Shavonda Washington Shines Light on the CRRC and TEAM Mentoring Program

Shavonda Washington,5th grade Lincoln Parish ELA teacher and one of the first graduates of the full-year clinical residency program in 14-15, recently representing Lincoln Parish and Louisiana Tech in Baton Rouge, LA, where she shared her personal experiences as a clinical resident at Cypress Springs Elementary School with the Louisiana BESE (Board of Elementary and Secondary Education) board.

Dogs with a Cause

Dogs with A Cause Arrived at Cypress Springs Thursday as the College of Education TEAM Model Clinical Residents and the Louisiana Tech Baseball Team collaborated to make a difference in all 26 classrooms. This is one of two partnerships between the COE and the Louisiana Tech Athletics Program. The previous adoption was the Louisiana Tech Basketball Team and Ruston Elementary School. Both partnerships will continue to visit both Ruston grades 3-5 schools quarterly this year with future partnerships planned for 17-18. Much credit is given to Head Basketball Coach Konkol and Head Baseball Coach Burroughs for their willingness to collaborate and better understand the TEAM model full-year co-teaching experience of our elementary clinical residents. The true winners are the students that get to spend an afternoon with some of Louisiana Tech's finest students! It's a great day to be a DOG!

Thanks to Dr. Amy Vessel for leading this powerful effort and submitting the story!

Web Development Pop Up Class Hosted by the eLearning Research Institute (e-LRI)

The e-Learning Research Institute (eLRI) in collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship and Instructional Technology presented the Weekend Weebly Wobble and other Technology Management Tools to a group of budding educators and business entrepreneurs on Saturday, July 23rd. Dr. Pamela Morgan, Director of eLRI, and Mrs. Melaie Gleason hosted the event in the College of Education's Active Engagement classroom, the Think Tank. Participants first learned the importance of front loading and pre-planning and then progressed into website development using the Weebly platform. The afternoon was spent exploring a variety of business and educational applications designed to enhance the entrepreneur's websites. It was a great group and everyone, including the presenters, gained new knowledge and experience. Thanks, ladies, for offering such great educational opportunities for our campus community through the COE's eLRI.

PDRIB Offers Resources to Those Interested in Obtaining a MAT with a Concentration in Teaching Blind Students

Meaningful, rewarding careers in the field of blindness begin here!

Become Certified to Teach Blind/Visually Impaired Children in Louisiana

Scholarships are now available!

 

Through support from the Louisiana Department of Education, financial support is now available for individuals who wish to complete coursework and training with PDRIB in order to become certified in the state as a Teacher of the blind/Visually Impaired.

 

Many children with a significant visual impairment throughout our state do not have a certified teacher to help meet their learning needs, and their regular classroom teachers do not have the background or support from a trained specialist to help modify classroom materials in such a way that these children can get the education they desperately need to meet their full potential. This is where you come in!

  

      Using innovative technology and support, individuals can now complete most of our coursework online regardless of where they live.

•             No prior background or experience in blindness is necessary—we’ll teach you everything you need to know.

•             Scholarships are provided on a competitive basis to qualified persons and can cover tuition, fees, and necessary books and supplies.

 

If you already have a Bachelor’s (B.A.) degree in any area from an accredited university, have a grade point average of 2.5, obtained passing scores on the PRAXIS I and II exams, and want to join this exciting career, contact us! We Offer both a Master of Arts in Teaching with Concentration in Teaching Blind Students and a Graduate Certificate in this area. (Note that certain exams may be waived for individuals who already hold a valid teaching certificate.)

 

For program details, Click Here

•             Applications are now being accepted for Fall, 2016, with classes beginning September 7

•             Financial support is prioritized to individuals who wish to take courses on a full time basis

•             Subsequent funding is based on successful matriculation through the program

 

For more information, please contact Dr. Edward Bell at ebell@latech.edu or 318-257-4554

 

 

A Peachy Weekend for our COE!

This weekend was just Peachy for our COE students, faculty, and staff!

Over the weekend, five young women from Louisiana Tech University participated in the 2016 Miss Louisiana Scholarship Competition. Of those, we are happy to report that one of our COE's own, Miss Anna Blake, a junior kinesiology major also competed and did quite well.  She is pictured to the right in the News Star at check in. Check out the link to learn more. http://www.thenewsstar.com/picture-gallery/news/2016/06/19/miss-louisiana-contestant-move-in-day/86120768/
Anna even made it to the Top Ten! Congratulations, Anna! Your COE family is quite proud of you!

Our College clocked over 50 hours of community service for the Peach Festival this year! Pictured is PDRIB's Sheena Manuel that helped contribute to our COE volunteer time. Thanks, Sheena! We are still waiting to hear back about the total hours for all organizations and see if we won; however, win or lose, It is pretty impressive to have that kind of support from a single College within Louisiana Tech University. Thanks to all who found a way to contribute and be part of the Peach Fest experience!

AROS, a branch of the Department of Psychology had an incredibly important job this weekend, too. They began data collection related to the economic impact of the Peach Festival on our community. AROS is a supporting partner of the Ruston/Lincoln Chamber and CVB and a sponsor of the 66th Annual Peach Festival.

In addition, SciTEC in our COE helped host multiple events at the Annual Louisiana Peach Festival including the Fishing Tournament at Lincoln Parish Park and the Entertainment Tent for Kids near RailRoad Park! Check out the pictures of all of the fun!

....and this week may even be better!

Co-Directors, Drs. Carrice Cummins, Libby Manning, and Kim Kimbell-Lopez of the Literacy Center in CIL in our COE will be hosting the first annual Powerful Instruction Literacy Conference in Shreveport/ Bossier and welcoming teachers from across the region for the three day professional development in-service Tuesday through Thursday of this week. The event will be held at the Tech Center.

Drs. Jordan Blazo and Braden Romer of Kinesiology and Lindsey Vincent of SciTEC will be hosting the first Project KINES Professional Development workshop funded by the Lincoln Health Foundation. The three day event will be a precursor to the year-long implementation in AE Phillips Lab School and RJHS and serve as an introductory class meeting series for the corresponding fall graduate course for participating Lincoln Parish educators.

Camps through SciTEC's IDEA Place and Bricks4Kidz will continue this week with Worlds of Amusement and Mining and Crafting. Students will design, create, and build. A few spaces are still available if there is interest in participating!

Words Their Way in the COE Today!

On Tuesday, June 21st from 9am to 3pm, 38 Lincoln Parish professional educators joined Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Libby Manning, and Dr. Kim Kimbell-Lopez from the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership in the College of Education at Louisiana Tech University for a Words Their Way Workshop in Woodard Hall in the new College of Education Literacy Center. Teachers came from each of the Lincoln Parish elementary schools, and many administrators joined as well. Central Office Elementary Lead, Sherry Boyd was also in attendance and has been a great advocate for the use of the tool in the schools she serves. Dr. Bryan McCoy, Department Chair for Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership noted that this workshop was a "fantastic opportunity to engage with K-12 educational professionals to strengthen both the teacher education programs and K-12 classrooms." Words Their Way is a trademarked product through Pearson Learning Services. The system focuses on " word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling instruction," as noted on their website www.pearsonschool.com. The faculty enjoyed a full day of professional development activities and modeled instruction delivered by the University professors. "This voluntary workshop was hosted at no charge, and is an extension of the strong existing partnership between the Louisiana Tech University College of Education and the Lincoln Parish Schools," noted Dean Schillinger. In addition to the exciting event today, the trio of outstanding literacy educators will be hosting a regional conference in Shreveport/ Bossier at the Tech Center from June 28- June 30. This is the first annual conference of its kind and is titled Powerful Instruction: Developing Readers, Writers, and Thinkers. For more information about the upcoming conference, please visit the Eventbrite site at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/powerful-instruction-developing-readers-writers-and-thinkers-tickets-22048621019?aff=erelexpmlt . There is limited space available for those interested in registering.

Children's Choices Awards

The Children's Choices Program is a joint project between the Children's Book Council and The International Literacy Association. There are only five Children's Choices selected sites in the U.S., and Louisiana Tech's College of Education is one of those partnerships! Dr. Amy Massey Vessel applied last year to serve as a host site and was selected to serve as a team leader on ILA's Children's Choices Committee. Lincoln Parish School district leaders, Lisa Mangum (District Reading Coach) and Sherry Boyd (Elementary Supervisor) were integral in supporting the establishment of the Children's choice program in our area schools and will continue to support this 3-year program. More than 2,500 students at Hillcrest Elementary, Ruston Elementary, Glen View Elementary, and Cypress Springs Elementary School submitted votes from August - January after having the opportunity to choose books to read and share their reviews. Those votes were compiled and submitted to the Children's Book Council to create the 2016 award winning reading lists that were published this week during Children's Book Week.

Teachers from across the country use Children's Choices, Teachers' Choices, and Parents' Choices recommended book lists to select new books for their classroom libraries. For the many hours the Lincoln Parish Schools dedicated to this project, their reward is an entire set of almost 1,000 books for their school libraries. Teachers had the opportunity to see these 2015 published books from the many national publishing companies, sometimes even weeks before they were available in local bookstores.

According to Children's Choices Team Leader, Dr. Amy Vessel, "Bringing the Children's Choices Program to Lincoln Parish was a dream come true! Some things cannot be captured with a photo or put into words, like the excitement of delivering new books to the hands of a child. We look forward to watching this partnership continue to reach additional schools in the next year." Vessel is currently collaborating with Dr. Bryan McCoy, Chair of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership, to establish a children's library in Woodard Hall for our teacher candidates and the community. The 2016 Children's Choices winners are currently on display in the Clinical Residency Research Center in Woodard Hall 214. The following link highlights the selections: http://www.cbcbooks.org/childrens-choices/ Thanks to Dr. Amy Massey Vessel for her hard work, the story submission, and the impact being made in our region through this program!

Louisiana Tech COE Children's Choices Program Celebrates Children's Book Week

Children's Book Week has been celebrated since 1919. The Clinical
Residency Research Center (CRRC) will provide a treat to anyone showing their love of literature daily during our week-long celebration next week, May 2nd-6th! Wear stripes on Monday or grab your favorite sporting hat on Tuesday! Most importantly, read a book to a child sharing your love for literature! (The CBW Calendar is attached to this email and posted throughout Woodard Hall.)

Please drop by the CRRC next week to explore the Children's Choices Book Submissions from 2015! We hope to have this book collection available fully circulating for all COE faculty, staff, and students by Fall 2016! The 2016 Children's Choice winners will be announced soon, and a copy of
all winners will be available for checkout! The Children's Book Council and the International Literacy Association co-sponsor the Children's Choices program, and Louisiana Tech is one of only 5 sites in the nation collaborating with school district children. We would like to thank Lincoln Parish Schools for collaborating in our 2015-2016 CC partnership.

For more information regarding Children's Book Week, please visit
http://www.bookweekonline.com/.

Arkansas STEM Education Schools Connect to LA Tech

Last Friday was a very enjoyable and personally fulfilling day due to having the privilege of visiting two innovative STEM-focused schools, eSTEM Middle Charter (enrollment, 900 students) and eSTEM High School Charter (enrollment, 600 students) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Coming from a rural environment, it is a bit different to visit schools located in the midst of the business and busyness of a city. This aspect made the visit educational while the teachers and students I met made it extremely enjoyable and very fulfilling.

If you are wondering about the reason for this visit, it begins with the COE’s connection to Ms. Danni Stuckey, COE alumnus and former teacher at Dubach Elementary School. During her association with the COE, Ms. Stuckey also participated in the SciTEC Scholars program where she learned of innovative methods to integrate STEM concepts, demos, and experiments into a reading curriculum to heighten student engagement. Prompted by this professional development, she developed a series of STEM/literacy lessons including activities such as how design and use pinhole cameras to discuss light and color, concepts while connecting directly to texts such as Lois Lowery's 1994 Newberry Medal recipient, The Giver. While the book was available on the students' Kindles and iPADs, they were unable to take them home, annotate, or otherwise physically engage with the text, and they seems to especially enjoy interacting with one that has a hard cover. Ms. Stuckey submitted a request outlining her vision and her need (40 hard cover texts), which the COE was able to meet due to the generosity of funding made available through the Pipes Foundation. 

Ms. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Director of Outreach and External for the COE, who played a primary role in this collaborative event, joined me in “welcoming” the eSTEM students to the Tech traditions of excellence and in distributing copies of The Giver.  We had the pleasure of speaking with some engaging students from two high school classes who asked many insightful and interesting questions about Tech, Ruston, and University life in general. I am very thankful to the wonderful students of Ms. Craig’s AP English class and Mr. Pursley’s AP Chemistry class who asked thoughtful questions and who seemed genuinely engaged and interested in the process of learning and achieving. To Ms. Craig and Mr. Pursley, thank you for your kindness and consideration in allowing us to use some of your valuable instructional time to meet and chat with your exceptional students.

In summary, the visit to the eSTEM Charter Schools saw the establishment of a new competitive grant program offered through the Office of Outreach and External Funding for the College of Education, the initiation of a new relationship with some exceptional students and teachers from a stellar school, and a view of the P-12 education thriving in city environment.

- A BIG thank you goes out to Ms. Debra, Mr. Sarper, and Ms. Stuckey for a great visit and a wonderful start to what we hope is a long-term partnership

*Enrollment numbers are approximations provided by eSTEM Charter School faculty.

Visit https://www.estemlr.net/ for more information about the eSTEM Charter Schools.

CIL Represents the COE well at CAEP Meeting in Baton Rouge

Dr. Randy Parker and Dr. Pam Morgan participated in the Board of Regents CAEP - Educational Leadership Leadership Institute in Baton Rouge.
Higher Education Faculty from throughout Louisiana developed a deeper understanding of the new Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Standards and Assessment Expectations. The Session was chaired by Dr. Stevie Chepko - CAEP Sr VP for Accreditation- Washington DC. Thanks to Dr.Parker for submitting the story!

Believe and Prepare: LADOE Celebrates Louisiana Tech's COE and Lincoln Parish Schools' Successes

At 9 am in the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge, LA, the Believe and Prepare Community Meeting was hosted by the Louisiana Department of Education. Featured was Mrs. Lisa Allen, a Louisiana Tech graduate, Fourth Grade educator at Ruston Elementary School and collaborator with Drs. Dawn Basinger and Amy Massey Vessel of the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership on the Louisiana Tech University Believe and Prepare project. The project is focused on mentor teacher preparation to support teacher candidates before and during year long clinical residencies.  A variety of sessions were hosted during the event and included the following :

Mentor Training
Communicating to Ensure Candidate Success
Digital Support Tools
First, Are Students Learning? Using Data to Strengthen the Preparation Experiences
Preparation Program Inspection: Process and Outcomes
Teachers' Guide to PARCC Results

The Louisiana Tech University Believe and Prepare project has been incredibly successful. More than 70 educators have attended multiple workshops and conference sessions in the College of Education since the beginning of 2016. State Superintendent John White has also visited the district on multiple occasions to see the great things happening as a result of the grant program. We are proud of the work of the COE faculty and the amazing mentor teachers in Lincoln, Ouachita, and Union parishes!

eLearning Research Institute is Gaining Traction

The eLearning Research Institute (eLRI), located in the College of Education, is providing a valuable resource to the College and university as faculty and staff members complete professional development sessions to earn various Quality Matters certifications. The eLRI,  under the direction of Acting Director, Dr. Pamela Morgan, has been established to provide a central location for instructional training for formal and informal educators. Within the last quarter, much activity has taken place. 

Comments from Dr. Morgan  - The eLearning Research Institute is proud to announce that Dr. Randy Parker and Dr. Dawn Basinger have recently completed the online Peer Reviewer Course with Quality Matters, Inc. The Peer Reviewer Course is an intensive professional development activity designed to prepare faculty members for the rigorous review of online and hybrid courses using the research-based Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric. Quality Matters uses a peer review process to partner faculty reviewers with course instructors or developers to review and provide specific, detailed, and constructive feedback in order to improve the quality of online and hybrid course design. The College of Education Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership houses the eLearning Research Institute which is working throughout the LA Tech University to provide training and support for the development and improvement of online and hybrid courses.

The eLearning Research Institute would like to congratulate the following College of Education Staff and adjunct faculty members who recently  graduated from the  Applying the Quality Matters Rubric Professional Development Course: Mr. Glenn Larson, Mr. Chris Campbell, Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Ms. C. Smiley Reeves,  Mrs. Melanie Gleason, Dr. Jean Chen, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Ms. Lacey Deal, and Mrs. Susan Rogers. This two week, online course is designed to teach faculty and course designers the process of using the Quality Matters Rubric to review his or her own course and is a precursor to training to become a Peer Reviewer. Through a variety of learning objectives, participants learned to apply Specific Standards developed from research and best practices, how alignment of course components is critical to valid assessment, and  how to draft helpful recommendations and feedback for colleagues.

To learn more about eLRI and opportunities available for you to engage, you can email Dr. Morgan and pmorgan@latech.edu.

Superintendent John White Visits Lincoln Parish and the Louisiana Tech TEAM

Louisiana Tech's TEAM Model Clinical Residency Program in Lincoln  Parish elementary schools received a state visit today from Louisiana  Believe and Prepare officials, Julie Stephenson and Rebecca Freeland.  At Cypress Springs Elementary, Lead Mentor Teacher, Michelle Chauvin,  modeled the TEAM evaluation system with intern, Laura Davidson. At  Glen View Elementary, mentor teacher Candice Cole co-taught  mathematics using the parallel teaching strategy with intern, Destiny  Maxwell, and Glen View interns were interviewed. After school, school  team interviews continued at Ruston Elementary with a surprise visit  from Louisiana State Superintendent, John White.

White praised the continuous strength of the university district  partnership in this clinical residency program and gave the TEAM  members a chance to share their reflections on the experience.  According to Program Co-Director, Dr. Amy Vessel, "The success we are  seeing in the TEAM model is a testament to every single team member of  our model from the principal to the district leader to the university  leader to the intern. However, the true key to the clinical residency  program success continues to be the mentor teacher."

Louisiana Tech's College of Education and Lincoln Parish School Board  began the first pilot of a full-year student teaching program with 11  volunteers during the 2014-2015 academic year. This year, 14 interns  are placed in three local elementary schools. This national and state  trend toward longer clinical experiences will have effects extending  to university initial certification program, teacher-to-student ratios  in the classrooms, and ultimately impacts on student success. In  August 2015, the Clinical Residency Research Center was established in  Woodard Hall to conduct such studies. Through additional grants, new  mentor teams have been identified, and training is extending beyond  Lincoln Parish to Ouachita, Claiborne, and Union Parishes this spring.

This blog entry was submitted by Dr. Amy Vessel, Acting Director for the CRRC. You can contact Dr. Vessel at avessel@latech.edu for more information.

Pictured above are John White, Julie  Stephenson, Rebecca Freeland,  Dr. Amy Vessel,  Dr. Dawn Basinger,  Dr. Don Schillinger, Dr. Bryan McCoy, Kay Bradford, Mike  Milstead,  Sherry Boyd, E Lisa  Mangum, District Clinical Liaison, Amy Brister, Mandy  Brown, Jasmine Hall-Archangel,  Lisa Allen, Belinda Birch, Jillian  McAlpin, Maryanne Smith, Evelyn Skinner, Dana  Reno, Mary  Riggs, and Sarah Sullivan

Strong Evidence of COE and Lincoln Parish Schools Partnerships this Week

Only one day into a four day work week and only two weeks into 2016, our College of Education faculty at Louisiana Tech University are partnering with almost every elementary school in Lincoln Parish ! On Tuesday, January 19 the Department of Kinesiology, the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership, and the new UTeachTech Program served more than 50 teachers and 60 University students through four separate professional development training sessions for staff and a STEM Day where UTeachTech candidates taught 30 fourth graders Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math for 8 hours! Literacy-focused professional development sessions were held at Glenview Elementary, Cypress Springs, and Dubach. Professional development sessions for physical education educators was held at Memorial Gym. UTeachTech STEM Day was held at AE Phillips Laboratory School. Faculty and staff involved in the events included Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Jordan Blazo, Dr. Jean Chen, Dr. David Szymanski, Mr. Chris Campbell, Dr. Bill Deese, Mrs. Diane Madden, Mrs. Erika Jones, Mr. Glenn Larson, Dr. Kim Kimbell-Lopez, Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Libby Manning, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Dr. Braden Romer, Dean Don Schillinger and Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent. We also want to send a special thanks to Mrs. Cathi Cox-Boniol for her support of the UTT iniative through purchasing lunch through Project ACHIEVE, Joanne Hood at AE Phillips for the STEM day space and SciTEC in the COE for materials and support! Pictured are students from the Kinesiology training and the UTeachTech STEM Day.

COE Faculty Submit Research Proposal Requests Totaling More than 3 Million Dollars!

The College of Education has a history of submitting and being awarded millions of dollars in grant funding from a variety of sources to pursue unique research opportunities ranging from studies in biomechanics, curriculum development, informal learning, literacy, health, STEM, psychology, to studies of students with visual impairments and more. This past quarter has been particularly successful for our College of Education as a significant amount of funding has been awarded to COE faculty on a variety of proposals. Fourteen COE faculty were awarded or proposed research funding as leads or in collaboration with campus colleagues between July 2015 and December 2015 according to the OUR Breeze, a publication of Louisiana Tech University ( http://research.latech.edu/files/documents/winter_2015-16_breeze_newsletter.pdf) .
Some of the active COE researchers and PIs noted in the most recent Breeze included the following: Dr. Eddie Bell, Dr. Bryan McCoy, Dr. Braden Romer, Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent, Dr. Carolyn Talton, Dr. Frank Igou, Dr. Mitzi Apter-Desselles, Dr. Steven Toaddy, Dr. Jordan Glenn, Dr. David Szymanski, Dr. Tammy Schilling, Dr. Kimberly Kimbell - Lopez, Dr. Carrice Cummins, and Dr. Libby Manning.  The total amount of new grants awarded with COE involvement was just at $600,000.00 from July 2015- December 2015. The total amount of new funds requested or proposed by a COE principal investigator or collaborator during the same period totals just at  3,100,000.00. The 3.1 million total requested included a 1.25 million dollar proposal by Dr. Eddie Bell for scholarships for teachers of students who are blind. Plus, additional grant funds were provided to COE collaborators for existing awards from July 2015- December 2015 that totaled almost $200,000.00! Great work, and thanks for all you do. We are looking forward to hearing about the pending proposals and to see what other great ideas and explorations/experiments you devise!

Dr. Rich Mancil Selected for the 2016 Regional Accelerator Program

The COE's Dr. Rich Mancil from the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership was selected through a competitive process to be part of the Louisiana Tech University Enterprise Center's Accelerator Business Program under the Direction of Dr. Kathy Wyatt. The coach selected for Dr. Mancil to work with during the six month process is Tech's own Dr. Debbie Inman. Dr. Mancil was selected for his work in establishing the Autism and Behavioral Analysis Research Institute (ABARI) located in the College of Education at Louisiana Tech University. Participation in this select series will enable him to collaborate with educators and business leaders across the region to strengthen his organization and continue bringing great research activities and unique educational learning opportunities to our college. To learn more about the Accelerator program via a story released by LATECH's Dave Guerin and to learn more about the COE's newest educational research center, check out the links below!

http://news.latech.edu/…/i-20-corridor-regional-accelerato…/

http://www.latechaba.com/

COE Scholarship Deadline Extended

Don't forget that the COE deadline for scholarship application submission has been extended this year from December 31 to January 15 at 5 pm central.  We are very fortunate in our College of Education to have a large group of donors and supporters that want to help our students be successful! You have approximately one week left to complete and submit your applications. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Below are just a few of the many scholarships and endowments from our generous donors and friends in the COE that make these opportunities possible. A link to the webpage outlining the requirements for each scholarships follows: http://education.latech.edu/students/scholarships/list.php . Best of luck on your submissions!


Alex Laney Endowment
Ann Marilyn Melton Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Bessie Purdy Scholarship
Betty Edwards Owens Endowed Scholarship
Causey-Tanner Scholarship
Erma Flesher Memorial Scholarship
Elizabeth Morris Odom Endowed Scholarship
Emmons, Morelle and Trissielee Endowed Scholarship
Estelle Harris Memorial Scholarship
Evelyn Swihart Endowed Scholarship
F. Elizabeth Bethea Endowment
George Madden Lomax Scholarship
Gertie M. H.  & Eldrice H. Green Scholarship
Enid Gladden Butler Graduate Scholarship
James and Janis Pierce Endowed Scholarship
John Cawthon Scholarship
Knotts Memorial Scholarship
Lanette Southall Fisher Memorial Scholarship
Lu Iman Allen and Ann McCraw Stokes Scholarship in Education
Lucille Pierce Folk Endowed Scholarship
Mary Ann Smalling Scholarship (Kalil Scholarship)
Mary Ross Higginbotham Scholarship
Mary Wilson Scholarship
Miriam Davis Hogan Endowment
Pipes Memorial Scholarship
Ruston Sunrise Kiwanis Scholarship
Thomas Gaston and Hessie Gaston Watson Endowed Scholarship
Wilbur Bergeron Memorial Scholarship

 

Mr. Randy Moore, Featured Faculty for Fall Enrollment Efforts

As noted in the blog during Thanksgiving, there were many to whom we should be appreciative for the work well done to accomplish a strong and successful fall quarter in the COE and at Louisiana Tech University! One of those such individuals was part of the TLLI Initiative led by the Department of CIL, Mr. Randy Moore. The initiative included scholarship opportunities for Bossier and Caddo educators to pursue master and doctoral level course work in Educational Leadership and expand the reach of Louisiana Tech University support westward even further.  Mr. Moore is the Professional in Residence in the College of Education's Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership. He is a former district leader, principal, and educator.

 In response to the overwhelming success of the fall initiative, he noted that "Over the years, the Caddo/Bossier school districts have supplied some of our finest Educational Leadership candidates.  When President Guice indicated that he desired to extend the footprint of Louisiana Tech in northwest Louisiana, it seemed only natural to cultivate the already productive partnership with those two school districts.  When we shared the prospect of Educational Leadership cohorts with the officials in the Caddo/Bossier districts, they fully embraced the concept and invited us to come to their turf to promote participation.  While I am gratified by the large numbers of participants in both cohorts, I am not surprised by those numbers at all.  The desire on the part of the department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership at Louisiana Tech to  partner these with two progressive school districts to produce high quality school leaders will pay dividends to these districts now and in the future." We are appreciative for Mr. Moore's work in concert with Dr. McCoy, Dr. Parker, Dr. Morgan, Dean Schillinger and the Office of Professional Education Outreach which resulted with enrollment of over 60 master and doctoral candidates!

Polishing the COE Strategic Plan

December 1, 2015, was not only the first day of the new month, it was also the first day of the development of the new College of Education Strategic Plan.   Beginning in early 2015, a leadership team including Dr. Carrice Cummins, Dr. Lanie Dornier, and Dr. Mitzi Desselles consulted with Dr. Gil Reeve, Vice Provost at Louisiana State University and nationally recognized expert in strategic planning, to design  a strategic plan that reflects the vision and mission of each unit within the COE and aligns the subsequent goals and objectives to the Louisiana Tech University Tech2020 Plan. Dr. Reeve and the core planning team met with the entire COE faculty in the spring of 2015. Over the 2015 year, departments and units designed, reviewed, revised, and polished independent strategic plans. Tuesday of this week, division leaders, guided by faculty feedback,  reviewed each  unit plan; identified commonalities (themes) across the college; and began work on a comprehensive strategic plan that describes where we are, where we want to be (benchmarks),  and how we are going to get there (action steps) as a college. The beneficial day of reflection and planning on Dec. 1 and the initial meeting in the spring of 2015 provided a reminder of the unique, collaborative culture we enjoy at Louisiana Tech University and in our College of Education; yet another reason to be grateful during the season of thanks. Thanks to Drs. Cummins, Dornier, and Desselles! The time and effort they put in to this process has exceeded expectations and has set the stage for intentional action that matches the mission, vision, and goals of the College of Education, the units within it, and the University. Thanks to the Dean, Associate Dean and Unit Heads, Faculty, Staff, and Students for collaborating on this endeavor. Once complete, we look forward to sharing the work with our COE family and our Louisiana Tech University family.

Thankful for a Great Fall Quarter and a Record-Breaking Number of Students

Our COE is grateful for a wonderful fall quarter and a record-breaking enrollment for Louisiana Tech University for 2015! We are thankful that the COE was able to contribute significantly to both the graduate and undergraduate enrollment of Louisiana Tech University which totaled 12414 students. Our three departments, Kinesiology, Psychology, and CIL  had a total of  1345 undergraduate students enrolled for the fall, according to data from Mrs. Lori Theis. Of the 1345, more than 450 enrolled from our rapidly growing Department of Kinesiology alone. The total number of graduate students for the entire University totaled 1718. Of the 1718 students, 935 graduate students were enrolled in our College of Education. That is over 1/2 of the total university graduate enrollment for fall 2015!

Our graduate numbers for new students also soared with 513 new graduate students students being officially admitted and enrolled for the 2015 fall quarter by the ninth class day.  In fact, of the 695 total new graduate student enrollment for the University, according to data from the LATECH Graduate School, 74% were enrolled through the COE. Of the 513 new students admitted and enrolled in the college, 387 students were enrolled through the Office of Professional Education Outreach (OPEO) in the Science and Technology Education Center (SciTEC) .  The LLLE and LLL COE combined enrollment total for new and returning students for the University for the quarter equaled 446, just over 1/4 of total University graduate enrollment.
New collaborative extension efforts were critical to the success of our College of Education this  quarter and included projects in Caldwell, Morehouse, Livingston, Caddo, Ouachita and Bossier parishes, to name a few. Even teachers in Michigan engaged in the online opportunities through coursework on the MOODLE platform. Doctoral cohorts were also established  through the TLLI program, processed through the OPEO unit, and lead by the Department of Curriculum Instruction and Leadership. Leaders in the extension efforts for the 2015 included  Mr. Jody Purvis, Drs. Randy Parker, Mr. Randy Moore, Dr. David Gullatt, and Dr. Carolyn Talton, with each enrolling between 30-80 students each for the custom coursework. Interdisciplinary partnerships with faculty and staff in biomedical engineering as well as local and national agencies including the Department of Natural Resources also contributed to the figures and served as foundational partnerships for new large-scale efforts planned for the academic year.

The continued success of the COE is also a direct result of the outstanding caliber of students we have and currently served. Psychology boasts the highest number of graduate teaching students who continually deliver high quality instruction and research to supplement the efforts of the outstanding faculty. The competitive positions are sought nationally.  Innovative programs such as, orientation and mobility through PDRIB, and custom professional development courses through AE Phillips, one of the highest ranked K-8 schools in the state of Louisiana, also are integral factors in annual enrollment success. While all faculty, staff, students, administrators, and alums in our College of Education are responsible for the high quality programing, strong reputation, and numerous successes in our division; we wanted to highlight a few of the key contributors that lead the way in terms of program development, enrollment, and outreach for the 2015 quarter. During this season of thanks, we plan to share a few of their stories and successes! Thanks to you for your contribution to the success of the College of Education. We wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving!