SPRING 2010 VOL. 14 – NO. 2 INSIDE Moving On Stepping Up Facilities Facilitate Funding Global Vision Immersion Learning Prepared for Anything In the News In Memory DATE NIGHT for Parents of Children with Disabilities by Joe Linehan Joe Linehan is a master’s student in the Early Intervention Program and is planning to graduate at the end of summer term 2010. Raising children with disabilities can be a full-time job. Between shuttling them to school, therapy, and doctor’s appointments; cooking; clean- ing; and working on their child’s goals around the home, personal leisure time is hard to come by. Without a doubt, these moments parents spend with their children are invaluable and the true foun- dations for promoting healthy living and develop- mental growth, but too often parents may find themselves reminiscing about times that are now lost, when they took vacations, went out to dinner or the movies, or even just went for a stroll around the block. This free time often disap- pears with diagnosis, because parents can’t find the time or may feel guilty taking a break from their child’s life. They know how pivotal the first few years of their child’s life is to their future development. Taking breaks is essential for parents with children with dis- abilities for many reasons. Breaks can help parents decompress and renew the strength it takes to advocate for their child, rekindle the love that binds and supports couples when times are E D U C A T I O N U N I V E R S I T Y O F O R E G O N C O L L E G E O F E D U C A T I O N matters stressful, or even simply provide parents with time to reorganize their medical documents, fix a broken gate, or vacuum under the couch. On Saturday, March 13, the Early InterventionProgram (EIP) master’s students at the University of Oregon, in collaboration with Early Childhood CARES and Head Start, sponsored Date Night for families to celebrate all that parents do for their families by offering free respite care for children who have disabilities and their siblings. Twenty EIP students and professor Erin Barton organized the event, and EIP, the Early Childhood CARES’ A Child’s Garden, and Head Start graciously offered the use of their classrooms on campus. Within two weeks of opening registration time, Date Night had reached its maximum enrollment number at 32 children, serving 15 families in all. Children enrolled ranged from 18 months to nine years old, with parents dropping off anywhere from one to five of their children. The night’s activities included dinner, an outside time where children raced on tricycles and made sandcastles, and inside activities such as building with blocks and painting, and watching a movie in our “theater room.” Those children who grew tired toward the end of the evening could cuddle up with a stuffed animal and pillow and rest in a quiet room. Date Night was a huge success thanks to all the volunteers and families who participated! Parents reported they were able to use this opportunity to get massages or manicures, take a hot bath, or go out to dinner and a movie for the first time in years. Many families mentioned it was comforting to know their children were in the care of people who were passionate about and experienced in the field of special education. Volunteers—previously involved with many of the children in classrooms, research projects, and an EIP program in which local families with young children with disabilities “adopted” them for the academic quarter—said they loved spending time with all the children. If you prefer to receive Education Matters online, please let us know at edalum@uoregon.edu 2 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON “Our greatest advocate and cheerleader, Andrea tirelessly told the stories of our students and faculty to many across the country.” Mike Bullis Moving On COLLEGE OF EDUCATION COMMUNITY: I am sorry to begin this narrative with extremely sad news: Andrea Wiggins, our assistant dean for advance- ment, died unexpectedly and far too soon on March 5. Andrea was directly responsible for raising private funds—about $30 million—for the new College of Education building project and for establishing scholar- ships that total about $300,000 yearly for our students and $60,000 yearly in research and travel awards for our faculty. I believe there are few other colleges nationally that can compare in this regard. Our great- est advocate and cheerleader, Andrea tirelessly told the stories of our students and faculty to many across the country who would become our, and her, friends and supporters. Andrea is, and will be, sorely missed. She was a wonderful colleague. It will be difficult to walk across our college and not think of Andrea and the enduring legacy she has left all of us and the future generations of students, faculty, and staff who will call your college home. Having been in the new education complex just one year, we, frankly, are still discovering how to live in this wonder- ful facility and use its numerous tools. The space is incredible; the days of the temporary trailers that many of you experienced are long gone. I urge you to visit! This past year we have weathered the ups and downs of the economic downturn reasonably well, and we con- tinue to do our jobs with intensity and commitment. Our faculty members work in every state in the coun- try and in more than 14,000 schools. We also work in every school district in Oregon and directly with more than 50,000 students in the state. In April, U.S. News and World Report ranked us fifth among all colleges of education in the nation, first among colleges of edu- cation at public universities, and first in faculty pro- ductivity. For the eleventh straight year, the special education program was ranked third in the nation. This spring we participated in the new UO graduation event, which began with the university graduation in the morning and then featured the college graduation in Mac Court that afternoon. We continue to look forward and plan for the future, with the intent of educating our students and engaging in our scholar- ship in the very best way we know how—Andrea would expect no less. Michael Bullis, Ph.D. Dean, College of Education Sommerville-Knight Professor Stepping Up: Promotion, Scholarship, Leadership EDWARD OLIVOS, Department of Education Studies, has been promoted and tenured at the rank of associate professor and also named as the new department head. KEITH ZVOCH, Department of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership, has been promoted and tenured at the rank of associ- ate professor. MICHAEL PAVEL (CHiXapkaid), who will formally join the Department of Education Studies in the fall, has been promoted and tenured at the rank of professor. MCKAY SOHLBERG, Communi- cation Disorders and Sciences, received the HEDCO endowed professorship. The five-year professor- ship acknowledges her valued contributions to research and teaching and her stature in the field. LAUREN LINDSTROM, Secondary Special Education and Transitions head and Youth Transitions Program director, will serve as interim associate dean of research and outreach as EDWARD J. KAME’ENUI takes a well-deserved sabbatical in 2010–11. CYNTHIA ANDERSON has been named depart- ment head for Special Education and Clinical Sciences. LAURA LEE MCINTYRE is School Psychology program director. PHIL MCCULLUM has been serving as interim department head of Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership. KATE FEENEY is interim director of the Office of College Advancement. LALLA PUDEWELL is the new HEDCO Clinic manager. The National Post-School Outcomes Center (NPSO) faculty welcomes CHARLOTTE ALVERSON and RYAN KELLEMS, who will serve in knowledge development and technical assistance positions. Former NPSO codirector JANE FALLS will take a new position this summer with the Springfield School District as Gateways High School principal and Secondary Education Opportunity coordinator. Former dean MARTIN J. KAUFMAN celebrated his June 2010 retirement from the College of Education on April 22 at a reception in Nashville, Tennessee. The event was hosted by the college and the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division for Research. Colleagues from the college joined special education researchers from around the country to recognize his contributions in the devel- opment and administration of the federal special education research program (1970–1992) and his leadership and vision as dean (1992–2005) in rebuilding the college after Measure 5 cuts. David Chard, currently dean of the Southern Methodist University School of Education and Human Development and former faculty member in the college, served as emcee for the event. Gina Biancarosa, Special Education and Clinical Sciences, presented “What No Randomized Experiment Can Do: Fitting Design and Analysis to Complex Problems.” Biancarosa reviewed with faculty members the arguments for and limits of randomized experiments within educational research. More: education.uoregon.edu/content/2549 Reading Difficulties in Brazilian Portuguese: Visiting scholar Cláudia Cardoso-Martins, Ph.D., Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Brazil, presented results of a longitudinal study investigating the relative contribution of phonemic awareness and rapid naming of visual items to early reading and spelling acquisition in Brazilian Portuguese. The University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning sponsored the event. More: education.uoregon.edu/content/2642 Speakers Cindy Herr and Mary Ann Winter-Messiers, Project PASS (Preparing Autism Specialists for Schools), presented on “Understanding Girls on the Autism Spectrum: We Have a Lot to Learn!” New research regarding females with autism highlights potentially significant differences from out- comes experienced by boys and men with autism. FHS International Night: Family and Human Services stu- dents, faculty, and staff made brief presentations at this annual event about international programs and service-related study and voluntarism in Cambodia, South Africa, India, and Ecuador. Early Childhood CARES hosted the third annual Power of Parenting Conference in February 2010, its first conference to be held in the new HEDCO Education Building. UO stu- dents were active volunteers, helping with registration, greeting the 100 parent guests, and helping with child care. More: education.uoregon.edu/content/2612 COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 3 “Children with Autism and Challenging Behaviors: A Collaborative and Functional Approach to Supporting Families” Erin E. Barton, Early Intervention Program, and physician Randy Phelps, Child Development and Rehabilitation Center, discussed seven cases of children with autism spectrum disorders with a wide range of behavioral issues, to illustrate various strategies of behavioral intervention. College and Career Ready: Faculty author David Conley presented results May 13 of a study of 38 high schools that are described in College and Career Ready: Helping All Students Succeed Beyond High School. See: collegecareerready.org Bonnie Doren, Special Education and Clinical Sciences, Scott Baker, Center on Teaching and Learning, and Paul Yovanoff, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership, presented their perspectives as standing panel members on the federal Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Application Review Process. Postdoctoral and advanced doctoral students and early-career faculty gained insights into the processes used by agency peer review panels to evaluate grant applications for research funding to help applicants prepare more competi- tive proposals. Building A Research Career: Senior COE faculty Benedict McWhirter, Counseling Psychology and Human Services; Kenneth Merrell, School Psychology; and Marilyn Nippold, Communication Disorders and Sciences, presented a workshop and conversation recounting the paths that they took—and are still taking—to pursue their research interests and contribute significantly to knowledge and practices in their fields. Sponsored by the Office of Associate Dean for Research and Outreach for faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and advanced doctoral students. More: education.uoregon.edu/content/2669 Explore Oregon: State representatives and civic and busi- ness leaders met with COE dean Mike Bullis, UO Office of Public and Government Affairs, and five COE faculty members who highlighted new facets of the college’s applied research with ties to neighboring schools, districts, and counties. Ellen McWhirter, Counseling Psychology and Human Services, presented research findings with Latina and Latino high school students in Springfield, Bethel, and 4J districts. Cynthia Anderson, School Psychology, presented School-wide Positive Behavior Support as a prevention strategy that enhances the social behavior of all children. Jill Baxter, Education Studies, discussed National Science Foundation–funded research to study models of professional development designed to support elementary teachers in their efforts to engage students in science inquiry using mathematical problem solving. Lauren Lindstrom, Counseling Psychology and Human Services, highlighted the 20-year statewide impact of the Youth Transition Program, which serves 12,000 youth with learning and emotional disabilities. Terri Ward, codirector of the Center for Educational Policy Research, gave an overview of the guidelines and methodology for improving high school alignment with postsecondary requirements. Tuesdays in Cambodia with Shoshana: Shoshana Kerewsky, Counseling Psychology and Human Services, shared films, presentations, and engaging discussions with students and the community about contemporary life in Cambodia. Celebrating our Centennial imagine! New Facilities Facilitate Sharing and Learning “ 4 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Immersion Learning Do immersion programs help make you a bet-ter therapist? Janese Olalde, who will com- plete her master’s degree from the Couples and Family Therapy program in 2010, received travel and research funding in 2009–10 to study in Mexico to explore the professional value of intercul- tural immersion experiences for the family therapist. “I wish immersion experiences could be required,” says Olalde. “But it almost has to be voluntary to be effective, because it’s a type of learning that relies on the individual to seek a deep connection with the culture, and a commitment to that kind of learning is personal. It is almost hard to express the depth of the learning: you get a systems overview of the culture through its institutions and services. You have the academic subculture con- sistent with higher education but still distinctly in a larger cultural context. On [the] streets, you are participating at the experiential level, and it changes you personally in a heart place that, sit- ting in the classroom, you don’t often access. And finally, with all this new experience, you look at your own values and reassess, test their validity. It’s quite an undertaking,” says Olalde. In Oregon, Olalde is clinical supervisor at Centro LatinoAmericano—with the addictions program in Spanish—and has worked for the past 19 years in addiction treatment. She provides trainings in English and Spanish for alcohol and drug coun- selors. Her interest in family therapy in context in Mexico grew directly from this work, and it led her to seek out the Couples and Family Therapy pro- gram at the University of Oregon. “Alcohol and drug counseling often involves a fam- ily member’s request to speak with someone else in the family who needs intervention or support,” says Olalde. “I felt I didn’t have deep skills in family therapy, so I was excited that the Couples and Family Therapy program was in my own town, and I wouldn’t have to commute to obtain professional development.” Ironically, the pull to study family counseling in a cultural context that was experienced by many of her Lane and Linn County clients who have emi- grated from Mexico led her to “commute” a much greater distance. The Couples and Family Therapy program participates in an adjunct immersion pro- gram in family therapy for Aliant University’s EVERY DAY we are expanding our reach and relationships around the world, in no small part because of the generosity of donors such as Laurie Ferguson and Judson and Elise Taylor. Through their gifts, faculty and students are able to expand their global experiences and perspectives. Funding Global Vision Every day we are expanding our reach and relation- ships around the world, in no small part because of the generosity of donors such as Laurie Ferguson and Judson and Elise Taylor. They believe that supporting students and faculty in international out- reach and collaboration is an essential part of preparing the next generation of educators. Through their gifts, faculty and students are able to expand their global experiences and perspectives. As we move forward to create relationships and share best practices around the world, support for international travel fills a critical need for the col- lege. In 2008 Judson Taylor was honored as the COE Outstanding Alumnus. During his commence- ment speech, he encouraged graduating students to travel and experience other cultures—saying that it is crucial to making them effective in practice. His gifts to the college reflect this belief. This year the Taylor Travel Fund supports the continuing collaborative international research of Benedict McWhirter, Ph.D., in Chile where he is consulting with colleagues at the University of Chile on implementing a practicum for their psychology students on providing family-centered, school- located intervention to support families at high risk in high-risk schools. His work in Chile greatly affects his work here at the COE—it has been incorporated into his teaching, has provided oppor- tunities to engage students in the analysis and pre- sentation of internationally focused research, and is a model for international collaborative research. McWhirter currently has six student projects that use data and background content from his ongoing research work in Chile. Alumna Laurie Ferguson established the Ferguson Travel Fund to help support students in their pro- fessional development after she learned of this critical and unmet need of the college. This fund directly supports students in their efforts at interna- tional collaboration and at obtaining professional experience as they get ready to start career paths. Sending Janese Olalde to Mexico to study how cultural and historical contexts affect Latino clients, to identify best practices for assessing and addressing mental health of Latinos, and to develop multicultural competencies would simply not have been possible without private gifts to support the work. In addition, exceptional graduate students are often invited to national conferences to share their research with peers across the country. Although the invitation to speak is an honor, it often comes at a prohibitive cost. The Ferguson Travel Fund promotes the work of our students in today’s global society, giving them the opportunity to step across borders and build partnerships that would other- wise be inaccessible. ”What struck me more than anything, was realizing the diversity with- in a culture I thought I knew well.” Janese Olalde COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 5 Mexico City campus, where former COE faculty member Jason Platt is the program director. Olalde lived with a family, took coursework at the university—including a course from Platt in libera- tion psychology. She also participated in in vivo observations at a treatment facility, while conduct- ing a study of how the treatment model prevalent in the United States might work in Latin American settings, specifically within a liberation psychology model. Olalde brought with her an advanced fluency in Spanish language. As an undergraduate in the late 1970s, Olalde first studied and lived in Guanajuato, Mexico, for four years. Even with an intercultural background, she credits her immersion program with valuable growth for her professional practice. “Spanish language knowledge or other specific knowledge and skills are certainly transferrable for the practitioner. Speaking the language made it possible to go a lot deeper in conversation and allowed me to get more contextual knowledge from the clinical observations and from my home- stay. One agency with a two-way mirror allowed us to watch live therapy. And in our liberation psychol- ogy course, doing therapy in a different realm out- side the therapy room, participating with clients in social settings, deeply listening without immediate- ly acting to help, this completely stretched my idea of ethics as a practitioner,” says Olalde. Clinical practitioners and other human services professionals who practice through direct advoca- cy and social involvement in communities maintain a stance that is sometimes challenging for the developing therapist, because they must be aware of not cultivating dual relationships with clients. “This is quite the case in terms of the Latino popu- lation, where there really is not a highly visible model for therapy,” says Olalde. “I saw this often in alcohol and drug treatment: clients often invited me home to dinner to meet the family! There may have been a court order for diversion treatment, but often clients didn’t understand it, or who I was, or what role I played, because the concept of ther- apy is so unusual. In Mexico, people’s comfort with and awareness of therapy seemed to depend upon education level and socioeconomic status. The wealthy have access to therapists and psycholo- gists or may have traveled and encountered self- help literature and media influences. For the poor, if there are problems in the family, the church is often the only resource for help. “What struck me more than anything, was realizing the diversity within a culture I thought I knew well. The Latino culture is rich with many influences from countries worldwide, and it was humbling to realize how much I have yet to learn, not just about serving the client who may speak Spanish, but the fact that this richness and deepness is reflected in lots of different groups that I may yet serve: Indian, European, Russian, Asian. “It’s so important to continue to expand my experi- ence base. To have the opportunity to deeply examine the therapy models I have learned, this time from within another culture, this was a won- derful gift. And I could not have taken advantage of the opportunity without the research and travel award. For myself, there was an added dimension of knowing that my gift came from donors who could share personally in the context of my study. When I met the Taylors—who themselves teach in Mexico—we were able to share travel stories and regional knowledge. It felt personally support- ive, both the opportunity they provided to me with their gift and knowing that they highly value immersion learning.” Janese Olalde is coauthoring an article about findings of the research project she completed while in Mexico with Jason Platt, Ph.D., and CFT faculty member John Miller, Ph.D. Her project also has been accepted for national presentation at the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) annual conference to be held September 23–26 in Atlanta, Georgia. Olalde was recently hired to teach a class about HIV at Chemeketa Community College in Salem starting in the fall. She is also providing professional training, "Working Effectively with Latinos," sponsored by the Northwest Frontier Addiction Technology Transfer Center. After graduation in June, she plans to start a private practice in English and Spanish for families dealing with addictions. She will also work part time with Latino families and children at Catholic Community Services in Salem. For more information about scholarships: education.uoregon.edu/scholarship “ The offices of Student Academic Services are located in 130 HEDCO near the lobby Check-in table at the 2009 collegewide orientation in the Kendall Plaza Tutors help students individ- ually or in group sessions in the Learning Commons (Photo by Michael McDermott) COE students at lunch welcomed by the dean at the collegewide orientation in the Kendall Plaza adjoining the HEDCO and Lokey buildings and the Education Annex 6 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON Today’s emerging professional needs a truly creative mindset, says the College of Education’s assistant dean for academic programs and student services, Margaret Mahoney. According to Mahoney, students now must give more thought than ever to creating their own alter- natives for strengthening distinctive profiles as future applicants in a competitive economy. The offices of Student Academic Services (SAS)— now located in the heart of the new HEDCO Education Building, Room 130—are set up to help with such strategies and more. In 2009–10, SAS ambitiously expanded student support with a robust set of workshops, two collegewide profes- sional development conferences, and a new tutor- ing support team to help students prepare for the theoretical math sequence for future educators and for licensure exams. At the SAS offices, Mahoney says, “Program coordinators, our advisors, and student academic services are all keyed to help students develop flexibility in their approach to all aspects of future employment.” Getting Oriented: Services, Seminars, and Career Strategies For the past two years, the collegewide orienta- tion—a day of preterm seminars devoted to map- ping the path to academic success—has been the kick-off event for getting students started planning their studies and beyond. Annual orientations are conducted within college programs by major, but at the college level, faculty sought to provide connections to important, addi- tional facets of university and college life: opportu- nities to learn about scholarship or initial research support; discover how to organize practicum experience while maintaining other employment; plan an agenda for completing a doctoral thesis; or find existing support systems that are in place for the nontraditional student, the veteran, the ethnic or sexual-orientation minority student, or the stu- dent with disabilities. “Most colleges provide this sort of gathering to ori- ent people to their place of study and culture; the College of Education has taken this a step farther by addressing students’ specific needs, based on student feedback in annual surveys,” says Mahoney. Career Beginnings Supported by donor contributions to student professional development through the Boone Mentorship Endowment Fund, with long-time collaborator UO Career Center, the February 27, 2010, workshop called Career Beginnings addressed aspects of postgraduation success, from professionalism to teaching abroad; starting a private clinical practice; using job search strate- gies; being a superintendent; getting involved in research in educational and social sciences; and identifying paths to jobs in specific disciplines or to graduate school. The most popular sessions fea- tured “First Year and Beyond” panels of profession- als, including practicing clinicians and current educators in each department area of focus. Story: education.uoregon.edu/content/2342 COE Tutoring Services and Workshops Students who take advantage of academic ser- vices workshops in licensure exam preparation, writing for research, or math theory also focus and sharpen skills to increase their own competitive performance. Today, even top students use test preparation services such as Kaplan™, but hefty fees put review courses out of reach for many. To ensure that all students have the support they need to succeed, the college dedicated workshops and training during fall and winter 2009–10 and retains a crew of eight math tutors who attend and monitor the course they assist. Tutors keep close contact with lead math instructors and assigned problem sets and conduct midterm and final review sessions, as well as one-on-one or group problem sessions throughout the week in the HEDCO Education Building’s Learning Commons. Tutors: education.uoregon.edu/tutors Student Academic Services Getting Students Prepared for Anything! COLLEGE OF EDUCATION 7 In Memory JOHN ERNEST SIDNEY DE JUNG (1924–2010) joined the faculty of the University of Oregon in 1963. In addition to teaching, he conducted nationally recognized research in Oregon and California on subjects that included high school absenteeism, high school drop-out rates in local jail populations, and postgraduation community adjustment of developmentally disabled students. As a Fulbright Scholar, he spent several sabbati- cals providing technical assistance to governments in American Samoa, Sri Lanka, and Guam as they established educational and testing protocols. JOHN WILLIAM “JACK” LOUGHARY (1930–2010) died April 18 of age-related causes. A professor of counseling psychology at the University of Oregon from 1962 to 1988, he was designated a profes- sor emeritus. His research and writing focused on career development and instructional systems design. He was a pioneer in computers in educa- tion and authored or coauthored 14 books, pub- lished more than 40 articles in professional journals, and directed more than 100 doctoral dissertations. Loughary served as chairman of the Counseling Psychology department and associate dean of the College of Education. Memorial contri- butions may be made to your local elementary school. GEORGE SHEPERD (1933–2010) of Creswell died February 9 of lymphoma. A celebration of life was held February 14 at the HEDCO Education Building. Sheperd participated in the special edu- cation training program at the University of Oregon for 30 years, and founded the Summer Enrichment Program for talented and gifted students. He was granted professor emeritus status after retiring in 1995. Remembrances to the University of Oregon Foundation, Scholarships for Summer Enrichment Program TAG, College of Education. KATHLEEN “KATIE” TATE (1944–2010) of Eugene died April 7 of breast cancer. A celebra- tion of life was held May 8 in the Browsing Room of the UO Knight Library. She worked for more than 20 years in the UO Center for Teaching and Learning. Scholarship fund donations in her memory may be designated to the Labor Education and Research Center, care of the UO Foundation. ANDREA NICHOLSON WIGGINS (1947–2010) of Springfield died March 5. A celebration of life was held March 14 at the UO College of Education. She served as assistant dean of college advance- ment and, for 13 years, spearheaded major gift fundraising for building the HEDCO Education Building and renovating the Lorry I. Lokey Education Building. Remembrances to the UO College of Education or Looking Glass Youth and Family Services. In the News UO Innovations in Diversity and Academic Excellence Awards • Award will fund a speaker series: “Decolonizing Education: Lessons for Everyone from Native American Studies of Education” Alison Ball, Michael Pavel (CHiXapkaid), and Jerry Rosiek Education Studies, More: education.uoregon.edu/decolonize • Initiating a Program for Spanish Language Certification for Mental Health Services Provision Krista Chronister, Benedict McWhirter, and Ellen McWhirter Counseling Psychology and Human Services Equal Opportunity: Diaspora and Immigration Edward M. Olivos, Education Studies, received an award from the University of Oregon and the Tom and Carol Williams Fund for Undergraduate Education to offer a reprise of the special field study course, EDST 457/557, taught in San Diego, California; Tijuana, Mexico; Salem, Oregon; and on the Eugene campus. More: education.uoregon.edu/content/2684 A View on Two Worlds Panelists introduced the Deaf community on campus February 6, describing and demonstrating the way to engage in discussion with Deaf colleagues, including how to combine American Sign Language, lip reading, and speech; how to work with an interpreter; and how to focus on the Deaf person rather than being distracted with the act of translation. Communications Disorders and Sciences instructor Peter Quint—the first Deaf person to be hired full time as a faculty member by the University of Oregon—shared perspectives along with a panel of university and Lane County Deaf individuals. EMPL Welcomes Education Dean from Thailand Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership faculty hosted a reception April 5, welcoming Professor Sirichai Kanjanawasee, dean of education faculty, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. His visit was supported by the Commission of Higher Education of Thailand to facilitate his work with a visiting scholar in the college, Chalie Patarapichayatham. Patarapichayatham competed to receive the prestigious governmental award to travel to the United States to study differential item functioning and data modeling constructs with Akihito Kamata, a professor in Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership. More: education.uoregon.edu/content/2618 Common Core State Standards Released On June 2, the National Governors Association Center and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) released a set of state-led education standards for adoption and implementation. The final standards were informed by nearly 10,000 public comments and by standards in other top-performing countries. The English-language arts and math standards for grades K–12 were developed in collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, including con- tent experts, state agencies, teachers, school administrators, and par- ents. The standards establish clear and consistent goals for learning that will prepare America’s children for success in college and work. David Conley, Educational Methodology, Policy, and Leadership faculty member and director of the nonprofit Educational Policy Improvement Center, serves as cochair of the validation committee and is charged with providing independent validation of the common core standards and the principles that led to their development. Conley is leading a study of the standards sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Findings from that study will help refine the standards and address issues that may arise after the release. More: www.corestandards.org Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Eugene OR Permit No. 63 College of Education 1215 University of Oregon Eugene OR 97403-1215 8 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON COLLEGE OF EDUCATION EDUCATION MATTERS is published by the University of Oregon College of Education Office of the Dean 541-346-3405 Michael Bullis Dean Edward Kame’enui Associate Dean for Research and Outreach Joseph Stevens Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Elaine Jones Assistant Dean for Finance and Operations Margaret Mahoney Assistant Dean for Academic Programs and Student Services Kate Feeney Interim Director of Advancement Linda Mears Communications Director Kathleen Heinz Marketing and Design Coordinator Lillian Winkler-Rios Designer for Diverse External Audiences Cheryl Mikkola Proofer Photography: Michael McDermott, COE Communications ©2010 University of Oregon COE0610H18157 The university is an equal- opportunity, affirmative-action institution committed to cultural diversity and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This publication will be made available in accessible formats upon request. Outstanding Contributions 2009–10 COE Faculty and Staff Awards NANCY HEAPES - Early Career Teaching Award KATHLEEN JUNGJOHANN - Distinguished Teaching Award LAUREN LINDSTROM - Diversity Award HILLARY NADEAU - Classified Staff Award ANDREA WIGGINS - (posthumous) Officer of Administration Award More about recipients and the annual COE awards: education.uoregon.edu/content/2701 We can’t imagine your memories of your days at the college or what you’ve done since then. Please share with us for our 100 year celebration! More information: education.uoregon.edu Did You Know? The Youth Transition Program was named Best Practice by the Association of Maternal and Child Health. GINA BIANCAROSA was recently featured in Education Week as coauthor of a literacy coaching study of programs used in 700 schools nationwide. RON BEGHETTO’s study is one of 10 research articles appearing on the suggested summer reading list of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching. JOANNA GOODE is leading an investigation of the design and assessment of a computer science reform effort in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest K–12 school district in the country. LAURA LEE MCINTYRE was recently honored with two early career research awards: from the American Psychological Association's Division of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. More about faculty news and scholarship at education.uoregon.edu/content/2519 For research and outreach accomplishments, see education.uoregon.edu/research-outreach