Spring 2016 Alumni Magazine

Spring Two Thousand Sixteen

Contents Dean

David H. Monk

Editor

Annemarie Mountz

Writers

Jessica Buterbaugh, Jim Carlson, Annemarie Mountz

Photographers

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 Patricia Best Larry Carretta Joe Clapper John Czerniakowski David Dolbin Kaela Fuentes Erica Greer Roseilyn Guzman Tracy Hinish Henry Laboranti

Amy Meisinger Christine Merritt Michael Meyer Sandie Musoleno Stephanie Preston Bill Stone Cathy Tomon Larry Wess Jeannene Willow

Student Members Amanda Demsey

Hannah Kohler

Affiliated Program Group Presidents

COEalumni@psu.edu – American Indian Leadership Program COEalumni@psu.edu – Educational Leadership Program Lisa Weaver – Higher Education Program COEalumni@psu.edu – Multicultural Advancement Mary Beth Hershey – Professional Development School COEalumni@psu.edu – Workforce Education Program

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 16-40

Dean’s Message Lifelong love for books influences student’s career choice in education

1 2

Jaime Ellenberger shares her love of reading with children of State College and is applying what she is learning in the classroom to her position as a literacy mentor for America Reads at Penn State.

Krause family to make College’s vision of new learning space a reality

6

The College of Education once again has become the beneficiary of a family whose philanthropy is literally changing the way students are taught at Penn State and beyond.

Research shows science achievement gaps may begin before kindergarten

9

New Penn State research indicates that science achievement gaps may begin earlier than previously thought, before children enter kindergarten.

Colleagues praise Distinguished Career Award winner Richard A. Duschl

10

Professional colleagues of Richard A. Duschl offer an eloquent appraisal about what it means to display continuing contributions to and notable leadership in science education.

Beyond her dreams ... within her reach

12

When Stephanie Gursky took off to teach elementary school in Alaska, the College of Education graduate had no idea how much she would learn.

Future teachers get head start helping students 14 Kristina Hunter and Christina Walker are deeply involved in providing academic, social and cultural support to first-year and change-of-campus students of color through BLUEprint.

Trapshooting interest leads research assistant to national championship

16

It’s been said that every little girl grows up to marry a man just like her father. While that just may be an old wives’ tale to many, for KayLynn Hamilton it proved true.

‘Gaming 2 Learn’ brings commercial video games into K-12 classrooms

18

A new course from the College of Education’s Learning Design and Technology (LDT) program focuses on having kids experience learning through the commercial video games they already play.

On the cover: Jaime Ellenberger helps a child with his Lego bridge during a meeting of Lego Club, a special program offered by Schlow Library in State College.

Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh

Dean’s Message As this edition of our College of Education Alumni Magazine goes to print, we are celebrating the achievements of 325 graduating seniors, 179 graduating master’s degree recipients and 37 graduating doctoral degree recipients at our commencement ceremonies. Our graduates are headed out into the world to make their mark as teachers, scholars, policymakers, counselors, administrators and psychologists, to name just a few of the career paths, who work in many kinds of educational settings, including the workplace.

Regardless of the paths they take, we are proud of the work they did as students here, and wish them well as they prepare to take their next steps. For some of our graduates, those next steps literally take them to the frontiers of education. Our graduates go places – some as far as Alaska, as you can read on page 12.

I also have an exciting announcement to share with you. Gay and Bill Krause, whose $6.5 million gift to the College in 2010 created the Krause Innovation Studio, have pledged another $1 million to support the expansion of the scale and scope of the work being done in the current Studio. Through their ongoing generosity, Gay and Bill Krause are continuing to shape the future of innovation in education. On page 6, you can read more about how this gift will help make our plans for the transformation of the second floor of Chambers Building an inspiring reality.

Dean David H. Monk

You may notice some changes in format in this magazine. In the past, we have published an annual Alumni Magazine and an Annual Report.

While both contained interesting information, the two publications had very different looks and some overlap of content. We are attempting to streamline our publications, and so are combining the best of both publications into an Alumni Magazine that now will be published twice a year. In this hybrid publication, it is our goal to bring you more news about our students, faculty, staff and alumni who are doing great things, along with those who make gifts to support the important work of the College.

The College is continuing to excel and I could not be more proud of all that is being accomplished by our students, faculty, staff, and alumni. If you are interested in learning more, please visit our web site 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.

It is our goal to stay connected to our alumni and friends of the College, so suggestions regarding what we can do to communicate more effectively are welcome. Many thanks for your interest in the College!

Penn State Education 1

Lifelong love for books influences student’s career choice in education

A

By Jessica Buterbaugh

s a little girl, Jaime Ellenberger loved to get lost in the imaginary worlds created by books.

“Growing up, I remember specifically reading books with my grandma,” she said. “I loved reading ‘Because of Winn Dixie’ and Junie B. Jones books. The Nancy Drew series is always something that stuck with me and I remember reading those books up through high school.”

Having just completed her sophomore year studying childhood and early adolescent education, Ellenberger is sharing her love of reading with the young children of State College and is applying what she is learning in the classroom to her position as a literacy mentor for America Reads at Penn State.

“A friend from my hometown came to Penn State and told me about America Reads,” Ellenberger said.

“So I looked it up and it was perfect.”

A federal program created in 1996 by the Clinton administration, America Reads is a nationwide initiative aimed at providing reading and writing tutoring to students in pre-K through third grade.

Twenty years later, the federal grant still exists and continues its mission by employing college students through the federal work-study program.

“Penn State was the first university to hire an America Reads student and over time, we have evolved to look at literacy in the broader sense,” said Emily Wolfe, coordinator of America Reads at Penn State.

“It’s not just reading and writing anymore. We have environmental literacy, science literacy, health literacy, math literacy, adult literacy. We serve everybody from infants to adults, and partner with many different community organizations.”

One of those partners is Schlow Library, where Ellenberger was placed as a literacy mentor in the spring of 2015. In her first year with the library she created “Elementary Explorers,” a literacy program geared toward elementary-aged children who visited the library.

“It started out as a book club but it wasn’t structured like a typical book club where you read a book and then come in the next week to talk about it,” she said, explaining that different kids would attend each week so the set-up of a traditional book club

Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh

After partnering with America Reads at Penn State and adding Jaime Ellenberger to their staff, Schlow Library has been able to expand its children’s programming, including the addition of Lego Club.

2 Penn State Education

didn’t work. To make the club more welcoming of new children, Ellenberger changed gears.

“Now it’s more of a ‘dropin’ book club,” she said.

Instead of focusing on one book, children can openly discuss their favorite books and characters or any books they are currently reading.

“We talk about anything related to books. Then after the discussions, there’s a book-related activity we complete,” she said. “We’ve constructed bookmarks, created character profiles of their favorite literary characters and I’ve even had them construct their own books.”

spring semester, she started working at Schlow Library and it wasn’t long before she found herself visiting the College of Education to declare her major.

“I really liked the atmosphere of the library and interacting with the kids,” she said. “That same semester I took EDPSY 014 with Dr. (Robert) Stevens and that really helped me make the decision to be an education major.”

The course, which introduces students to different types of instruction and classroom management techniques, helped Ellenberger with the work she was doing at the library.

“It was really relevant In addition to Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh to what I was doing at “Elementary Explorers,” After reading books about architecture, Jaime Ellenberger led the library,” she said. “I Ellenberger also assists children in an activity where they used spaghetti noodles and was able to get hands-on with other children’s marshmallows to construct buildings. experience on how to handle programming such as “Lego animals live in the sea?” or “How a room full of young kids and Club,” “Block Party” and “Stories do these animals survive in the try different techniques with the and More!” sea?” she said. different programs.” “‘Lego Club’ is really cool,” she Because of growing interests During her many experiences said. “Initially kids just came in and emphases on science and at the library, Ellenberger has had and played with the blocks. It was math, Ellenberger also has to mediate situations related to kind of free-range. I added another incorporated STEM activities into children and sharing. component to it to get the students her programming. to think outside of the box.”

“I’ve definitely learned about “The library has these really how to try to regulate things among Before starting their creations, cool science kits with different the group,” she said. “During our children must now select a random materials that we use,” Ellenberger Block Party activities, everybody “challenge card” from a box and said. “There’s one that deals with wants the big blocks but there are construct the object on the card. motion where children have little only so many so I spend a lot of cars and have to make ramps and “I created different cards that time working with the kids so they say things like ‘musical instrument,’ then determine how fast the cars understand how they can all work go depending on how many blocks so whoever gets that card has together and share resources.” they used.” Children also get to to build an instrument out of the Ellenberger also faces the experiment with circuits and floatLegos,” she said. “I also have challenges of working with and-sink activities, she said. theme cards and they have to children who do not speak English, make something related to that something her current English as Learning from theme, like ‘under the sea.’” Other a Second Language classes are cards ask children to spell out their experience helping her overcome. names, create a pattern, build a When Ellenberger first enrolled structure that uses every color “It can be very difficult,” she at Penn State in the fall of 2014, she, only once or something that uses said. “I started this position before like many other college freshmen, only a specific number of Legos. As I started taking ESL classes and I was not sure what she wanted to the children build their structures, really struggled.” study. She registered for classes Ellenberger asks questions about One time, Ellenberger was through Penn State’s Division of their structures. working with a “quiet” child and Undergraduate Studies to explore “I’ll ask things like, ‘What her options. By the following trying to encourage him to interact Penn State Education 3

with the other children when she learned from his mother that he had just moved from China to State College the week before and did not speak any English.

“At first, before taking ESL classes, I felt stuck and I didn’t know how to engage the students,” she said. “It can still be difficult but now I know to do things like have something visual to help the ESL kids understand and to communicate with them.”

Ellenberger is also grateful for the experiences she gets from her CI 295A: Introductory Field Experience for Early Childhood Settings class. The class, which requires students to complete 60 observation hours at a preschool, has influenced the way she interacts with children at the library.

“It’s a lot of hands-on learning,” she said of the course. “It is not just sitting in a classroom and being told ‘OK, this is how you respond to this situation and to this situation.’

You actually get to experience it and practice that.”

Working at the library allows her to continue to put what she learns in CI 295A into practice, she said, an added advantage that many of her peers do not have. The library also gives her the opportunity to learn more about working with children. “(Linda) Duerr, my CI295A professor, said ‘Children are our greatest teachers,’ and that is something that I try to keep in my mind,” she said. “I may be in the teacher role, but I’m learning a lot from the kids as well.”

As much as her classes have helped with her work at the library, Ellenberger’s work with America Reads and Schlow Library have helped her as a teacher-in-training.

Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh

Jaime Ellenberger, a childhood and early adolescent education major, helps a young girl construct a building out of spaghetti noodles and marshmallows during an Elementary Explorers program at Schlow Library.

4 Penn State Education

“I think they go hand in hand,” she said of the connection between her education classes and her job with America Reads.

“(Linda) Duerr, my CI295A professor, said ‘Children are our greatest teachers,’ and that is something that I try to keep in my mind. I may be in the teacher role, but I’m learning a lot from the kids as well.”

— Jaime Ellenberger

“Things that I pick up at work really help me in my classes and things I learn in my classes easily translate over to my work.”

The training she receives through America Reads and Schlow Library have taught her how to be more of a professional, she said, which helps when she is communicating with parents, her peers and even her professors. It’s the training that reminds her that she is in the right field.

“It has had a big impact on me and what I want to do,” she said of the training and experiences she receives. “America Reads has us watch a lot of TED Talks that talk about education and that alone has really helped me both at the library and in my education classes.”

Finding her niche After becoming an education major and taking more classes in the discipline, Ellenberger says she

can see that she has changed over the past year.

“When I first started, I know I was really shy and quiet, and I didn’t really ask questions,” she said, recalling her first semester as a literacy mentor. “My confidence has really grown and I definitely feel more comfortable with the kids and doing the different programs with them. After working there, it didn’t take me too long to decide that this is what I want to do.”

Despite Ellenberger’s reserved nature, Wolfe saw something in her that she doesn’t see in a lot of other students — a genuine love for books.

“When we started talking about books, she just lit up,” Wolfe said about her first meeting with Ellenberger. “So I knew Schlow would be a great placement for her.”

Schlow Library also has

benefited from its partnership with America Reads. Having Ellenberger there to work with the children has allowed the library to expand its educational programming, an option that was not previously available due to staff limitation, said Anita Ditz, head of children’s services at Schlow Library.

“Jaime has smoothly blended with our staff and we enjoy having her here,” she said. “We only wish we could have her working with us year round.”

Although she won’t be working at the library during the summer, Ellenberger likely will continue her America Reads placement there throughout her career at Penn State — another two years — a plan that sits well with her.

“I love it there,” she said. “I get to work with some wonderful people and I love interacting with all of the children. I couldn’t ask for a better job.”

Photo: Jessica Buterbaugh

Lego Club at Schlow Library has become one of the most popular programs that Jaime Ellenberger leads. Kids of all ages show up to build different creations based off of theme cards and books.

Penn State Education 5

This panoramic rendering illustrates the renovated look for the second floor of Chambers Building, with the current Krause Innovation Studio on the left, and the new Krause Learning Space on the right.

Krause family to make vision of new learning space a reality

By Annemarie Mountz

The College of Education once again has become the beneficiary of a family whose philanthropy is literally changing the way students are taught at Penn State and beyond. Gay and Bill Krause, whose $6.5 million gift created the existing Krause Innovation Studio, have pledged an additional $1 million to support the creation of an innovative teaching and learning space that will expand the scale and scope of the work being done in the current studio.

The College has identified 3,800 square feet of space directly across the atrium from the existing space for the Krause Innovation Studio that can be made available for what will be known as the Krause Learning Space.

“Through their generosity, Gay and Bill Krause are continuing to shape the future of innovation in education. Ultimately, our goal is for the atrium second level of Chambers Building to be a collaborative hub for the College that is cohesive in design and coherent in purpose. With this most recent gift, the Krause family is making that vision a reality,” said Dean David H. Monk.

6 Penn State Education

“We also are excited to see how the College’s faculty and students will use this new space to draw upon the power of emerging technologies, transforming both teaching and learning. ”

~ Gay and Bill Krause

The project was inspired by the scholarship of Scott McDonald, faculty member and director of the Krause Innovation Studio, who has become a leader in research focused on the design of space and technology to facilitate teaching and learning.

As the missing link in the renovation of the south atrium core, the Krause Learning Space design will respect the recently renovated spaces adjacent to it. All of the renovations on the second floor of Chambers Building incorporate a consistent and innovative architectural design including planar suspended acoustical tile ceilings, exposed ductwork, raised flooring to accommodate hidden wiring, builtin furnishings and contemporary

finishes. That includes the initial Krause Innovation Studio, the Mathematics Education Laboratory, the Language and Literacy Studio, the Social Studies Laboratory and now the Krause Learning Space expansion of what will become known as the Krause Studios for Innovation.

“We are pleased to be able to continue our support of the Penn State College of Education in improving the education of current and future learners,” said Gay and Bill Krause. “We also are excited to see how the College’s faculty, staff and students will use this new space to draw upon the power of emerging ideas to transform both teaching and learning.”

Similar to the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) design strategy of

Krause Innovation Studio, the Krause Learning Space will feature plugand-play technology. A “soundstage” grid will provide a framework for updating technology as it advances.

Throughout the course of the design process, the design team will continue to research innovative, collaborative technologies while understanding that each element must maintain or enhance the user-friendly nature of the space. The goal is to establish a broad range of very low-tech to very high-tech solutions, significantly advancing the mission of the existing Krause Innovation Studio.

The Krause Learning Space will make it possible to pursue a variety of innovative initiatives including that opportunity to develop and evaluate education technology solutions.

“The Krause Learning Space renovation fits beautifully with the goals of the University in general, and with the College of Education more specifically,” said Monk.

This artist’s rendering shows the floor plan for the student-focused side of Chambers Building, with the cluster of high-tech classroom spaces.

“The University has identified ‘transforming education’ as one of its key strategic planning themes for the next five years. Moreover, the College of Education’s strategic plan singles out the provision of international leadership in the area of innovation in teaching and learning as one of its highest priorities for the future. Innovation coupled with rigorous research and evaluation is becoming a signature of the Penn State College of Education.”

As a means of planning for multi-purpose class and

meeting modes, a variety of furnishings layouts are being analyzed in the design process. Modes currently being explored include: single class, double class, small group, conference/large presentation, and workshop/ training session. Flexible open storage can be closed, allowing for nesting and storing of unused furnishings.

All furnishings will be mobile.

Just as the glass and steel storefront at Krause Innovation Studio enhances the openness of the atrium, glass storefront-type doors will replace existing wood doors at the ends of the hallways visible at the second floor of the atrium.

To enhance the safety of the existing open stairs at the atrium, glass railings will provide the necessary code-based safety requirements without inhibiting the thoughtful design of the existing stairs and railing system.

In order to complete the renovation of the second floor core at the south end of Chambers, a renovation of the bridges also is planned. These bridges link the north faculty-oriented portion of Chambers with the future Krause Learning Space, offering opportunity to program the bridges in a way that will complement the Krause Learning Space and the Krause Innovation Studio.

This artist’s rendering shows the vision for the renovated bridges connecting the two parts of Chambers Building, which will contain lounge space and work bars.

For information about how a gift to the College of Education can make a lasting difference to a student, see the graphic on page 8.

Penn State Education 7

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

8 Penn State Education

Research shows science achievement gaps may begin before kindergarten

A

cademic achievement gaps in the United State are well documented in the upper elementary and middle school grades, with minority and low-income children consistently underperforming their peers. New Penn State research indicates that science achievement gaps may begin earlier than previously thought, before children enter kindergarten.

Paul Morgan, associate professor of education, and his colleagues analyzed data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study — Kindergarten Class of 1998-99, a cohort of more than 7,500 children who entered kindergarten in 1998.

It is the first large-scale, nationally representative, longitudinal cohort followed through their elementary and middle school years.

Morgan and his colleagues focused on identifying the factors underlying science achievement gaps in elementary and middle schools. “While they have been frequently observed, science achievement gaps have rarely been explained or examined over time,” he explained.

A joint 2010 report from the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering indicated that low levels of science achievement in the United States were no longer a “gathering storm,” but were now “rapidly approaching a Category 5” in their potential to derail the nation’s long-term global competitiveness and economic prosperity.

Morgan looked at children’s general knowledge about the natural, physical, and social sciences, their reading and mathematics achievement, and

By Kristie Auman-Bauer Social Science Research Institute

“Early and sustained intervention efforts should take place before or shortly after children begin kindergarten, and policies may also need to address the increasing income inequality and racial segregation in the U.S.”

— Paul Morgan

other factors such as socioeconomic status (SES), race and ethnicity, parenting, and school academic climate. He found large gaps in children’s general knowledge about the world already evident at kindergarten entry. “This is the first time we’ve found evidence of large science achievement gaps at such an early age,” Morgan said.

Some groups of children, including minorities and those of a lower SES, entered kindergarten with far less general knowledge than other groups of children.

“Our study found that there were already large gaps in children’s general knowledge as they began kindergarten, which resulted in large gaps at the end of first grade,” Morgan said. “These general knowledge gaps in first grade strongly predicted science achievement gaps from third to eighth grade.”

According to Morgan, there are many factors that predict children’s science achievement gaps, and most are modifiable.

“General knowledge gaps likely result from some groups of children having fewer informal opportunities to learn about science before they enter school, including those provided through

attending high-quality childcare and preschools. Income inequality and racial segregation then exacerbate science achievement gaps as children continue through elementary and middle school.”

For the United States to retain its long-term scientific and economic competitiveness, policymakers need address these gaps. “Early and sustained intervention efforts should take place before or shortly after children begin kindergarten, and policies may also need to address the increasing income inequality and racial segregation in the U.S.,” said Morgan.

Other interventions may include parents regularly talking and interacting with young children about physical, natural, and social events and promoting their general knowledge about the world through play to take full advantage of the science instruction they receive in school. “If we want to ensure equal education opportunities, as well as the country’s competitiveness, then we need to support children who begin school already struggling.

Too often, where you start is where you’ll end,” Morgan explained.

For the full story, visit http://bit.ly/1pHh7In online.

Penn State Education 9

Colleagues shower praise on Distinguished Career Award winner Richard A. Duschl

A

n honor as prestigious as the Distinguished Career Award presented by the National Association for Research in Science Training (NARST) typically speaks volumes – albeit silently – about its recipient.

Professional colleagues of Richard A. Duschl, the Kenneth B. Waterbury Chaired Professor of Secondary Education at Penn State, prefer to offer a more eloquent appraisal about what it means to display continuing contributions to and notable leadership in science education through research as well as have a substantial impact on science education through that research.

Duschl earned his award, one for which you cannot become eligible until at least 20 years after you receive your doctorate degree, in April 2015.

Duschl also teamed up with Amber S. Bismack, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, to edit a book titled “Reconceptualizing STEM Education: The Central Role of Practices’’ that was published in January 2016. That emanated from research presented at the Waterbury Summit in August 2013 at Penn State that featured four themes: systems thinking, modeling, quantitative reasoning, and equity, ethics and evidence.

As one’s career evolves and accomplishments increase and scholarship impact broadens, significant awards can follow.

“Rick serves as a generous intellectual broker who has persistently built links between subfields in education research that normally do not communicate with each other,’’ said Leona Schauble, a professor in the Peabody College of

10 Penn State Education

By Jim Carlson

“Science learning must also involve knowing how we know and why we believe explanations in the face of alternatives.’’

— Richard A. Duschl

Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University. “Rick has advised researchers to read related work from more distant subfields, invited researchers from those fields to high-impact science education meetings and developed projects that are interdisciplinary.’’

Schauble said the fields of science education, developmental psychology and philosophy all have developed somewhat separate perspectives about what it means to do science and what it means for people to learn science.

“Rick has been influential nationally and internationally in participating in high-stakes decisions about education, including the design of new National Assessment of Educational Progress tests and the Next Generation Science Standards,’’ she said.

“His new book, for example, takes on the job of helping to articulate the eight scientific practices that are at the core of the NGSS. These practices are new to educators and policy makers, and understanding their intent and connections to science is critical if the Next Generation Standards are to succeed.’’

Joseph Krajcik, director of the CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State, a faculty member in science education and himself a Distinguished Career Award winner in 2010, said the award denotes

a lifetime of accomplishments and that few scholars in science education have accomplished as much as Duschl.

“If they have they would receive the DCA,’’ Krajcik said. “(Rick) has made substantial contributions to the literature in the history and philosophy of science, use of argumentation in science classrooms and designing inquirybased learning environments.

“Rick is a leading scholar in history and philosophy of science, particularly as is applies to science education,’’ Krajcik added. “His 1990 book, “Restructuring Science Education: The Importance of Theories and Their Development,’’ continues to impact the field and is exceptionally well cited. This work has influenced many science education scholars worldwide.’’

Krajcik said Duschl also has provided valuable leadership to NARST throughout his career. “I was on the executive board when Rick served as research coordinator and I know that he pushed forward worthwhile agendas and worked hard for positions in which he believed,’’ Krajcik said. “His consistent involvement in NARST demonstrates his concern for the organization and for science education.’’

According to Greg Kelly, a professor of science education and the associate dean for research, outreach and technology in Penn

State’s College of Education, Duschl has had a significant impact on the field of science education.

“His research examines ways that history and philosophy of science can inform science curriculum, instruction and assessment,’’ Kelly said. “He has influenced the field by bringing a focus to the cognitive and social processes associated with the construction of knowledge among students. His studies have examined argumentation and ways of using evidence to inform how students makes sense of scientific theory.

“His leadership includes running an international center for learning and teaching, leading a National Research Council panel on science learning, serving as editor of the journal ‘Science Education,’ and serving as president of NARST.’’ Duschl has held seven academic posts from 1983 – when he earned his doctorate at the University of Maryland – to 2015, including chair of science education at King’s College London.

“I have been fortunate over the course of my career to have had professional opportunities and have forged collaborations with other scholars that help to build my ‘track record’ for the three DCA criteria,’’ Duschl said. “You can’t plan for this award; your accomplishments sort of unfold over time.

“I believe my time at (National Science Foundation) as director of the Division of Research on Formal and Informal Learning and senior adviser was a significant accomplishment for my consideration as a finalist and then as one of two recipients for the 2015 award.’’

The Waterbury Summit

was a conversational conference two years in the making, and individuals were invited to contribute to the development of ideas regarding crosscutting science practices.

“By design, the invitees were 50 percent external scholars and 50 percent Penn State faculty,’’ Duschl said. “Another goal of the Summit was to influence the conversations taking place at Penn State regarding STEM education. This is no small task – inroads to date have been minimal.

“Successes in terms of collaborations include the Rock Ethics Institute (http:// rockethics.psu.edu/), the SCRiM project (http://www. scrimhub.org), and the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education (http://www.engr. psu.edu/leonhardcenter/).’’

As for the design of curriculum and instruction, Duschl advocates that science learning is much more than just knowing what we know.

“Science learning must also involve knowing how we know and why we believe explanations in the face of alternatives,’’ Duschl said.

“Thus, the educational agenda and focus is on engaging learners of all ages on tasks involved with acquiring or obtaining evidence and using the evidence to build and refine models, theories and explanations. Fundamentally, this evidence to explanation agenda is how the sciences and scientists work.

“I refer to this model as teaching science as threepart harmony that demands a balance among conceptual, epistemic and social learning goals in K-16 science education programs,’’ he said.

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.

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

The College is now ranked 37th in the nation among 357 graduate programs of education identified

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

Technical Teacher Education (Workforce Education)................ 1 Student Counseling/ Personnel Services...................... 5 Rehabilitation Counseling.......... 6 Higher Education Administration............................. 7 Education Administration/ Supervision (Ed Leadership)...... 9 Education Policy........................ 11 Special Education...................... 13 Secondary Education................. 14 Elementary Education.............. 15 Educational Psychology............ 17 Curriculum and Instruction..... 20

Penn State Education 11

Beyond her dreams ... within her reach When Stephanie Gursky took off to teach elementary school in Alaska, the College of Education graduate had no idea how much she would learn.

By Jim Carlson

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Gursky

F

rom the outside looking in, Stephanie Gursky’s classroom is not unlike any other, complete with technology, whiteboards and bulletin boards designed with the affection that an elementary teacher typically displays to appeal to the youthful eyes that gaze at it.

But from the inside looking out, the picture that Gursky paints in the next thousand words is polar opposite from any traditional teaching setting you might envision – with polar being the overriding word.

Penn State alumna Stephanie Gursky poses with her students in Napakiak, Alaska.

commencement ceremonies. The Lower Kuskokwim School District attended the Penn State job fair two months earlier and Gursky signed up for an interview.

The initial interview went well, she said, as did a follow-up with an assistant superintendent.

When she spoke her with school’s principal, two questions in particular she probably never thought she’d have to ask were: “Will I have to chop my own wood to start a fire?’’ and “Will I have running water?’’

Gursky, a 2014 curriculum and instruction graduate from Penn State’s College of Education, is employed by the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Napakiak, Alaska, which is about 400 miles west of Anchorage. Napakiak in the winter is a village that is accessible only by boat, plane or driving on a frozen river.

Gursky is not the only Pennsylvanian in the Great State of Alaska. She knows of two other Penn Staters in her district – although one had to leave because of state certification problems -- and seven others in the district from Pennsylvania. School-district recruiters routinely come to Penn State and elsewhere in the state to attempt to attract teachers.

From Palmerton, Pennsylvania, in Carbon County, Gursky was hired in May 2014 before she even walked in Bryce Jordan Center

“My principal has said this more than once: ‘All great teachers I’ve seen are from Pennsylvania.

We should only hire teachers from

12 Penn State Education

Pennsylvania; they know what they are doing,’’’ Gursky said.

The Lake and Peninsula School District, for example, in King Salmon, Alaska, has several Penn State graduates in its district, according to superintendent Ty Mase. Mase said his district has not recruited at Penn State recently, but requested to speak with College of Education officials about that when responding to an email about this story.

Mase’s district geographically is estimated to be about the size of West Virginia, and none of its school sites can be reached by roadway – all transportation is by boat or small planes. His district contains three national parks, two national wildlife refugees and a number of the state’s 12,000 rivers.

And once you locate Gursky’s village of Napakiak, there isn’t much else around. “I definitely am not in the traditional teaching role,’’ said Gursky, who came out of the Professional Development School (PDS) program involving the College of Education and State College Area

“I don’t believe you can grow without being challenged.

The challenge was one of the best parts of PDS and Penn State. It helped make me the person and teacher I am today.”

— Stephanie Gursky

School District.

“I can’t drive to Walmart or go see a movie. My students come from rough family situations and sometimes don’t know if they will have a warm place to sleep at night.

In Alaska, that is a very important part of their life because the temperatures are in the negatives for the majority of the winter.’’

Her students, she said, speak broken English, listing examples of them saying, “I go store,’’ instead of “I am going to the store,’’ and “Me see,’’ instead of “Let me see.’’ They also do not speak their own native language of Yupik fluently, she said.

“They are caught in between two languages that they can’t speak fluently,’’ Gursky said. “This makes teaching them to read and write very challenging. My school is a Title I school and every single student receives free breakfast and lunch every day.’’

Gursky has 18 second- and thirdgrade students in a school of 110 students that ranges from pre-K all the way to grade 12. That’s in a village of about 350 people. “Many of my students are low achieving and come from broken households,’’ she said. “The village is ‘dry,’ which means alcohol cannot be purchased, sold or consumed. However, there is a very large problem with alcoholism. Many of my students have family members in their homes that drink into all hours of the night.’’

Photo courtesy of Stephanie Gursky

After graduating from Penn State, Stephanie Gurskey moved to a remote village in Alaska where she teaches second- and third-grade students.

Gursky said sexual abuse also is a problem in the area. “The students go through so much at such a young age,’’ she said.

“Depression and suicide are very real. I worked with a man last year who got drunk and killed himself.

There aren’t many jobs available in the small village. Some parents work at the store, post office or the tribal office of the village.

“Many of them get assistance from the government. Many also live a subsistence lifestyle. They hunt or fish for their food and will stock up their freezer for the winter.

Food is very expensive. A bag of potato chips is $10 and a gallon of milk (if you have access to it) is $9.’’

The picture Gursky has painted isn’t meant to be one of gloom.

“It’s a different way of life here,’’ she said, adding that many of her weekends are spent at student sport tournaments such as volleyball or basketball in order for the teachers to have something to do. “Some teachers will host a game night or movie night or invite others over for dinner,’’ she said.

“I usually spend much of my time on the weekend in the classroom. I will clean, organize, write lesson plans or just relax.

I don’t have internet or cable television at my house, so I rely on the school for the wi-fi. “(But) I’m glad that I took the opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself to become a better teacher.

Immersing yourself in a new culture is rewarding. You see and understand so much more than if you were to only visit.

“I would encourage anyone who is a little adventurous and wants a new experience to give it a try. I will never regret taking an opportunity where I can grow professionally and personally.’’

That spirit was instilled at Penn State. “One thing that Penn State gave me the opportunity to do was to go outside of my comfort zone,’’ Gursky said. “I was able to take advantage of opportunities and try new things without the worry of being judged or failing. I was challenged at Penn State and I will always appreciate that.

“I don’t believe you can grow without being challenged. The challenge was one of the best parts of PDS and Penn State. It helped make me the person and teacher I am today. I’m proud to be a Penn Stater. I couldn’t imagine attending college anywhere else and being as successful as I am today,’’ she said.

It was never an option at Penn State to quit or give up because of the academic workload, she said.

“I had to persevere through all the work and that is what I need to do every single day as a teacher,’’ Gursky said. “The students count on me. For some students I am the only constant, positive thing in their life that they can depend on.

“To me, that’s very significant.’’

Penn State Education 13

How can I Future teachers get head start get involved on offering help to students 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.

K

By Jim Carlson

ristina Hunter and Christina Walker already know they want to help people after they graduate from Penn State. With two years remaining until that milestone occurs, they are very comfortable starting early.

Much of their time is spent completing classes in the College of Education’s five-year Integrated Undergraduate-Graduate (IUG) program. They each will earn bachelor’s degrees in special education; Hunter’s master’s degree will be in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in language and literacy education while Walker’s graduate degree will be in education and public policy.

Their other available hours – and there aren’t many -- are spent concentrating on others instead of themselves. BLUEprint is a campus organization that provides academic, social and cultural support to first-year and changeof-campus students of color, and Hunter and Walker are deeply involved.

“Our purpose is to increase the retention rate of first-year students of color on Penn State’s University Park campus,’’ said Hunter, who grew up in Philadelphia.

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

BLUEprint’s mentors are students who have completed at least one year at University Park and mentees are first-year faces who might be having difficulties getting used to the large campus and the many opportunities and choices that accompany it.

“It has been my outlet for fun, an opportunity to give back to my university by helping students of color feel welcome and get acquainted, and a space of learning,’’ said Walker, a resident of

Queens, New York. “I love seeing people of color work together and support one another and everyone in BLUEprint does just that with this family-oriented feel.

“Being around so many brilliant, talented and loving black, Asian and Latina women, I have grown stronger and more confident in myself as a growing black woman and I have to credit my growth to the friendship shared among other women in BLUEprint.’’

Aiding others isn’t the only thing Walker and Hunter have in common; each received financial aid when they were named recipients of the Susan and Charles Martin Trustee Scholarship in Education.

“Receiving the Martin Trustee Scholarship in Education gave me such a gratifying feeling of accomplishment,’’ Walker said. “I honestly was surprised when I received the email and probably sat staring at the email in awe. The scholarship really reminded me to keep working hard because hard work pays off.’’

Hunter’s academic future also got an assist by receiving the scholarship. “My family and I are extremely grateful for Mr. and Mrs. Martin selecting me to be one of the recipients of their trustee scholarship, Hunter said.

“Mr. and Mrs. Martin inspire me to financially support College of Education students by developing a scholarship fund of my own in the future.

“I think it is important to invest in college students because going to college is a privilege and a way for some students to better themselves. Developing a scholarship to help future College of Education students who demonstrate the need for additional

Photo: Jim Carlson

Kristina Hunter, left, and Christina Walker each received the College of Education’s Susan and Charles Martin Trustee Scholarship in Education.

support would be my way of continuing Mr. and Mrs. Martin’s legacy,’’ she said.

Walker also aided students when she was a New Student Orientation leader. “I remember feeling older and wiser when I finished my last day on the job because I experienced and learned so much about myself, working with others and the University,’’ she said. “One of my favorite times to talk was with my small group.

My favorite conversation was the one on diversity because it helped me come to terms with how I feel about being a student of color on a predominantly white campus and how I cope with that.

“I am still proud and amazed at myself at how transparent I was able to be with my students, who were strangers to me at the time, and how I was able to get my students to think about race, religion, gender and whatever else came up in our discussion in a new way. That had to be one of the most valuable experiences I have had at Penn State so far,’’ Walker said.

Hunter devotes additional time to being a work-study employee at the Office of Multicultural Programs for the College of Education, a student liaison for the Paul Robeson Cultural Center advisory board and a collaborator on the WE ARE ONE committee with efforts to unify all students of color.

Hunter, a Dean’s List student who will graduate in 2018, said she wants to be a teacher who believes in her students and pushes them to do their best, traits that two of her favorite teachers exhibited while she was growing up. She believes she’ll be ready when the time comes.

“The College of Education has an excellent teacher preparation program, which is why I decided to apply to Penn State,’’ Hunter said.

“Penn State’s College of Education is known for producing well trained and professional teachers.’’

Join the College of Education on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

We have great news and want to share it with you. Find us on social media to stay connected.

twitter.com/PSU_CollegeOfEd

Walker wants to return to Queens to best use her teaching degree, and she has her own job description well in mind. “We (teachers) shape character, build on academic and social skills, act as a mentor, advocate and so much more,’’ she said.

www.facebook.com/ PennStateCollegeOfEd

“I want to empower my students to be the best individuals inside and outside of the classroom. I want them to know my expectations are high but it’s only because I know they can do it and they are all capable of excellence.

linkd.in/11NOgPZ

“I want my students to know they are important, valued and able to do whatever they want with some direction and focus, and to feel confident in their ability to succeed academically regardless of prior school years. I want to spark the minds of our future leaders.’’

www.youtube.com/ user/PSUCollegeofEd

Penn State Education 15

Trapshooting interest leads research assistant to national championship

I

By Jessica Buterbaugh

t’s been said that every little girl grows up to marry a man just like her father. While that just may be an old wives’ tale to many, for KayLynn Hamilton it proved true.

Hamilton, senior research faculty assistant for the Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy in the College of Education, grew up the daughter of a competitive trapshooter, a shotgun sport that requires participants to shoot disc-shaped clay pigeons.

“Trapshooting is more than just shooting on the holidays,” she said. “It is an Olympic sport and we have a national organization and sanctioned shoots all across the country where you compete with sometimes dozens of people, sometimes hundreds or thousands of people.”

While each competition is set up differently, they all function similarly. At the national championships, which are held in southern Illinois every August, there are more than 120 traps that are 3.5 miles long. When competing, shooters take aim at 25 targets at four different traps, totaling 100 targets.

“The idea is to break as many as you can,” Hamilton said. “You are scored on breaks so it doesn’t matter if it’s just a little piece or if it’s completely shattered. It’s a hit for hit. There’s no ranking.”

While she never competed in trapshooting growing up or even during most of her adult years, she was heavily involved with the competitions in which her father participated.

“I’ve been around the sport my whole life,” Hamilton said. “I used to score and referee. I used to help organize different shoots. But it wasn’t until after I got married that I started shooting competitively.”

Hamilton’s husband, also a competitive shooter, encouraged her to start competing so at the age of 42, she bought a 12-gauge shotgun and he taught her how to shoot.

“I had been around shooting but I didn’t really shoot so my dad didn’t really help teach me,” she said. “I didn’t start shooting competitively until 2002 so I’ve only been doing it for about 13 years.”

In that short time, Hamilton has made a name for herself among the trapshooting world. She has won state, regional and national championship titles and this year was named to the trapshooting All-American team, an honor that she shares with 25 of the country’s best shooters, including her father.

Last year, her average was 96 per 100 targets.

“Trapshooting is different from skeet shooting in the fact that the way you’re positioned is different,” she said, explaining that trapshooting targets go away from you.

In skeet shooting competitions, the targets typically cross in front of the shooter.

16 Penn State Education

Photo: Mike Hessong

KayLynn Hamilton prepares to reload her shotgun during a trapshooting event in San Antonio, Texas.

Photo: Mike Hessong

KayLynn Hamilton, left, participates in the doubles trapshooting event in San Antonio, Texas. She later went on to win the Southwest Grand Lady Singles Championship after a shootoff with two other participants.

Trapshooting consists of three events — singles, doubles and handicap — which require her to use two different guns, she said.

“My singles gun is a Silver Seitz shotgun,” she said, adding that she uses it for both singles and handicap since both events release only one target at a time. “The guns are custom-made in Maryland and only about 800 of those guns exist.” When shooting doubles, where two targets are released simultaneously, Hamilton uses a Perazzi shotgun with over and under barrels.

In March, Hamilton’s trapshooting season began with a trip to Florida. In April, she traveled to Texas for another competition and in May she will travel the East Coast every weekend to compete in different competitions.

“Some of our biggest events attract more than

2,500 competitors,” she said, explaining that shooters range in age from school-aged kids to those older than her father. “Programs in high schools have become popular so you might have an eighth-grade kid next to an 80-year-old man, and they’ll be shooting together on the same squad. So it’s really a life-long recreation.”

Although she got a later start as a competitive trapshooter, Hamilton does not see herself slowing down anytime soon.

“For me, it’s my personal drive and the friendships I’ve developed over my lifetime,” Hamilton said.

“I’ll continue to shoot until as long as I feel like I am competitive.”

If she continues to follow in her father’s footsteps — he is 77 years old and competes from his scooter — her skill and ability are sure to improve.

Name: Kaylynn Hamilton Title: Senior Research Faculty Assistant Department: Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy Email: klh267@psu.edu Phone: 814-865-6472 As a senior research faculty assistant for Penn State’s Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy, Hamilton provides leadership and support to adult education agencies throughout Pennsylvania. She presents career pathways and planning workshops at local, state and regional forums and is a certified Career Pathways Leader through the National Career Pathways Network. Most recently, she has worked with professionals in Kansas, California, Arizona, Michigan and South Dakota through the U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education’s LINCS project. Hamilton, a Penn State alumna (‘02 M.Ed.), was a member of Penn State World Campus’ first graduating class.

Photo courtesy of KayLynn Hamilton

Penn State Education 17

‘Gaming 2 Learn’ brings commercial video games into K-12 classrooms

By Jessica Buterbaugh

A new course from the College of Education’s Learning Design and Technology (LDT) program is not only integrating technology in the classroom, it is encouraging the students’ use of commercial video games.

LDT 401: Gaming 2 Learn, an online course offered this summer through Penn State World Campus, trains current educators and teachers-in-training how to integrate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) video games into their lessons.

“This course develops 21st century teaching skills beyond the basics of technology integration,” said Ali CarrChellman, department head and professor of learning and performance systems.

“It teaches current and future educators how to keep students engaged in learning by utilizing the technology they use in their everyday lives.”

found that children develop important skills from video games, including teamwork, communication, grit and perseverance.

“This course is not tied to one content area so it doesn’t matter what subject you teach or are planning to teach,” she said. “Using video games in classrooms can be applied to multiple content areas.”

Offering integrative technology courses such as Gaming 2 Learn is vital to the future of education, and it’s an area in which Penn State’s LDT program excels. The program exceeds traditional technology integration orientation for K-12 educators by offering courses on topics, including teaching and learning online, Web 2.0, mobile technologies, course management systems, maker spaces and computers as learning tools.

“Our program stands Photo: Annemarie Mountz The course focuses on the Commercial off-the-shelf video games like this one are used out when compared to use of COTS games such as others because we go in the course Gaming 2 Learn, offered through the College of Minecraft, World of Warcraft, Education’s Learning Design and Technology (LDT) program. beyond that first step of just Call of Duty and others as an bringing technology into the educational part of the curriculum. Rather than looking classroom,” Carr-Chellman said. “We teach current at educational games, which kids really dislike, Carrand future educators how to successfully use the Chellman said, Gaming 2 Learn focuses on having kids technologies that kids are already using to help them experience learning through the games they already learn.” play.

Most teachers are reluctant to use games and when During the course, students complete a project that they do, it is usually something that has been created requires them to select a COTS game and describe the for a specific educational purpose, according to Carrintegration that connects with their specific content Chellman. This leads to students becoming disengaged area. Students also must observe children as they play which, in turn, creates frustrations for teachers who their favorite games and participate in playing games want their students to learn. with them, and then report on those observations and “Technology is only going to continue to grow and experiences. change,” she said. “Educators need to learn how to use “As teachers, many of us do not know what games all types of technology effectively. This course teaches kids are playing,” Carr-Chellman said. “So how can them that even in commercial video games, students we say whether or not those games are teaching our are learning a great deal.” children anything? By observing and participating in Registration for LDT 401: Gaming 2 Learn is the game, our students can see firsthand what the now open through Penn State World Campus and is educational values of these games are.” open to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Teachers who watch kids playing games can Undergraduate students must have a minimum fifthdiscover amazing things about what kids are learning semester standing to enroll in the course. To learn more while they play, she added. Having focused her about summer courses available through the College of academic research on integrative technology and the Education, visit ed.psu.edu/current-students/summer use of video games in the classroom, Carr-Chellman has online.

18 Penn State Education

Faculty Appointments

Alicia Dowd

Allison Fleming

Tyler Hollett

Maria Lewis

Marsha Modeste

Carlo Panlilio

Ashley Patterson

Diandra Prescod

Gabriela Richard

Carlos Zalaquett

Alicia Dowd joined the College as professor in the Higher Education Program within the Department of Education Policy Studies, and as senior scientist in the Center for the Study of Higher Education.

Allison R. Fleming joined the College as assistant professor in the Counselor Education, and Rehabilitation and Human Services Programs within the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education

Educational Leadership Program within the Department of Education Policy Studies.

Tyler Hollett joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Learning, Design and Technology program within the Department of Learning and Performance Systems.

Carlomagno C. Panlilio joined the College as assistant professor in the Educational Psychology Program within the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education.

Maria M. Lewis joined the College as assistant professor in the Educational Leadership Program within the Department of Education Policy Studies.

Ashley N. Patterson joined the College as assistant professor of Language, Culture and Society in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Marsha E. Modeste joined the College as assistant professor in the

Diandra J. Prescod joined the College as assistant professor in

the Counselor Education Program within the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education.

Gabriela T. Richard joined the College as assistant professor of education in the Learning, Design and Technology program within the Department of Learning and Performance Systems.

Carlos P. Zalaquett joined the College as professor in the Counselor Education Program within the Department of Educational Psychology, Counseling and Special Education.

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 Phil Hoy: phoy@psu.edu or 814-863-2216

Mentor a new teacher. Catch up with old friends.

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

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.

2015 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. Self-nominations are welcome.

Photo: Paul Hazi

Front L-R: Kenneth Bui, Stacey Brands, Rachel Mannheimer, Sue Breedlove, Virginia “Ginny�

Croft, and John E. Lutz. Back L-R: David Monk, Kimber Hershberger, Robert Meister, Shannon Collier, and Mark Breedlove.

ed.psu.edu/educ/alumni-friends/award Penn State Education 21

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

Nonprofit Org. US Postage PAID State College, PA Permit No. 1