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December 2009

Counseling and Human Services Offering Adventure in Education Course

This Adventure in Education course is based on the concept that we learn best by doing. Adhering to this belief, students will participate in initiatives and activities.
Counseling programs can benefit from activities and initiatives that help build teams, encourage effective communication and problem solving skills and create a supportive atmosphere.

One of the major components in Adventure Education will be the art of processing the activities and transferring the learning to every day life.
Developing processing and facilitating skills will be a major component of this program. Students will be expected to actively participate as well as develop and lead new activities.

Another aspect to this course is to add a variety of fun, thought provoking and problem solving initiatives that can be replicated for counselors in the field. These initiatives will be an affordable and portable alternative to building a challenge course.

November 2009

LR&F Offering Two New Cognate Areas to Leadership in Education Degree

The Department of Leadership, Research, & Foundations has added two cognate areas to its Master of Arts in Leadership Degree.

The two new cognate areas, one in P-16 Education and one in Research & Foundations, enable those wishing to pursue a masters degree without licensure to do so, with the option of attaining licensure later on after being awarded a master's degree within five years. The two new programs allow the degree with a cognate area focus and licensure to be completed in the same amount of credit-hours as the traditional degree.

For more information, see the updated Master of Arts in Leadership Education degree page.

October 2009

COE Counseling Faculty Present at National ACES Conferences

The presentation, entitled "Translating Group Process & Dynamics Into Children’s Language," will be shown at the 2009 Association for Counselor Education & Supervision conference in San Diego, CA, on October 14 - 18.

Two COE faculty members, Rhonda Williams and Joseph Wehrman, will be presenting, in addition to Grace Ann Mims, Ph.D., University of Nebraska at Kearny and Duane Halbur, Ph.D., Minnesota State University at Moorehead.

COE Counseling Students Pass National Test at 98 Percent; Programs Reaccredited

Graduate students in the Department of Counseling and Human Services in the College of Education were recently notified of the results of the nationally administered Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination. UCCS students passed at a 98 percent rate with one-third of the students scoring above the 90th percentile, according to David Fenell, professor, Education. Additionally, the Department of Counseling and Human Services graduate programs in Community Counseling and School Counseling were reaccredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs until 2016.

Courtesy Office of University Relations

National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME)

The NAME Conference is the largest annual meeting of leading Multicultural Education teachers, practitioners, activists, scholars and researchers. The conference, "A Mile High Committment to Change: Reaching New Heights in Equity and Social Justice Throughout the Global Community," is from October 28 to November 1 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Denver.

>> Visit NAME's main website
http://www.nameorg.org

September 2009

Education Faculty and Staff Selected for Research Grants

Faculty and staff members in the UCCS College of Education were recently awarded more than $500,000 in sponsored research grants to improve the recruitment and training of southern Colorado K-12 teachers.

Lindy Crawford, associate dean, College of Education, Randall DePry, associate professor and chair of the Department of Special Education, College of Education, and John Weathers, assistant professor, College of Education, will each be principal investigators on grants designed to develop current teachers’ abilities in math and science as well as to recruit high-ability students to careers in education and assist classroom para-professionals to become classroom teachers. The faculty members will work closely with staff in the Troops to Teachers Program, Meghan Diderrich, associate regional director, and Bob Leonard, Colorado and Nebraska state director, who will serve as co-investigators. Additionally, the faculty will work with in educators in several southern Colorado public school districts and with faculty at other Colorado universities.

LaVonne Neal, dean, College of Education, lauded the successful efforts of faculty and staff in preparing superior proposals selected in highly competitive processes through the Colorado Department of Higher Education.

“With innovative teacher preparation program and assessment designs, faculty and staff in the College of Education are answering the call to universities issued by former CU System President, Dr. Gordon Gee,  to be ‘architects of change,’’’ Neal said. “The total of these grants is approximately 50 percent of the state funding dispersed by the Colorado Department of Higher Education for teacher preparation. This demonstrates the high-quality of the UCCS faculty and staff.”

Courtesy Office of University Relations

>> View CU Communique Article

August 2009

COE Associate Dean Receives $1.5 Million Grant from DOE

A successful program to teach math to non-English speakers will be modified to teach youngsters with disabilities skills considered vital for success in the 21st century.

Lindy Crawford, associate professor, Education, recently received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to support a three-year project designed to assist students with math learning disabilities. The goal is that students will successfully engage in grade-appropriate math instruction.

“Algebra is the gateway to success,” Crawford said recently. “The project focuses on algebra and other critically important middle school math content to help students navigate a world filled with mathematical meaning.”

Crawford will team with Digital Directions International, Inc. to design a supplemental Web-based curriculum aligned with national and state math standards to get middle school-aged students working at their appropriate grade levels. The program will be individualized so that students will begin at their knowledge base and progress at their own pace. Teachers will receive frequent updates on students’ progress and knowledge of basic skills.

Much of the programming will carry forward successful components of Crawford’s previous partnership with Digital Directions International, Inc. Their combined efforts to teach mathematics to non-English speakers included using color and music to keep children’s interest while using the computer program.

“For decades, we have concentrated on low reading skills,” Crawford said. “But in a digital society, math is fundamental as well.”

Crawford will work with teachers and students in Colorado school districts to design and implement the program. Colorado Springs School Districts 11 and 20 have already expressed interest in helping with the design and testing of the program as have Denver Public Schools and rural school districts in southeastern Colorado.

“This is a pilot test in Colorado only but we want to be sure to have input from students and teachers in urban and rural districts,” Crawford said. “This research will, we hope, make it possible to replicate use of the program in other states.”

Assisting Crawford as research assistants will be Megan Schmeister, a former K-12 special education teacher and UCCS College of Education graduate, and Marilee McDonald, a former high school math teacher. The three will work with teachers and students this fall and begin testing the new program by Jan. 2010.

Digital Directions International, Inc. is a socially-responsible, educational technology pioneer and publisher of digital educational content. DDI is focused on developing and distributing online supplemental and educational intervention software products in mathematics and science, especially for English Language Learners, Latino, and other students in need.

UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in Colorado Springs, is one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The University offers 30 bachelor’s degrees, 19 master’s, and five doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 8,000 students annually.

Courtesy Office of University Relations

July 2009

Mexican Scholars Learn ESL Skills at UCCS

Five faculty members from the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico will visit the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs from July 19 to Aug. 1 to study English as a second language for teachers.

Their visit is part of a UCCS program to help people who speak other languages. The program is in the College of Education's department of curriculum and instruction. The college offers a 12-credit English as a second language, or ESL, certificate.

The Tec de Monterrey is one of the most prestigious and innovative providers of private education in Latin America, boasting a presence in 31 Mexican states and 13 offices worldwide. The university serves more than 92,000 students and 8,000 faculty members.

The UCCS College of Education is accredited by the National Council of Accreditation of Teacher Education, and received the highest accreditation possible last year. Each semester, the college enrolls more than 400 undergraduate and graduate students in areas of study such as special education, counseling, curriculum and instruction, and leadership.
The college also provides professional development for hundreds of practicing educators throughout the region.

Courtesy CU Faculty and Staff Newsletter

Seminar: Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movement

July is nearly here and we at Facing History and Ourselves still have a few educator scholarships and community participant spaces available for our 5-day Race and Membership in American History: The Eugenics Movementsummer seminar. Throughout the course of the week, we will examine how notions of inclusion and exclusion have affected our understanding of “what it means to be an American."

Please consider joining Facing History for this exploration of a nearly forgotten history.

Professional development credits will be available for participants. Undergraduate & graduate credits through the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs can also be purchased. Breakfast and lunch are provided each day.

If you are unable to commit to the full 5 days, please see our attached agenda for sessions that are open to the public. To ensure that we have adequate supplies, we require that you notify us prior to attending an open session.

If you have questions about the week, please contact Heather Frazier at 303-316-4848 or heather_frazier@facing.org.

COE Counselor Appointed to National Counseling Board

Effective July 1, 2009 Dr. Joseph Wehrman has been appointed as a board member for the National Board for Certified Counselors. NBCC is a national and international credentialing body for professional counselors with approximately 42, 000 credential holders.

The Department of Counseling and Human Services master program is CACREP accredited allowing students to be eligible to take a national certification exam and, if successfully completed, receive certification from NBCC as a National Certified Counselor. Dr. Wehrman will work as a board member to help shape and influence the counseling profession both domestically and abroad.

He considers this opportunity to be a significant honor as the board is made up of leaders from across the nation. Furthermore, his appointment provides national recognition of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the quality of its programs.

June 2009

The Knapsack Institute: Transforming the Curriculum at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs

The Knapsack Institute: Transforming the Curriculum supports educators across the nation as they create or revise courses and workshops to integrate race/ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class and other forms of social inequality into their work. The Knapsack Institute is a program of The Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion, the home of the White Privilege Conference.

May 2009

COE Student Teacher, Faculty Published in Black History Bulletin

The College of Education has recently had two of its own featured in the latest issue of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History's Black History Bulletin.

Kristin Krull, a student teacher and TEP Program participant, discussed her experience with African-American poetry in her article Global Contributions of African-American Writers: Using Poetry to Facilitate Connections Between Historical Periods and Students' Personal Experiences.

COE Associate Professor Leslie Grant discussed multilingualism and its long, tumultuous history in the United States in her article Multilingualism in the United States: Where We've Been and Where We Are.

April 2009

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) Grant

The State of Colorado was recently named as one of six states to receive a $500,000 grant from the National Governor’s Association to establish regional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education networks.  The Colorado STEM Network, comprised of five Regional Compacts, will coordinate with Governor Bill Ritter’s P-20 Education Council, The Colorado Achievement Plan for Kids, and the Governor’s Jobs Cabinet.  The activities of this grant align directly with the Governor’s education agenda to decrease the dropout rate, to double number of degrees and certificates, and to close the achievement gap.

COE to Present Research at AREA Meeting

The College of Education (COE) faculty, staff, and students will be presenting research at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting and Exhibit April 13-17, 2009 at San Diego, CA. The COE panoply of research topics are (1) self determination and educational opportunity among Latinos and Chicanos, (2) preparing 21st Century school leaders: can it be done online?, (3) the role of cognitive dissonance in inclusive practices of school-based occupational therapists, (4) the effects of a supplemental mathematics curriculum for English language learners, etc.

AERA, founded in 1916 is the most prominent international professional organization, with the primary goal of advancing educational research and its practical application. Its more than 26,000 members are educators; administrators; directors of research; persons working with testing or evaluation in federal, state and local agencies; counselors; evaluators; graduate students; and behavioral scientists.

COE Adventure in Education Course Available for Spring 2009!

In April and May, Dr. Rhonda Williams, an assistant professor in Counseling and Human Services at the College of Education at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, will be instructing Adventure in Education, COUN 507 C01 through Extended Studies.

Adventure in Education is based on the concept that we learn best by DOING! Adhering to this belief, students will participate in initiatives and activities. Counseling programs can benefit from activities and initiatives that help build teams, encourage effective communication and problem solving skills and create a supportive atmosphere.

Contact Cindy Brown for course registration informationat cbrown@uccs.edu.

March 2009

Dean Neal Keynote Speaker at Aurora Education Forum

More than 250 parents, students and staff members attended the “Educating a Rainbow of Children” forum recently at Aurora Central High School. Presenters discussed equity in the classroom and shared culturally responsive teaching and counseling strategies.

The keynote speaker featured nationally-known educator Dr. La Vonne Neal, Dean of Education at the University of Colorado. Guest speakers included Dwight Jones, Colorado Commissioner of Education and Glenn Singleton, author of the book “Courageous Conversations About Race.”

courtesy APS Communcation Department

UCCS, Harrison Partner Up in Teacher Recruitment

The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS), College of Education in collaboration with Harrison School District 2 would like to invite you to participate in a one-of-a-kind early recruitment and tuition reimbursement program. If selected for this program, Harrison School District will reimburse you up to $4,000 per semester for a maximum of three semesters. In return, you must commit to work as a classroom teacher in the Harrison School District. For every one semester of tuition reimbursement, you will teach in the Harrison School District for one year.

Harrison School District Two will collaborate with the College of Education (COE) at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs to improve teacher quality on the front end – before the teachers start working for the District. This collaboration represents a significant investment in improving teacher effectiveness over the long term.

The goal of the plan is to recruit teachers with the skills and talents to become effective teachers of Harrison’s students. Harrison will identify and invite UCCS students who are currently accepted and enrolled in the Teacher Education Program at the undergraduate or graduate level.

Applications are due on April 15, 2009. Contact Aimee Pavlik at apavlik@uccs.edu, or 719-255-3227, for more information or if would like to apply for this one-of-a-kind early recruitment program!

2009 U.S. - Korea Foreign Relations Forum

Join U.S. and Korean panelists to discuss prevalent issues in U.S. and Korean foreign relations. Topics include: foreign policy, security, and the role of higher education.

Date: Friday, March 13, 2009
Location: University Theater Room 303 University Center

For additional information and RSVP, please contact Debby Jennings at djenning@uccs.edu or 719-255-3718.

College of Education Job Fair Coming Soon!

COE students will have the opportunity to distribute résumés and become candidates for interviews.

The event is Friday, March 13, 2009 beginning at 9 am in the UCCS Lodge.

February 2009

Daughter of Civil Rights Pioneer to Speak at UCCS

When Nancy Todd was nearly struck waiting for a ride to school, she and her family catapulted into the then-burgeoning U.S. civil rights movement.

Now, more than 60 years since that incident and 55 years since the landmark court case that ended school segregation and the nation’s “separate but equal” doctrine, Todd will speak of her experiences and those of her late mother, Lucinda Todd. Her visit is part of Black History Month celebrations at UCCS.

“Lessons from Brown vs. Board of Education: The Quest for Black Citizenship” will begin at 6 p.m. and include a buffet dinner and a community panel in addition to comments by Nancy Todd and her husband, Ramon Noches. The event is free. Sponsors include the NAACP, the UCCS College of Education, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the Colorado Springs Diversity Forum. To attend, contact Carla Rupprecht, 255-4134 or crupprec@uccs.edu, by Feb. 10.

>> Click here to read more

January 2009

COE Student Teachers Head to Daegu, South Korea

Five student teachers from the College of Education Teacher Education Program have been selected to complete an international field experience at the Daegu English Village in South Korea.  Shannon Doering,  Jennifer Hallock,  Mitch Karstens, Natascha Vander Molen,  and Malgorzata Trybula were selected in a highly competitive process to represent the UCCS College of Education. 

The teachers, accompanied by Dr. Barbara Frye, Director of Teacher Education Program, will be in residence at the Village from January 10th- 30th, 2009.   The student teachers will work closely with mentors who are currently full-time instructors at the Village. 

They are the first student teachers from COE to travel abroad as part of their teacher training.

Educating Children of Color

January 10, 2009, 8 am to 4: 30 pm at Harrison High School.

The keynote will be given by Mychal Wynn, author of Teaching, Parenting, and Mentoring Succesful Black Males.

4th Annual CRTLC Symposium: "From Innovation to Action."