The partnership is funded by the U.S. Department of Education as a National Professional Development program and will provide intensive training in academic writing in environmental science for 100 in-service teachers, 29 teacher leaders, and 20 pre-service teachers of English Learners over the next five years. SOE’s Center for Equity for English Learners will receive $1.9 million over the five-year period, with substantive funding allocated to partner school districts.

The goals of Project STELLAR include the creation and implementation of a coherent and comprehensive professional development program for pre-service and in-service teachers in academic writing in science. The partnership aims to improve educational outcomes for 4th-8th grade English Learners during “critical transition” periods by increasing the capacity of teachers and administrators to provide high quality, content-based language and literacy development while addressing the socio-emotional needs of long-term English Learners.

Leading the project as principal investigator is Magaly Lavadenz, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and director of CEEL. Elvira Armas, the center’s associate director, is the project’s co-director. Nick Ladany, professor in the Department of Educational Support Services and director of the counseling program, and Eric Strauss, President’s Professor in the Seaver College of Science and Engineering are content experts for the project.

Elizabeth C. Reilly, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, received the award for Best Paper in the International Studies Special Interest Group for her article, “Women of K-12 and Higher Education Leadership in Afghanistan: A Comparison of Progress, Successes, and Challenges.” Reilly is an expert on issues of urban education policy and leadership, and organizational transformation in a global society.

Michael Gottfried, assistant professor in the Department of Specialized Programs in Urban Education, received the Outstanding Publication Award in Division H, Category 2: Advances in Methodology. His article, “The Detrimental Effects of Missing School: Evidence from Urban Siblings,” was published in the American Journal of Education. Gottfried is an expert in the economics of education, quantitative methods and peer effects.

Patrick Lynch, a graduate of SOE’s doctoral program, was awarded Honorable Mention for his dissertation, “Preferential Options and Palimpsests: Transferring the Founders’ Catholic Charism from Vowed Religious Educators to Lay Educators,” by the Catholic Education Special Interest Group. Lynch is on the faculty at Marymount High School in Los Angeles, where he chairs the English Department.

Click the image to watch video of Graduate Commencement.

Deasy, the father of an LMU alumnus, shared the story of Dorothy Day, the social activist who worked with Cesar Chavez in the fight for the rights of farm workers. Deasy said to the audience, “A full and prosperous career and a life of service are not mutually exclusive. A society must be able to rely on its best and its brightest, that is you, to affect change. You can and must be a part of the core who helps lift others out of poverty.” During the ceremony, Deasy was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by President David W. Burcham.

Dean Shane Martin of the LMU School of Education commented on Deasy’s address by saying, “John Deasy is a national leader in education and a successful superintendent of multiple major districts. Dr. Deasy’s commencement address was substantive and dynamic. He gave all of the graduates and their guests something critically important to reflect on as they enter the next phase of their lives.”

Deasy last spoke at LMU in October 2011, delivering the keynote address at the LMU Charter School Leadership Symposium.

“This cohort really integrated the relationship between theory and practice,” said Shane P. Martin, dean and professor of the School of Education. “They took seriously the mission of social justice, and their dissertations reflect that. These individuals are truly the next generation of educational leaders for Los Angeles and beyond.”

LMU’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership for Social Justice is designed for superintendents, principals, policymakers, leaders of nonprofit organizations, community leaders and other education professionals. Candidates in the program begin their research on the first day and are encouraged to focus their studies on real-world issues facing schools and society. LMU has conferred 55 doctorates since 2005; 70 candidates are working toward their degrees.

For more information about the doctoral program at the School of Education, click here.

Rising three spots from its 2012 rank, the LMU School of Education was ranked 83rd out of the 280 graduate schools of education surveyed for the report, making it the fourth-highest ranked Jesuit institution and the 11th-ranked school of education in California. There are more than 1,500 schools, colleges and departments of education nationwide. In 2012, the School of Education vaulted an unprecedented 45 positions from its 2011 rank.

“Our advancement of close to 50 spots in two years is a momentous achievement and testament to the high quality of our students, alumni, faculty and staff, and their impact on Los Angeles and the wider education community. This is significant recognition for the School of Education’s educator preparation programs, innovative research and collaborative partnerships that foster academic excellence and educational opportunity for all youth,” said Shane P. Martin, dean and professor of the School of Education.

Other Jesuit institutions included in the rankings were Boston College (18th), Fordham University (67th), Marquette University (79th) and Loyola University Chicago (100th).

For complete rankings and methodology, see http://www.usnews.com/grad or the 2013 Best Graduate Schools publication.

Click to watch video of Antonia Darder’s lecture and inauguration as SOE’s Leavey Presidential Chair.

During the installation ceremony, Shane P. Martin, dean and professor of the School of Education, praised Darder’s incredibly influential and powerful work and said how excited he was to formally welcome her into the university community.

In a lecture titled “Beyond Aristotle and Darwin: Testing, Inequalities and the Brain,” Darder discussed the issues first identified in her acclaimed book, “Culture and Power in the Classroom” – released as a 20th anniversary edition in 2011 – that are still relevant today. She examined the achievement gaps still present along racial, ethnic and socioeconomic lines as they relate to the lack of correlation between testing and achievement and the neuroscience behind the construction of knowledge. Darder closed saying that we must reclaim our right to determine what happens in our schools – that there is a need to move beyond testing in order to give all children the opportunity to learn and succeed.

Antonia Darder joined LMU from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is professor emerita of education policy, organization and leadership. Her scholarship focuses on issues of racism, political economy, education, social justice and society. Beyond her scholarly work, Darder is an activist and visual artist who has participated in a variety of grassroots efforts tied to educational rights, workers’ rights, bilingual education, women’s issues, environmental justice and immigrants’ rights. She had the honor and privilege of studying and working with renowned Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire.

Click to view the documentary.

Centered on three pillars – professionalism, community and spirituality – the program has 50 current PLACE Corps students and more than 200 alumni that represent more than 30 states and 80 colleges and universities. The current students serve more than 3,000 Catholic school students and over the 11 years, students have taught in 76 Catholic schools and served more than 30,000 Catholic school students. PLACE Corps students are highly committed to the future of Catholic schools, with many remaining in the classroom beyond their 2-year commitment and others continuing on into leadership roles in Catholic schools. Click here to view the documentary. Learn more about PLACE Corps.

Shane P. Martin, dean and professor of the School of Education, was interviewed on Fox News Los Angeles KCOP My13 on March 13 to discuss the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education budget and Los Angeles parcel tax proposal. Click here to watch the interview.

Brian Leung, professor of school counseling and chair of the Department of Educational Support Services, discussed the implications of obesity on absenteeism for inner city children in a Southern California Public Radio article. According to Leung, children who live in the inner city are more prone to obesity and thus more prone to miss school.

Elizabeth Reilly, professor of educational leadership, shared her perspective as a former administrator on the scandal at Los Angeles Unified’s Miramonte Elementary School in The Christian Science Monitor and New Zealand Herald.

Michael Gottfried, assistant professor, was asked in this TakePart article why the improvement of attendance rates is often overlooked as an important reform strategy. “Academic researchers, policy makers, and school leaders and teachers have always taken it as a given that missing school was bad – that it would have a negative relationship with school success. Because we’ve all just assumed that absences are a ‘bad’ thing, the education community has put them on the backburner – knowing they are there, but not really doing anything about it,” said Gottfried.

Beth Brewer, visiting professor and director of Catholic teacher preparation, was interviewed in the El Segundo Herald on cyberbullying in advance of a cyber safety assembly at El Segundo Middle School where Brewer will be a guest speaker.

With over a million dollars to raise in the next two months, every contribution toward the School of Education campaign goal is meaningful and brings us closer. Please join us in this bold endeavor – click here to give online or contact Sharon Coulter, director of development, at 310.258.8752 or via e-mail.

Dean Shane P. Martin and SOE Alumna Mercy-Faith Kirkpatrick ‘11. Click to view more photos from the event.

More than 150 Los Angeles area alumni, faculty, staff and community partners gathered at LMU on March 21 to reconnect with colleagues and friends and strengthen professional networks. Shane P. Martin, dean and professor of the School of Education, acknowledged the evening was an opportunity to “express our gratitude toward our alumni for being remarkable ambassadors for the School of Education in our area schools, and to thank our community partners for their continued collaboration and support.” Further he encouraged the group to continue their work in advancing the conversation of how best to change the lives of youth and build on our alumni’s lifelong commitment to making a difference through education. Martin also presented a new iPad to the winner of the alumni drawing, Mercy-Faith Kirkpatrick ‘11, chair of the special education department and a resource teacher at Animo Inglewood Charter High School, a Green Dot Public School. To view photos from the event, click here.

Join us for the next Alumni & Friends Networking Reception on Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2012 at the City Club in downtown Los Angeles. Invitations will be sent in September.