protected herself from running out of money as she grew older, but also provided for what

could turn into a very significant gift for the College.

My guess is that Jean would be genuinely surprised at how large her estate gift to the College turned out to be. In making this gift she provides a powerful example for our alumni and friends.

It is truly amazing to see what a percentage estate commitment can turn into and thereby provide recurring support for future students and programs in perpetuity. Thank you, Jean Spagnolo!

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How can I get involved with the College of Education?

We need volunteers, student mentors, and goodwill ambassadors for the College.

You also can support the College through financial donations.

Research focuses on training needs of African teachers

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By Jessica Buterbaugh

uring the past 20 years, countries in Africa have been dedicated to revamping their public education systems. Yet, despite their efforts, many students continue to be left behind.

“Many of these countries have made remarkable improvements to their educational systems,” said Elizabeth Hughes, assistant professor of special education at Penn State. “More recently, education for students with disabilities has become a high priority.”

To better help teachers reach this underserved population, Hughes and her research partner Morgan Chitiyo, associate professor of education at Duquesne University, are collaborating with professors at African universities.

Together, they are working to identify the special education professional development needs of special and general education teachers in the African nations

To learn more, contact:

Simon Corby Director of Development and Alumni Relations College of Education 814-863-2146 education@psu.edu www.GiveTo.psu.edu/ EducationPriorities

14 Penn State Education

of Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“For us, it is really important that we approach educational change at the teacher level,” Hughes said. “It isn’t a top-down way of thinking, like ‘this is what I think you should do based on what we’ve done in the United States.’

But, really, ‘what are your needs and what do you perceive as needs within special education?’

“We wanted to hear from the teachers because they are invested in the quality of their local educational systems,” she said.

The two-part survey included both quantitative and qualitative elements that asked teachers to identify their special education professional development needs and rate the importance of different variables, including professional development, early childhood education, early intervention, disability-specific needs and inclusion. Preliminary results indicate that professional development, in a variety of topic areas, is considered to be highly important to teachers.

Photo: Lindsey Markelz

A group of students in Malawi sit on the floor of their classroom because there are no desks, an issue many students in African countries face.

“Overall, teachers rated things high across the board in terms of wanting and needing professional development,” Hughes said.

Teachers specifically stated they needed training in the areas of student behavior,

assessment, interventions and how to accommodate students’ learning challenges. Results also showed that teachers wanted more resources for students with sensory impairments, such as students who are blind or deaf.

“Responses from the survey had more of an emphasis on disabilities such as epilepsy and blindness or low vision than I expected,” Hughes said, adding that these disabilities appear to be an area of high need highlighted by the teachers.

“In the U.S., we see a lower incidence of these types of disabilities, especially compared to learning disabilities or behavioral challenges,” she said. “But many teachers we surveyed wanted resources to work with students who have visual and/or hearing impairments. At this point, we can only speculate why we see this emphasis in our data and we need to conduct more research to explore these topics in greater detail.”

Although Hughes and Chitiyo are still collecting data in Zambia and running comparison analyses among the different countries, common trends are starting to emerge.

The researchers also have received feedback suggesting support is needed for disabilities that have resulted from environmental elements, such as malnutrition and poverty.

“Most teachers want beneficial inclusive practices, but don’t necessarily have the skills or training to work with students with disabilities,” Hughes said.

She noted that teachers reported a lack of resources for students with disabilities. Specifically, students with visual impairments do not have access to learning materials such as Braille.

But the needs of teachers go beyond the typical needs for training and curriculum materials.

“In the open-ended responses, we saw a lot of basic needs,” Hughes said. “Teachers reported the need for clean water, the need

for desks, the need for access for students in wheelchairs to have ramps and general access to schools — needs that many of us don’t necessarily think about for schools here in the United States.”

Although their needs vastly differ from those of teachers in developed countries, teachers in countries such as Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe look to countries like the United States for help, Hughes said.

“Formal special education in the United States is still relatively new,” she said, explaining that federal legislation was not passed until 1975. “In the U.S., we have been developing and improving special education for over 40 years. But in the countries with which we are working, their special educational systems may be less than 10 years old. They’re still in those beginning phases and so they look to countries that have more-established special educational systems for guidance.”

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“But we can’t retrofit our system to each country,” she said. “Each country has its own needs, its own landscapes, its own challenges. We can’t necessarily take what worked here and make it relevant to others without understanding cultural contexts.”

Due to logistical challenges and time to establish partnerships, it has taken the researchers three years to access African teachers and collect data for their study, which was originally funded through a Duquense University Loogman Research Grant.

Hughes and Chitiyo now are continuing to cultivate these partnerships and are hopeful their research can help African universities train current and future teachers to provide appropriate education to students with exceptional needs.

“I’m hoping these findings will help educational stakeholders and potentially advance special education in these countries, and promote the rights and needs of individuals with disabilities on the African continent,” Hughes said.

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This prospective teacher thankful for Penn State’s educational environment

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By Jim Carlson

nsert a love for mathematics, a passion for students and an inclination to learn more about both into an equation and the outcome equals Leigh Boggs.

The Penn State College of Education and Schreyer Honors College student completed her student-teaching duties at Thomas Jefferson High School in Pittsburgh, and graduated in May. Bigger and better things are on the horizon.

A graduate of Warwick High School in Lancaster County, Boggs has been living pretty large as an undergrad in her own little Penn State academic world.

She has been a member of the Mathematics Education Student Group and participated in the Presidential Leadership Academy, the Education Student Council and the Education Ambassadors in the College of Education, Exploration U and Cru (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ), on top of writing her dual honors thesis on education psychology and mathematics education within Schreyer.

She also was the recipient of the 2016 Undergraduate Student Leadership and Service Award presented by the College of Education. It recognizes a student who demonstrates interest and actions that enhance the purpose of the College, promotes leadership and service to individuals, the University, and civic life, and fosters professional development of peers through example.

That seems to summarize Boggs’ four-year career.

“It’s really easy to capture a student by their involvement, but what I would most hope people would see when they look at me is really my heart for people and

16 Penn State Education

how that’s a motivating force of going into teaching,” Boggs said.

“Any volunteering I’ve done or leadership role I’ve held is really just to see the people I have an opportunity to lead or teach to just be a student, and see them learn and grow.

“That’s kind of my motivating force and probably what I pride myself on and motivate myself by. It’s really been the environment that I’ve been placed into in my time at Penn State that has led to all of this.”

Photo: Provided

Leigh Boggs is hopeful that her chances of getting a teaching job after graduating will be on an upward trend.

Boggs got in on the ground floor and ascended to leadership roles in all of her activities. But it’s her love for mathematics and working with students that drives her. She taught pre-calculus/trigonometry to juniors and seniors at Thomas Jefferson, and she wants to become dual-certified in math and physics.

“My students are all taking physics at the same time as trig and I am able to make those parallels really easily because I know that content well,” she said.

Being exposed to the research process as an undergraduate also was a huge plus, she said. “That research process of creating a study, gathering data in another classroom and sharing that perspective has helped me in my own classroom and to see how I can continually learn myself to really see my students learn best,” Boggs said. “My research really enhanced my education through Schreyer and the College of Education.”

Through the Mathematics

Education Student Group, Boggs was teaching while being taught.

“Our goal is to provide support to math education majors,” she said.

“As math ed majors, we take a lot of education classes as well as mathematics classes and sometimes the connect between those two isn’t very obvious, so our goal is to provide support to freshmen and sophomore students who are in the major and don’t yet see that connection and say there is hope.”

With Exploration U, effort was put forth to devise ways to make math more engaging.

“Unfortunately, not everyone sees it (math) like it we do,” Boggs said.

“It was geared toward elementary school students and we have some math magic tricks and some little puzzles that we can do. We kind of get their attention that way and we try and explain to them how we did the math. Hopefully we can convince elementary school students that math is more than just adding and subtracting and

they can find it interesting too.”

Boggs also added time for Penn State’s prestigious Presidential Leadership Academy through which students are urged to develop critical thinking skills and understand issues broadly with consideration for the complexity and variability of world matters, decisions and life’s circumstances.

That entailed a “broad spectrum of things,” Boggs said, including three classes with former Schreyer Honors College Dean Christian Brady, University President Eric Barron and interim Schreyer Honors College Dean Kathy Bieschke. The 30 academy members examine “gray areas of decisions that should be black-and-white,” Boggs said.

“We spend a lot of time on how do you approach these situations in a way that is fair and a way that accounts for all parties.

“President Barron would talk us through how he as president of the University responds to a problem from a faculty perspective, a student perspective and a public perspective. We had the opportunity to not only listen to leaders do that but also do that on our own. We created a policy paper, and our group looked at teacher pay and the current scale that it is based on and whether or not that’s an accurate representation on how teachers should be rewarded

“It’s really easy to capture a student by their involvement, but what I would most hope people would see when they look at me is really my heart for people and how that’s a motivating force of going into teaching.”

— Leigh Boggs

monetarily,” Boggs said.

She served as vice president of the Education Student Council and also led prospective students on tours of the College of Education in her role as an Education Ambassador. “It has been a pleasure to work with Leigh for the past three years,” said Phil Hoy, former assistant director of alumni relations in the College of Education. “She is a bright student and pays close attention to detail.

She will be an outstanding teacher.”

Boggs’ leadership role in Cru was important to her as well.

“I love organization, that’s the math part of me kind of sneaking

out,” Boggs said. “I tried to make it a fun, welcoming environment not only for people who are in Cru but also for people who might just want to know what we’re about.

We call ourselves the ‘Community to Support Christ, Capturing Hearts and Transforming Lives.’ I loved my time in Cru, it was a really great opportunity for me to serve people as well as share with them one of the most important aspects of my life, which is my faith.”

Another is education, and Boggs is thankful for the College of Education. “Being surrounded by a community of educators is not something that you get in every single college in Penn State,” she said. “To walk into a classroom, to walk into the advising center, to walk into my thesis adviser’s office and know that it’s not just a professor sitting on the other side but an educator who not only shares the same passion in seeing students grow and succeed in the classroom and encouraging that aspect in me.

“It’s been the environment that I’ve been placed in in my time at Penn State that has led to all of this. I would like to thank all of those people for even giving me the opportunities to be where I am today.”

Alumni Student Teacher Network Remember that FIRST “first day of school?”

You know…the one in which you faced a class of strangers, with a new diploma in your pocket, and a whole bunch of butterflies in your stomach? You have learned a lot since then.

Share your knowledge. Join the College of Education Alumni Student Teacher Network.

Contact Simon Corby: sgc12@psu.edu or 814-863-2146.

Mentor a new teacher. Catch up with old friends.

Serving student teachers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the Centre Region.

Penn State Education 17

Grant enables College of Education to expand science and language programs in Hazleton community

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By Jim Carlson

s the relationship among Penn State’s College of Education, the community of Hazleton and the city’s school district continues to expand, so do opportunities for the area’s English learners.

The United States Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition awarded Penn State a five-year, $2.1-million grant that is intended, among other things, to foster ambitious science and language teaching practices in Hazleton elementary classrooms that contribute to English learners’ academic success.

Science 20/20: Bringing Language Learners into Focus through Community, School, University Partnership is a professional development initiative that will provide long-term support aimed at leveraging science instruction to complement language development for elementary school teachers in Hazleton Area School District and community educators at Hazleton One Community Center.

“STEM education and supporting the academic success of English learners are both areas of growing importance within the state and nationally,” said Carla Zembal-Saul, professor of science education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

“Given the research that supports connecting language learning to academic content, and the potential of STEM education to motivate and engage all students through meaningful investigation of natural phenomena and engineering design problems, it made perfect

18 Penn State Education

Photo: Carla Zembal-Saul

Andrea Kolb, Hazleton One Community Center Director of Education, said she works with “incredible educators” inside and outside of the Hazleton Area School District.

sense to combine the two.”

Former Penn State Assistant Professor Megan Hopkins, now at the University of California, San Diego, leads the project with Zembal-Saul, Hazleton One Community Center Director of Education Andrea Kolb and Penn State project coordinator May Lee. Hopkins said school district

leadership in Hazleton is excited about the collaboration. “The district has had difficulty keeping pace with its rapidly changing student population,” Hopkins said.

“I think they’re really hungry to build their teaching and leadership capacity.”

The course builds on a virtual tutoring experience between undergraduate students at

University Park and students in the Hazleton Area School District who attend an afterschool program at the Hazleton One Community Center.

to build relationships between the HASD, the Hazleton Integration Project and Penn State’s College of Education.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible educators both inside and outside of schools,” Kolb said. “The HASD faculty I’ve worked with are extremely invested in the success of their students, including their ELs, which is a growing and visible population in their schools.”

During the academic year, groups of students from Penn State mentor and tutor Hazleton students using an online platform. This embedded field experience includes visits from Penn State students to Hazleton and visits from Hazleton students to University Park to meet their tutors.

Lee, who spearheads the virtual tutoring experience, said, “In addition to fostering relationships that pre-service teachers might not have with English learners, the virtual tutoring experience allows Penn State students to more deeply understand the unique experiences and assets held by English learners.”

Bob Curry, founding president of the Hazleton Integration Project (HIP) which operates the Hazleton One Community Center, sees significant value in the expansion of the partnership between Penn State and Hazleton One that began almost four years ago.

“I think the partnership between HIP and PSU already has provided extraordinary benefits to both organizations,” Curry said.

“From our initial collaborative effort that utilizes virtual tutoring to bring our EL students individualized attention from Penn State education students through the development of our creative curriculum for the Afterschool Scholars program, it has become clear that we have synergies that are not only mutually beneficial now but can provide valuable results far into the future,” he said.

Cooperation will be the key, according to Kolb. “The model we propose presents an enormous opportunity for the community of educators, scholars, families and community leaders to work together to draw upon the various funds of knowledge that they each have to offer and push forward EL

Kolb noted that some Hazleton One faculty also are paraprofessionals in HASD and many are parents of ELs who attend HASD schools.

Photo: Carla Zembal-Saul

This robot doesn’t say much but it does help students in the Hazleton One Community Center with their multiplication tables.

education in the content area of science,” she said.

Hopkins agreed. “What makes this project distinctive is that community educators and family members will be front and center in professional development activities, serving as advisers to and participants in curriculum development,” she said.

Zembal-Saul said Kolb inspired the community-based professional development model, which is grounded in practitioner inquiry and includes teams of teachers, administrators, community educators and parents.

Kolb, who now serves as the Director of Education at the Hazleton One Community Center, said the excitement in Hazleton around Science 20/20 is on the rise. “Even the EL students who attend both HASD schools and the Hazleton One Afterschool Scholars Program are excited to participate and see families, teachers, Penn State professors and students, and their afterschool educators working together in new ways,” Kolb said.

In partnership between Penn State and Hazleton One, Kolb has spent a substantial amount of time over the past three years working

“As such, there is a unique and exciting overlap in the stakeholders’ perspectives and I believe that contributes to the sense of deep community investment that this work requires,” she said.

Zembal-Saul and Hopkins anticipate that the project will generate valuable resources for Hazleton and beyond. Curry is hopeful that the project work will reach communities far beyond Hazleton.

“The city of Hazleton has been the focus of an exceptional amount of national attention because our rapidly evolving demographics are seen as a microcosm of the country as a whole regarding the ‘hot button’ immigration issue,” he said.

He believes that the Science 20/20 project has the potential to “ultimately become part of a blueprint that can help communities solve some of the most pressing issues relating to immigration.”

Hopkins added that this work is needed in new immigrant destinations that are experiencing rapid demographic change.

“Many educational institutions haven’t kept pace with that change, and we’re eager to collaborate with the Hazleton community to help them build a system to support teachers, students and families that can serve as a model for other school districts,” she said.

Penn State Education 19

Nominate Outstanding Alumni for the Alumni Society Awards!

The College of Education Alumni Society supports five awards that are presented each year to graduates who have distinguished themselves in their profession.

To nominate someone who you think is worthy of this recognition, please fill out and submit the nomination form with a statement explaining the reasons for your nomination.

Alumni Excellence Award This award is the highest honor bestowed upon alumni of the College of Education. It is awarded to recognize career-long, sustained excellence of contribution and achievement in the nominee’s chosen profession.

Specific criteria: (1) Nominees will be evaluated for significant contributions to their chosen profession (in or out of the field of education) over the span of their career, for a period of 15 years or more; (2) The nomination should include clear, compelling, and documented evidence of excellence through contributions to the nominee’s chosen field as exemplified in leadership, innovation, commitment and/or service; (3) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).

Outstanding Teaching This award recognizes the classroom teacher.

Selection is made on the basis of overall excellence in teaching methodologies, knowledge of subject matter and ability to inspire students.

Specific criteria: (1) Nominee must be employed full time in the teaching profession; (2) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).

Leadership & Service This award recognizes those alumni who have 20 Penn State Education

distinguished themselves in their chosen professions, in or out of the field of education. Selection is made on the basis of leadership and service within a career, a community or to society in general.

Specific criteria: (1) Achievement in a chosen field, in a community, or in society; (2) Nominee must be a graduate of the College of Education (certification, baccalaureate or advanced degree).

Outstanding New Graduate This award recognizes recent graduates who have distinguished themselves in their new careers.

Selection is made on the basis of an individual’s advancement and excellence in a new job, in or out of the field of education.

Specific criteria: (1) Outstanding contributions to and achievements in a new job; (2) Nominees must be graduates of the College of Education (baccalaureate) within five years of the date of nomination.

Service To Penn State Award This award recognizes those alumni and friends who have made significant contributions of time and talent to the College and/or the University.

Specific criteria: (1) Nominee will be evaluated on the basis of demonstrated commitment and dedication to enhancing the objectives of the College and/or the University.

2016 Alumni Society Award Winners

To nominate an alumnus/a, complete the form above and mail it along with your nomination statement to: The Penn State College of Education Attn: Alumni Society Awards 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802-3206 Nominations received before Jan. 31 each year are reviewed as a group. Awards are presented in a ceremony each fall. Nominations may be made at any time. Selfnominations are welcome.

ed.psu.edu/educ/alumni-friends/award College of Education Dean David Monk welcomed the 2016 Alumni Society Award winners to a banquet in their honor. Pictured are, back row from left: Samantha Sarsfield, Zoe Rafferty, David Monk, Caitlyn Ollendyke; middle row, from left: Roger Williams, Barbara Michael, John Rozzo; front row, from left: Mary Ricketts Roberts, Brittany Rodriguez, Nicole Birkbeck.

Photo: Steve Tressler / Vista Print Studios

Penn State Education 21

Penn State Education The Pennsylvania State University 247 Chambers Building University Park, PA 16802

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