In the News

Lakeya Omogun, assistant professor of language, literacy and culture in Teaching, Learning & Curriculum, is quoted in an article by the HeraldNet titled “With new addition, Imagine Children’s Museum doubles in size.” She discusses how the arts are healing and how music, art, dance and play can help students overcome anxiety and depression. A museum visit can offer a window into other cultures and can inspire creativity, foster cooperation and banish feelings of isolation, she said.

Niral Shah, associate professor of Learning Sciences & Human Development and affiliate faculty in the Banks Center for Educational Justice, was featured in an EducationWeek article titled “A New Teacher at 50: Inside the Struggle to Rebuild America’s Black Teaching Workforce.” Shah is quoted in the article which discusses an anti-racist teacher residency program in Evanston, IL. He also talks about how the K-12 effort to try and change white educators’ racial attitudes and biases failed, as indicated by research. His whitepaper “Racial Equity and Justice in Teaching and Teacher Education: Progress, Tensions and Open Questions” was also cited in the article.

Niral Shah, associate professor of Learning Sciences & Human Development and affiliate faculty in the Banks Center for Educational Justice, wrote an opinion piece for an EducationWeek article titled “Improving the Preparation Pipeline for Black Teachers: 5 Ideas From Experts.” The author of the article asked five experts to suggest in 250 words or less how the nation’s teacher preparation pipeline can be overhauled to work better for candidates of color, especially Black educators. Niral writes about how a healthy, effective preparation pipeline would provide race-focused education that is rooted in practice.

Anthony Craig, professor of Education Policy, Organizations and Leadership and director of Leadership for Learning (L4L) and Chelsea Craig, current Ed.D. student in the L4L program, Danforth Educational Leadership Program instructor and assistant principal at Quil Ceda Tulalip Elementary School are featured in an article by The Seattle Times titled “Traumatized by boarding schools, WA tribes chart new path for Native kids.” The article highlights Indigenous’ Peoples’ Day, observed on Monday, October 10, and how tribe members say the growing recognition of their communities — past and present — is a first step toward healing from the suffering of the past. Anthony and Chelsea also discuss how current education systems can change to better meet the needs of tribal communities and students.

Mark Windschitl, professor of Teaching, Learning & Curriculum, had an opinion piece published in The Seattle Times titled “Students are ready to talk about climate change – are you?” In the piece, he discusses how children, especially teens, are ready to engage in topics around climate change while educators, the vast majority of which say they were never trained to discuss climate change topics in the classroom, are making final decisions about whether to incorporate climate change into their lessons for the year. He encourages teachers to “embrace the role of trusted messengers for climate ideas that other activists hold up as key to the cause — they can be influencers for millions of children whose futures are at risk, and by extension the adults in their lives.”

Jennifer Lee Hoffman, associate professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy and faculty member at the Center for Leadership in Athletics, had an opinion piece published in The Seattle Times titled "UW to the Big Ten? What's on the link isn't just about football" and she discusses the implications that UW's decision to join the Big Ten or stay in the Pac-12 will have on the entire campus community, including how it will affect who our campus peers are, where the next generation of students will come from and where our alumni are likely to be in the future.

David Knight, assistant professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy, is featured in an article in KUOW titled “Unpacking the complexities of teacher strikes” and he discusses that the issues behind teacher strikes run deeper than just money. "These strikes, they're often about salary," Knight said, "but at the end of the day, that's usually not why teachers were drawn into the profession, and not why they stay." He also spoke to Soundside, interview included in the article link above, about the strikes around the region and how systemic issues facing education in Washington state affect teachers.

Assistant professor of Educational Foundations, Leadership & Policy David Knight is quoted in an article by the Associated Press News titled “No school for 2nd day as Seattle teachers strike.” In the article about the current educator strike at Seattle Public Schools, David discusses how adequate salaries and good working conditions make schools better for everyone — but figuring out how to structure those salaries to retain good teachers and support new ones is a challenge. “Educator dissatisfaction with working conditions is not something that started yesterday,” he said. “They want safe and supported working conditions, they want a voice in school district policy, they want a livable salary. What people sometimes forget is administrators want those things too.” 

The Brotherhood Initiative (BI) is highlighted in an article by the University of Washington Magazine titled “Brotherhood of Success” and features director of the BI Joe Lott, BI student success coordinator Paul Metellus, BI student Noah Stanigar and director of the Sisterhood Initiative Rashida Love. The article celebrates how as the BI grows, students continue to succeed and soar. It also highlights how the BI was started and how the Sisterhood Initiative is being launched this year.

Teaching associate and interim director of the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program for the 22-23 academic year, Yev Veverka, had an opinion piece published in Spectrum titled “Applied behavior analysis and autism: Flawed application of a proven science [spectrumnews.org].” In the piece, she discusses how she started working in ABA since her own daughter was diagnosed with autism at age 4 and the struggles she has faced with her own ABA experiences. She also discusses how the current application of ABA in autism is flawed but that its delivery can be reformed and improved without abandoning the proven science behind it.