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.

Notre Dame's D'Agistino Visits our COE for STEM Partnership

The Louisiana Center for the Blind (LCB) is privileged to welcome Notre Dame of Maryland University Chemistry Professor Alfred D'Agostino, Ph.D. to Ruston. Dr. D'Agostino is spending a week in Ruston working with blind high school students enrolled in the Center's Summer Training and Employment Project (STEP) Program. LCB is working in partnership with Louisiana Tech University through the College of Education's SciTEC outreach initiatives, as well as the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness (PDRIB) to provide high-quality, fully-accessible STEM initiatives for blind and visually impaired students in kindergarten-21 programs.

As a blind person himself, Dr. D'Agostino understands how critically important it is for all students to experience hands-on, meaningful interactions with STEM-related subject matter, and we are grateful for his expertise and leadership. The Center is appreciative of Dr. Donald Schillinger, Lindsey Vincent, Dr. Edward Bell, and all of the faculty and staff at Louisiana Tech who work collaboratively to ensure greater access to fun and interesting activities designed to strengthen student skill sets in a variety of areas and through completely accessible means.

Thanks to Mr. Guillory for the blog submission above, our friends Drs. Eddy and Deese in Chemistry for use of some of their Chemistry equipment, and Dr. D'Agostino for the  visit!  We in the COE are hopeful that it is the first of many!

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.

Dr. Guler Boyraz Selected as the COE's Outstanding Researcher of the Year!

Pictured are Psychology Department Chair, Dr. Donna Thomas,
Dr. Guler Boyraz, and Dean Don Schillinger of the COE

Congratulations are in order for Dr. Guler Boyraz for her well-deserved selection as the College of Education's Outstanding Researcher of the year! Dr. Boyraz serves in the COE's Department of Psychology and was recognized at the Davison Athletics Complex today along with awardees from the Colleges of Engineering and Sciences, Applied and Natural Sciences, Business, and Liberal Arts. In attendance were President Guice, Vice President Napper, each of the Deans, family and friends of the awardees, as well as representatives from the University Research Growth Team and University Research Council. Dr. Boyraz's biography is below:

Guler Boyraz, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Louisiana Tech University. She received her doctoral degree in counseling psychology from the University of Memphis. Her research focuses on understanding the personal, social, and cultural factors that affect individuals’ responses adversity, with a particular emphasis on traumatic life experiences, such as exposure to violence, childhood maltreatment, bereavement, and life-threatening illnesses. She is interested in exploring the risk factors that contribute to negative psychological outcomes following adverse life events. In addition, she is exploring the protective factors (e.g., personal, social, or cultural resources, or coping mechanisms) that promote resilience in the face of adversity to inform prevention and intervention efforts that are aimed at fostering resilience and positive psychological outcomes in vulnerable populations.  Dr. Boyraz’s research in this area has resulted in numerous publications and presentations, many of which are co-authored with students.

Congratulations, Dr. Boyraz, on this noteworthy accomplishment!

The COE helps host WiSTEM Session for Parents while students engage with COES SWE!

The goal of the Women Influencing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (WiSTEM) organization is to provide opportunities for our youth to experience STEM related activities with institutional, industry, and community support. On Saturday, March 19th, as the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) hosted Future Engineer's Day on Louisiana Tech's campus. Simultaneously, the WiSTEM group hosted a special informative event in SciTEC in Woodard Hall in the College of Education for parents which included information about engaging young women in STEM learning opportunities such as camps and competitions. Team leaders also discussed ideas submitted by parents about bringing STEM to activities and events across the region. There were 15 people in attendance, and informational sessions were hosted by COE Dean Don Schillinger, COES Associate Dean Heath Tims, and WiSTEM founding Directors, Ms. Amanda Sutherland of Murphy Oil, Dr. Mary Colderera-Moore and Dr. Katie Evans of COES, and Mrs. Lindsey Keith-Vincent of COE. Lunch was  provided for the parents, siblings, and presenters by COES. STEM-focused activities were also available to the young siblings of the aspiring engineers through SciTEC's IDEA Place. Sarah Wages with Bricks-4-Kidz also contributed and helped engage students with Lego building. Volunteers from SciTEC, Dr. Julie Rutledge's class in CANS's Human Ecology, and UTeachTech worked with the young ones as they explored rocketry, engineering, and enjoyed time in Louisiana Tech's Planetarium!   If you have interest in engaging in STEM opportunities and promoting women pursuing educational opportunities and career paths, please feel free to contact the group through facebook at www.facebook.com/WISTEMatTech/ or by email at wistem@latech.edu. Those interested in summer STEM learning opportunities through SciTEC can contact Lindsey Keith-Vincent at lbkv@latech.edu. Scheduled WiSTEM events for the spring include demonstrations with COES and COE STEM groups at the Ruston Farmer's Market. The market will reopen May 7.  There will also be many summer learning camp opportunities highlighted on the facebook site by mid April should you be looking for exciting educational activities for your students during the summer. Pictured are some of the participating students and parents from the event!

Dean Schillinger Named Vantage's 2015 Visionary Educator

Dr. Don Schillinger, Dean of Louisiana Tech's College of Education and the Chase Bank Endowed Associate Professor, was recognized as the Vantage Health Plan Visionary Educator during the University's home football game against the FIU Panthers. Dean Schillinger was recognized on the field by Vantage and recieved a token of appreciation for the work he has done and continues to do for the University.

This recognition is reserved for outstanding educational leaders working to build LA Tech's reputation of being a leader in quality programming and projects for University students.

While Dean Schillinger has received over 6 million dollars in grant funding during his career, his most recent award for 1.45 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Math Science Initiative to replicate an innovative system to graduate highly qualified STEM educators. The exciting new program, UTeachTech, will revolutionize secondary STEM educator preparation at Louisiana Tech University and in the region.

In addition to his many personal contributions to the University, Dean Schillinger also has three talented daughters who have graduated or currently are attending Louisiana Tech University and are also part of the Tech family!

Thank You for Supporting UTeachTech

The UTeachTech team wishes to extend its thanks to everyone who came to the Kickoff on May 4 in University Hall. We had approximately 100 members of the Louisiana Tech community in attendance to help us express appreciation for teachers and to christen the UTeachTech program.

Louisiana Tech President Les Guice speaks about the
importance of the UTeachTech program.

We would like to thank all of our speakers who came to be with us in person. Dr. Les Guice, President of the University helped start the event. We were also joined by several state and local dignitaries including: Richard Hartley, representing the Office of Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne; Julie Ricca, representing NASA; Kristi Lumpkin, representing the City of Ruston; Alex Keechle, CEO of Ruston's newest corporate community member Monster Moto. Finally, we were joined by representatives of several of our sponsoring agencies. Ronda Brandon, Vice President of UTeach Expansion represented the National Math and Science Initiative while UTeach Institute Director Kim Hughes joined us as the representative for The UTeach Institute.

Louisiana State Senator Gallot speaks at the UTeachTech
event via recorded video from the State Capitol.

We would also like to thank many other dignitaries who could not join us in person, but did send recorded statements. United States Senators David Vitter and Bill Cassidy both sent videos congratulating Louisiana Tech on the UTeachTech launch. United States Representative Ralph Abraham from the 5th Congressional District also sent remarks congratulating Louisiana Tech for being "on the cutting edge" in North Louisiana. Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne also expressed his congratulations by video. Rick Gallot, Louisiana State Senator for District 29, sent a video recorded on the Louisiana Senate floor. We understand each of these public servants were busy fulfilling other obligations of their office, so we are greatly appreciate of their support.

Additional thanks go to the inaugural UTeachTech Advisory Board. Jamie Brooks, Bill Campbell, G.B. Cazes, Judy Copeland, Cathi Cox-Boniol, Jeff Hankins, Alexander Keechle, D.C. Machen, Travis Napper, Linda Ramsey, Lee Sawyer, Robert Shadoin, and Kathy Wyatt, who have all agreed to serve on the first UTeachTech Advisory Board. We thank them for their commitment of service and their interest in promoting STEM education and in the Louisiana Tech community.

UTeachTech Co-Director Don Schillinger is interviewed by
KTVE's Taylor Thompson for a story on the UTeachTech launch.

Finally, we would like to recognize all of the people here at Louisiana Tech who have made UTeachTech a reality. Co-directors Don Schillinger and Bill Deese, as well as grant co-writers Lindsey Vincent, Dawn Basinger, Kelly Crittenden, Bernd Schroeder (now at University of Southern Mississippi), Lawrence Leonard, Pauline Leonard, and Stan Napper all deserve credit for casting the vision for the program and securing the funding for it. Further credit goes to the UTeach Implementation Team that included Don Schillinger, Bill Deese, and Lindsey Vincent, as well as UTeachTech newcomers Diane Madden, Christopher Coleman, and the program's first Master Teacher, Chris Campbell. Each of these people brought unique talents and gifts to the table that helped make the UTeachTech kickoff event a great success.

Tempting as it is to celebrate this great day, we must remember that it is not an ending, but a beginning. There will be great work ahead for the UTeachTech Team, as we begin preparing courses and recruiting our first UTeachTech cohort for this fall. It will not be easy and it will take considerable work. In the meantime, we cherish the support of the community, both local and distant. We can build the structure of the program, but we need your help to make it a success. Your support, through word-of-mouth promotion, through interaction with us via social media, or through financial gifts is what will make UTeachTech a success. We have a strong team, but we have an even stronger Louisiana Tech community that will build a model UTeach implementation in which we can all take pride.

Thank you all so much for your support yesterday, today, and into the future.

With Great Appreciation,
-The UTeachTech Team

For more information on UTeachTech, please visit our website at http://uteach.latech.edu. We also invite you to "Like" our UTeachTech page on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @UTeachTech.

UTeachTech was made possible by a $1.45 million gift from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in partnership with the National Math and Science Initiative and the UTeach Institute.

Official Top Dawg in the COE

Faculty staff, and community leaders received news April 30, that Dr. Donald N. Schillinger has
accepted the appointment as Dean of the College of Education, effective July 1, 2015. The announcement was made by Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Terry McConathy and  University President, Dr. Les Guice. As noted in the announcement, "Dr. Schillinger holds the Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction (Secondary Education – Science) and the M.Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction (Secondary Education – Chemistry) from the University of Mississippi, and the B.S. in Chemistry Education from the University of Central Florida. Dr. Schillinger has served as an Associate Professor in the College of Education since 2006;  as Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Director of Clinical & Field Experiences from 2009-2012;  and as Director of Assessment and Accreditation (IT Supervision) from 2012 until he assumed the Interim Deanship in September 2014.  He came to Louisiana Tech from the Burton College of Education at McNeese State University where he served as Department Head of Teacher Education."