As part of a U.S. Department of Education-funded project, Lora Cohen-Vogel, Ph.D., Frank A. Daniels Jr. Distinguished Professor, second from left, is working with, from left to right, alumni Seth Brown (’97 A.B.Ed.), Christopher Harrison (’15 Ph.D.), and Thomas Feller Jr. (’20 Ed.D.) to establish a continuous improvement program in Eastern North Carolina’s Pitt County Schools. The project ultimately aims to expand the professional learning of and diversity among the district’s teachers and school leaders. Learn more at ed.unc.edu/pitt
Education CAROLINA THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL SPRING 2022 SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
Photo courtesy of Zachary Pomeroy/Pitt County Schools
As education professionals, you have continued to lead and adapt for the students, families, and communities in your care. The value of your work cannot be overstated.
With the end of this spring semester, I also get to share good news. In May, we welcomed the Class of 2022 to our alumni ranks. Our newest graduates have overcome unique circumstances throughout their academic careers, and I believe their experiences have taught them to persist and lead through unprecedented challenges. I have high hopes for our new alumni, and I hope you meet some of them in your schools and organizations.
All my Fouadbest,Abd-El-Khalick Dean and Professor Fellow Tar Heels,
The end of another academic year is upon us, and it has again been a year of mixed Studentsemotions.haveattended classes in person, participated in on-campus activities, and discovered themselves as members of our Carolina community. Our faculty have provided the highest quality education and care for students while conducting high-impact research. Sta have tirelessly ensured our successes.
U.S. News & World Report ranks the School as the No. 23 school of education in the nation, up two places from last year. We are the No. 14 public school of education, and the No. 1 education school in North Carolina. This ranking demonstrates a deep commitment to education, a commitment held by our faculty, sta , students, alumni, and supporters. This ranking is our collective achievement.
Thank you for your commitment to Propel the World on behalf of educators and learners in our state and beyond.
We have all surmounted challenges in our communities, including challenges resulting from a lingering pandemic and a growing need for mental health care.
Please enjoy this issue of Carolina Education as we highlight the people within our School and their work to realize the transformative power of education. We have extraordinary students. Doctoral student Luz Robinson received a grant to develop a game that makes math more accessible for Hispanic youth. You will hear from undergraduate Ashlen Wright, who is leading a campus group to raise mental health awareness. And you will also meet Tatiana Aguilar, a May graduate who leaves Chapel Hill for a summer internship at the CDC.
Our School continues to uphold high standards on behalf of educators and learners.
And our faculty members continue to collaborate with North Carolina educators, serving classes, schools, and districts across the state. As you can see on the cover, Lora Cohen-Vogel, Frank A. Daniels Jr. Distinguished Professor, is leading a project to implement continuous improvement processes within Pitt County Schools. We are also excited to announce a new partnership with Person County Schools. Work is underway to launch the K-2 Carolina Community Academy in Roxboro, N.C. This work to advance education on behalf of North Carolinians is central to our mission and to our maxim — Propel the World.
Doctoral student wins Ford PredoctoralFoundationFellowship
NEWS
Luz Robinson, a second-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program, has won a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, a highly selective award that provides three years of support during pursuit of a doctorate.
Matthew Springer, Ph.D., Hussman Distinguished Professor of Education Reform, co-authored a recent study which found reforms of teacher evaluation systems across the country during the last dozen years have largely failed their primary goal: To raise student academic performance. The authors say this study provides the broadest and most generalizable evidence of the e icacy of teacher evaluation reforms in the U.S.
Glazier wins Distinguished Teaching Award
Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Ph.D., dean and professor, was selected to receive the 2022 Distinguished Contributions to Science Education through Research Award, the highest honor bestowed by the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. It recognizes scholars who — over at least 20 years since earning their doctorate — have made significant contributions to, provided notable leadership in, and had substantial impact on science education through research. Abd-El-Khalick is a leading science education researcher in precollege grades and teacher-education settings. He has made transformative contributions to scholarship focused on the teaching, learning, and assessment of “nature of science,” which describes characteristics of scientific knowledge and how that knowledge is developed and validated.
Abd-El-Khalick receives top NARST award
Study: Teacher evaluation reforms failed to improve student outcomes
The award will support a project in which Robinson will create a game intended to help elementary school students — especially Hispanic students — overcome mathematics anxiety and develop greater confidence in using mathematics. Robinson’s project includes a study of the e ectiveness of the intervention, research that will contribute to her dissertation. The work is important because Hispanic students are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and in post-secondary STEM academic programs, Robinson said.
Associate Professor Jocelyn Glazier, Ph.D., was named one of 25 UNC-Chapel Hill faculty members and teaching assistants to receive 2022 University Teaching Awards. She was one of four faculty members from across the University to be named a winner of a Distinguished Teaching Award for PostBaccalaureate Instruction. Glazier teaches in the Culture, Curriculum, and Teacher Education concentration of the Ph.D. program and the School’s master’s degree programs, including the Master of Arts in Teaching program.
Ashlen Wright (‘22 B.A.Ed.)
Finding our Sources of Strength for a healthier Carolina
I hope this course is o ered next semester and beyond, not just to School of Education students but to every student on campus. I hope the University can add new elective courses focused on mental health. I hope the club continues to create awareness and support for student mental health. I hope we are able to foster student-led support, so students don’t rely solely on campus counseling services. I hope the University continues to support the wellness of their students. Most importantly, I hope every Carolina student, now and in the future, will be healthy and feel whole.
This semester, Dorothy Espelage, Ph.D., William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education, and doctoral student Anne Drescher led “Sources of Strength,” a firstof-its-kind course at Carolina aimed at promoting mental health and preventing suicide. Made possible by a $50,000 grant from the Triad Foundation and awarded by Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz, the course draws from Sources of Strength, a best practices youth suicide prevention project designed to harness the power of peer social networks to change unhealthy norms and culture. As part of the course, students also launched a Universityrecognized club, engaging with students at on-campus events and planning campaigns to make Carolina a healthier campus. Ashlen Wright, president of the club, reflects on the semester: A s an out-of-state student with plans to major in business, I can say with certainty that Carolina is a competitive place. We all have high expectations for ourselves and for the world. We’re all good students who have, for the most part, been successful in our academic careers. For this reason, it’s di icult to admit when we’re struggling. When the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to remote learning, I definitely struggled with the transition. I took time o and started tutoring— and fell in love with teaching and helping kids with online schooling. When students came back to campus last fall, I changed my major to Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) because of its focus on education and student well-being. HDFS connected with my interest in mental health. In high school, a good friend passed away from suicide. That had a huge impact on me and showed just how important addressing mental health is. As I pursued this new major, I observed that more and more of my fellow students were struggling to adjust back to in-person schooling. Many were burned out from the financial, health, and academic pressures of COVID-19. It seemed impossible to maintain our past energy and passion for learning. Students needed more mental health support from the University. A class focused on student wellness and a new campus group felt so necessary. Bringing Sources of Strength to UNC provided a perfect opportunity. Sources of Strength takes a di erent approach than most mental health programs, as it is peer-driven and strengths-based. The program provides a preventionfocused, upstream solution to mental health crises on campus. We felt that it could provide a much-needed cultural shift. When Dr. Espelage told me about this opportunity, I knew I wanted to be part of it and lead the new student club. This program has provided a space — sponsored and funded by the University — to really talk about mental health with other students. For me, that alone has been impactful. In class, we have dug into the eight sources of strength — which includes family, friends, generosity, health activities, and more — in e orts to understand how we each can achieve well-being. In addition to taking the course, I am leading the Sources of Strength Club, which works across campus on outreach projects related to mental health — to contribute to community well-being. So what’s my hope for all of this — the course, the club, this campus?
Aguilar began her time at Carolina with neuroscience as her declared major. It wasn’t until her junior year she realized she needed a major that would enable her to engage with members of the community. She switched her major to HDFS.
“This internship would not have happened without the mentorship that Helyne Frederick provided along with the intimate setting provided in this program,” Aguilar said. “You just don’t have that in every program at UNC, and it has been pivotal to my success in HDFS and beyond.”
Promoting health equity, strengthening communities
This summer, Aguilar, a May 2022 graduate of the UNC School of Education’s Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) program, begins to fulfill that dream as a Project Imhotep intern.
The interdisciplinary pre-professional HDFS program prepares undergraduates for careers or graduate programs in human services, counseling, and allied health — fields that provide wraparound services for young learners — as well as in education. These wraparound services are essential in K-12 and ones the School will incorporate into the Carolina Community Academy (which you will read about in the story to the right).
Helyne Frederick, Ph.D., HDFS director, and program faculty members bring a range of professional and academic experiences and areas of study to the program’s courses. Ultimately, students develop knowledge and skills to advocate for the well-being of children, youth, and families in diverse contexts, and gain a view of education that goes well beyond the “HDFSclassroom.isaprogram that merges research, health, education, and human services, which are all aspects I wanted out of a program,” Aguilar said. “This degree can help take me anywhere I want to go in the future.”
Project Imhotep is Morehouse College’s 11-week, residential internship program in collaboration with the CDC. The program aims to increase the knowledge and skills of underrepresented students in biostatistics, epidemiology, and occupational safety and health. Interns work with the CDC full-time from May through August, with one-on-one mentorship. By the end of the internship, they will have co-authored a paper for a scientific journal.
Tatiana Aguilar (‘22 B.A.Ed.)
FINDING A MAJOR FOCUSED ON YOUTH AND COMMUNITY WELL BEING
Helyne Frederick
S ince middle school, Tatiana Aguilar’s career goal has been to work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That goal was a result of her experiences volunteering with the Boys and Girls Club in Charlotte as a teen. Aguilar said that many of the members she worked with were first-generation immigrant youth who lived in public housing or were from underrepresented “Ascommunities.aBoysand Girls Club volunteer, I realized that for many of the youth and families we served, access to health resources and services was a privilege, not a right,” Aguilar said. “This sparked my interest in health promotion and health equity.”
“Carolina Community Academy, and our partnership with Person County Schools, will bring the knowledge and expertise of our faculty, sta , and students to serve the people of our state,” Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said.
“We want to take the best care of students who have been entrusted to UNC-Chapel Hill. This partnership resonates with the four guiding pillars of the School of Education: collaborating for the greater good, educating the whole, empowering the leaders of tomorrow, and driving innovation. The Carolina Community Academy is a great opportunity for the School of Education and Carolina to put these pillars into action as we continue to expand our engagement with communities across the state,” said Abd-El-Khalick.
The North Carolina General Assembly passed a law in 2016 that directed the UNC System to create nine laboratory schools in partnership with public school districts. Carolina Community Academy will be the ninth to “Weopen.arepartnering with Person County and other University units to build exceptional teaching, learning, development, and engagement experiences for academy students, educators, families, and community members.
Carolina collaborates with Person County to launch the Carolina Community Academy
improved and integrated curriculum, social-emotional learning, and robust wraparound services to best support the “Thestudents.premise of the Carolina Community Academy is to care for the whole child. In addition to great teaching, learning, and educational leadership, we will bolster community engagement and wraparound services,” Abd-El-Khalick said. “Schools exist in social, economic, and cultural realities, and we need to attend to and support all dimensions that impact the learning, development, and well-being of students.”
The academy’s classrooms will function similarly to classrooms throughout the state while integrating evidence-based practices and innovative approaches,
Abd-El-Khalick said the coalition serving the Carolina Community Academy has generated interest from Carolina units which include the School of Social Work, Adams School of Dentistry, Gillings School of Global Public Health, School of Library and Information Science, School of Medicine — particularly, Allied Health and pediatrics — Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, Sonja Haynes Stone Center, and Carolina Athletics.
“This is what it means to be passionately public. Through long-term investment and coordination with community partners, we can make a di erence in the lives of so many students and their families.”
Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will partner with Person County Schools to launch the Carolina Community Academy, an innovative school for K-2 students at North Elementary in Roxboro, N.C. UNC-Chapel Hill will function as the school district for the academy, and the UNC School of Education will lead the initiative which brings together a cross-campus coalition to best serve students, families, and the Person County community. The inaugural class of students will start at Carolina Community Academy on Aug. 20 and include two kindergarten classrooms with 15 to 19 students per class. The school will expand to include first and second grades in future academic years.
To this end, the partnership will bring the full bandwidth of Carolina’s expertise and opportunities to our students so they can reach their fullest potential,” said School of Education Dean Fouad Abd-El-Khalick.
The academy was designed as a “school within a school” to provide a seamless transition for students at North Elementary. After finishing second grade at the academy, students will simply move down the hall to begin third grade with the same classmates at North Elementary.
$74,584 RAISED 164 DONORS generousthanks to and featuring 8 CHALLENGES fromincredibleourAlumni
and one anonymous donor
Thanks to the generosity of the UNC School of Education community of faculty, sta , students, alumni, and supporters of public education, the School raised more than $74,000 during GiveUNC, Carolina’s annual day of giving, on March 29. We are incredibly grateful to members of our Alumni Council who made gifts to challenge our alumni — from the 1960s to the 2020s — and to one anonymous donor made a $30,000 gift after we received 100 total gifts. Thank you to all who supported educational research, educators, and students during GiveUNC! Thank you! Council
Help Tar Heel teachers into their first classrooms
Each year, our Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) graduates enter their first classrooms ready to become North Carolina’s most e ective teachers. Since 2020, the School and its supporters have sent our MAT graduates into their careers with a little added support from the UNC School of Education community. Make a gift today to help send the Class of 2022 into the classroom with Carolina blue teacher boxes filled with classroom supplies and UNC School of Education swag! Support the Teacher Box Campaign!
send the newest
William McLaughlin ('21 M.A.T.)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Campus Box 3500, Peabody Hall Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500 UNC-CHAPELU.S.NONPROFITPOSTAGEHILL PAID
Read the story using this QR code.
How our alumni Propel the World
The James Webb Space Telescope launched Dec. 25, 2021, destined for a point a million miles from Earth where it unfurled gold-plated mirrors and began searching our universe. It did so bearing the name of alumnus James E. Webb (’28 A.B.Ed.).