Cato College of Education

It’s lunchtime on a Tuesday and 220 North Carolina science and math teachers are listening to a man talk about shoveling lemur poop.

Though this portion of National Geographic conservation scientist Luke Dollar’s keynote presentation may not have been the most appetizing of mealtime conversations, his larger message was lockstep with the Center for STEM Education’s mission to reshape how teachers teach and students learn those subjects.

Sejal Foxx, associate professor and director of the School Counseling program, and Clare Merlin, assistant professor of counseling, will be the guests on the Dec. 18 edition of “The Live Wire,” Inside UNC Charlotte’s streaming webcast. Starting at noon, they will discuss how school counseling has changed and where they see the profession going and why it matters in today’s turbulent times.

Third-year special education master’s student Maureen Mensing was one of two individuals honored by the National Association for Gifted Children. She received the association’s Master’s and Specialist Award for Exceptional Contributions to Gifted and Talented Education. This honor recognizes professionals who have contributed to the field in a host of manners, including through teaching, writing, advocacy, curriculum development and community service in gifted education.

The North Carolina School Counseling Association (NCSCA) has named College of Education professor Sejal Foxx its Counselor Educator of the Year.

Foxx, who leads the college’s School Counseling program, received tenure earlier in 2015 after only a year at UNC Charlotte.  She currently teaches a variety of master’s and doctoral counseling courses.

Department of Educational Leadership professor Rebecca Shore is the North Carolina Art Education Association (NCAEA) Art Educator of the Year for higher education.

Shore, who was among the honorees at the NCAEA’s recent professional development state conference, received the award given to exemplary art educators and advocates in a variety of educational levels and fields.

More than 300 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools high school students spent the day at UNC Charlotte recently to explore careers in teaching. Hosted by the College of Education, Future 49ers Teach painted a picture of the teaching profession and of student life at UNC Charlotte. 

Special education and child development professor David Test was one of six leading scholars invited to speak at a recent White House symposium celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

College of Education doctoral student and adjunct instructor Jenny Root has been recognized as an emerging researcher and leader in teaching students with disabilities. She was named the 2015 Alice Hayden Emerging Leader by TASH, an international group that advocates for people with disabilities. Each year, TASH presents the award to a doctoral student who demonstrates potential for leadership in teaching, scholarship and service on behalf of people with significant disabilities. 

Ellen McIntyre, dean of the College of Education, and Munro Richardson, executive director of Read Charlotte, will be guests on the Oct. 30 edition of “The Live Wire,” Inside UNC Charlotte’s streaming webcast. Starting at noon, they will discuss the multimillion dollar Read Charlotte Initiative and the strategy for reshaping the landscape of early literacy across the city. The initiative’s goal is to double Charlotte -Mecklenburg Schools third-graders’ reading proficiency by 2025.

A new book edited and co-authored by College of Education faculty dives into the current state of literacy instruction and looks to the future of reading and writing in the classroom.

In “What’s New in Literacy Teaching?” Department of Reading and Elementary Education professors Karen Wood and Brian Kissel assemble a group of leading literacy scholars to cover a wide range of instructional issues.

The publication is composed of three parts: “Text, Talk and Tasks”; “Collaboration and Communications”; and “Literacy Learning With and Through Technology.”