University of Michigan
University of Michigan
14/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 14/08/2024 23:59
Back to school: U-M experts can discuss a range of topics
EXPERTS ADVISORY
From pandemic learning loss, the effects of school bus pollution and the intersection of education and technology to teaching shortages, nutrition insecurity, vaccine hesitancy and contagious illnesses that come with a return to school, University of Michigan experts can address these and other back-to-school topics.
Literacy, challenges and opportunities for schools, educators and students
[Link]Elizabeth Birr MojeElizabeth Birr Moje is dean of the Marsal Family School of Education and the George Herbert Mead Collegiate Professor of Education. Her research examines young people's culture, identity and literacy learning in and out of school in Detroit, where she leads Marsal Education's participation in the Detroit P-20 Partnership's Michigan Education Teaching School.
"As children head back to school this fall, many districts struggle with shortages of well-prepared, certified teachers," she said. "This situation represents a crisis in the making. We place our children's lives in their hands every single day for 180 days a year. Indeed, teachers spend more sustained time with children than any other child-serving professional.
"As a society, we must have the most well-prepared teachers for our children. And to do that, we need to show teachers that we value them by offering them high-quality professional training and development, higher salaries, excellent technology tools (including useful and well-tested AI tools), clean and healthy physical resources and facilities, more support services, and our deepest respect. We need to see teachers as the creatives, innovators, engineers and leaders they are and respect them accordingly. If we value all of our children, then we need to value all of their teachers."
Contact:[email protected]
[Link]Jean MrachkoJean Mrachko is the associate director of Michigan Alternate Route to Certification, a certification-only teacher preparation program at the Marsal Family School of Education. M-ARC addresses the teaching shortage by opening access to the profession to those who hold bachelor's or master's degrees in any field. Participants complete an accelerated six-month pre-teaching preparation program, then enter the classroom as certified teachers.
"We're opening access to teacher certification to people for whom a traditional pathway isn't accessible, either for geographic reasons, for financial reasons, or for time reasons," Mrachko said. "M-ARC is not designed to replace traditional certification paths but rather to open an additional pipeline for nontraditional teachers, like those entering the profession as a second career or those who have worked in noncertified positions in schools. Our model allows people to work in the field while they are completing the program.
"We're not sacrificing the integrity or quality or even the content of the training. What we're doing is flipping the model. After their initial, accelerated pre-teaching coursework and field experiences, we walk beside them into their first teaching job. We stay there with them for those first three years."
Contact:[email protected]
[Link]Michelle BellinoMichelle Bellino is an associate professor at the Marsal Family School of Education, whose research centers on the intersection between education and youth civic development, with particular attention to contexts impacted by armed conflict and forced displacement. She explores how experiences with violence, asylum, and peace and justice processes influence young people's participation in schools and society, future aspirations, and educational access and inclusion.
"As a new school year starts, it's time for U.S. higher education institutions to step up and show they care about refugees, asylum seekers and displaced communities as part of their mission to prepare students to contribute to more egalitarian and just societies globally," she said.
"An estimated 40 million school-aged children and youth around the world are forcibly displaced. They face barriers to accessing quality education at all levels. Families forced to uproot their lives find themselves in unfamiliar, sometimes hostile and unwelcoming situations. Despite the human right to education, access to schooling is not always guaranteed and can be prohibitively expensive. Higher education is particularly inaccessible to displaced populations, leaving young people feeling that their learning is incomplete.
"The United Nations has set an ambitious goal to increase higher educational access to 15% of refugees globally by 2030. In response to this challenge, the U.S. Department of State has introduced a game-changing program called Welcome Corps on Campus, which allows campuses to welcome, enroll and support refugee students. The program links higher education to resettlement through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, providing a permanent path to formal citizenship. University partners commit to supporting students financially, logistically, academically and socially."
Contact:[email protected]
[Link]Samantha KepplerSamantha Keppler is an assistant professor of technology and operations at the Ross School of Business whose research examines the intersection of education, technology and operations. She can discuss key issues for the upcoming school year regarding the use of generative AI by teachers and students; the considerations that district officials, school leaders and teachers should have regarding generative AI; and the potential changes in technology use in schools driven by generative AI.
"Everyone is talking about how generative AI will transform education. But we know very little about what is actually happening in schools right now," she said. "Over the past year, my colleagues and I have been in conversations with and observing teachers to understand how they and their schools are dealing with tools like ChatGPT. What we found is that last year, most teachers were largely left to navigate generative AI on their own, without guidance from district or principal leadership. This needs to change for the upcoming school year."
Contact:[email protected]
Teaching practice
[Link]Deborah Loewenberg BallDeborah Loewenberg Ball is the William H. Payne Collegiate Professor of Education at the Marsal Family School of Education, research professor at the Institute for Social Research and director of TeachingWorks. Her research focuses on the practice of teaching, using elementary mathematics as a critical context for investigating the challenges of helping children develop understanding and agency and to work collectively, and on leveraging the power of teaching to disrupt patterns of racism, marginalization and inequity.
"Public schools are vital to building a society in which people can work with others with respect and care across differences," she said. "Supporting those goals as well as supporting students to thrive this year means that teachers are dealing not only with their academic development but also helping them build confidence, initiative and ways to persevere. Teachers need time to continue developing their practice and to be compensated equitably for their work."
Contact:[email protected]
Instructional practices with technology
[Link]Elizabeth Keren-KolbLiz Kolb, clinical associate professor of education technologies at the Marsal Family School of Education, can address how teachers can continue to use what they learned during remote and hybrid learning to teach using online methods.
"A major topic for K-12 schools right now is banning cell phones," she said. "Some state governments and many schools are implementing or considering implementing cell phone bans. Their reasoning stems from student cell phones being a distraction to learning and often contributing to social drama.
"As policy leaders and schools consider cell phone bans, it is important that they recognize there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to cell phone bans. Each school's demographic and culture is different and while a cell phone may be a distraction for some students, the device may be a life line of communication and academic planning/learning for another student who may not have any other computer device at home.
"Another thing for schools and policymakers to consider is that current research has discovered many positive ways that youth are using their devices for mental health support and academic growth. When creating their banning policies, policymakers should make sure they are not banning academic, economic or social growth opportunities."
Contact: 734-649-2563, [email protected]
[Link]Rebecca QuintanaRebecca Quintana is the associate director of learning experience design at the Center for Academic Innovation and adjunct lecturer in educational studies at the Marsal Family School of Education. Her research centers on technology-enhanced teaching and learning, focusing on online and immersive learning environments within higher education contexts.
Contact:[email protected]
Adjustments for children
[Link]Pamela Davis-KeanPamela Davis-Kean, professor of psychology at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts and research professor at the Institute for Social Research, has examined the various pathways that the socioeconomic status of parents relates to the cognitive achievement outcomes (particularly mathematics) of their children. To help students navigate the pandemic's impact on lower achievement scores, she recommends starting mentoring programs and creating individualized education plans for each student.
"We continue to see the effects of the loss of formal schooling due to the COVID pandemic on achievement scores. It will be important for schools across the country to continue to consider ways that students can get more time to develop important skills in mathematics and reading," she said.
Contact:[email protected]
[Link]Sandra Graham-BermannSandra Graham-Bermann, professor of psychology at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts, can discuss how parents can help their children cope with stress/time management as they return to school.
Contact: 734-615-7082, [email protected]
[Link]Jennifer Erb-DownwardJennifer Erb-Downward is director of housing stability programs and policy initiatives at U-M's Poverty Solutions. Her research explores the connections between student homelessness and school discipline rates, academic proficiency, graduation and dropout rates, chronic absenteeism, receipt of public assistance and placement in the foster care system.
Contact:[email protected]
Health and wellness
[Link]Rebecca HassonRebecca Hasson is an associate professor of movement science at the School of Kinesiology and the director of the Childhood Disparities Research Lab. She can discuss the causes and consequences of childhood obesity in multiethnic populations.
"Back-to-school season is a great time to establish healthy routines," she said. "Encourage your children to be active every day-whether it's through sports, walking to school or simply playing outside. Regular physical activity supports their health, improves focus and enhances mood, helping them succeed throughout the school year."
Contact:[email protected]
[Link]Laura GultekinLaura Gultekin is a clinical assistant professor at the School of Nursing. She's spent the past several years partnering with community agencies to improve the well-being of families experiencing homelessness.
"One of the challenges I work with families to prevent is exclusion from school or sports because of incomplete health information," she said. "If your child needs an updated immunization record, physical form or medication administration form for a chronic condition like a food allergy, asthma, ADHD or a seizure disorder, contact your pediatrician before the school year starts. It can take a week or longer to get those forms completed, so ask as soon as possible to make sure your child doesn't have to miss school because of paperwork."
Germs and viruses are always a concern, but more so since COVID.
"Parents can help prevent the spread of illness by teaching children to wash their hands for 20 seconds with warm, soapy water after using the bathroom, blowing their nose and before eating or touching their face. Teach your child to cover coughs and sneezes using the inside of their elbow to 'catch' their cough. Keep your child up-to-date on vaccines, including the flu and COVID vaccines. The new flu vaccine will be available soon, and most health care offices will offer nurse-only visits to get you in and out for these important vaccines."
Contact:[email protected]