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School of Education Annual Report: 2021-22

Executive Summary

The overall mission of the School of Education (SOE) remains to “prepare excellent teachers and educational leaders who engage in reflective practice and scholarly activity, and who are ethical decision makers and agents of social change.” We prepare teachers and educational leaders who will Teach the next generation of PreK-12 teachers who will take the Lead in schools, communities, and with children, so that they can Transform themselves into better people and their communities into better communities. Teach, Lead, Transform – it’s what we do in the School of Education and we have not lost sight of our mission, even in the most challenging of times.

The 2021-2022 school year was a year of recovery as we transitioned back to in person operations post pandemic. Courses were held on campus, and in the fall we started resuming placing students in PreK-12 classrooms on a limited basis. More schools opened the doors to our students in the spring, though. Overall, we placed 580 students in schools in the 2021-2022 school year. These placements included 265 student teaching/residency and over 300 field experiences. Typically, we place close to 600 per year so are mostly back to pre-pandemic levels. For courses that were still unable place students in field settings, our amazing SOE faculty stretched their ingenious and creative limits in finding alternative ways to provide experiences that would approximate school settings as much as possible. Through the use of videos, case studies, remote/online guests, and more, students who are preparing to become teachers received a world-class education despite some of the lingering restrictions that the pandemic caused.

Faculty, staff, and students continued to take advantage of the Trauma-Informed Practices (TIP) training that can only be taken in the School of Education. Over 1000 people have now taken the TIP workshops that are offered free of charge (thanks to generous donors). Importantly, more SOE programs have fully or partially integrated TIP into the curriculum in 2021-22, again, thanks to generous funding from foundations and donors. One point of pride is our Early Childhood Education program that now embeds trauma-informed concepts and methods fully throughout the curriculum. Embedding TIP throughout the curriculum not only is important for students as they become teachers, having TIP as a part of the curriculum also meets the mandates of recent legislation (SB20-1312 and SB20-1128) that requires educator preparation programs to address mental health, naming trauma, in its curriculum. In 2021-22, TIP started expanding beyond the walls of the SOE and is also reaching educators throughout the state. Through funding from a prestigious Spencer Foundation Grant, SOE faculty are studying the effects of trauma on teachers and are now able to help teachers understand the important benefits of being trained in TIP. (The study is ongoing and will be completed in 2024.) So, the SOE is leading the state, actually the nation, in preparing teachers who are fully trained in addressing students who have experienced trauma. We are on the front lines of addressing the mental health crisis that schools are facing.

Not unexpected, but still a concern, overall enrollment in the School of Education decreased in 2021-22. Retention in the SOE still remains the highest in the university at 74%, which is a slight decrease from the previous year when it was 75%. We are optimistic for the future, though, as we have added a new master’s degree program and the state has recently provided increased funding to educator preparation programs. The passage of a bill (HB22-1220) that provides funds for people in educator preparation programs, including funds for eligible student teachers during their student teaching or residency semesters, significant new funding to students becoming early childhood educators, along with new programs and our excellent faculty bode well for the SOE overall. In fact, despite the low enrollment in recent years, we are preparing for growth!

<>Faculty productivity remained healthy in 2021-22 with a total of 35 publications (with more under review) and presentations at 46 conferences and seminars. Faculty presentations decreased in 2021-22 from the prior academic year by 32%, mostly as a result of the cancellation of conferences and meetings due to the pandemic. As professional opportunities are once again returning to in person venues, along with continued remote ones, there are multiple opportunities for faculty to collaborate with colleagues and network within their disciplines again. Along with the conferences and other meetings opening up, faculty and staff turned their expertise to writing grants. In fact, 20 faculty members were involved in grant writing, which resulted in one new grant so far and high hopes for more to be funded in the coming year.

Raising money for students and programs remains a major goal of the School of Education. In 2021-22, the university launched a $75 million five-year capital campaign. The Office of Education Solutions (see below) along with scholarships and general SOE projects are a focal point of the campaign. Overall giving to the School of Education increased in 2021-2022. Grants and funded projects expenditures totaled over $2.7 million, with more in process. We are happy to report that in 2021-22, private giving for student scholarships and towards program enhancement totaled $489,138, which is the largest amount of one-year giving in the SOE’s eight year history! Individuals and foundations are recognizing that an investment in the SOE has deep and impactful returns and we are grateful. We move the needle forward on equity, inclusion, student achievement, and better education overall because of the support and faith of our incredible donors.

The Office of Education Solutions, started in 2020, continues to thrive and make an impact in the greater education community as well as the university. In 2021-22, Education Solutions managed over $2 million in funded projects. Early in the year, Education Solutions offered a fantastic reception and conference that featured Dr. Tera Helmon of Courageous Conversations and Dr. Rebecca Covarrubias of the University of California Santa Cruz. Education Solutions also continued to grow resources and added new programs, including the Inclusive Higher Education Solutions (IHES) program (formerly the Inclusive Higher Education Certificate Program). IHES serves young adults with intellectual or development disabilities who are transitioning out of the K-12 system and into the next stage of independence including either college or career. With more programs and funding in the offing, the Office of Education Solutions is well on its way to do all that it was intended – help find solutions to persistent issues in education.

On the graduate side, in Summer of 2022 the SOE launched a new master’s program, a Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Curriculum and Instruction. This new program has two strands: Trauma-Informed Practices and Inclusive Practices in PreK-12 Settings. We intended to start with a small cohort of students in this new program, but it is turning out to be more popular than expected. In the summer 15 students started (we planned for 10) and many more registered for fall classes. In addition, the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and the College of Business are collaborating with SOE leadership in developing strands in our M.Ed. that cater to PreK-12 teachers who would like to teach concurrent enrollment classes in high schools and also earn a master’s in education. This innovative masters’ program is broadening the reach of the SOE into more fields!

In summary, the School of Education is in great shape. While preparing teachers is still our biggest enterprise, our new programs and the Office of Education Solutions is reaching and helping even more communities and educators.

The accomplishments and activities of the three SOE Departments and Alternative Licensure Programs are described below. This report is organized around the three values identified in the School of Education Strategic Plan: Excellence; Diversity/Inclusivity, and Collaboration. In addition to this report, a summary for public view is available both online and in brochures.

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Excellence

The School of Education faculty, staff, and students are committed to excellence in teaching and educator preparation through data-informed decision making.

As expected, in 2021-22, the School of Education headcount dropped in the number of enrolled Education program major/concentration/minor students as compared to the previous year. The alternative licensure program continued to grow, though.

 

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Retention of education students is a high priority in the School of Education. Our faculty and academic advisors continued to work diligently, albeit remotely, in 2021-22 to help students navigate their education coursework and programs. The University retention reports show the School of Education leads the pack in Fall 2021-to-Fall 2022 retention rates of all colleges and schools at 74%, a slight drop from the previous reporting year, but still remarkable.

 

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Last year, 299 traditional and Alternative Licensure Program (ALP) School of Education students completed teacher licensure program requirements including student teaching and residency.

Understanding the need for more educators in targeted fields, particularly math and science, faculty from the SOE and the College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences (LAS) continued their collaboration in implementing a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of approximately $1.2 million that will increase the number of students from traditionally underrepresented groups who are preparing to teach in STEM fields.

Despite the pandemic, School of Education faculty were busy in 2021-2022 with professional development, grants, and other scholarly activities. The dean also was involved in grant writing, publishing, and professional presentations.

 

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Note: Alternative Licensure students in the Master of Arts in Teaching program are represented in the headcounts for Elementary Education and Special Education in the chart above.

Departmental Updates

 

TED 1 – Elementary Education & Literacy

  • During the past year the Elementary Education & Literacy faculty engaged in professional learning by attending 7 conferences and 12 professional development workshops/seminars/webinars. In addition, the faculty conducted 10 presentations at either state, national, or international conferences. The faculty also published 2 co-edited books, 8 book chapters, and 2 referred journal articles.
  • Building from the trauma-informed practices (TIP) professional development work last year, seven faculty members (Dr. Krista Griffin, Dr. Sue Ahrendt, Dr. Ingrid Carter, Dr. Sandra Leu-Bonanno, Dr. Corey Sell, and Tammy Kerr) created small professional learning communities to integrate TIP student learning objectives across various courses in the undergraduate program. These learning communities worked with Resilient Futures—specifically Dr. Kathryn Young—to ensure the students in the elementary, undergraduate program will learn the knowledge and skills to create culturally-responsive and trauma-informed learning environments for elementary students.
  • Dr. Ingrid Carter researched her own pedagogical practices teaching science/health methods courses during the pandemic and presented her work at two conferences this past year. At one conference she co-presented perspectives on teaching a science methods course in collaboration with a secondary methods instructor. In a second conference presentation, she co-presented on a collaborative self-study she completed that explored the use of an asynchronous online format in an elementary science and health methods course.
  • Dr. Ofelia Schepers, in collaboration with Dr. Kathryn Young, continued to research the impact of TIP on secondary traumatic stress in novice teachers. This research is funded by a $389K Spencer Foundation grant.
  • Dr. Corey Sell collaborated with several MSU Denver colleagues to create queer curriculum for PK-16 students that ensured the social studies could be taught in more trauma-informed and culturally responsive ways. In collaboration with Dr. Sandra Leu Bonanno, he co-presented at a national and state conference on a historical inquiry developed to teach the Stonewall Riots. In collaboration with Dr. Dorothy Shapland, he co-hosted a webinar that shared lesson plays created on Bayard Rustin—a counter narrative to The Civil Rights Movement that is taught in primary grades.
  • Dr. Krista Griffin contributed a book chapter on phonological awareness in the first edition of Constructing Strong Foundations of Early Literacy.
  • Dr. Cody Harrington co-authored a research article that explored fourth graders’ additive strategy as related to multiplicative reasoning.
  • Dr. Sandra Leu Bonanno co-presented research on shifting in-service teachers’ capacity towards social justice teaching in a critical professional development setting in collaboration with Dr. Corey Sell.
  • Dr. Ingrid Carter co-edited a book that aimed to share insights into online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as demonstrate how K-16 educators persevered to serve students. The book is titled, Science Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Tales from the Front Lines.
  • Dr. Roland Schendel, Dr. Sandra Leu Bonanno, Dr. Krista Griffin, Dr. Ingrid Carter, and Dr. Ofelia Schepers). By completing this training these faculty are an important part in building the sustainability of the TIP program at the SOE. These faculty will then be able to lead trainings on TIP both internally at the SOE for teacher candidates, faculty, staff and mentor teachers, as well as externally to non-MSU Denver community members. Most, if not all, faculty in Elementary Education and Literacy have completed at least 1 TIP training. In addition, Dr. Deborah Horan attended the Trauma Informed Educators Network as funded through our SOE TIP initiative.

 

TED 2 – Special Education, Early Childhood and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education

  • Publications: TED 2 faculty published more than 14 books, book chapters, refereed journal articles, and research reports, including the following examples.
    • Anderson, P. L., Herring, T. J. (2021). Case studies for inclusive schools. (Edition 4 ed.). Pro-Ed Publishing.
    • Allen, R., Shapland, D., Neitzel, J., Iruka, I. (2021). Creating anti-racist early childhood spaces. Young Children76(2), 49-54.
    • Canges, R., Altemueller, L. M., Halley, K. (2021). Making it work! Increasing collaboration between our special education and general education licensure programs at MSU Denver. Journal of Educational Research and Innovation, 9(1). http://digscholarship.unco.edu/jeri/vol9/iss1/7/
    • Connelly, J. (2021). Interrogating the special education identification process for Black Indigenous People of Color. Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners Division for Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners of the Council for Exceptional Children, 21(1), 78-92.
    • Steed, E., Shapland, D., Leech, N. (2022). Early childhood teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their elementary school’s approach to social emotional learning: A mixed methods study. Early Childhood Education Journal, 50, 1121–1132
    • Canges, R. L. (2021). Case study of Katya. In Anderson, P. L., Herring, T. J. (Eds). Case studies for inclusive schools, (4th ed.). PRO-Ed Publishing.
    • Allen, R. (2022). Preschool suspensions: A civil rights issue. In Jackson, D.W. III (Ed.). Key Issues Confronting the Black Community in Denver, Colorado: A Community in Transition. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
    • Langman, J., Solis, J., Martín Corredor, L., Dao, N. (2021). Translanguaging for STEM learning: Exploring tertiary learning contexts. In A. Jakobsson, P. Nygård Larsson, & A. Karlsson (Ed.). Translanguaging in science education. Springer.
    • Vigil, P. M. The Evolution of a BUENO Scholar: Refining one’s understanding of issues of educational equity and cultural diversity. In Escamilla, K., Nieto, D., Rodriguez, J. (Ed.). ¡Qué BUENO! Contributions of the BUENO Center to education, language, policy, and culturally and linguistically diverse learners Volume. BUENO Center.
    • Shaffer, L., Vihn, M., Shapland, D., O’Grady, C. (2022). Practicing anti-racism as inclusion: Start in early childhood! Teaching Exceptional Children.
    • Chisholm, J. S., Jamner, J., Whitmore, K. F. (2021). Amplifying students’ musical identities, meanings, and memories. English Journal, 110(4), 45-52.
    • Shapland, D., Allen, R., Harris, E., Cook-LaPointe, S. (2022). Integrating trauma informed teaching practices throughout an early childhood education program to support teacher education students. In O. Scheffers, M. Brennan, & P. Bernhardt (Eds.), Developing trauma informed teachers: Creating classrooms that foster equity, resiliency, and asset-based approaches, Information Age Publishing.
    • Carter, I. S., Shapland, D. (2022). Embedding trauma-informed practices in early childhood and elementary teacher education courses. In O. Scheffers, M. Brennan, & P. Bernhardt (Eds.), Developing trauma informed teachers: Creating classrooms that foster equity, resiliency, and asset-based approaches, Information Age Publishing.
    • Chisholm, J.S., & Whitmore, K.F. (2021). Critical arts-literacies in classrooms: Moving with abduction, imagination, and emotion across modalities. In J.Z. Pandya, R.A. Mora, J. Alford, & N.A. Golden (Eds.), The critical literacies handbook (pp. 317-426). Routledge.
  • Examples of 25+ Conference Posters and Presentations by TED2 faculty.
    • Canges, R. L., (2022). Courage to Risk, “Fostering Social Acceptance of Students with Disabilities,” Colorado Springs, CO.
    • Connelly, J. (2021). “Special Educators Disrupting Deficit Narratives: Black Family-parent Advocacy,” CEC-Teacher Education Division, Fort Worth, TX.
    • Herbert, F., Millwater, H., Joseph, J., Langman, J., Solis, J., Martin Corredor, L., (2022). “Lesson Study and its impact on Engineering curriculum, teaching, and learning: A case study,” American Society for Engineering Education, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
    • Harris, E., & Cook-LaPointe, S. (2022). “Integrating Trauma Informed Teaching Practices Throughout an Early Childhood Education Program to Support Teacher Education Students,” American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, New Orleans, LA.
    • Gilbert, B. L. (2022). “How Preschool Children Articulate Learning through Polaroid Photography,” The International Academic Forum, Paris France.
    • Gilbert, B. L. (2022), “Exploring Polaroid Photography as a Learning Interest in Early Childhood Classrooms,” NAEYC Professional Learning Institute., Cleveland OH.
    • Martin Corredor, L. (2021).”Let Voices Be Heard: Strategies for Engaging Emerging Scholars to Flourish in Academia,” Texas Language Education Research Conference, San Antonio, TX.
  • Workshops Attended
    • Dr. Dorothy Shapland participated in two Faculty Learning Community, “Open Educational Resources FLC” and “Online Teaching and Learning Support.”
    • Dr. Rosemarie Allen attended 3 webinars focused on Black joy and Black parenting.
    • Brandon Gilbert, Lina Martín Corredor, Elmer Harris, and Jeanne Connolly participated in the New Faculty Institute.
    • Charlie Buckley completed a Continuing Education Program, “Innovative Approaches to Inclusive Education,” PH Zurich Online Summer School.
    • Jeanne Connelly attended 10 self-study, workshop, webinar, and learning community events, including “Undocupeers: Liberating Campus Climate Educator Advocate Training.”
    • Brandon Gilbert
    • Kathryn Whitmore participated in the Provost’s Faculty Development Program, “Leaders Academy” and the Immigrant Services Program, “Undocupeers: Liberating Campus Climate Educator Advocate Training.”
    • Dr. Rebecca Canges engaged in the “Reading Symposium” presented by the Colorado Department of Education and focused on the Science of Reading.

 

TED 3 – Secondary, K-12 & Educational Technology

  • During the year transitioning back to campus from pandemic, TED 3 faculty actively participated in professional learning activities such as seminars/workshops/ conferences to gain skills and knowledge in their fields. More than 28 professional development activities were done last year.
  • TED 3 faculty presented at local, national, and international conferences and published book chapters, and journal articles. TED 3 faculty did more than 14 refereed presentations, 4 non-refereed presentations, and 1 editor reviewed presentation. Also, TED 3 faculty published at least 1 edited book, 1 refereed journal article, 1 non-refereed journal, and many other non-refereed publications. There were 2 articles under review with one forthcoming.
  • Dr. Jose Martinez was awarded an internal grant on Open Education Resources (OER) and piloted the use of OERs in his classes.
  • Dr. Philip Bernhardt received an internal grant from Advanced STEM Education to use engaged learning strategies and meta-cognition to improve student learning outcomes. He also receiving another internal grant from the Provost’s office (provost’s mini grant) to research on mentoring.
  • Dr. Janelle Johnson continued to lead a team/project funded by the National Science Foundation ($1,449,970) on inclusive STEM teaching preparation at an urban commuter university (U-STEM). This grant just expired and is renewed.
  • Dr. Kathryn Young was awarded the $389,000 Spencer Foundation grant and has been working on trauma-informed practices research. She has also been working with faculty on integrating TIPs into curriculum.
  • Dr. Jan Perry Evenstad, director of the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center helped prepare the grant proposal for the renew of this multi-million dollar federal grant that funds the equity center.
  • Dr. Philip Bernhardt continued his work on the teaching assistant program to coordinate teaching assistants with faculty and do research on this.
  • The Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) team continued to work on program improvement and bring previously HPS courses to PETE. This was a continuing effort since they moved to SOE from other college in 2017.
  • TED 3 faculty successfully transitioned back to campus and to full functioning from remote teaching/learning during COVID
  • Dr. Sue Barnd was awarded the MSU Denver SOAR award that focuses on demonstrating the MSU Denver CADRE value – Community, Access, Diversity, Respect, and Excellence

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Inclusivity/Diversity

The School of Education is committed to being representative and reflective of the population that it serves.

The race/ethnicity breakdown for all teacher education students enrolled in 2021-22 show that 57% identify as White, 30% as Hispanic, and all students of color accounted for approximately 41% of the total.

 

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In 2021-2022, 299 students completed student teaching or residency. Field placements (clinical experiences for our students in PreK-12 classrooms prior to student teaching/residency) were still mostly canceled through the 2021-2022 school year due to the pandemic. These placement experiences are intended to embed students in classrooms and facilities in the Denver metropolitan area and tie those experiences to their classes. Most of the placements are in schools where the majority of children and adolescents are eligible for Federal Free or Reduced Lunch subsidies. For instance, over a third of the clinical placement schools had more than 60% of students who were eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch. For all placements, the average percentage of students eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch was 50% – adding very diverse perspectives and experiences to our students’ preparation.

  • Over 50% of our clinical placements were in schools with a diverse student body – more than half of the students were students of color
  • Over a third of our clinical placements are at schools that are eligible for Title I funds

In 2021-2022, three faculty members were promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure, and three were promoted to Full Professor. Four new faculty members were hired: two assistant professors of Early Childhood Education (Drs. Brandon Gilbert and Elmer Harris), one assistant professor in Special Education (Dr. Jeanne Connelly), and one lecturer of elementary education (Maria Magallenes).


Departmental Updates

 

TED 1 – Elementary Education & Literacy

  • Faculty within Elementary Education and Literacy completed an audit of syllabi to examine the representation of diverse scholars in the curriculum and establish goals for increased representation.
  • Sandra Leu Bonanno served a leadership role in the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Affinity group which hosted the university’s first ever APIDA graduation (Spring 2021).
  • Corey Sell and Sandra Leu Bonanno began a university-district partnership with St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD) to support with their implementation of House Bill 19-1192, the inclusion of diverse and marginalized narratives in K-12 Colorado Social Studies.
  • The SOE Student of Color (SOC) Community Building Taskforce with the leadership of Sandra Leu Bonanno launched virtual and in person supper clubs for students of color with survey results demonstrating that 94% of students who attended felt more connected to their fellow SOC in the SOE, and 84% of attendees felt more connected to the SOE, overall.
  • Ofelia Schepers continued her leadership role as co-chair with Dr. Dorothy Shapland of the SOE Diversifying the Teacher Workforce Committee, whose committee members included four faculty from the Department of Elementary Education and Literacy: Dr. Schepers, Dr. Sandra Leu Bonanno, Dr. Sue Ahrendt, and Dr. Deborah Horan.
  • Faculty earning promotion to full professor include Ingrid Carter, Dr. Sue Ahrendt, and Dr. Roland Schendel.
  • Faculty earning tenure with promotion to associate professor include Ofelia Schepers.
  • Faculty earning their doctorates include Dr. Cody Harrington (lecturer) and Dr. Amy Smith (affiliate), both specializing in elementary math education.Cody Harrington (lecturer) and Dr. Amy Smith (affiliate), both specializing in elementary math education.

 

TED 2 – Special Education, Early Childhood and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education

  • The Early Childhood faculty led the department in an extensive retreat/workshop about equity and anti-racism.
  • The department followed this activity with a syllabus audit—faculty worked to center authors of color and marginalized identities for students’ professional and academic readings.
  • Faculty presented on issues of equity and diversity at numerous conferences, for example:
    • Allen, R., Indiana Department of Education Special Education Conference: Promoting Positive Outcomes, “Creating Spaces Where Every Child Thrives: A Conversation on Race, Bias, and Culture,” Indiana Department of Education, Indiana University.
    • Shapland, D., Fort Lewis Southwest Early Childhood Annual Conference, “Anti-Racism Practices for Early Childhood Environments,” Montelores Early Childhood Council.
  • Lorretta Chavez, Dr. Elmer Harris, Dr. Rosemarie Allen, and Dr. Dorothy Shapland served on the Diversifying Teacher Workforce Committee.
  • Lorretta Chavez Dr. Tina Herring, Dr. Kathryn Whitmore, Dr. Dorothy Shapland served on the Bilingual Education Specialist Endorsement Committee.
  • Lorretta Chavez served as a committee member on the Hispanic Service Institution Committee, and the Latino Graduation Committee.
  • Peter Vigil was the Communications Officer of the Higher Education and Linguistically Diverse Education.
  • Vicki Nilles served on the Higher Education Linguistically Diverse Education Committee.
  • Tina Herring served on the Access and Inclusion Advisory Board.
  • Rosemarie Allen served on the Committee on Sustainable Racial Justice.
  • Kathy Whitmore published the following feature article:
    • Henderson, J., Warren, K., Whitmore, K.F., Seely Flint, A., Laman, T.T., & Jaggers, W. (2020). Take a close look: Inventorying your classroom library for diverse books. The Reading Teacher, 73(6), 747-755.

 

TED 3 – Secondary, K-12 & Educational Technology

  • Kathryn Young continued to work on research and projects on multicultural topics. She created and has been teaching EDS 1001 educational (in)equity, which also includes a service learning designation.
  • Nhu Nguyen and Physical Education colleagues worked on integrating DEI into curricula, with the intention of helping students understand the importance of DEI and put it into practice in their future teaching careers.
  • Philip Bernhardt continued to work with colleagues on the development and preparation of the Roadrunner Diversity Scholars Program.
  • Philip Bernhardt was an associate director of the Honors Program on behalf of School of Education, bridging School of Education faculty/students and the Honors program/
  • Janelle Johnson’s U-STEM team continued to recruit student scholars to increase the number and diversity of math and science teachers serving high need schools.
  • Jan Perry Evenstad served the CO-National Association for Multicultural Educators as a board member and co-chair, promoting multicultural education.
  • Dr. Jan Perry Evenstad, director of the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center continued to work on projects funded by the Department of Education ($8,453,437) that provides technical assistance and training upon request, at no cost, covering the civil rights areas of Title IV, Title VI and Title IX. She conducted many presentations and workshops on these topics including a podcast on anti-racism for white educators.

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Collaboration

The School of Education is committed to fostering collaboration among internal and external stakeholders dedicated to excellence in teaching and educator preparation.

Despite the upheavals caused by the pandemic, the dean continued to work with the external community at the state and national levels in advancing university-based teacher education for the overall improvement of PreK-12 schools. She continued to be active in the Colorado Council for Deans of Education (CCODE) and consulted with legislators and university government affairs personnel on legislative matters involving PreK-higher education. She also made presentations including keynotes at various state, national, and international venues.

Field placements resumed almost back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021-2022 school year. There were over 300 placements in nearby districts with higher percentages going to Denver Public Schools, Jefferson County, Adams 12 Five Star Schools, and Brighton Schools (27J). There were over 250 student teaching/residency placements coordinated in surrounding districts, with higher percentages of students going to Denver Public Schools, Jefferson County Schools, Cherry Creek, and Adams-Arapahoe 28J.

 

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In 2021-2022, School of Education faculty collaborated with peers to conduct presentations at national and international education venues. In addition to collaborating with colleagues in schools and nationally, faculty from the School of Education frequently collaborated with colleagues across the university on publications, grants, and other initiatives, as previously mentioned in Departmental Updates.

Despite the challenges that the pandemic caused in establishing and maintaining partnerships in the community, the dean and faculty were able to make connections with national and state organizations and agencies. They wrote grants and met with leaders of such organizations as the Buell Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Gary Community Investments, and many more. With the establishment of the Office of Education Solutions, the School of Education will have many more opportunities to engage with the broader education community at the state and national levels.

 

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TED 1 – Elementary Education & Literacy

  • Corey Sell and Dorothy Shapland contributed to national professional development and curriculum, including a two-day webinar: You Know MLK, but Do You Know Bayard Rustin?: Marginalized Voices in History for the Kindergarten Curriculum
  • Dr Cody Harrington’s collaborative peer-reviewed presentations and publications include “Children’s Spontaneous Additive Strategy Relates to Multiplicative Reasoning” in the journal of Cognition and Instruction.
  • Faculty who completed the Train the Trainers program for Trauma-Informed Practices include Krista Griffin, Roland Schendel, and Sandra Leu Bonanno.
  • The Department of Elementary Education and Literacy continued to facilitate free Praxis Review Workshops for licensure students pursuing Elementary, Special Education, and Early Childhood Education. During the pandemic, these workshops shifted to virtual formats and were offered with increased frequency as an additional scaffold to students completing licensure, with a total of 119 students attending. Workshops were facilitated by Sue Ahrendt (math), Dr. Cody Harrington (science), Dr. Krista Griffin (language arts/reading), Dr. Todd Laugen (social studies) and Dr. Corey Sell (social studies).
  • Elementary Residency Site Coordinators (Ali O’Brien, Julie Eber, and Jessica Voorhis) along with the support of residency supervisors and instructors, including Tammy Kerr, supported the multiple pivots of 81 residents who completed their yearlong residencies in our district partners: Denver Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools, and Brighton 27J.
  • Dr. Ingrid Carter continued her collaborative research that examines the use of science notebooks with elementary preservice teachers.

 

TED2 – Special Education, Early Childhood and Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Education

  • Early Childhood Education faculty collaborated with the early childhood education community to complete the following grant:Hinde, Elizabeth (Primary Author), Shapland, Dorothy (Contributing Author), Allen, Rosemarie (Contributing Author), Jones, Malinda Etzler (Contributing Author), “Roadrunner Early Childhood Education Program,” Sponsored by Daniels Fund, Private, $200,000.00. (March 1, 2018 – March 30, 2021).
  • Lorretta Chavez collaborated with faculty across the SOE, Modern Languages, and Chicana/o Studies to move forward the Bilingual Education Specialist program.
  • Kara Halley was a member of the Colorado Department of Education Significant Support Needs Task Force.
  • Vicki Nilles was the faculty advisor for the Metro Early Childhood Education Association and an Executive committee member of the Colorado Association of Teacher Educators.
  • Rosemarie Allen was co-chair of the Implicit Bias National and Professional Development for the Early Childhood Workforce Committee.
  • Peter Vigil served as President of the Charter School Board of Trustees and was a member of the Tenure-Track Supper Club.
  • Malinda Jones was a board of advisors member for the Community College of Denver ECE Advisory Board and a member of the Denver Early Childhood Council Board.
  • Dr. Tina Herring served as a board member for the Universal Education Foundation (UEF).

 

TED3 – Secondary, K-12 & Educational Technology

  • Educational Technology team continued to collaborate with instructional designers and the university online office to develop courses for the instructional technology certificate program. The last course was developed in Fall 21. An instructional design & technology minor program was designed and will go through curriculum cycle of 21-22, debuting in Fall 22.
  • TED 3 worked closely with SOE and CLAS associate deans and CLAS teacher educators on communication, curriculum, advising, teaching and projects in ensuring good quality programs of CLAS majors with a concentrations in secondary/k-12 teacher licensure.
  • Janelle Johnson worked with colleagues in Math and Earth and Aerospace Science on STEM education and grant work/writing.
  • Nhu Nguyen and Sue Barnd collaborated with K-12 physical educators on the Advisory Board to improve our K-12 Physical Education program and help our students connect with the field.
  • Kathryn Young collaborated with other SOE colleagues on designing and developing trauma informed curricula.
  • Kathryn Young and the department chair worked with the Innovative and Lifelong Learning Office on finalizing one concurrent enrollment course EDS 1001 to be offered in high schools.
  • TED 3 faculty who taught field experience classes in the spring collaborated with affiliate faculty on designing/developing projects for online field work in response to remote teaching/learning.

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Fundraising

The 2021-2022 year saw increases in external funding to the School of Education. Grant and sponsored project expenditures totaled over $2.6 million. Private giving through the University Advancement office totaled over $489,138. This is a 150% increase from 2020-21 year. While most of the funds are for scholarships, more funds have been added to the general SOE fund and specific programs. Trauma-Informed Practices, for instance, received over $150,000 from individual donors and philanthropic organizations, specifically Constellation Philanthropy. In addition, the School of Education awarded over $81,000 in 2021-2022 in scholarships to support 30 teacher education students.

Here is a snapshot of private giving to the SOE over the past several years:

 

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Annual Report Archive

Expand the following content to view School of Education annual reports from years past.