Cato College of Education

Results from a project led by a team of UNC Charlotte researchers are helping to ensure that students interacting online are not only successful but safe and thriving digital citizens.

For the past four years, the UNC Charlotte Summer Reading Camp welcomed elementary students from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), providing daily, one-on-one literacy support for rising second and third graders who struggle with reading.

As teachers across the region prepare for a different sort of school year, faculty and staff at Charlotte’s newest school are in the building at Niner University Elementary at Amay James (NUE), readying for its opening on Monday, Aug. 17.

UNC Charlotte double alumna Michelle Plaisance ’09 M.A.T. ’14 Ph.D.  has been named dean of the School of Humanities at Greensboro College. Plaisance has taught English and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at the college since 2014, also serving as director of the TESOL program. Upon graduation from UNC Wilmington with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1992, teaching was not a career of interest for Plaisance. She experimented with a variety of jobs before discovering a passion for TESOL through the lens of a parent to her two daughters.

Chance Lewis received a Spencer Mentor Award that includes a $10,000 grant for his contributions to enriching the lives, research and careers of his students and junior colleagues and enhancing the field of education research.This national award is provided by the Spencer Foundation, an organization that is focused exclusively on supporting education research. 

Gov. Roy Cooper this week tapped UNC Charlotte urban education professor Chance Lewis to participate in a statewide task force on educational equity and inclusion.

The Cato College of Education Research Symposium showcases the research of both faculty and graduate students; this year’s inaugural event was held virtually.

The Cato College of Education continues to broaden its influence nationally with the selection of Tina Heafner as president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS).Heafner, a professor in the Department of Middle, Secondary and K-12 Education, is a longtime member of NCSS and has held a number of roles and elected positions.

A new program is connecting UNC Charlotte experts with school counselors in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) to provide professional development in designing curriculum for critical classroom lessons.

The robust job market experienced nationally in major job centers, such as Charlotte and Raleigh, has led individuals to pursue online degrees at a higher rate than face-to-face enrollment, as this allows students to more easily attend college while working. Between 2012 and 2016, graduate enrollment in exclusively online programs increased by approximately 28 percent while online undergraduate enrollment increased by 9.5 percent, according to EAB.