Waypoint DECEMBER 2024

A Message From The Dean

Dr. André Green

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Welcome to Waypoint, the College of Education’s quarterly digital newsletter, where we bring you the latest updates, accomplishments, and events shaping our vibrant community. Whether it’s innovative research, impactful teaching, or inspiring student achievements, Waypoint is your guide to staying connected with the College of Education.

In this issue, you’ll find highlights of our Teaching Fellows program, recent book publications by our faculty, conference presentations that are advancing the field, and even perspectives from our amazing students. There’s so much happening, and we’re excited to share it all with you.

Thank you for being part of our journey as we continue to chart a course toward excellence in education!

Warm regards,

Dr. André M. Green, PhD

Dean, College of Education

Highlights

Militello receives distinguished service award in educational leadership

East Carolina University’s Dr. Matthew Militello is passionate about helping educational leaders grow and enact change in their communities. His dedication and work to strengthen educational leadership programs was recognized through receiving the Carnegie Project on the Education (CPED) Doctorate’s David G. Imig Distinguished Service Award during the CPED convening in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 17.

“It is remarkable when your peers recognize your achievements,” said Militello, the College of Education’s Wells Fargo Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership. “It is extraordinary when the nomination process includes testimonials from former students who have graduated from our Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.) program and continue to engage in their research as practitioners in schools and districts in northeast North Carolina, throughout the United States and worldwide. This means everything to me.”

While many doctor of education programs are geared toward scholarly practitioners, Militello believes in a practitioner-researcher model that enables students to use real-time data when making decisions with evidence- and equity-based tools. He notes that while this may seem self-evident, it’s easy for leaders to get stuck in situations where they must find the quickest solution.

“For some, the goal of the Ed.D. is the credential,” he said. “For us and our students, the intent is to learn and then live how to be a practitioner-researcher who serves their community.”

Militello has plenty of evidence and examples of doctoral students who have benefited from the program. He and two of his colleagues are releasing their book — Leading and Learning Together: Cultivating School Change from Within — through Teachers College Press in November. The book has evidence showcasing what a practitioner-researcher looks like in practice from 77 ECU Ed.D. dissertations.

Lancaster's assistantships with IDP, ECU football team position him for future success

Kalen Lancaster knew that a degree in counselor education was the perfect fit for him after working with fellow students in his undergraduate coursework at East Carolina University.

“I enjoy connecting with students, listening to their positive and negative experiences as students and helping them get the resources they need while also preparing them with the knowledge they need to come up with solutions on their own,” he said.

It was through his experiences with faculty and staff at ECU as an undergraduate that he knew he wanted to continue his studies in Pirate Nation.

“My favorite thing about ECU is the small community aspect and being able to easily connect with members of the ECU community!” he said.

As he works toward his anticipated graduation date of December 2027, Lancaster is working as a graduate assistant for the Department of Interdisciplinary Professions. In this role, he connects with current, former and prospective students with department information and updates, and he assists faculty and staff with daily tasks, assignments and research.

Leadership Updates

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Graduate Education

Graduate Enrollment – The College of Education’s graduate student enrollment is slightly higher than it was at this point last year. The COE’s faculty has worked diligently to recruit and those efforts have paid off. The goal is for the Spring to see an increase as well and for the graduate enrollment numbers to continue this trend. The COE will participate in a number of small recruitment events through the Fall, as well as attending two larger events, including the ECU Graduate and Professional Schools Fair (October 23rd) and The COE Graduate Explorations Event (November 13th). If you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree from the COE, please reach out to the Associate Dean of the COE (glassj@ecu.edu) and we will make sure you are connected with your program of interest.

Global Teaching Partners – Global Teaching Partners (GTP) is an organization that brings international teachers into NC to teach in our public schools. These teachers are typically working in NC for approximately 5 years. GTP reached out to the COE to establish a partnership that would allow their teachers to pursue a graduate degree while they are teaching in the state, as a degree from a U.S. institution is often valued in their home countries. GTP was intentional about connecting with the COE because of its strong reputation for distance learning and established history of producing quality teachers. This program provides a pathway for these qualified international teachers to earn a degree from the College of Education.

Associate Dean for Research

CARE Corps

Dr. Loni Crumb, P.I. and Nichelle Shuck, Program Director invite you to learn more about CARE Corps. CARE Corps aims to empower schools to become better prepared to help youth develop healthy responses to stress that accrue from adverse events and environments. As a holistic approach, CARE Corps embraces the community in which the school is located and purposefully engages the understanding and support of parents, families, and local stakeholders. The service is asset-based and culturally responsive in building capacity within community support. CARE Corps members will have training focused on resiliency and equity, designed to reduce students’ symptoms of post-traumatic-stress, and behavioral problems, to improve students’ functioning, grade attainment and school attendance, to elicit peer and parent support, and suggest coping skills for students. CARE Corps goal is to serve 3,720 students to create positive change in students’ mindset, social emotional skills, academic achievement, or desire for educational success. The news article highlights ECU's Community School, which has students that Care Corp is currently serving.

Preschool Education in Applied Sciences (PEAS) Program

Dr. Tammy Lee, Science Educator, Department of Mathematics, Science, and Instructional Technology Education from the College of Education, assisted in the development and the creation of the PEAS practices as a co-investigator on the National Institute of Health grant, More PEAS Please! grant. She also helped design the teacher training workshops, assisted in developing the science learning activities, and collaborated with the creation of the teacher training and support materials used in More PEAS Please. Dr. Lee co-led the design of the scientific practices portion of the teacher training.

The video highlights the work being performed in teacher support and the PEAS (Preschool Education in Applied Sciences) grant, in which ECU’s Drs. Archana V. Hegde and Tammy Lee are among grant leaders. Hegde, professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, and Lee are members of a statewide team that includes representatives from ECU, N.C. State, the University of North Carolina Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University.

From left to right: Dr. Lindsay Mattock, Vanessa Reyes & Vanessa Irvin

ECU FOCAS: "Faculty Organizing for Community Archives"

Co-Investigators, Drs. Vanessa Reyes, Lindsay Mattock, and Vanessa Irvin, faculty members of the library science program at East Carolina University (ECU), are working on the project “Faculty Organizing for Community Archives (FOCAS): East Carolina University.”

FOCAS involves nine library science programs across the US and Canada. On July 1, 2024, The ECU library science program was awarded a $1.1M grant from the Mellon Foundation to achieve the following goals:

Connect with community-based archival organizations for mutual benefit: to help local non-profit community archives in North Carolina with needed resources and to place ECU Library Science graduate students in internships at community-based archives across the state.

The project also aims to enrich the Library Science courses at ECU by highlighting local case studies, historical perspectives, and archival practices that challenge the dominant best practices in the cultural heritage fields. The project will run for three years, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027.

Pirate Leadership Academy

The PIRATE Leadership Academy Principal Fellows Program at East Carolina University prepares effective Principals from eastern NC, for eastern NC, who Innovate, Revitalize, Advocate, and Transform Education for all students, families, and teachers.

The Pirate Leadership Academy Principal Fellows Program serves as a transformational principal preparation pipeline for 32 school districts in eastern NC which are a part of the Northeast Regional Education Service Alliance (NERESA) and the Southeast Education Alliance (SEA). The PLA Team works with district leaders to nominate the best “proven” teacher leaders, who have not seriously considered entering the principal pipeline due to potential financial costs related to graduate school and the inconveniences of retooling (i.e., money, time, travel commitments, maintaining a work/life balance) to become effective principals for their schools and communities). Our program started in the Fall of 2020 and runs through Spring of 2028. Our goal is to train and support over 140 outstanding ECU Principal Fellows and to build their leadership and coaching capacity, so they can serve their schools and school districts in eastern NC for the next generation. Our program provides ECU Principal Fellows with distinctive enhancements such as Vitality Coaching throughout their program from trained leadership coaches, service-learning course experiences built around our Service Leadership Project model, and Becoming a Coaching Leader (BACL) training.

Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and Educator Preparation

ECU welcomed 93 Teaching Fellows into our first cohort — the second largest cohort of all NC host institutions! For the first time, this included both traditional candidates and Partnership Teach transfer candidates. More information about Teaching Fellows and the recruitment process can be found on the ECU Teaching Fellows website.

Partnership Teach welcomed 114 new students in the 2024 cohort! Kudos to the entire team — Gerald, Karli, Lynn, Sonya & Jim — for your ongoing recruitment efforts.

The Alternative Licensure team supported residency intake of 450+ candidates for fall 2024, with a current total enrollment of over 1300 students completing non-degree licensure coursework.

Sherry Tripp was the inaugural OEPee-Dee award winner for August and Mary Worthington was the September OEPee-Dee award winner.

Dr. Dionna Manning and Hailey DeSutter took students to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. The entire group is pictured in front of the academy (left) and the photo on the right features the Partnership Teach Teaching Fellows recipients who had the opportunity to join the other scholars.

Dr. Fales and Kim Lucas

The COE Scholarship Ceremony was held on Friday, September 6. It was an amazing event for our students, families, donors, and faculty. Thank you, Dr. Manning, for your incredible work in organizing this event. I was thrilled to celebrate my favorite teaching and coaching co-conspirator during our days at Greene Central, Kim Lucas -- we started our teaching journey together in 2003! Kim is the current principal at Pactolus School and is in our EdD program.

Lynn Mooring at the Fayetteville Technical Community College event

Partnership Teach has been busy recruiting with lots of visits to community colleges and schools for various recruitment events. Lynn Mooring was spotted at Fayetteville Technical Community College's transfer event. There were 40 colleges/universities in attendance and the Purple & Gold was well represented.

Sarah Sconyers, left, and Kristen Gregory

Several OEP team members and COE faculty members attended the NCACTE Fall Forum in Raleigh in September. Sarah Sconyers and Kristen Gregory presented on AI Readiness and Literacy in Ed Prep. Nicole Tripp and Rachel Bass presented on Residency Program Data and edTPA Support. This was Rachel's first conference presentation as a member of ECU COE and she rocked it! I (Holly Fales) presented on the success of our pipelines and partnerships.

We have launched a new recruitment landing page for prospective students interested in becoming a teacher.

Lynn Mooring was at the NCCASE conference connecting with EC Directors from across the state. This conference allows our Partnership Teach program to cultivate vital partnerships to recruit special education candidates to our programs.

Dr. Catrina Davis presented to students at Northeastern High School who are a part of the River City Teacher Cadet program in Elizabeth City-Pasquotank Public Schools. This is the first of several visits to Teacher Cadet programs across the region as we strive to increase our engagement and support of these programs and facilitate the pipeline to ECU as their preferred educator preparation program.

Dr. Dionna Manning encouraged ECOS & ELLC students to assist with recruitment in their home communities during fall break as part of their service work. Student recruiters were at South Columbus High School in Columbus County, West Bladen High School in Bladen County, Southwest High School in Onslow County, and Southwest Edgecombe High School in Edgecombe County.

ECU College of Education is a proud sponsor of the 2024 Let's Connect series. Gerald Baldwin and COE student, Drew Hendrickson, represented COE at the first event at Cape Fear Community College where they engaged community members from Pender and New Hanover counties.

Assistant Dean for Faculty & Staff Development, Wellness & Engagement

As we embark on another exciting academic year, I am thrilled to extend a warm welcome to our new faculty, staff, students, and community partners. Your presence enriches our college, and I look forward to seeing the collective impact we will make together. This year, we have an incredible lineup of initiatives aimed at fostering growth, wellbeing, and community engagement reflecting our commitment to student success, public service, and regional transformation. Here are a few highlights:

New Faculty Orientation Series: “Growing Where You Are Planted”

Our New Faculty Orientation Series is an opportunity to nurture the talents of our newest colleagues. Each new faculty member was given a plant as part of the series, serving as a meaningful metaphor for growth. Just like the plants, we hope our new faculty will thrive, flourish, and "grow where they are planted" in their new academic home. This series is designed to offer guidance, resources, and community-building experiences, ensuring that our faculty have the tools they need to grow personally and professionally.

Launching Our College of Education Leadership Development Program

Leadership is at the core of education, and this year we are proud to launch our College of Education Leadership Development Program. This initiative is designed to empower our faculty and staff, providing the leadership skills necessary to navigate the complexities of higher education. Participants will engage in workshops, mentoring, and hands-on leadership experiences that align with the strategic goals of the college. I look forward to seeing how this program will inspire our next generation of educational leaders.

Staff Speaker Series: Empowering Workforce Success

Aligned with our strategic plan to "prepare university employees with the knowledge and competencies required for successful career journeys," this series is designed to equip our staff with the tools they need for continued growth and success. The first session, led by our very own Jo Melnyk and Rachel Bass, will focus on Using AI in Professional Communications. We look forward to the meaningful discussions and learning opportunities that will come from this series.

Supporting Study Abroad and Study Away Programs

We continue to support Study Abroad and Study Away opportunities that allow our students to expand their learning beyond the classroom. These transformative experiences are essential in preparing our students for a dynamic world. By fostering experiential learning opportunities, we are equipping our students with the skills needed to succeed in any educational or community setting.

Launching the Lookout Mentoring Program

I am particularly excited about the launch of our Lookout Mentoring Program. This initiative pairs students with mentors who will guide them through goal setting, career development, networking, and personal wellbeing. The program is designed to build critical skills for success while fostering meaningful relationships. Whether students engage in individual mentoring or group development sessions, they will be supported in their academic and professional journeys.

First Day of Class Student Celebration: A New Tradition

This year, we introduced our first (soon to be Annual) COE First Day of Class Student Celebration. This event was a joyful way to kick off the semester, welcoming students back to campus with excitement and energy. We hope to make this a lasting tradition, celebrating the beginning of each academic year and creating a sense of belonging and connection within our college.

Upscaling Our Student Study Lounge: Prioritizing Wellbeing

Student wellbeing remains a top priority, and we are upscaling our Student Study Lounge with enhanced wellbeing supports and resources. The lounge will now feature spaces designed for relaxation, mindfulness, and focused study. We are committed to providing an environment that fosters academic success while supporting the mental and emotional health of our students.

As we continue to innovate and grow, I am filled with excitement about the journey ahead. Together, we will cultivate a college community where everyone—faculty, staff, and students—can thrive and succeed. I look forward to all that we will achieve this year!

Warm regards,

Dr. Janeé Avent Harris

Departmental Updates

Educational Leadership

EdD Program Welcomes a New Cohort: The EdD Program admitted its newest class of doctoral students – 37 in total across four cohorts – this past spring. An orientation was held on Saturday, May 18 to welcome these scholarly practitioner leaders to the program and help them prepare for this major personal and professional undertaking.

Principal Fellows: The second-year Principal Fellows completed the third day of Becoming a Coaching Leader (BACL) training earlier this year. During the training, these leaders focused on the mindset, skills, and structures needed to engage with stakeholders within their school communities. We are excited about the impact this training will have on the Principal Fellows and their leadership in 15 school districts across our region.

LEED EdD Supervisors Meeting: On July 26, as part of their summer coursework, the newest class of EdD students invited their workplace supervisors to ECU’s campus for a luncheon. These supervisors, as guests of the EdD program, heard about opportunities for continued professional preparation for their employees and themselves through the LEED Department. Following lunch, the workplace supervisors and their employees – who are our EdD doctoral students - met one-on-one in a guided conversation around the students’ pitch of their dissertation in practice idea. The Dissertation in Practice provides doctoral students an opportunity to apply research techniques and improvement science methodology to address a problem of practice in the students’ workplace.

Faculty Spotlight: Lawrence Hodgkins

Title: Assistant Teaching Professor
Hometown: Poughkeepsie, NY
Colleges attended and degrees: B.A. Physics (Bowdoin College), B.S. Chemical Engineering (Columbia University), M.S. Environmental Engineering (University of Massachusetts), MSA (North Carolina State University), EdD (East Carolina University)
What drew you to ECU's department of Educational Leadership? I was drawn to work with the LEED department at ECU due to our focus on regional transformation and the chance to work with great people and leaders.
What assets and value do you contribute to the EdD Higher Education Administration Concentration (ex. Specific leadership experience, research expertise, etc.)? I believe my strengths are as a teacher and facilitator, more specifically being able to ask the right questions and having a sense of when students need a push and when to offer support and encouragement. Having a proven record of success in marginalized communities here in Eastern NC first as a classroom teacher and later as a principal, I am most interested in areas of instructional leadership, helping build schools with positive climate and culture, and authentic community engagement.
Who or what has influenced you the most in life? Time spent outdoors in natural spaces gives me a sense of awe and wonder about our world and helps maintain my mental and physical health. My late grandmother who was a high school English teacher was always a guiding voice and encouraged me to become a teacher. I have also learned from colleagues in my MSA and EdD programs as well as LEED students and graduates who are now school and district leaders. But most significantly it was the students and parents I worked with in nearby Martin County, who accepted me into their community, opened their hearts, and shared their hopes, dreams, and fears who have most strongly influenced me and inspire me to continue to work for better educational opportunities and outcomes in our region.
So far in your career, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement? Seeing students graduate having developed the skills and confidence needed to make a positive difference in their schools and communities. As a teacher, we do not have many discrete achievements, rather it is more of a cumulative process of continually making small progress.
Which authors, books, or research did you find most influential and helpful during your career? Maria Montessori for her ideas about how students learn and to view learners holistically as a person. Myles Horton We Make the Road by Walking for his grass-roots approach to education and servant leadership.

Alumni Spotlight: Tiffany Hinton

Title: Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief Diversity Officer
Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina
Colleges attended & degrees: Fayetteville State University, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice; Norfolk State University, Masters of Art in Criminology; East Carolina Univesrity, Doctor of Education, Educational Leadership
What drew you to Educational Leadership? I was impressed by the Educational Leadership program’s: (1) affordability, (2) practitioner focus, (3) cohort model and faculty-student ratio and (4) flexibility in course offerings, specifically summer and evening classes, (5) higher education administration concentration, and (6) focus on educational equity and social justice through DiP model.
What is your current position and how did ECU prepare you for your career? I currently serve as the Assistant Vice Chancellor & Chief Diversity Officer at Elizabeth City State University. The program provided me with a solid foundation of theoretical knowledge and practical experience relevant to my career path. Through the coursework, projects, and intensive collaborative experience with colleagues and faculty, I developed a deep understanding of the fundamental concepts and issues in higher education, which equipped me with practical skills needed to apply the knowledge to my work (real work situations). My leadership philopshy and values expanded and I refined my leadership style and overall practice. With my knowledge and newly developed leadership principles, I was able to lead, serve, and transform the educational enviornment of my students and team.
What skills or knowledge did you learn throughout the program that you found most useful in your career? Through the program, I was able to really focus on my why: how to improve practice in the field. Drs. Chambers, Lewis and Siegel helped me to develop a mindset of identifying and confronting social challenges that exist in our field, using data methodology and literature to inform my practice. I was also able to sharpen my relationship building collaboration, and communication skills and use those skills to impart change.
Was your educational leadership experience worth the price? One thing that I appreciated about the program was its affordability. As a working professional in the field of Higher Education, it was important to find a program that offered a quality education at an afforable price and the educational leadership program offered just that. The program was well worth the price.
What are you most proud of from your program experience? I am most proud of my work. Unlike the traditional dissertation, the dissertation in practice (DiP) model utilizes a solution-based approach and focuses on the application of research and theory to solve “real-work” problems. Through my DiP, I was able to address the marginalization of our LGBTQ+ students by moving this population “from the margins to the center”, in the words of bell hooks (1984), utilizing their lived experiences and stories to transform their sense of belonging and community on campus. The sense of community that resulted from that work is what I am most proud of and it all resulted from the EdD program.
What is your greatest accomplishment? My greatest accomplishment was graduating! And being able to impact the lives of my students in a positive way.
What advice do you have for students as they look for future careers or future programs to apply to? Apply to the EdD program at ECU! The practical knowledge at an affordable price is unbeatable. Each of the faculty truly care about your personal and professional well-being and success. It will not be a sprint. But the marathon is worth it. You will make it to the finish line if you invest in the journey. The faculty will be there to encourage you along the way but you must do your part, manage your time and stay committed. Good wishes.

Alumni Research Spotlight: Michael White

Dissertation Title: Teaching in Rural North Carolina: The Impact of Beginning Teacher Support on Teacher Retention
Dissertation Chair: Dr. Travis Lewis
How did you settle on that topic? Bertie is home for me. I was a Lateral Entry teacher when I started back in 2002 so I know what it was like to take courses, work a full-time job and try to have some sort of life outside of work. Most of our beginning teachers are now Residency Licensed and face the same difficulties, if not more. As the HR Director, I wanted to choose a topic that was in my wheelhouse as well as something that made a difference.
How does your research provide value to the field of educational leadership? Great question, and I am not 100% sure it does. There is no silver bullet for anything but especially in education. What we did was believe in our beginning teachers and offer them every avenue to help possible. We were really excited at the end of the year when 13 of the 14 beginning teachers (92.8%) were still teaching.
About Michael White: I graduated from ECU with a BS in Biology in 2001, and a MSA in 2009. This year marks my 21st year in education. I taught Math and Science at the middle and high school in Bertie County for six years. I was a middle school principal for 5 years and a high school principal for 6 years in Jones County. And I am currently the Assistant Superintendent of Bertie County Schools where I have been since 2019. Along with working for the school system, I am a sitting County Commissioner.

Elementary Education & Middle Grades Education

Kristen Gregory and COE colleagues have just published a chapter titled **"Elementary Educators' Perceptions of Using ChatGPT as a Classroom Assessment Generator"** in the new Routledge book, *Artificial Intelligence Applications in K-12*! This work explores how AI tools like ChatGPT can transform classroom assessments and teaching strategies for the future of education.

Dr. Julie Stanley on the publication of this peer-reviewed research article:

Stanley, J., Picot, C. & Hopkins-Flory, J. (2024). Artful Echoes: Amplifying SEL through interactive read-alouds and arts engagement. Early Childhood Education Journal.

Literacy Studies, History Education & English Education

Dr. Christy Howard and Dr. Anne Ticknor, along with Dr. Mikkaka Overstreet published Practical Steps Toward Culturally Responsive K-12 Literacy Instruction: Resisting Barriers, Using Texts, and Making Space.

Howard, Overstreet, and Ticknor build on the framework they established in their first book It’s Not “One More Thing”. They extend their practical how-to strategies for enacting culturally responsive and affirming literacy instruction in K-12 classrooms specific to literacy assessment, engaging texts used for literacy instruction, and navigating and resisting barriers. They build on their experiences and research of CRP to offer vignettes of literacy instruction that may be common in K-12 classrooms. These examples are offered to situate how teachers may use research based and effective literacy practices while ignoring the identities and experiences of their students. They then disrupt the vignettes using theories and concepts presented in the chapter to make visible how each practice could be reimagined to integrate more culturally responsive strategies. Example lessons and activities are provided in each chapter that offer readers glimpses into CRP thinking and decision making. Guiding prompts are also included for readers to use the chapter topic and example lessons to consider ways to be more culturally responsive teachers for their students and in their local communities.

We are offering Online Literacy CEU Modules! See flyer.

Need CEUs for licensure renewal? Literacy CEU modules will be offered in October, February, and May! Erin Kessel is the instructor for these modules.

We welcome visiting international scholar, Weiping Peng! Faculty Mentor: Dr. Ran Hu. Thanks also to Dr. Janeé Avent Harris for supporting this scholar.

Office: Speight 117-E

Email: pengw24@ecu.edu

Phone: 737-4163

Left: Dr. Tanya Christ; Right: Dr. Karole-Ann Friddle

We welcomed two new reading/literacy faculty members this fall: Dr. Tanya Christ and Dr. Karole-Ann Friddle

Darian Thrailkill, co-creator of the innovative RPG "We Know Something You Don't Know", is changing the game for pre-service and in-service teachers. This interactive experience is designed to spark critical conversations about the structures of schools and the people who navigate them. Check it out.

Mathematics Education, Science Education & Instructional Technology

Spending their summers in different countries is nothing new to East Carolina University science education faculty Dr. Tammy Lee and Bonnie Glass.

The two have led study abroad trips to Costa Rica, Belize, Ireland and, more recently, Mallorca, Spain. This course focused on how human have connected with and impacted the ecosystems of Mallorca, one of Spain’s Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean. The seven-day trip was filled with experiential learning through the island’s terrestrial ecosystems, including salty and humid zones, mountainous areas, gorges and cliffs.

“My favorite part of the last day was swimming in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, which is something I never thought I would be able to do,” said Allison Schaefer, a graduate student in science education. “Jumping off the boat into the crystal-clear turquoise water and the beautiful backdrop is something I will never forget.”

Special Education, Foundations & Research

Benjamin Blaisdell co-published a book chapter—“We Make Some Woke Kids”: Using Critical Race Theory to Revolutionize the Elementary Curriculum—with two in-service teachers. The chapter which appears the book, Critical Race Theory and Classroom Practice examines how teachers can use CRT to meet state standards in social studies and reading, use their students; experiences and perspectives to engage in deeper and more enriching curricula, and to build positive student-to-student relationships across racial difference.

Benjamin Blaisdell published an article in Leadership and Policy in Schools. The article—titled "Disrupting Carcerality in Schools: The Value of Racial Spatial Analysis” —examines how intersecting idea of race and space cause schools to surveil Black and Brown students. It offers recommendations on how school leaders can examine those ideas and help their schools develop more racially equitable practices.

The Foundation program area started offering a new course, EDUC 6310 Responsive Community Based Rural Classrooms. As part of the MAT in the Educator Pipeline in Rural Action for Teaching Equity (edPIRATE) program, EDUC 6310 focuses on students learning how to use humanizing pedagogy to build their lens as culturally responsive educators.

Six students completed the Racial Equity Studies Graduate Certificate in the 2023-2024 academic year. That program provides students with a comprehensive framework to analyze and respond to racial disparity in their own educational and community settings. It provides language to help understand a variety of educational issues, from the school-to-prison pipeline to the persistence of racial achievement and opportunity gaps. Students have the opportunity to enhance their racial literacy and to develop approaches to antiracism relevant to their specific schools and settings. Students come from a variety of programs and positions—from public school teachers and district administrators to English PhD students and graphic designers. Below, recent students reflect on how the certificate has helped them and what they are working on now:

Shea Davenport: PreK Teacher. "I am currently working on my MAEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Birth-Kindergarten. I am also an Educator in Onslow County Schools. I took the Racial Equity Studies classes to earn my certificate so I can better serve my families and community here in Eastern North Carolina. In the classes, we gain more knowledge and understanding of Critical Race Theory and how to use it as a framework in our curriculum. Through these frameworks, educators are able to assess their teaching methods critically and reflect on their own biases. These classes provide educators with the necessary information to create more inclusive environments that celebrate diversity and foster a sense of belonging for all children. In the classes, we analyzed how race and power dynamics influence educational experiences and the educational systems. I look forward to implementing what I have learned in these classes and advocating for my students, families, and communities."

Leslie Ann Shaw, ESL Counselor. “I serve over 2000 Multilingual Learners (MLs) across Cumberland County Schools (CCS). Of I serve over 2000 MLs across CCS. Of course I'm also a lifelong Pirate. I completed my BA Psychology and BS Family and Community Services, K-12 NCDPI Spanish licensure, and MS Counseling Education all at ECU. “The Racial Equity Studies Certificate provided me a wealth of insight on how systems of oppression continue to disempower people of color, and in my industry, gets in the way of what could be a quality and sound education for Multilingual Learners (MLs). “Since completing the certification, I applied and was accepted into a collaborative in Cumberland County Schools (CCS) called the Community and District Equity Team

(CADET). Its goal is to work together to establish an equity plan for CCS. We meet bi-weekly and are in the process of designing an equity audit to be shared with stakeholders across the schools. The meetings have been insightful and challenging, but fruitful overall! Our school district has had an influx of students arriving from Central America and the Caribbean, so it has become the topic of conversation in district leadership. The overall question has been, "How do we help these students?" The initial concern was about "the illegal immigrants" (yes, their words), so the ESL Department has been shifting the narrative to empower teachers across the district to see the value in their students. Activities have included professional development with school staff, power sessions with administrators, and 1:1 curriculum assistance with teachers. It has been an uphill battle, but at least the district is now paying attention to the unique needs of our undocumented students.”

Lee Turner, Graphic Designer. “"The coursework and learning I did in the Racial Equity Studies Graduate Certificate program through the College of Education was some of the most important work I've engaged with in my career thus far. Not only was my understanding of structural racism and intersectional oppression broadened, I can now articulate these concepts effectively and have tough conversations with colleagues and friends in a productive way. I feel equipped to advocate for antiracist policies, procedures, and thinking in the spaces I move through—both professionally and personally. This program and Dr. Blaisdell's thoughtful leadership have made an immense positive impact on me and my work."