Advancing Magazine - Fall 2023

Fall 2023

advancing

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education

DEAN’S MESSAGE .............................................................................................................................................................................................

leveraged by our Center for Educational Partnerships to support students on their career journeys. Additionally, on Page 31, we highlight the UCI School of Education’s naming as a new chapter of the worldwide Bilingualism Matters.

Welcome to the seventh issue of the UC Irvine School of Education’s annual Advancing magazine.

This last academic year, the School celebrated its long history of innovation, inspiration and impact — including its 10 years as a school at UCI. We also reached global prominence, now ranked as No. 8 among schools of education in the world. On Page 32, there is a wonderful visual recap of our 10th Anniversary Gala that took place in May 2023, where we celebrated the many accomplishments of the School of Education.

As we look forward to a new chapter over the next 10 years and beyond, we are committed to continuing our efforts to conduct relevant, timely and impactful research that influences the field of education, policy and practice. In particular, many of our faculty and researchers are doing tremendous work in artificial intelligence – utilizing and studying AI to advance teaching and learning, as you will read on Page 2.

Setting our sights on the future of education, we recognize our thriving partnerships with communities and institutions are a vital component to creating equitable and accessible learning for all. Page 8 highlights our faculty and their years of partnership with schools, school districts, education institutions and organizations. Page 13 showcases the interdisciplinary collaborations

Our distinguished faculty, staff, students and alumni population are also crucial to our mission to make a transformational shift in education. On Page 18, read about our Teacher Academy to support educators in the 21st century. On Page 20, we feature student-athletes juggling Division I sports and a B.A. in Education Sciences. We also feature an innovative Ph.D. student who is designing culturally-based STEM educational programs on Page 34 and a recent M.A. in Teaching + Credential graduate encouraging students in their pursuit of creative paths on Page 36. These are just a few examples of how, together, our key stakeholders are making a tangible difference in the school, community and lives of learners.

I hope you enjoy this issue of our magazine and walk away as inspired, engaged and committed to advancing educational equity.

Sincerely,

Frances Contreras Dean and Professor UCI School of Education

Follow the UC Irvine School of Education on Social Media: @uci.education @UCIEducation UCI School of Education

Inside

2 8 13 18 20

Artificial Intelligence in Education School of Education researchers are investigating ways AI can enhance the education experience

OCEAN Partners for Change A look into the initiative’s many research partnerships that span across the country

Exploration of Careers in Health Center for Educational Partnerships co-hosts Choosing a Major Conference for high schoolers

Fostering Agency for Educators Teacher Academy director shares her vision for strengthening support for education practitioners

Student-Athletes Studying Education Balancing studies and sports, student-athletes share about their education journeys

...................................................................................................................................................

FEATURES

Also ...

Highlights 17 CFEP Leaders Receive National Recognition 31 New Branch of Bilingualism Matters 32 Gallery: 10-Year Anniversary Gala 34 Spotlight: Ph.D. Student Vanessa Bermudez 42 By the Numbers

Research 26 Helping Community Colleges Serve Students 29 Grant Briefs: New Awards

Faculty 30 New Faculty

Alumni 36 Spotlight: LaTiara Roberts MAT ’23 38 Class Notes

Giving 44 Special Thanks to Our Supporters

Advancing Fall 2023 Volume 7, No. 1

Assistant Vice Chancellor, Educational Partnerships Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio

Produced by the University of California, Irvine School of Education

Sr. Assistant Dean Tammy Ho

Dean Frances Contreras

Executive Director of Development Duane Rohrbacher

Sr. Associate Dean Young-Suk Kim Associate Dean of Faculty Development and Diversity Elizabeth Peña

UCI School of Education 3200 Education Irvine, CA 92697-5500 949-824-8073 education-communications@uci.edu education.uci.edu

Director of Communications & Marketing Advancing Editor Stacey Wang Rizzo

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

1

2

Artificial Intelligence & Education UC Irvine School of Education researchers are developing smart uses of AI and investigating ways it can advance the student and teacher experience.

By Christine Byrd

H

uge leaps in artificial intelligence are already disrupting many aspects of education – from the way students complete writing assignments to how teachers evaluate mastery of skills. Yet with the new technology comes new concerns.

Worries about data privacy, biases in the algorithms and ethics prompted a series of executive orders from the White House earlier this year, including a proposal for an AI Bill of Rights that would protect users. Meanwhile, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced $140 million in funding for AI research in topics including AI-augmented learning.

In UCI’s School of Education, researchers have spent years evaluating early uses of AI in education, such as automated essay scoring and intelligent tutoring systems. But the increased funding opportunities and recent release of ChatGPT have supercharged their efforts.

“We can’t prepare students to live in the society that we grew up in. We have to prepare them to live in the society that they’re going into,” says Mark Warschauer, professor of education and informatics, and founder of the Digital Learning Lab at UCI.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

3

Roots in Science of Learning The conversation about AI in education often forgets the two fields’ intersecting histories: artificial intelligence was born partly out of a desire to understand how humans learn.

“Many of the pioneers of AI were cognitive scientists who were interested in simultaneously understanding how the human mind works and developing machines that could embody the kind of intelligence humans have,” explains Shayan Doroudi, assistant professor of education. Doroudi earned his doctorate in computer science in 2019 from Carnegie Mellon University, where some of the foundational AI development occurred in the 1950s. Over time, the field shifted to focus more on engineering and automation, but Doroudi still sees opportunities to advance the science of learning.

“It goes both ways: we can take insights from human cognition to build better AI systems and, at the same time, if we can create machines that exhibit intelligent properties, we can study them to better understand how people learn and even improve how we teach,” he adds.

Right now, though, teachers are hungry for guidance on how to manage AI tools. When ChatGPT, a type of generative AI that can produce anything from a book summary to a poem, was released by OpenAI in Fall 2022, it rang alarm bells for educators. Worries about the potential for academic dishonesty and plagiarism led districts to quickly ban the technology. But that didn’t keep students – or teachers – from exploring it.

In July 2023, UCI and the Spencer Foundation hosted a half-day virtual conference about generative AI in education, which drew more than 1,500 registrants from across the U.S. and around the world, to discuss how AI can be used in writing and personalized learning. This reflects the sense of urgency teachers feel to understand and master these tools. In the conference, Warschauer described the “June-July contradiction” where students may be penalized for using AI like

ChatGPT in school in June, but will be behind the curve if they don’t know how to leverage the tools when they enter the workforce in July.

Two Types of AI Literacy Educators should consider the two distinct kinds of AI literacy, UCI experts say. The first is knowing how to access and use the tools, which falls under the umbrella of digital skills and media literacy. The second type includes learning to modify and create artificial intelligence tools, which enter the realm of computer science. UCI researchers are working together to build and evaluate curricula to support both types of AI literacy.

Warschauer recently received an NSF grant to support a project with UCI’s The Henry Samueli School of Engineering that will incorporate ChatGPT into an upper-division class on professional communication. The research team is building a platform called PapyrusAI that students can log in and access the latest version of ChatGPT, but with constraints on how they can use it – such as generating feedback on a draft essay or getting quizzed on content for an upcoming exam.

We can’t prepare students to live in the society that we grew up in.

We have to prepare them to live in the society that they’re going into.

– Mark Warschauer, UCI professor

4

Photos by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

Students might begin piloting the system as early as this winter, with plans underway to develop a version for K-12 schools as well.

“Students will learn how to better understand AI tools, different ways of accessing them, prompting techniques, methods to corroborate, and how to incorporate AI into their work ethically,” explains Warschauer.

It’s always better when students can be creators and not just consumers of new media and technologies. CodeAI, a project by graduate student Daniel Ritchie in the Digital Learning Lab, is a four-week curriculum that introduces elementary school students to AI and gives them the opportunity to train in a small-scale version of ChatGPT. Students have piloted the program over the last two summers at the Delhi Center in Santa Ana. Similarly, School of Education’s Rossella Santagata, professor of education, and Ha Nguyen, Ph.D. ’22, assistant professor of instructional technology and learning sciences at Utah State University, are collaborating on an NSF-funded project that will

incorporate an AI chatbot into an existing science curriculum. The duo is partnering with Sara Ludovise, coordinator of the Orange County Department of Education’s hands-on science program Inside the Outdoors. They are developing a curriculum that teaches high school students principles of science communication by having them interact with and train chatbots that each have personas with different perspectives about marine life – an Indigenous fisherman, a marine biologist, a climate scientist or a surfer.

“These chatbots will provide opportunities to engage in discussions that we know are beneficial for learning, but that teachers may not be able to provide to every student,” says Nguyen. “What’s exciting about the curriculum is that developing science communications skills by engaging with the con is one part, but having kids identify where the chatbot falls short is also part of the curriculum. What are the limitations of the chatbot, and how can understanding that help kids develop AI literacy?”

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

5

AI as Advisor & Mentor In the Design & Partnership Lab directed by Professor June Ahn, researchers aim to leverage AI as an educational advisor, mentor and collaborator.

Ahn points out that good advisors have strong listening and summarizing skills, which in turn inform their advice and recommendations – something Ahn believes AI may be able to effectively emulate.

Earlier this year, Ahn launched an AI project funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, in partnership with Anaheim Union High School District, to analyze students’ soft skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, creativity and compassion. The goal is that students will share their reflections about teambased projects and the AI will evaluate the student’s growth in five key areas – not with a score, but with a summary that is informative and easy to act upon to support deeper learning.

“You don’t need to rely exclusively on test scores,” says Ahn. “Large language models allow us to give students a more holistic and nuanced summary of their learning – the type of thing that would require the teacher to interview every single student to produce, which is not feasible. That’s a big leap forward.”

In another project, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ahn’s team is creating an AI-powered mentorship tool to support individuals on specific career pathways. Students currently participating in the pilot program can type

UCI Media Services

6

questions or share concerns about their future in the field of data science, and get responses about what kinds of questions they should ask, and who they might go to for help.

“Instead of AI giving you the answer, it guides you to get the answer,” explains Ahn. “In our pilot work, we’re finding that this process is super helpful for students because one of the big issues is they don’t know what they don’t know. Sometimes they are not even sure what questions to ask their professor or mentor.”

“Always, the idea is not to use AI as a replacement for humans, but as an enhancement,” says Ahn. Helping Teachers & Enhancing Teamwork Researchers see ample possibilities for AI to enhance and support teachers who are already stretched thin.

Doroudi and graduate student Christopher Lechuga have developed an algorithm that would enable teachers to create small groups of students who are ready to work on a particular math topic, based on their results in the online math program ALEKS (which was, coincidentally, developed by UCI cognitive sciences researchers in the 1990s), or even to pair up students where one could tutor the other on a specific math concept. Their goal is to leverage AI to empower teachers and support solid pedagogical practices.

The Converse to Learn project from the Digital Learning Lab, funded by NSF, offers another example of an effort to empower teachers. ChatGPT will be used to embed dialogic questions into hundreds of children’s e-books – and AI will allow young readers to answer questions with feedback as they go through the books. Crucially, the questions and answers from each book will be programmed with review and input from educators to ensure they are age appropriate. Ultimately, the tool will allow a child reading alone to engage in the kind of back-and-forth conversation similar to that of a parent or teacher reading alongside them.

Nia Nixon (née Dowell), assistant professor of education, is also using AI to understand and enhance collaboration in team environments, such as students working together on a project or in a research lab. Her previous research found discernible differences between how men and women interact online, and between people of different races, so now her team is considering how to create intelligent systems that might guide

We envision a technology-enhanced future more like an electric bike and less like robot vacuums. On an electric bike, the human is fully aware and fully in control, but their burden is less, and their effort is multiplied by a complementary technological enhancement.

– Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations report from the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology

students in online spaces like Zoom or Slack to better ways of communicating with their peers.

“We’re not focused on measuring learning gains, but how students feel when they finish working with a group – and those feelings are usually tied to learning gains,” she says. “This is a much more intimate communication than something like intelligent tutoring systems that can identify what you’re doing wrong in a math problem.”

Nixon is also looking at opportunities to embed a chatbot that can recognize and encourage creativity in online teams, infusing a burst of energy and enthusiasm right when a group needs it.

The possibilities are exciting – though not fully understood.

“We’re at a fascinating and scary place because we don’t yet know the upper boundary of what AI can do,” she says. “It’s going to force us to have conversations about how to manage this technology appropriately and prepare society for it. But it’s not like a switch – we can’t turn it off.”

Embracing the Change UCI experts encourage educators to first develop a basic understanding of what current AI tools can and cannot do – for example, ChatGPT can synthesize and predict language but it cannot think or create new insights.

Secondly, experts say teachers should help students learn how to use AI to enhance their work, not just to get answers. Ahn asks his students to share with the class how they use AI in their writing process.

“What they find is that the AI helps them quickly synthesize information, but doesn’t help them write really good papers,” he says. “Students need to be asked to do higher-order thinking. That’s what will differentiate folks in the era of AI – being able to move beyond the basics.”

Finally, teachers should be aware of the potential inequities and unforeseen consequences of AI.

“There are things we can do with AI, but they are uncritical uses that have negative consequences for other humans,” says Ahn. “You need to ask yourself when using an AI tool: Am I exacerbating an inequity? Am I dehumanizing the learning process? Am I amplifying a negative experience for students?”

“Let’s think critically about what kind of equitable or supportive experiences we want to promote and how we make sure we’re not promoting the potential negative uses of it – and let’s get ahead of the game and not wait to be reacting to it,” Ahn adds.

Doroudi, who has written about ethics in AI, believes that both computer scientists and education researchers need to collaborate with philosophers and ethicists to more fully think through the major ethical questions raised by the tools.

In the meantime, he advises teachers to trust their own insights about their specific classes when deciding when and how to introduce AI, and to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism.

“Whoever developed the algorithm doesn’t know anything about a teacher’s specific class, so teachers should leverage their insights about their group of students to determine how to use an AI tool in a way that supports their students, and in the most equitable way,” Doroudi says.

Despite the concerns, experts agree there is no going back: AI is part of our daily life, including in our classrooms.

“ChatGPT is us – our words, our language, our creation – and being able to use it to its fullest means developing our students to understand it, to utilize it, to experiment with it, and to create new things with it,” says Warschauer. “We need to help students know how to understand it, access it, prompt it, interrogate it, and ultimately how to master this very powerful tool.”

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

7

Partnering for a Better Education Landscape The Orange County Educational Advancement Network (OCEAN) faculty and their longtime partnerships are working together in realtime to create positive change for students and educators.

A

beacon of innovation, OCEAN is a thriving network of partnerships that span throughout Orange County and across the nation. The initiative facilitates partnerships between the School of Education’s world-class research community with more than 30 partnerships and counting in schools, districts and education organizations.

At the core of these partnerships are UCI School of Education’s faculty and researchers who are working in tandem with these partners to address the most pressing local and large-scale needs

8

and opportunities. OCEAN faculty have developed enduring relationships through these on-the-ground efforts, sharing the same goal with their education partners to investigate and implement ways to make teaching and learning more accessible and equitable.

College and Career Preparation The Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) partners with Professor June Ahn, and Dean and Professor Frances Contreras in a new collaboration funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. In this

Photo by Marc-Anthony Rosas

work, UCI researchers are helping AUHSD improve upon their innovative work in promoting students’ 21st century skills and career preparedness. One strand of work will develop new metrics of critical thinking, collaboration, character, creativity and communication – using new generative AI and large-language models. Another strand will examine various, innovative practices such as dual-credit programs and career academies within the district to highlight best practices and student experiences. Through a $1.5 million grant from Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to initiate this work, AUHSD and OCEAN are currently developing new measurements and metrics using generative AI tools, and piloting this educational change effort in AUHSD.

Photo by Carol Jean Tomoguchi-Perez

Justice-centered Science Education A National Science Foundation-funded project, “Expanding Latinxs’ Opportunities to Develop Complex Thinking in Secondary Science Classrooms through a Research-Practice Partnership,” aims to transform science teaching and learning at K-12 schools toward a more equitable, just and sustaining future. Associate Professor Hosun Kang and a team of researchers work with educators, students and community members to center the community’s concern in the design of science teaching and learning. Currently, they are partnering with Anaheim Union High School District (AUHSD) to provide year-long professional development to science teachers across the junior high and high schools. They study the processes in which

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

9

educators, students and researchers work together to expand the possibilities of learning in an equitable and consequential way. In the 2022-23 academic year, the team worked with 11 high and middle schools with more than 600 students and supported about 40 hours of professional learning for 22 teachers and education specialists.

Reducing Inequalities in Math A partnership between the Buena Park School District (BPSD), Professor Rossella Santagata, Assistant Professor Adriana Villavicencio, Jody Guarino and John Drake at the Orange County Department of Education (OCDE) are working to reduce inequalities in opportunities to learn mathematics for children from minoritized communities. The team works closely with partners in two elementary schools to design professional learning experiences for grades preK-5 teachers that are responsive to their local context, including existing teacher expertise and community assets, and recurring instructional challenges. The research, funded by the William T. Grant Foundation, explores how cognitive and socio-cultural perspectives can be integrated to create spaces for children and adult learning that are both ambitious and equitable.

The project team supports teachers directly in the classroom through collaborative planning and co-teaching while also collecting data that informs both school improvement and the broader field of research on mathematics teaching and teacher learning.

Outcomes for Immigrant Youth Assistant Professor Adriana Villavicencio and a team of researchers partner with the Internationals Network for Public Schools, a national network of 22 district-run public schools designed to address the opportunity and achievement gaps between English learners (ELs) and non-ELs that are exacerbated by traditional public high schools.

While the whole-school model has shown great success, they are also difficult to scale. As a result, Internationals launched the Internationals Academy (IA) model, which are small learning communities embedded within public secondary schools.

Building on prior research of the Internationals whole school model, the research team is currently engaged in a multi-site case study of eight IAs from four different regions across the country. The team will assess the impacts of IAs on students’ academic outcomes compared to outcomes of non-academy peers enrolled in host schools and peers who are ELs within the district, as well as explore the core dimensions of the IAs across sites. Integration of both studies will allow them to understand the relationship they may find between implementation and student outcomes, thereby uncovering the mechanisms underlying the intervention’s impact on students and informing policies and practices in other schools serving immigrant ELs. Teacher Retention A partnership with Associate Professor Emily Penner and the Oregon Educator Advancement Council (EAC) emerged from broader work with several divisions of the Oregon Department of Education that Penner and her colleagues have been working with since 2015. In this partnership, Penner and a team of researchers support the work of the EAC by examining issues related to staffing and retention across the state of Oregon for all types of school staff. The work evaluates educator preparation pathways and in-service teacher support policies, examines educator labor markets, and supports statewide annual surveying and reporting. This year, the team will be supporting Oregon’s 10 Regional Educator Networks as they work to grow and diversify their school staff and improve student success across rural, suburban, and urban areas in the state.

The OCEAN initiative facilitates partnerships between the School of Education’s world-class research community with more than 30 partnerships and counting in schools, districts and education organizations.

10

Foster Youth Support For the past six years, UCI doctoral students have been doing research-practice partnership work at the Samueli Academy, a charter school in Santa Ana that serves students from seventh to 12th grade in the local community with a focus on providing services to foster youth. In January 2023, in partnership with the Orangewood Foundation, the school opened a dormitory that provides residential support for foster youth during the school week, with students transferring out to host families during the weekend. Led by Professor Richard Arum, UCI researchers have administered longitudinal surveys to track students through secondary school, college and into the labor market to inform the school on efforts to improve outcomes. In addition to focusing on academic outcomes, researchers have documented student friendship networks to monitor foster youth integration into the larger school community, student sense of belonging, and psychological well being and flourishing.

Photo courtesy of Rossella Santagata

Ethnic Studies Curriculum Associate Professor Emily Penner has worked with the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) Ethnic Studies department since 2014 when she evaluated a high school ethnic studies course being piloted in several schools in the district. That course had large, positive effects on students’ academic outcomes throughout high school and into higher education. These results have helped to inform the adoption of a state model ethnic studies curriculum and high school graduation requirement.

The district subsequently decided to expand the program to all high schools in the district and has a graduation requirement that will take effect two years before the state requirement. Penner has been working with the ethnic studies team to learn about how they are growing and sustaining the program in terms of pedagogy, curriculum and teacher professional development, as well as its impact on students.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

11

“Yo Veo” mural, photo courtesy of Andres Bustamante

Playful STEM Learning For the last five years, Assistant Professor Andres Bustamante has maintained a deep collaborative relationship with community organization Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative (SAELI) and the Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) – both of whom he has partnered with on several research projects. With SAELI, Bustamante leads a collaborative project with Professor June Ahn and Temple University Professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek to design playful learning environments in everyday spaces (parks, bus-stops, grocery stores). They design in partnership with SAELI families so installations reflect their culture, history and cultural strengths.

The team recently installed the “Yo Veo” or “I see” mural at Washington Elementary in Santa Ana, which challenges children to use their observation skills and spatial language to find hidden objects that represent the Santa Ana community. Several additional designs will be installed this year, including a giant abacus at a bus stop; a statue that will allow children to measure their height compared to California native animals; and a life-size version of Loteria, a popular game similar to bingo, infused with early science and math learning. The team also partners with the city of Santa Ana to own, maintain and replicate these installations. Other collaborative projects with SAUSD include a basketball game for children to learn fractions and decimals, and a robotics playground that teaches children computational thinking.

12

Math Remediation Assistant Professor Shayan Doroudi and graduate student Christopher Lechuga – who is also the senior manager in math curriculum and development at ALEKS – have been working with two middle school math curriculum specialists at Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD) over the past two years in order to improve their ability to use ALEKS, an adaptive learning software, in the districts’ summer school and after-school programs for remediation in mathematics. The team is investigating how to group students together based on ALEKS’ determination of what math skills each student has mastered. They came up with a simple approach for teachers to make grouping decisions, which is currently being used in the SAUSD summer school program.

Youth Development Through the UCI Center for Afterschool and Summer Excellence, Professor Sandra Simpkins and a team of researchers partner with several after-school organized activities throughout Orange County – including Girls Inc., Boys and Girls Club, KidWorks, and UCI Math CEO. These programs have served more than 1,700 youth at 78 schools throughout O.C., including some programs helping teens apply and transition to college. These partnerships, many of which started more than 10 years ago, have three main goals. First, UCI faculty and students support local community by working directly with youth in these programs through guided fieldwork. Second, the team has developed a Certificate in Afterschool & Summer Education to help train the next generation of individuals to work with youth in their communities. Through this program, undergraduates learn about best practices in after-school activities and apply their knowledge as they complete their fieldwork associated with the course. Third, they work with several partners to conduct research to identify program strengths and evidence-based practices that help support positive youth development.

About 250 undergraduate students annually participate in these after-school programs, which deepens their learning and inspires many to continue to contribute to their community and work towards a career working with youth.

Guiding Career Pathways UC Irvine School of Education’s Center for Educational Partnerships empowers high school students to explore careers in health. .....................................................................................................................................................................

By Pat Harriman Rather than enjoying one of their last days of summer break, 150 Orange County high school students boarded buses at 7 a.m. to spend Aug. 3 at UCI’s Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences exploring a range of roles, programs, degrees and careers in healthcare. Hosted by faculty and staff from the Health Affairs Interprofessional Education and Practice Collaborative and the UCI School of Education’s Center for Educational Partnerships as part of the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), the Choosing a Major Conference drew sophomores, juniors and seniors from county high schools.

Photos by Steve Zylius/UCI

“At UCI, we are educating a future healthcare workforce that will be both diverse and reflective of the communities in which service will be offered,” says Dr. Steve Goldstein, vice chancellor for health affairs. “Our goal is to provide care that is patient-centered, attentive to the whole person, data-driven and team-based. In true One Health fashion, faculty from across the College of Health Sciences – including nurses, doctors, pharmacists and public health experts – came together to devise a well-rounded learning experience for the EAOP students and introduce them to the many career opportunities available in healthcare.”

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

13

The UC systemwide Early Academic Outreach Program is designed to more effectively help students at underserved schools prepare for college and the workforce. Selecting a major is one of the most momentous decisions high schoolers will make. This event gave them the chance to interact with faculty and undergraduates to gain strategic guidance on academic preparation, as well as discover professions they may not have known existed.

“This conference is a critical milestone in our work to support first-generation, low-income and underrepresented student pathways into health careers,” says Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, UCI assistant vice chancellor for educational partnerships. “Our goal is to help break the barriers preventing matriculation, inspire and empower students, and communicate that these goals are not only realistic but tangible. By expanding the professions that students envision for themselves, we are planting the seeds for a growing and diversifying healthcare workforce for the state.”

Students were divided into four groups and rotated among presentations by UCI students,

14

faculty and staff from the schools of medicine, nursing, and pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, as well as the Program in Public Health.

They also visited the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute’s Mussallem Nutritional Education Center.

To show the high schoolers that college classes involve more than just lectures, reading assignments, lab work and exams, each rotation included an interactive event that gave them a glimpse into the lighter side of higher education.

The Program in Public Health featured a bubbleblowing activity demonstrating how germs spread in an outbreak. Students were able to visualize and experience how COVID-19 became a global pandemic.

Performing surgery requires manual dexterity, and future M.D.s had the chance to practice their suturing and knot-tying skills, practicing various techniques on layered silicon pads designed to simulate human skin.

In the pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences rotation, students showed off their science knowledge in a “Jeopardy!”-type game with categories such as biology, chemistry, drugs,

physiology and pharmacology, followed by a lighthearted Mad Lib exercise spoofing a conversation between a pharmacist and a patient about new medication. The final activity was a true-false quiz on whether a displayed word named a drug or a Pokémon character.

The nursing event, a basic vital signs boot camp, took place in the state-of-the-art simulation lab.

Attendees were taught how to measure blood pressure, temperature and pulse rate, then put that knowledge into bedside action on lifelike mannequins.

The Mussallem Nutritional Education Center is the classroom for the culinary medicine elective.

Visiting students learned about good nutrition habits, including following a diet focused largely on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, as well as adopting a mindful eating approach to food. They prepared healthy energy bites and also saw the small patio garden where basil, mint, chamomile, rosemary and other herbs are grown for making tea or flavoring food.

These interactive exercises proved to be quite popular with the students, who said they were very “engaging” and “made the experience much more fun.”

After the rotations, question-and-answer panel sessions let attendees ask specific questions about the application process, financial aid and how to adjust to college life. They also heard personal stories about choosing a major, deciding on a particular career and reasons for attending UCI. At the end of the day, students shared what they felt was the most important thing they had learned.

Some said that the conference had confirmed their desire to go into a specific field, while others appreciated discovering the expansive range of available careers and learning how they could pursue them.

The conference is not the end of the EAOP connection for the attendees. They will continue to receive support as they prepare for and apply to college, learn how to accomplish goals, participate in volunteer opportunities in their communities that align with their interests, and navigate educational routes as they embark on their journeys toward fulfilling healthcare careers.

Education to Workforce ...................................................................

The Center for Educational Partnerships, through a grant awarded by the Orange County Department of Education, created the K-16 Career Pathways Program to focus on streamlining systems and best practices to support students transitioning at each step from K-12 to post-secondary education and into the workforce within the education, business, engineering and health pathways. The K-16 Career Pathways Program is part of a statewide strategy for strengthening education-to-workforce pathways ensuring that education, vocational and workforce programs work in partnership to address the income, racial and gender inequalities in education and employment.

The Choosing a Major Conference is a collaboration between the Early Academic Outreach Program and the K-16 Career Pathways Program. Conference attendees are EAOP students who will continue to receive services in college preparation and major/ career exploration post the event.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

15

Owen Thomas and Carol Booth Olson English Education Award

A Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) + Credential endowed scholarship that promotes the aspirations of individuals seeking a career in education to teach English in secondary schools of California. This scholarship endowment was created by Emerita Professor Carol Booth Olson, in memory of the late Dr. Owen Thomas, colleague and professor of linguistics, education, and English at UC Irvine from 1975-1990, and to celebrate their collaboration.

Dr. Thomas and Dr. Olson co-founded the UCI Writing Project in 1978; it continues to be a leading center of the teaching of writing in Orange County and beyond. This new endowment will help subsidize an existing scholarship, The Owen Thomas Memorial Scholarship, so we can honor Dr. Thomas in perpetuity and recognize Dr. Olson’s and Dr. Thomas’ important research and impact as faculty of the UC Irvine School of Education.

To learn more about creating a scholarship in the School of Education, please contact us at edu-advancement@uci.edu

16

Leading a Difference ....................................................................................................................................................................

Three Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP) leaders are being recognized nationally as changemakers through their recent appointments and accolades.

By Carol Jean Tomoguchi-Perez and Marc-Anthony Rosas

Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio

Patricia Anderson

Pheather R. Harris

The assistant vice chancellor of educational partnerships was honored with “Woman of the Year” awards by U.S. Congressional Representative Lou Correa (CA-46) and the National Hispanic Business Women Association (NHBWA). Reyes-Tuccio was recognized by Congressman Correa for her contributions and meaningful impact on the people of the 46th Congressional District in Orange County at the sixth annual “Woman of the Year” awards ceremony, and by NHBWA with a “Woman of the Year” Award for creating equity and inclusion for the diverse community in the O.C. region.

The assistant director of CFEP was appointed to a three-year term as chair of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Board Committee for the Western Association of College and University Business Officers (WACUBO). In her role, Anderson serves on the board of directors and leads the organization’s DEI efforts that align with the association’s values statement, strategic map, and practices and selection of volunteer leaders.

WACUBO is an association that offers business officers opportunities for professional development, a network of expertise and serves to identify issues affecting higher education.

The director of the California Alliance for Minority ParticipationUCI, a program under CFEP, has been named president-elect of the National Association for Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA). She will assist the president, Whitney B. Gaskins, in the discharge of her duties and will officially become president at the end of Gaskins’ term. NAMEPA is a leading nationwide network of university administrators, leaders and educators committed to cultivating diversity, access, equity and inclusion in engineering, as well as broadening STEM participation through programs, policies and institutional change.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

17

Turning Research and Classroom Experience into Equitable Learning Outcomes Nicole Gilbertson leads the UC Irvine School of Education’s Teacher Academy to offer models of efficacy in creating and strengthening connections between researchers and practitioners, while fostering agency and voice for educators committed to social justice. .....................................................................................................................................................................

By Carol Jean Tomoguchi-Perez The UCI School of Education’s Teacher Academy serves as a home for teachers, school leaders and administrators to develop and enhance their professional practice by offering programs in professional development and teacher and administrator leadership. In this issue of Advancing magazine, we connect with Nicole Gilbertson, director of the Teacher Academy.

Gilbertson’s interest in pursuing education began in middle school. Inspired by her seventh grade history teacher and her ability to bring experiences into the classroom, Gilbertson went on to major

18

in history as an undergraduate and eventually pursued a Ph.D. in history at UCI while earning a teaching credential in history-social science. Her journey eventually led her to direct the UCI History Project and the Teacher Academy.

As director of the Teacher Academy, Gilbertson strives to continue creating opportunities for collaboration and learning between researchers, faculty, graduate students and K-12 teachers, and leverage these collaborative outcomes to support teachers as they create classroom communities that center learning and critical hope.

What is the driving purpose of the Teacher Academy?

Gilbertson: The UCI Teacher Academy mission emerges from the need for community among educators that allow us to ask questions about classroom practice and consider how to engage in research and reflection to improve learning for all students. The Teacher Academy provides a home for teachers and school leaders to develop and enhance their professional practice to inspire and lead others in transforming instruction. Teachers have the expertise and agency to seek and lead change in the classroom, improving educational opportunities – and educational systems broadly – for youth. The Teacher Academy leverages and advances research on teaching and teacher development, and provides opportunities for teachers and school leaders to generate and inform research and practice. These efforts are in service of providing more equitable, socially just, and meaningful classroom experiences, particularly for students from underserved communities, that can lead to equitable educational outcomes.

How does the Teacher Academy programming best serve educators and school leaders?

By creating and fostering communities, educators can come together to learn with and from one another. These communities allow educators from different school contexts and across disciplines to be in conversation to support student learning in their current context, while centering researchers who are leaders in the field of teaching and learning that fosters educational opportunities for marginalized students.

What sets the Teacher Academy apart from other teacher preparation and professional development programs?

My commitment to building bridges across the university and K-12 centers the approach of the Teacher Academy, creating and strengthening connections between researchers and practitioners that foster agency and voice for educators committed to social justice so teachers can impact local schools and districts. We are building and making visible the professional pathways that teachers can engage in over their professional lifespan in order to foster agency and leadership opportunities among educators.

How is the Teacher Academy responding to the current needs of teachers?

Teacher professional learning and leadership opportunities need to be directly relevant to their classroom contexts and student learning objectives to have value for the time and energy teachers devote to this – on top of their existing responsibilities and commitments. The opportunities for professional learning and leadership that I strive to create also center opportunities for connection, sharing and reflection. Some examples of the work that I have been able to engage in over the last couple of months include our Teaching for Justice (TFJ) conference; a book club on the youth version of The Sum of Us: How Racism Hurts Everyone; and an Environmental Justice and Youth Participatory Action Research workshop for high school teachers.

The TFJ conference created opportunities for educators to learn from researchers to deepen their content knowledge; ethnic studies teachers shared resources and modeled humanizing pedagogy; and community members shared opportunities and strategies for activism. Our book club gave us a forum to read and discuss the links between policies and inequality through an economic lens.

Finally, the Environmental Justice and Youth Participatory Action Research workshop brought together teachers who have been engaging in action research, where students identify issues in their communities and engage in research, analysis and action to inform and impact their communities.

What are some near future goals for the Teacher Academy?

I would like to develop a cohort of early career teachers, especially UCI School of Education alumni, to foster retention and build professional communities that engage in research around their classroom practice with a focus on equity. A significant factor in educator retention and thriving is engaging in a professional community, where teachers have time and space to build or rebuild relationships with colleagues through collaboration so they can best support students. The first step in creating this pathway is to develop a focus group made up of the School of Education’s Master of Arts in Teaching + Credential and UCI CalTeach alumni to inform our next steps in developing a program that responds to educators’ community and professional development needs, and to support retention through mentorship, communitybuilding and agency.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

19

......................................................................................................................................................

UC Irvine student-athletes share about the interconnectivity of their classroom experiences as education sciences majors and their respective sport.

By Marc-Anthony Rosas

20

Photos by Marc-Anthony Rosas; courtesy photo, left

UC Irvine is a top public university and home to some of the top NCAA Division I programs in the country. With over 28 national championships between 18 men’s and women’s sports teams, UCI is a premier destination for students looking to get the best out of their academic and athletic careers.

At the UCI School of Education, a total of 22 student-athletes study within its world-class programs to advance themselves in education and sports.

Several talented student-athletes from the School shared with Advancing to discuss their motivating journey, the pivotal role of education sciences and the profound impact it has had on their lives.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

21

Jolie Robinson - Women’s Track & Field Junior, Education Sciences

What makes UCI a special place to not only play your sport, but to go to school as well?

UCI is a truly special place for student-athletes like myself. Not only does it offer excellent opportunities to play sports, but it also provides a remarkable environment for education. What sets UCI apart is the positive and inclusive atmosphere on campus.

The sense of community and support among students, faculty and staff creates a nurturing environment where everyone feels valued. This positive environment enhances both the athletic and academic experiences, allowing me to thrive both on and off the field. UCI’s commitment to fostering a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere makes it an exceptional place to pursue both sports and education.

What are some interesting things you have learned from your classes? Do you apply some of those lessons in track & field?

I began taking education classes as a way to learn how to be a better mom and understand the development of my son after having him at a young age. When I started to learn more about child development and the education system, I felt drawn to it. I want to teach high school-level students because I had such influential teachers in high school, and I want to be able to help these students just as my teachers helped me. The education sciences classes at UCI always keep me engaged and interested. I am excited to go to class and be engaged in a topic I am actually interested in.

What do you plan on doing with your education sciences degree?

With the education sciences degree I am working towards, I want to become a high school English teacher. Simultaneously, I want to use my athletic abilities to coach and mentor students in track & field and volleyball, as well as to promote teamwork, discipline and personal growth. By combining my passion for education and athletics, I aim to make a positive impact on the lives of high school students, both inside and outside the classroom.

22

Henry McClish - Men’s Track & Field Senior, Education Sciences

Did you come to UCI with the intention of majoring in education sciences?

I came to UCI with the intention of studying education as my major. The fact that both my parents were professors, and other family members being teachers as well, contributed to me wanting to be a teacher in my life. In addition, while I haven’t always liked school, I did find teaching others interesting and something that I wanted to do.

When you explain to someone what your major is, what do you tell them?

I tell them that we learn about schools and education through different perspectives. While some classes focus on early childhood development, others focus on adolescent development. Some classes focus on the history of education, and others look at the atmosphere of high school. Even though they have different focuses, they all relate to learning and school systems in some way.

What is the best advice a professor has given you?

The best piece of advice a professor has given me is to have a plan for my future. While it may feel obvious, I think it’s very important because some people don’t have a plan, and I think it is important to have a general idea on what you want to do in the future at the least.

What is it like to be a student-athlete?

Being a student-athlete can be tough, especially if you also want to work. However, it is still a really fun experience and one that I would encourage for others who are interested. I would recommend being organized and also give yourself the necessary time to recover, both physically and mentally. It’s important to make the most out of your time since you

can be very busy in college.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

23

Lilli Rask B.A. Education Sciences ’23 - Women’s Soccer Graduate, Master’s of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Managing being a student-athlete is extremely hard. What drives you?

Being a student-athlete is one of my life’s most thoroughly rewarding experiences. I feel blessed that I get to play the sport I love while also getting an excellent education. I thrive in the grind of it all and can do my best work when I operate on a tight schedule. Being a student-athlete forces me to constantly budget my time and prioritize soccer and school over engaging in other things. Being able to perform well and staying disciplined is essential, and that drives me every day because I want to be successful and do my best on the field and in the classroom.

24

Do you think of your coaches as one of your professors, and/or vice versa?

My coach, Scott, has been one of the most influential people in my life. He possesses many similar qualities as a professor would in terms of helping me grow, learn and be better everyday.

Scott challenges me to reach my full potential and never lets our team settle for anything short of excellence. He elevates our training environment to be competitive but also a lot of fun. Similarly, I have many professors who also operate in a similar fashion.

What is one education sciences class/lesson that has stuck with you, both in your life/career path and your sport?

I’ve had a lot of outstanding professors who have taught great courses throughout my time at UCI. So I want to say how appreciative I am of all of them!

However, one professor in particular that has made a significant impact on my life, so much so that I took every class he offered, is professor [Jeff] Johnston, aka JJ. He teaches some excellent upper-division education courses. One class in particular was ‘Coaching in Sports.’ While I took that course, I was simultaneously coaching a high school soccer team. I was able to use the course as a great tool in helping me learn to become a better coach. One topic in the course was learning to develop your coaching philosophy. In doing this, it helped me understand my values and well as being able to recognize other people’s values and how they may be different. Understanding that has helped me learn what drives other people around me and strengthens groups I am a part of.

Abraham Garcia-Pacheco - Baseball Senior, Education Sciences

UCI baseball catcher and senior education sciences major Abraham Garcia-Pacheco is no stranger to both the life of a student-athlete and the classroom. His father, Tony Garcia-Bautista, was a former student-athlete as a catcher for the UC Davis baseball team and also a teacher while Abraham was growing up. Garcia-Pacheco spoke with the UCI School of Education last year to detail how his father was a major influence on him in his pursuit of baseball and choice to study education at UCI, as well as what he has learned from his professors in the classroom.

Video Spotlight ....................................................................................................

Watch the video on the UCI School of Education’s YouTube channel or scan the QR code:

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

25

RESEARCH .............................................................................................................................................................................................

Helping Community Colleges Better Serve Students With $3.6 million in federal grants, UC Irvine School of Education professor Di Xu aims to make math and career & technical education programs more effective.

By Christine Byrd

UCI Associate Professor of Education Di Xu was a graduate student the first time she interviewed community college students for research. Many were single parents, working adults or people changing careers, and she was impressed by their diversity and motivation.

“I vividly remember talking to one working mom who had only a high school degree and wanted to improve her academic and labor market skills, not only so she would thrive in a career, but also to provide better opportunities for her child,” Xu says. “I thought: if there was anything I could do to support this population, how great that would be.

Community college is a sector that needs more research and support.”

26

That early encounter helped launch Xu’s career researching higher education from an economic perspective with a focus on community colleges.

Nearly 10 million students annually enroll at one of the nation’s 1,000 community colleges, seeking job skills, earning certificates and degrees to land better-paying jobs or preparing to transfer to fouryear colleges. More than half of the students are from marginalized populations, and more than a quarter are the first in their families to go to college.

Xu received $3.6 million in federal grants to evaluate the effectiveness of two recently revamped programs at 23 Virginia community colleges: one for non-credit career and technical education (CTE), and the other for gateway math courses.

Using a research-practice partnership model, Xu’s research will be shared directly with educators and administrators at the Virginia Community College System throughout the multi-year grants, allowing the work to make an immediate impact and empowering colleges to adjust programs as the research continues.

The “Skills Gap” With a three-year, $1.7 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences, Xu is leading a team researching non-credit CTE courses at 23 community college campuses in Virginia.

Non-credit CTE courses have proliferated at community colleges, largely in an effort to bridge the “skills gap” between specific job skills employers are looking for, and unemployed people in a given region. Over four million U.S. students were enrolled in non-credit community college courses in

2020, according to the American Association of Community Colleges – about 40% of total enrollment at two-year institutions.

These courses appeal to both students and employers, offering job skills from welding to public health. They tend to be shorter and less expensive than for-credit certificates and programs, even when they are for the same type of job, and can more easily be adapted to local employer needs.

The courses often attract low-income students looking to efficiently improve their job skills and boost their income. But there is a dearth of research on how effective these non-credit programs are – especially whether students who complete the courses actually get better jobs and pay.

“There’s been a lot of research focusing on economic returns to higher education, but the

majority focuses on programs offered in the credit-bearing sector, such as bachelor’s degree, associate degree, or diploma,” says Xu. “The main goal of the non-credit sector seems to be the promise of economic returns for students seeking workforce training, yet we have limited knowledge of what those returns are. This research aims to delineate key – and currently unavailable – core evidence about noncredit career technical programs, including their impacts on students’ labor market outcomes.”

About 7,000 students enroll in non-credit CTE courses annually in the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). In June 2022, Xu launched the research project in collaboration with VCCS, the University of Virginia and the nonprofit research organization MDRC.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

27

Math Remediation Xu launched another community college research project in January 2023 in collaboration with VCCS, supported by a $1.9 million grant awarded by the National Science Foundation. This study dives into community colleges’ efforts to support students who are underprepared for college-level math.

Nearly a decade of research by Xu and others suggests that the lengthy developmental education sequence that colleges traditionally require of students who do not meet the college math readiness threshold is not helpful in improving success rates in the gateway courses.

To address shortcomings of the traditional method, VCCS introduced Direct Enrollment Reform, redesigning their programs to support academically underprepared students. Drawing on theories and existing evidence on college success, the reform

is designed to improve access to and success in gateway courses by incorporating three key components: more accurate placement, proactive advising and coaching, and a “corequisite model” that provides support as students are concurrently enrolled in the gateway course.

Xu, in collaboration with administrators and faculty at VCCS, and colleagues at the University of Delaware, will look at how those reforms are being implemented across the 23 campuses and evaluate what’s working well. As with the research project on non-credit CTE courses, Xu will provide data and research findings to VCCS throughout the process so that effective practices can be adopted promptly.

“Successful completion of gateway courses represents a critical milestone for degree requirements at community colleges and the field is still exploring promising models to increase success rates in gateway courses,” says Xu. “This project will contribute to the knowledge base on effective practices that support that success.”

For the millions of students enrolled in these community college courses, chasing better jobs and better futures, Xu’s answers to these pressing questions may help them achieve their own goals.

The Study’s Preliminary Findings ...................................................................

• Noncredit career and technical education (CTE) programs attract a larger enrollment of Black, male and older students compared to shortduration credit CTE programs.

• Students enrolled in noncredit CTE through Virginia’s FastForward programs on average achieve program completion rates exceeding 90 percent, with an average industry-recognized credential attainment rate of approximately 70 percent.

• Only a small proportion of students who participate in noncredit CTE programs choose to transition into credit-bearing programs to pursue certificates and degrees.

28

Grant Briefs: New Awards The UC Irvine School of Education has more than 120 active grants with $131 million in funding. Here is a brief highlight of some of the school’s most recent awards from the 2022-23 academic year: Computer Science and Environmental Literacy “Deepening Computational Thinking for English Learners

by Integrating Community-Based Environmental Literacy” A four-year grant from the National Science Foundation to continue to partner with Southern California school districts to develop an elementary school curriculum integrating coding with community-based environmental literacy.

Mark Warschauer (PI) in collaboration with Clare Baek (co-PI), Symone Gyles (co-PI) and Debra Richardson (co-PI; UCI Information and Computer Sciences) Education Policy “Beyond the Black/White Binary: Co-Conceptualizing School Diversity for a Multiracial Democracy” A one-year vision grant from the Spencer Foundation to develop district enrollment and community engagement plans as a catalyst to reconceptualize school integration for a multiracial democracy, address politics in structural inequality and expand equitable opportunities in the design of district policy.

Adriana Villavicencio (PI) in collaboration with Alex Freidus (co-PI; University of Connecticut), Erica Turner (co-PI; University of Wisconsin-Madison), Ricky Blissett (co-PI; University of Maryland, Baltimore County) Environmental Engineering and Climate Change “Fostering Systems Thinking in High School Environmental Engineering through Engagement of Coastal Communities” A three-year grant from the National Science Foundation Discovery Research PreK-12 program (DRK-12) to develop a high school environmental engineering curriculum – in collaboration with students, teachers and community partners – that addresses challenges posed by climate change and engages in STEM learning experiences.

Rossella Santagata (PI) in collaboration with Hosun Kang (co-PI), Jennifer Long (co-PI; UCI Biological Sciences), Sara Ludovise (co-PI; OCDE), Symone Gyles (co-Investigator) and Brett Sanders (co-Investigator; UCI Engineering).

Postsecondary Student Success “Using Behavioral Nudges and Insights to Promote Calbright Student Success” A five-year collaborative partnership that applies innovative data science and behavioral science strategies to promote student success and expand Calbright College’s data analytics and behavioral expertise, leveraging a combination of behavioral insights, data science strategies and tech-enabled advising.

Di Xu (PI) in collaboration with Richard Arum (co-PI); university researchers Jutta Heckhausen (UCI Social Ecology), Rene Kizilcec (Cornell University) and Ben Castleman (University of Virginia); and ideas42 team of Tom Tasche, Dan Rosica and Doyoung Jeong

Science Education and Civic Engagement “Research Experience for Teachers” A one-year supplementary grant from the National Science Foundation to further build educators’ capacity to provide justice-centered science teaching and learning that supports youth’s civic engagement by providing research experiences to science teachers.

Hosun Kang (PI) STEM Teacher Preparation Support “Community College Access for STEM Teaching (CCAST)” A two-year grant from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing Integrated Teacher Preparation Programs to build on prior and existing CalTeach efforts to recruit, support and prepare community college transfer students to become socially just math and science teachers.

Kris Houston (PI) Training and Professional Development “Creating an Educational Nexus for Training in Experimental Rigor” A five-year award from the National Institutes of Health to help build an open-source, collaborative online platform that will teach future scientists how to run rigorous, replicable experiments.

Nia Nixon (née Dowell; UCI co-PI) in collaboration with Megan Peters (UCI co-PI; UCI Social Sciences); Konrad Kording (PI; University of Pennsylvania); and researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Indiana University and Georgia Institute of Technology “Learning Through Play: Reimagining K to Grade 4 Education” A five-year award from the LEGO Foundation to implement a coaching and professional development model based in playful learning in K-4th grade classrooms across the states of California, Virginia, Illinois and Texas.

Andres Bustamante (UCI PI) in collaboration with Deborah Lowe Vandell, Kathy Hirsh-Pasek (Temple University), Susan Levine (University of Chicago), Bob Pianta (University of Virginia), Margaret Owens (University of Texas Austin), Peg Burchinal (University of Virginia), and Kimberly Nesbett (University of New Hampshire).

“Scientific Knowledge in Language and Literacy Diversity (SKLLD) Project” A five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education to train leadership personnel in the area of special education with a concentration on language and literacy disabilities.

Elizabeth Peña (PI) Note: UCI School of Education faculty and staff in bold

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

29

NEW FACULTY .............................................................................................................................................................................................

The UCI School of Education is pleased to introduce four new professors to its diverse and internationally recognized faculty.

Andreas de Barros, Ph.D.

Asli Sezen-Barrie, Ph.D.

Dr. de Barros is an assistant professor in educational policy and evaluation, who began July 1, 2023. His research specializes in program evaluation and evidencebased education policy in less-developed countries. Through largescale research-practice partnerships with governments, nonprofits and businesses, Dr. de Barros aims to improve teaching quality and leverage the potential of educational technologies.

Much of his work uses applied microeconomic methods, and his publications can be found in leading economics journals. Before joining UCI, he was a postdoctoral associate at MIT’s Department of Economics, where he worked with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL). Dr. de Barros is excited to return to the classroom and teach classes on research methods and program evaluation.

Dr. Sezen-Barrie will join the School of Education in Fall 2024 as the Stacey Nicholas Endowed Chair Professor of Environmental and Climate Change Education. She is currently the program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Research on Learning and is leading the Discovery Research preK-12 program. In this role, Dr. Sezen-Barrie leads efforts related to science teacher education and justice-oriented climate change education and represents her division at interagency and crossdirectorate programs on climate science. Dr. Sezen-Barrie has been on a temporary assignment at NSF from the University of Maine (Orono), where she has served as an associate professor in the School of Learning and Teaching and is affiliated with the RiSE (Research in STEM Education) Center. She received her Ph.D. in science education from Pennsylvania State University.

30

Christopher Cleveland, Ph.D. Dr. Cleveland will join the School of Education in Fall 2024 as an assistant professor. His research examines the impacts of social policies on the dynamics of school environments and students’ academic, cognitive and social development. In addition to his research, Dr. Cleveland has experience partnering with states and districts to improve strategic planning, budgeting and student support initiatives. Dr. Cleveland was previously a research assistant professor at Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development and consulting manager at the national nonprofit Education Resource Strategies.

Lena Shi, Ph.D. Dr. Shi is an incoming assistant professor of education policy and evaluation in the School of Education, starting Fall 2024. Her research identifies contributors to, and solutions for, inequality in higher education. Dr. Shi runs field experiments, analyzes large-scale datasets, and designs surveys to study policies and factors that affect college application and enrollment patterns, educational attainment, economic mobility and education finance. She served as a White House policy advisor and U.S. Department of Education presidential management fellow between 2014-17.

Dr. Shi received her Ph.D. from Harvard University.

To learn more about our faculty, visit education.uci.edu/our-faculty

Interconnecting Multilingualism Research and Experience Serving as the first branch in California and on the West Coast, the UC Irvine School of Education has become a partner of Bilingualism Matters, a worldwide network connecting multilingualism research and community practice. .....................................................................................................................................................................

“We are proud that the UC Irvine School of Education will serve as the newest branch of this effort, putting our amazing school and our university evermore at the center of research on bilingualism in connection with the tremendous global Bilingualism Matters network,” says Frances Contreras, UCI School of Education dean and professor. “This partnership is an extraordinary and inspirational illustration of how both world-class research and a committed community can help inform and advance education for learners of all backgrounds.”

The UCI branch of Bilingualism Matters engages researchers, educators and community members across California with the goal of creating a bidirectional communication and connection between evidence-based research on bilingualism and multilingualism with community experience. It also trains cohorts of students who are committed to investigating research questions about language diversity that impact society’s understanding of bilingualism.

Outreach includes all sectors of the community – from parents raising bilingual children, to teachers, health care workers, and policy makers; as well as all times of life, from those exposed to two or more languages from the early months of infancy to the oldest bilingual speakers.

This partnership enables language research and communities to inform one another, as well as serve to debunk widespread misconceptions and to

celebrate the opportunities that bilingualism creates.

“Although California is one of the most diverse states in the U.S., there is still widespread misunderstanding about bilingualism. Many believe that raising children with more than one language will confuse them and impede their development, that individuals who switch between two languages possess deficient language skills, and that learning another language as an adult is a pointless exercise,” shares School of Education professors and language researchers Judith Kroll and Elizabeth Peña, who serve as co-directors of the UCI branch of Bilingualism Matters in California.

“In the last two decades, there has been a virtual explosion of research that shows that these beliefs are mythology. The research demonstrates that linguistic variation is a positive reflection of culture and diversity, not a deviation from a fixed norm or a deficit. But the mythology about bilingualism that exists across many sectors of society has imposed devastating consequences for immigrant families, for educational policy and for addressing health disparities. Bilingualism Matters will bridge research and community practice to address these issues.”

With the rapid growth of non-English languages being spoken in the U.S. and around the world, the launch of the UCI branch of Bilingualism Matters underlines the mounting significance of bilingualism and multilingualism research and the impact language has on learners.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

31

Celebrating 10 Years of UC Irvine School of Education commemorated its decade as a school at the university during a 10th anniversary gala on May 20, 2023, in Newport Beach, Calif. This event celebrated the School’s rise to its top ranks and decade-plus impact on education across the region and state through its excellence in research, teaching and community engagement. The evening showcased interactive experiences that exemplified the School’s cutting-edge research and efforts, as well as honored Michael Matsuda and Victoria Vasques ’81 as leaders making a difference in education.

Matsuda, pictured right, is superintendent of the Anaheim Union High School District.

He received the Outstanding Community Partner Award for his exceptional collaboration and commitment to partnering with the UCI School of Education. Vasques, pictured center, is owner and chairwoman of Tribal Tech LLC and Cowan & Associates, Inc., UCI Foundation ex-officio trustee and School of Education alumna. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her notable contributions to the education landscape throughout her career.

32

Photos by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

33

STUDENTS .............................................................................................................................................................................................

Nurturing Minds, Empowering Communities Doctoral student Vanessa Bermudez bridges education gaps through culturally-embedded research.

By Phillip Jordan

A third-year doctoral student in the UCI School of Education’s Ph.D. in Education program, Vanessa Bermudez has a heart for research that makes a real-world difference. She’s particularly interested in working collaboratively with Latine, immigrant and low-income communities to design culturally based educational programs that support early STEM learning.

You can see prolific proof of Bermudez’s passion in her research projects. She has published 10 peer-reviewed journal articles (with an additional two under review) and presented nine conference presentations (and an additional six poster presentations). Bermudez has also led roughly 20

34

collaborative co-design sessions, in English and Spanish, with Latina mothers in a major partnership project to design playful, research-informed learning installations in public spaces across. Think children’s museum installations in bus stops, grocery stores, and parks so families can play and learn in their everyday routines.

It’s no wonder that Bermudez’s faculty mentor, Andres Bustamante, an assistant professor of education, calls his mentee “a future star in the field.”

“Vanessa is so dedicated to conducting research that truly tackles inequities in education,” Bustamante notes. “And her passion and commitment to service, mentoring and teaching ensure that she will be a professor who supports, motivates and elevates her students, too, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.”

Bermudez’s dedication to listening to – and learning from – local families and communities has been refined at UCI, but it was initially inspired by her own life experiences. At age 6, due to the mixed immigrations status of her family members, Bermudez moved from California to her parents’ native Mexico. She lived in the town of Zirándaro until 15, when she moved back to the U.S., to Lynwood, Calif., to stay with a sibling while she finished school. Despite learning a new culture, language and educational system, and without her parents, Bermudez managed to thrive.

But she knew not all students could do the same.

She also saw, all too often, families of color placed in educational programs designed without them in mind.

Courtesy photo

“That lack of framing was what motivated me,” Bermudez says. “Now, when I’m working on collaborative projects with families, I often relate well with Latine parents who had similar immigrant stories to my own.”

As a researcher, one of her primary goals is to ensure that all of her work is inclusive and respectful of the families and communities it’s intended to help in the end.

“Research can sometimes do more harm than good, and I always try and be mindful of that,” Bermudez says. “That’s what I’ve loved about the work I’ve done through the School of Education, learning about the right approaches to doing research that is humanizing for the families and students who are our partners.

“I want to do research that lifts communities up that have typically been marginalized. And to make sure that I’m always working alongside families, making sure they’re a genuine part of the conversation and included in the process.”

Her empathy and curiosity shine through in the play-based learning study she’s currently conducting as the lead author of a student-faculty research team at UCI. The team recently completed its pilot study on “Number Ball: Learning Whole Numbers Through Play,” examining whether games with explicit math learning goals can improve early numeracy skills in K-2 students.

Bermudez and her co-authors are currently taking lessons learned from the pilot study, along with teacher feedback, to inform a second iteration. This revised version will hopefully be implemented in partnership with El Sol Science and Arts Academy of Santa Ana and the Santa Ana Unified School District during the 2023-24 school year – with the goal of making young students more receptive to, and prepared for, learning math skills in the classroom. Possible outcomes could include basketball courts divided into fractions and soccer fields embedded with numbering games.

“Math is such a big predictor of lots of things,” Bermudez says. “That’s why all of this is so important to me. The more we can get kids thinking about math in out-of-classroom contexts, hopefully fun ones, that will help with motivation when it comes to learning math in the classroom.”

Bermudez’s dedication to her work is already gaining recognition – both at UCI and beyond. In her first year in the doctoral program, Bermudez was named a Community Research Fellow in the School of Education’s OCEAN (Orange County Educational Advancement Network).

“That was an instrumental experience for me in learning how to do partnership work and learning participatory design methods,” Bermudez says.

“I also learned so much about methodology from my advisor, Dr. Bustamante, as well as Professor June Ahn, who are both PIs in the project I worked on with SAELI (Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative), designing play-based opportunities for STEM learning in community spaces.”

Now, when I’m working on collaborative projects with families, I often relate well with Latine parents who had similar immigrant stories to my own.

Earlier this year, she was also selected to the Student and Early Career Council of the Society for Research in Child Development, a national organization dedicated to using developmental research to improve the lives of children and families.

Bermudez is currently working on her dissertation proposal, which will expand on her research focused on how learning is accomplished in marginalized communities – including family- and play-based learning outside the classroom.

“I’m working with both teachers and parents on this,” Bermudez says. “By working with them to design learning programs, we can anticipate what issues certain students might have, and any disabilities present. We can also place this work in the context of learning what’s going on in children’s lives at this age – their interests, what their parents are doing, what their lives are like at home.”

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

35

ALUMNI .............................................................................................................................................................................................

The Transformative Power of Art LaTiara Roberts, MAT ’23 wants her students to see themselves as budding artists – and see what that shift in perspective can create.

By Phillip Jordan

Visit an art classroom led by LaTiara Roberts, MAT ’23 and one of the first things you’ll notice is the rapport she establishes with her students.

Establishing those connections is paramount to Roberts; she wants to always remember what it was like to be a student herself, dealing with all that comes with adolescence – the stress, the uncertainty, the anxieties.

Roberts, who was diagnosed with ADHD in her youth, knows how it feels to struggle to focus in the classroom, and how it feels to search for your place in the world as a teen. Art, Roberts believes, can help teens work through all that complexity.

“Art offers young people a chance to be seen and heard in ways they might not have for a long

36

time,” Roberts says. “It offers self-expression, helps you handle intense emotions, and gives you the chance to learn about yourself as you create.

Art also helps you find a community of people who have the same interests as you, or maybe are working through similar stuff you’re dealing with.”

“So, when my students walk in, I want them to relax, be creative, and feel like they belong in this space,” she continues. “I want my students to think of their classmates as fellow working artists and to think of our classroom as our studio. I want them to see themselves as budding artists – not just students who happen to be in an art class.”

Roberts, a Compton native, is a double Anteater who also earned a bachelor’s degree in art

Photo by Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging

from UCI in 2019. She believes in the transformative power of art because she has experienced it herself.

When she was young, some of the boys at her school taunted her, “primarily about my height and weight,” says Roberts, who was tall for her age growing up. “But it often felt like they were saying mean things to me just for existing.”

To cope, she would seclude herself and write fantasy stories based on the anime and manga stories she loved reading and watching. Eventually, she started illustrating them. In the process, she discovered something about herself.

“Drawing became something I truly enjoyed,” Roberts says. “It started off as a defense mechanism but, eventually, I started claiming art for myself, and really enjoying the process and the creativity.”

Fortunately, she had a supportive mother, who bought her a veritable library of art books, an art desk and supplies. “My mom was my first teacher who helped me learn what I liked and helped me keep going with it even when I felt discouraged,” she says.

Roberts wants to be that same type of supporter to her students, particularly those who come from marginalized communities. She is acutely aware that she’s entering a field where there are far fewer Black artists serving as art teachers. She wants to be a role model for girls of color who have yet to consider pursuing creative paths or educational careers.

One of Roberts’ teaching goals is to have students complete as much of their artwork assignments in class, rather than as homework. Why? Because Roberts knows that there are plenty of barriers to getting into art, particularly for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds – time, training and, especially, cost. The more art they can do at school, the fewer supplies they have to buy at home.

Roberts knew from an early age that she wanted to be a teacher. In UCI’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) + Credential program, she says, she learned to be as effective in the classroom as she is empathetic. Today, she looks back on her UCI professors as her greatest cheerleaders.

“They’re rooting for you to succeed and doing everything in their power to make that happen,” Roberts says. “And they thoroughly prepare you for the real world of teaching. There’s no sugarcoating the challenges and realities. But they prepare us for those and encourage us to bring our full, authentic selves to the role and see how our life experiences reflect in our teaching.”

As a teacher, Roberts hopes to pay her professors’ support forward. She knows that high school is often students’ introduction to art education, and she aims to dismantle the misconception that many students have – that “being artistic” is a talent you’re born with, rather than a skill to develop.

That’s why she connects personally with students, learns about their passions, and then incorporates their interests in her lessons and assignments.

Because she knows that even for students who don’t pursue careers in art, making art can become a life-changer.

“Yes, there are students who I’ll be able to prepare to become art majors or to pursue artistic professions,” Roberts says. “But there will be many more students who just need to be heard and seen through what they create. When I have students in my class tell me they feel like they’re taking their life back through their art, reclaiming their identity or gaining a sense of control over their life, that’s what’s important. That makes me emotional just thinking about it.”

Art also helps you find a community of people. ... So, when my students walk in, I want them to relax, be creative, and feel like they belong in this space.

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

37

CLASS NOTES .............................................................................................................................................................................................

Nadya Enamorado Forjan, Teaching Credential ’01 Dr. Forjan, is an esteemed graduate professor and dissertation chair for both the Ed.D. and Ph.D. programs at Walden University. In this role, she passionately designs captivating instructional materials, diligently assesses student progress, and adapts her teaching methods to cater to the diverse needs of her students. Additionally, Dr. Forjan serves as a faculty member at Broward College’s Bachelor Teacher Education Program.

There, she imparts knowledge through engaging lectures, evaluates student assignments with keen expertise, and actively participates in various university committees. Beyond her academic pursuits, Dr. Forjan is currently a candidate for the prestigious Presidential Leadership Scholarship.

This esteemed scholarship provides her with an exciting opportunity to apply her knowledge and skills to a personal leadership project, aimed at addressing critical problems or pressing issues in her community, country or even the world.

Residing in South Florida, Dr. Forjan is happily married to her high school sweetheart, who served the country with honor as a soldier in the United States Marine Corps. Together, they are proud parents of two college-bound children, making their family a symbol of dedication and achievement.

With a combination of academic excellence, dedication to teaching and a commitment to making a positive impact on the world, Dr. Forjan stands as an inspiring role model and a beacon of leadership in her community. ............................................................................

Wenli Jen, Credential ’04 Dr. Jen received her Certificate in Effective Online Teaching Practice and has continued to serve consulting clients in business, health and education industries in workforce development and executive coaching. Dr. Jen’s current research focuses on social and emotional learning through community participatory approaches, public health curriculum and instruction for workforce integration, and learning and development for employee engagement, retention and wellness.

38

Denise Collier, Ed.D. ’07 Dr. Collier was recently named one of four region superintendents in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

As Region West Superintendent, Dr. Collier supervises instructional staff and principals of 150 schools. As an educator with more than 30 years of experience, she has had several positions in LAUSD and has always championed academic excellence, student advocacy, and cultural proficiency and equity. ............................................................................

Alvaro Brito, M.A.T. + Credential ’09 Brito currently serves as a STEAM administrator at Compton Unified School District. He oversees the district’s Innovation Labs, FIRST LEGO Robotics Programs, is general manager for the growing middle and high school esports program, managing STEAM events, and is a leader in supporting teachers in 21st-century teaching and learning. He was awarded the Compton Unified Teacher of the Year Award for the 2020-21 school year for his distance/remote teaching and innovation leadership. Brito is an agent of change and is committed to supporting the local communities he grew up in through equity and social justice. ............................................................................

Reginald Sample, Ed.D. ’09 Dr. Sample is the principal supervisor for 18 TK-12 schools in South Los Angeles in the Los Angeles Unified School District – including historic Crenshaw High School, Dorsey High School and Washington Prep High School. In 2017, he was recognized as the School of Education’s Distinguished Alumnus at the UCI Alumni Association’s Lauds & Laurels Awards Ceremony.

Photos courtesy of the alumni

Frank Olmos, Ed.D. ’10 Dr. Olmos, a respected leader in diverse fields, continues his pivotal role as the research and evaluation coordinator for community schools and technology services at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. Dr. Olmos is currently spearheading a countywide data visualization project to break down barriers for students and families, promoting academic and career success.

In addition, he has initiated a consulting business to optimize staffing resources and manage prominent recruitments. Dr. Olmos maintains his educational impact as an adjunct statistics professor at California State University, Los Angeles. His books, varied work and new venture all underscore his commitment to advancing education through data-driven strategies. ............................................................................

Tera Czubernat, M.A.T. + Credential ’11 Czubernat is currently teaching in San Diego for her 13th year and recently completed her second year of CGI (cognitively guided instruction) through San Diego State University. She is married to Cameron Czubernat. ............................................................................

Jimmy Leak, Ph.D. ’12 Dr. Leak currently serves as research analyst at Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, NC. In March, Leak presented at the Association for Education Finance & Policy (AEFP) Annual Conference in Denver on research practice partnerships during the pandemic with colleagues from American Institutes for Research (AIR) and Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA). At AEFP, Dr. Leak also presented work as a part of a Gatesfunded grant on improving middle school math instruction with colleagues from Pivot (CORE) Learning. Most recently in June, Dr. Leak presented evaluation and data tools and systems for Guilford County’s nationally recognized tutoring program with colleagues from NWEA and Tulsa Public Schools at the NWEA Fusion Conference in Atlanta.

Marcus Evangelista, B.S. + Credential ’13 Evangelista graduated from UCI in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology/education and a teaching credential through the UCI CalTeach program. He received his master’s from John’s Hopkins University. Evangelista is currently an assistant principal at a high school as well as a UCI CalTeach lecturer. He and his wife, Emily, just celebrated the birth of their daughter, Madison. ............................................................................

Dave Szeto, M.A.T. + Credential ’14 Szeto transitioned to teaching after a decade in corporate finance and sales. After finding his dream job as a second grade teacher at Community Roots Academy, he will begin his ninth year of teaching and now has a beautiful family of five. His oldest daughter will attend his school in the fall. He credits the UCI M.A.T. program as being the catalyst to opening the doors to his true happiness.

............................................................................

Tara Barnhart, Ph.D. ’16 Dr. Barnhart is an assistant professor of education at Chapman University in Orange, Calif. She continues publishing research on science teacher noticing and professional development. She looks forward to seeing her fellow alumni at National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST).

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

39

Kevin Perez, B.A. ’17 Perez is a proud UCI alumnus with a B.A. in Education Sciences with a specialization in English language learning. A Ph.D. student at New York University and adjunct instructor at the City College of New York, Perez’s research focuses on successful Heritage Language Learners who become dual language immersion (DLI) teachers. With a background as a DLI teacher in California, he aims to address the shortage of highly qualified bilingual teachers in DLI programs by promoting targeted bilingual credential programs that utilize the linguistic and cultural assets of heritage language learners.

Yiwen “Rena” Li, B.A. ’22 Li completed her master’s degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, with a secondary teaching credential in mathematics. She graduated in 2023, one year after her undergraduate degree. She will be working starting the 2023-24 school year as a middle school math teacher in her previous high school in Los Angeles. ............................................................................

Andrea Negrete Chavez, B.A. ’23 Negrete Chavez has been working as a summer camp teacher since graduation. She looks forward to expanding her career as a preschool teacher this coming fall.

............................................................................

Ryan Dack M.A.T. + Credential ’18 Dack serves on the board of trustees for the South Orange County Community College District. With his election, Dack represents area 6 in the college district, with residents in parts of Irvine, Lake Forest and Portola Hills during his two-year term through 2024. Dack, who is originally from San Clemente, has been teaching history for both the Irvine and Laguna Beach Unified school districts since 2018.

He has also contributed to Laguna Beach Unified’s Distance Learner Intervention Program at Thurston Middle School as a lead educator. ............................................................................

Eryu Shang, B.A. ’19 Shang went to University of Pennsylvania for a master’s degree in computer and information technology and graduated in 2022. Now, with a career in the IT field, he is working as a global management trainee in a Fortune 500 company called British American Tobacco. Shang is considering returning to UCI for a part-time MBA degree next year.

............................................................................

Isabella Teresa Seccia, B.A. ’23 Seccia recently earned her B.A. in Education Sciences at UC Irvine in two years at 18 years of age. Seccia will continue to study at the School of Education as she commences the Ph.D. program this fall.

Seccia will study family learning with technology from a culturally informed perspective. She plans on designing and assessing learning technologies that respond to the needs and cultural practices of Latine families to ensure that the sphere of digital education is an accessible and inclusive space.

To submit alumni updates for future publications, please email education-communications@uci.edu

40

Photos courtesy of the alumni

Anteaters in Education Alumni Chapter Board Members

Dr. Tracy Carmichael ’03, ’13 Board President Chief Innovation Officer, Long Beach City College

Yvonne Mansouri ’04, ’05 Board Events Chair Owner & Tutor, Cambridge Learner’s Academy

Kim MacKeand ’04, ’05 Board Vice President

Alvaro Brito ’09 Board Treasurer

Belinda Espinoza ’05 Board Communications Chair

Social Sciences Teacher, Moreno Valley Unified School District

21st-Century Learning Specialist, Compton Unified School District

Thomas Arntson ’95

Megumi Cramer ’16

Xochitl Ortiz-Soto ’97

Elementary School Teacher, Brea Olinda Unified School District

Dir. of Student Support, Nevada Prep Charter School

High School Principal, Downey Unified School District; Adjunct Professor, Pepperdine University

Enrollment & Marketing Coordinator, Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange

AntBassadors Carolyn Brothers ’78, ’80 Mary Roosevelt ’75

Brenda Ramos ’19, ’20

Sabah Rashid ’04

Elementary School Teacher, La Habra City School District

Author, Upside Down; Head of Lower School & CECE, Léman Manhattan Preparatory School

Learn more about the Anteaters in Education Alumni Chapter Board Members at education.uci.edu/alumni-board-members

E D U C AT I O N . U C I . E D U

41

FA S T FA C T S

BY THE NUMBERS .................................................................................................................................

Data as of June 30, 2023

Grants $131 M

No. 8

School in education and education research globally – U.S. News & World Report

........................................................

123

Active grant funding

No. 4

Active grants

Public graduate school of education nationally for second year in a row – U.S. News & World Report

........................................................

RISE IN FUNDED RESEARCH BY YEAR $131M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $120M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $110M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $100M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $90M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $80M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $70M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $60M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $50M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $40M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $20M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $0M

2015

($40M)

2016

($43M)

2017

($46M)

2018

($63M)

2019

($90.9M)

2020

($96.1M)

2021

($110M)

2022

($121M)

2023

($131M)

26

20

17

10

Active grants from the National Science Foundation

Active grants from the National Institutes of Health

Active grants from the Institute of Education Sciences

Active grants from the U.S. Department of Education

Giving Total Donors in FY23:

267

No. 3

in funded research per faculty member nationally – U.S. News & World Report

........................................................

No.11

Graduate school of education nationally – U.S. News & World Report

........................................................

10,000+ Alumni worldwide

........................................................

1,000+

Students in three degree programs ........................................................

5

Academy Members

including the National Academy of Education

UCI is consistently recognized as a trailblazer in a broad range of fields, garnering national and international honors.

No.1

Choice of in-state first-generation students among UC campuses

118.67% increase from FY22 134.85% increase from FY21

........................................................

No.3

Best College in the Nation for Diversity – Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education

42

Leaving a Lasting Legacy at UC Irvine’s School of Education

UC Irvine School of Education Alumna Vicki Vasques ’81 gives generously, deciding to name the UC Irvine School of Education as a beneficiary of her estate to encourage more alumni and friends of the School to give.

“If I can make a difference for one person, especially in the field of education, to follow their dream and passion, then I’m all in to giving back!”

If you already have UC Irvine listed as a beneficiary in your estate or would like to consider making a philanthropic impact by including the UC Irvine School of Education in your estate, please contact Duane Rohrbacher, J.D., Ph.D., Executive Director of Development, at duane.rohrbacher@uci.edu

plannedgiving.uci.edu

Thank you to our 2022-2023 Dean’s Leadership Society Members.

(July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023) .............................................................................................................................................................................................

Lifetime Members ($1M+)

Dean’s Associates Members ($25K+)

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LLC

Carol Booth Olson and Todd Huck

Charles Stewart Mott Foundation

Human Options, Inc.

Edison International

Sonny and Martha Kothari

Jacobs Foundation

Parker Hannifin

Mellon Foundation National Math & Science Initiative, Inc.

Gold Members ($5K+)

Stacey Nicholas

Anonymous Donors

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union

Sreeram Balakrishnan and Roopa Ramaswamy

The Spencer Foundation

CARS (College Access, Readiness and Success)

William T. Grant Foundation

Christine Baron Crevier Family Foundation

Legacy Members (Planned Gift)

Keith Curry ’11

Anonymous Donors

Roger and Marjorie Davisson

Christopher ’68 and Sherryl Wilson

Arnold ’90 and Esther Gutierrez

Darlene Bailey ’71, ’72, ’77

Julie and Peter Hill

Jean Leslie†

Douglas and Sandra Jackson

James and Claudia Looney

Richard Kwong ’04

Frances Smith†

Pacific Life Foundation

Victoria ’81 and Fabrice Vasques

Cheryll ’70 and Richard Ruszat SubjectToClimate

Dean’s Cabinet Members ($100K+)

Eva Thomas

Carolyn Brothers ’78, ’80

Deborah and Kerry Vandell

Kevin ’10 and Stephanie Tsao

44

Sustaining Members ($500+)

Tara Sreekrishnan

Richard Arum and Joan Malczewski

Jeanne Stone

Glen Baron

Irene Thomas and Linwood Howard

Marguerite Bonous-Hammarth

Jason Tong ’02

and Germain Hammarth

Adriana Villavicencio and Diallo Shabazz

Brandon Brown ’04

Steven Vo ’23

Cynthia Brown

Myuriel ’96, ’11, ’12 and John ’96 von Aspen

James and Blake Bullock

Nhu Weinberg ’05

Kimberly Burge ’69, ’83, ’99

Doron ’02, ’17, ’18 and Joanne Zinger

Juan Calcagno Gustavo and Roxana Carlo

Recent Alumni Members ($250+)

Kelvin Chuang ’09

(Graduated within last 10 years)

Climate Generation

Tracy Carmichael ’03, ’13

Joseph Connor

Vincent Ha ’20

Frances Contreras

Kevin Mendez ’19

Brian Dang ’07, ’13, ’14

............................................................................

Greg and Dorothy Duncan Derek Dunn-Rankin and Katherine Martin

Bold = UCI Alumni

Albert ’72, ’73 and Anne Encinias

Italics = UCI Trustee

Arif ’94 and Azmina Haji

† = Deceased

Robert and Karina Hamilton Michael and Rufie Harr Yvonne Mansouri ’04, ’05 Florence Martinez Stephanie Martinez Paleontological Research Institution Philip Collins Amanda Piha Elizabeth Peña and Kurt Hachmeister Presidio Graduate School Wendy Robello ’04 Mary Roosevelt ’75 Simon Foundation for Education and Housing Gary ’74 and Melanie Singer

University of California, Irvine 3200 Education Irvine, CA 92697-5500 education.uci.edu