Cato College of Education

Professor recognized as a leading Latina in local education
Child Development and Family Studies Professor Vivian Correa was one of four Latina women recognized this spring for contributions to education at the Inaugural Cesar Chavez Contemplation Breakfast.

Urban Education Collaborative tours U.S. Department of Education
The UNC Charlotte Urban Education Collaborative traveled to Washington, D.C., recently, where participants received an exclusive tour of the U.S. Department of Education.
Urban Education Collaborative Director Chance Lewis organized the tour as part of the group’s participation in the American Education Research Association conference.

Education professor receives Governor’s Volunteer Service Award
Bruce Taylor, an associate professor in the College of Education Department of Reading and Elementary Education, is among the 2016 recipients of the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award.
This honor, created in 1979, recognizes individuals, groups and businesses that make a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service.
Taylor was nominated by the United Way of Central Carolinas for his work with the United Way’s Project 1,000 effort.

New certificate program for early childhood mental health
The School of Social Work and Department of Special Education and Child Development announce the approval of a joint certificate program in early childhood mental health (ECMH). This program, which requires 15 graduate hours, focuses on children birth to five years of age and their families.
Graduates of the certificate program will be able to:

Education students awarded prestigious fellowships
Four degree candidates in the College of Education Department of Middle, Secondary and K-12 Education have received fellowships to participate in the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History’s prestigious Teacher Seminar program.
Brittany Gibson, Renae Kaister, and Marticia Turner are teachers at Newell Elementary School; Erin Byrd teaches at Butler High School. Gibson, Turner and Kaiser are pursing master’s degrees in teaching English as a second language; Byrd, a master’s in secondary education.

Professor leading effort to bolster special education in South Africa
South Africa is relying upon the expertise of College of Education faculty member David Test to develop and implement an ambitious plan to revamp that nation’s special education system.
Test, a professor of special education, recently returned stateside after traveling to South Africa as part of an envoy to assess how the country educates its special needs students.

Urban education professor receives Harshini de Silva Award
College of Education professor Chance Lewis is the 2016 recipient of the Harshini V. de Silva Award. This annual honor is presented to a faculty member who best exemplifies the commitment de Silva, a former UNC Charlotte professor, displayed to graduate student mentorship.
The Carol Grotnes Belk Distinguished Professor of Urban Education and executive director of the Urban Education Collaborative, Lewis began his tenure at UNC Charlotte in 2011. Since then, colleagues consistently have noted his impact on the student experience.

Survey of community college leaders reveals common challenges, opportunities
A report co-authored by Mark D’Amico, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, reveals community colleges across the country continue to feel economic pressures following the Great Recession, pressures that can make it more difficult for students to gain access to higher education.
These conclusions came as part of the 2015 survey of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges. The poll of 49 statewide leaders has been published by the Educational Policy Center at the University of Alabama since 2007.

Partnership helps Union County teachers earn graduate degrees
A new UNC Charlotte College of Education partnership under way in Union County is allowing a group of teachers to earn a master’s degree in education through a new model that brings that graduate classroom to them.
The pilot program offers 16 teachers in high priority middle and high schools the opportunity to earn a Master of Education at a significantly reduced rate, while collaborating with College of Education professors on site near their home schools.

Panel discussion to explore ‘Latinos and Education’
An upcoming free event will examine the story of Latino education in the Carolinas during the last two decades. “Latinos and Education: Success and Challenges,” scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1, at the Levine Museum of the New South, is presented by the UNC Charlotte College of Education in conjunction with the museum’s exhibit “¡NUEVOlution! Latinos and the New South.”