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Fall 2023 Newsletter

Innovations in Education, Leadership, Research, and Counseling

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Summer 2023 Newsletter

Innovations in Education, Leadership, Research, and Counseling

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Fall 2022 Newsletter

Innovations in Education, Leadership, Research, and Counseling

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No Goodbyes, Just Good Memories

These are the words of Tasha Yar in the Star Trek Next Generation TV series. This also seems to be the most fitting way to say farewell to all my former students, colleagues, past associates, professional administrative staff, and friends at LSU. After more than four decades at LSU as a faculty member and in various administrative positions, I will be leaving in June. I want to thank all my previous teachers who made these years and my career at LSU possible.

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Demystifying Scholarly, Academic Writing

The decision to pursue a terminal degree, whether it is a PhD or an EdD should be a thoughtful, strategic decision wherein an individual makes a conscious decision to pursue a degree around the thoughts, ideas, and perceptions of advancement, gaining skill sets, and widening access to opportunity. For many students who decide to earn a terminal degree, significant decisions are made about continuing employment or new employment opportunities, relocation, and often, rearranging lives to accommodate the choice to engage in advanced graduate study. Learning to write academic discourse is an expectation.

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Young Black Girls + STEM Identity

Attention must be focused on an appreciation of science and its basic understanding for K-12 students. A lot of the conversation has pointed to the participation of girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

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Gumbo YaYa Y'all

In Louisiana, as Mardi Gras draws closer, we lean into our culture. We celebrate with family and friends. We build community with total strangers. You might say we dive headfirst into a boiling pot of Gumbo YaYa. We share stories of our lives and create meaning in both the telling and hearing of stories. It is how we are and who we are. But you don't have to be from Louisiana or even in Louisiana to know Gumbo YaYa. As Urban Dictionary defines it (yeah, I'm going there...) it's the sound of "several conversations blending together to create one sweet, awesome noise." Right now, somewhere very near you, people are telling their story. They are sharing what they know and how they found out!

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Bridging the Academic Research - Public Policy Divide: Time to Beat the Goliath - or Join Forces?

In the study of public policy development, the impact of political culture on decision-making is fundamental. Political culture is defined as the shared ideological beliefs on how a political system functions, which influences all levels of policymaking. Education and higher education are not immune to this influence, thus the need for students and researchers in this field to examine national, state, local, and institutional policymaking through a political lens and understand that the political system has policy actors that promote various political cultures in the policymaking process.

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Mitigating Teacher Stress and Burnout from the Pandemic

Covid-19 has brought new challenges to schools. Teachers, like other employees, are struggling with the mental health strain and burnout that comes from working during a pandemic. Retaining and keeping great teachers is necessary for student success. There are research-based strategies that can mitigate covid teacher attrition and improve teacher commitment and wellness.

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Helping kids with math NOW

Did you know that we are all born mathematicians? Research shows that even infants notice the differences in various patterns and changing quantities.1 Young children already know who has more goldfish and who has less. Kids love to count and stack and compare. Somewhere along in their educational journey, many of our students begin to fear or dread math. The great tragedy of this situation is that by shying away from mathematics in high school and college, our students are self-limiting their post-graduation options and lifetime financial gains.2 If you are looking for ways to bring your students back to their mathematician roots, I have a few easy suggestions to help you on your way, and to make an immediate difference for all of our struggling students.

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Idea for future topic

 

February 2022
student-centered conversation, engagement, lived resources, class culture, classroom dialogue

January 2022
academic research v policy, policy making cycle, academic research and media, ask the researchers

December 2021
mitigating teacher stress and burnout, Covid-19, principals, teachers, the great resignation, teacher workforce

November 2021
math, mathematicians, growth mindset, evidence-based interventions, math confidence

October 2021
dyslexia, special education, dyslexia awareness month, difficulty in reading, difficulty in phonological processing

September 2021
K12 school culture, grief, natural disaster, pandemic, student and teacher support, intentionally choosing joy at your school

August 2021
literacy leadership, educational leadership, school culture, framework for literacy leadership

July 2021
writing, National Writing Project, LSU Writing Project, writing instruction, teacher-leadership, professional development

June 2021
free online educational resources for children, parents and teachers, coding resources, virtual summer camps 2021, math resources

May 2021
teacher preparation programs, policy, quantity versus quality, teaching profession, accountability

April 2021
early childhood care and education, NAEYC, Louisiana Association for the Education of Young Children, LSU Early Childhood Education Institute

March 2021
international students, higher education, facts and trends of international students in U.S. colleges, immigration, enrollment, transitions and challenges for international students

February 2021
social research, evaluation, strengthening communities, education, public safety, health and wellbeing, program evaluation, data and analytics, training, outreach

January 2021
education profession, accreditation, growth, continuous improvement, quality, teacher preparation programs

December 2020
curriculum theory project, internationalization, curriculum camp

November 2020
emergent writers, preschool, emergent literacy, building identity as a writer, supporting emergent writing

October 2020
teacher leaders, quality, national board certified teachers, education policy, workforce, teacher shortage

September 2020
college access, helping students go to college, college opportunities, preparatory programs, college financing, #WhyApplyDay, resources for college access

August 2020
teaching, physical education, values, motivation, innovation, teaching virtually, teaching with social distancing

July 2020
play, COVID-19, school reentry, parents and teacher resources, listening, supporting a child's sense of wonder

June 2020
world language conference, remote teaching and learning, world languages, innovative teaching techniques and practices, online learning environments

May 2020
dispositions, engagement, reflection, teacher burnout, preventing burnout, COVID19, professional development

April 2020
COVID19, coronavirus, trauma-sensitive schools, school re-entry plans, grief, coping strategies, mindfulness

March 2020
research, principal, superintendent, hiring, autonomy, accountability, mental health, rural

February 2020
career development, play, extracurricular activities, soft skills, academic choices, work-based learning, volunteering, post-secondary choices, career book list

January 2020
education profession, accreditation, growth, continuous improvement, quality, teacher preparation programs

December 2019
why higher education, social, cultural and economic prosperity, higher education

November 2019
homeless youth, national homeless youth awareness month, homelessness and schools, McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, classroom library, relationships with parents, gaps in academic preparation

October 2019
bullying prevention, national bullying prevention month, bully resources, types of bullying, teacher preparation

September 2019
transforming education, BESE, best practices, critical issues in education

July 2019
education law, First Amendment, free speech, censorship, speech codes, higher education, postsecondary education

June 2019
online learning, experiential learning, mixed reality, technology leadership in education

May 2019
arts integration, research-driven, standards-based, student teachers, adapting arts requirement for college courses, cognitive and noncognitive skills, educator preparation

April 2019
poetry, spoken word poetry, ELA educators, making poetry accessible, verse novel, poetry podcasts, poetry resources

March 2019
globally engaged, empathy, study abroad, communication, 360-degree processing,
service-learning, internationalization, pre-service teachers, Chile, culturally adept

February 2019
Black men and boys, African American educational success, relationships with students, building community

January 2019
counseling, depression, anxiety, teenage girls, resilience, body image, social media

December 2018
curiosity, love of learning, early childhood, choice, creativity, Reggio Emilia philosophy, long-term projects, documentation

Introduction to Best Practices
Our intent is to share concepts, issues, and research supported in the literature in an accessible and meaningful way. We work best with you. If you have an idea for a future topic, please click the button at the top of this column to submit.