CEHD Inside / Out

Professor Mark Umbreit is in Israel and Palestine (the occupied territories) this week providing restorative justice training and consultation to the Israeli Ministry of Justice and the Juvenile Probation Services. He will also be meeting with the Parents Circle, an organization of bereaved Israeli and Palestinian parents who have lost their loved ones in the conflict and have come together to support each other and speak out for ending the conflict and violence.

Mark will also meet with a colleague at the Hebrew University School of Social Work who will be a visiting scholar in the School of Social Work next year during his sabbatical. In addition, Mark will be meeting colleagues on the West Bank and working on a sniper shooting case in which an Israeli mother wants to meet the Palestinian prisoner who killed her son who was in the Israeli Defense Force. Finally, Mark will be providing a keynote address at the first Israeli Forum for Restorative Justice Conference at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv.

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The Institute on Community Integration (ICI) is partnering with four community organizations (Arc Greater Twin Cities, Fraser, St. David's Child Development and Family Services, and Opportunity Partners) to provide advanced leadership training in disability advocacy, policy, and services for a delegation of nine government officials, missionaries, educators, and advocates from Zambia in southern Africa. The project has recently appeared in a number of news stories.

Global self-advocacy efforts: Zambian delegation visits MN disability orgs
Access Press (Minn.) May 10, 2008

ICI (MN UCEDD) Partners on “Twin Cities and Zambia Disability Connection”
AUCD Member Spotlight (Md.) May 1, 2008

Zambians pledge the need of a stronger voice in disability advocacy
The African News Journal (Minn.) April 2008

For further information see the project’s blog.

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Tucker Center Associate Director Nicole LaVoi was interviewed on local radio station FM107 on Thursday, May 1. Nicole was discussing the Tucker Center's recent report on girls and physical activity.

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David R. Johnson, associate dean for research and policy, is a 2008 recipient of the University's President's Award for Outstanding Service. The award is presented each year in the spring and recognizes exceptional service to the University, its schools, colleges, departments, and service units by any active or retired faculty or staff member. Recipients of this award have gone well beyond their regular duties and have demonstrated an unusual commitment to the University community.

Congratulations, David!

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Charlie Lakin, director of the Research and Training Center on Community Living, is quoted in an article about how people with disabilities cope when faced with crises.

When crisis hits the disabled
Wall Street Journal (N.Y.) April 29, 2008

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The Tucker Center has been recognized by the General Mills Foundation and Community Action program's Communities of Colors Grantees as serving a pivotal role in providing in-kind support in the arts, education, health, and social services. The Tucker Center will participate with a group of other recipients to discuss opportunities, challenges, and support available to deliver more effective programming to metro communities of color.

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The Applied Research Collaborative on Youth Development is pleased to invite you to attend an Inquiry to Impact presentation: "Physical Activity as a Context for Youth Development" on May 13 at the McNamara Alumni Center.

This free event features a panel of researchers from the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport discussing how physical activity across a variety of settings and contexts contributes to the developmental process of youth in important ways. Nicole LaVoi, research associate and lecturer in the School of Kinesiology and Tucker Center associate director, and Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and Tucker Center affiliated scholar, will discuss findings from the newly updated version of the groundbreaking 1997 President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Report, "Physical Activity and Sport in the Lives of Girls." Maureen Weiss, professor in the School of Kinesiology and Tucker Center co-director, will discuss highlights of her research with The First Tee project, an innovative program using golf as a positive developmental context focusing on teaching young participants life skills that can be transferred to multiple domains, such as school, home, out of school activities, etc.

Please visit Inquiry to Impact to learn more and to register for this event.

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The Postsecondary Education Research Institute (PERI) is pleased to invite you to a lecture by Adrianna Kezar, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California. Professor Kezar will present on the topic "Campus leadership within a neoliberal environment: Crisis and critique," Monday, April 28, 2008. Please join us for a reception with refreshments at 12:30 p.m.; the lecture will begin promptly at 1:00 p.m., in 325 Education Sciences Building.

Professor Kezar's research focuses on organizational change, leadership, governance, and diversity issues in higher education. Her most recent books include Redesigning for collaboration in higher education (forthcoming), Revolutionizing leadership development in higher education (2006, editor) and Rethinking the "L" word in Leadership: The revolution in higher education (2006, with A., Contreras-McGavin, M, & Carducci, R.). Her most recent articles investigate issues surrounding institutional transformation, leadership research, and organizational learning related to diversity in higher education.

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Professor Mark Umbreit (School of Social Work) is serving April 13 to 23 as a U.S. State Department Fulbright Senior Specialist providing lectures about his restorative justice research and conducting training seminars at the Catholic University Law School in Piachenza, Italy (near Milan). Mark is the Director of the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking in the School of Social Work.

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Marti Erickson, senior fellow and director of the Harris Programs in CEED, is quoted in an article on the new Saint Paul Game Nights program, sponsored by the Junior League of St. Paul.

St. Paul / Families can gather for leisure time
Pioneer Press (Minn.) April 14, 2008

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A report released today by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport shows that girls are participating in sports in record numbers, but their participation in physical activity outside of organized sports is declining, especially as they move from childhood into adolescence. The report will be highlighted in an upcoming lecture 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., April 22, in the Cowles Auditorium of the Hubert Humphrey Center.

U report: Girls in sports in record numbers, but informal activity lagging
Star Tribune (Minn.) April 14, 2008

Girls play more sports, but are less active
MPR (Minn.) April 14, 2008

Girls participation in sports not active enough, despite record high
Thaindian News (Bangkok, Thailand) April 14, 2008

Girls participating in sports in record numbers
US News & World Report (D.C.) April 14, 2008

Study: Young girls and exercise
WABC (N.Y.) April 15, 2008

Research: Girls not getting enough exercise
NECN (Mass.) April 14, 2008

More girls playing the field in Minnesota
KIMT (Iowa) April 14, 2008

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The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) was mentioned in a recent article on Director Ben Perry's departure from Minneapolis Schools' North Side Initiative.

Perry's departure leaves void at the top
Star Tribune (Minn.) April 8, 2008

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Amy Hewitt, training and project director in the Research and Training Center on Community Living within ICI, comments on Utah's statewide shortage of direct-care professionals.

State tackles shortage of direct-care workers
Deseret Morning News (UT) April 8, 2008

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Marti Erickson, director of the Harris Programs in CEED, says connecting kids and the outdoors has a positive impact in this U of M Moment.

Case of "Nature Deficit Disorder?" Try a "Green Hour"
April 3, 2008

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What: The final colloquium in the Center for Neurobehavioral Development's (CNBD) Spring Colloquium Series: Genetic Approaches to Behavioral Development

Title: "Eph Proteins and Auditory Brainstem Development"

Speaker: Karina Cramer, Ph.D. (Department of Neurobiology and Behavior), University of California-Irvine

Date: Friday, May 2, 2008

Time: 3 to 4 p.m.

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In mid-March, CEED Senior Fellow Marti Erickson traveled to Arusha, Tanzania to launch a child rights project she is co-leading with Gerison Lansdown, a child rights expert from England. The project will work with leaders from Tanzanian government agencies and NGOs to develop a system for training health, education, and human service workers to use a child rights framework to understand and promote the health and development of young children (birth through age 8) throughout Tanzania. This was the first of four trips Marti will make to Tanzania over the next year and a half as part of this project.

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CEED Senior Fellow Marti Erickson was quoted in an article about the Tamarack Nature Center and the conference "Nature, Children, and Families: A Necessary Connection." Erickson commented about the benefits of giving children contact with natural environments.

Tamarack Nature Center influences kids to enjoy great outdoors
Pioneer Press (Minn.) April 1, 2008

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Marti Erickson (Director, Harris Programs, CEED) will be speaking at the upcoming "Nature, Children, and Families: A Necessary Connection" conference. In her presentation, "Healing the Broken Bond between Children and Nature," Marti will discuss today's relationship between children and the outdoors and the importance of strengthening that bond.

Nature, Children, and Families: A Necessary Connection
Friday, April 4, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
MacMillan Auditorium
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska

Read the full press release.

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From Dean Darlyne Bailey:

It is my pleasure to announce the appointment of Ann Edgerton as the new Director of the University of Minnesota Child Care Center (UMCCC). As many of you know, Ann comes to us most recently from Monterey Peninsula College in California. She brings a broad range of educational and professional experiences and expertise to our position. She has been teaching infant/toddler development and caregiving as well as administration of child care centers at Monterey Peninsula College. Prior to that, she was the director of the Child Development Center at California State University, Monterey Bay. She has experience with Head Start programs and has been an advocate for the underserved. Ann lived and studied in Europe for a number of years receiving a teaching diploma in the Montessori method and later study and research trips with West Ed/PITC, a program for infant and toddler caregivers in Reggio Emilia and Pistoia, Italy. She has a master of education in early childhood development/ECE. In addition she has experience in advocacy and fundraising. She is very knowledgeable about child development theories and childcare issues and "best practices." She will bring a renewed commitment to training and research to the UMCCC and be a strong advocate for the UMCCC.

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Come hear research updates from CEHD faculty and staff affiliated with the Minnesota Center for Reading Research, with time for Q&A with the presenters. The topics include: "Promoting Teacher Reflection through Effective Coaching Conversations" (Bobbie Burnham & Debra Peterson); "Successful Teachers of Reading for ELL" (Lori Helman); and "An Updated Review of Literature on Effective Reading Instruction" (Barbara Taylor). Beverages will be provided.

Research Directions in Reading - Bag Lunch Panel Discussion
R385 Vo-Tech Education Building
Friday, April 4

For more information visit http://www.cehd.umn.edu/reading/events/ or contact Ingrid Cook (iccook@umn.edu, 612-624-9147).

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Over the past year the Minnesota Center Against Violence and Abuse (MINCAVA) has been working to redesign its MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse. Last year the center had over 6.8 million hits and 1.1 million user sessions. To ensure a high level of quality for all users, MINCAVA engaged them in an evaluation of their site focused on usability and accessibility and implemented most of the suggestions that were received. Here are some of the major changes to the site:

• Content will now be organized by BOTH topic and type of material, allowing users to find both the material they were looking for and other items similar to it.
• A spotlight section on the main page will highlight the latest developments in the field, exciting news and legislation, or other important information relating to violence and abuse.
• Improved search feature will help users find information faster.
• Updated look and logo will increase visual appeal and accessibility.

Come and help MINCAVA celebrate their newly designed Web site. They'll be hosting a party on Wednesday, April 9, from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Peters Hall Atrium to launch the new MINCAVA Electronic Clearinghouse. Come for food and fun with the MINCAVA staff, and to view the newly designed Web site.

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Several publications have written about the Institute on Community Integration's (ICI) Building Art, Building Community grant. This grant, awarded by the College's Multicultural & Diversity Committee, allowed ICI to display work by artists with disabilities in Patee Hall.

Show and sell
Access Press (Minn.) March 10, 2008

For more news about this grant, visit http://ici.umn.edu/fyi/art/.

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Chris Bremer, Donna Johnson, and Joe Timmons (all researchers in the Institute on Community Integration) recently published an article.

"Improving Access, Transition, and Success: Meeting the Challenges Facing College Students with Disabilities"
Update on Research and Leadership 19(1)

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Another article was recently published that mentions CAREI's research on school start times.

'Early to rise' not always ideal, prof. says
Brown Daily Herald (R.I.) March 18, 2008

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Research associate Pat Salmi (Institute on Community Integration) has received the Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management Award of Excellence for Outstanding Teamwork for her work on CMIST, an interagency volunteer organization that advocates and acts for inclusion in emergency preparedness, response, and recovery for persons who have disabilities, are elderly, or have barriers to participation.

UPDATE: Pat and her award were mentioned in the University's Brief.

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Professor Oliver Williams (School of Social Work), director of the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community, recently received the 2008 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Social Work. The award honors outstanding contributions in social work education. Oliver will receive this award on Sunday, April 27, at the University of Pittsburgh's "Afternoon of Recognition" event.

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Professor Barbara Taylor (Curriculum and Instruction), director of the Minnesota Center for Reading Research, comments on recent cuts to the federally-funded Reading First program.

Popular Minnesota reading program may fall victim to Washington politics
Minnesota Public Radio (Minn.) March 14, 2008

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Scott McConnell, Director of Community Engagement in CEED, had a letter to the editor published in the Star Tribune. Read the letter.

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Amy Susman-Stillman, Director of Applied Research and Training in CEED, testified before the Minnesota House Early Learning Finance Committee on Tuesday, February 26, about the Department of Health Services' Family, Friend, and Neighbor Grant Program, which was established last year by the state Legislature. CEED was written into the legislation as the evaluators of the grant program, and she presented the work to-date on the evaluation.

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Marti Erickson, Director of Harris Programs in CEED, kicked off Target Corporation's volunteer campaign with Read Across America by speaking to employees at Target Corporate offices on March 3 on “Strong Start, Bright Future: Launching Children on the Path to Reading Success.” She also recently spoke at the luncheon of the Women's Leadership Group for the Twin Cities United Way on “The Social-Emotional Underpinnings of School Readiness: What Parents Bring, What Parents Need.”

Finally, Marti is featured in an article in the March 2008 issue of Monitor on Psychology, a publication of APA: "Getting Back to the Great Outdoors."

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Karen Cadigan, Director of Outreach and Policy in CEED, and alum Kristen Missall (Ph.D. '02, educational psychology; M.A. '99, educational psychology) recently published a paper, "Measuring expressive language growth in young children with autism spectrum disorders," in Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.

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Sarah Leberman, a Fullbright Scholar who recently returned to New Zealand after a four-month residency in the Tucker Center, has conducted research into why so few women, particularly mothers, become sports coaches.

Women lack coaching confidence
ScienceAlert (Australia) March 5, 2008

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In a study of the nation's high school graduation requirements and diploma options, the University has found that some graduation policies may prevent students with disabilities from pursuing the same educational and life opportunities that their classmates have. A report on the study, "Revisiting Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities" from the College's National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), recommends that schools nationwide reassess the underlying assumptions of their graduation requirements and ensure that students with disabilities have sufficient opportunities to learn the material presented on state exit exams.

Read the full press release.

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Research from CAREI on high school scheduling dissertations was mentioned in a recent Roxboro Courier-Times article.

Recommendations of lengthy study point toward continuing four-period days at Person High School
Roxboro Courier-Times (N.C.) Feb. 16, 2007

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Research from the National Council on Educational Outcomes (NCEO) was referenced in an article on public policy as it affects students with disabilities.

The Impact of Federal Public Policy on Curriculum and Instruction for Students With Disabilities in the General Classroom
RedOrbit.com (Tex.) Feb. 14, 2008

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On November 30, 2007, the Minnesota Council on Family Relations honored CEED Director Marti Erickson with their annual Ruth Hathaway Jewson Award for outstanding contributions to the strength and well-being of families. Congratulations, Marti!

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Tara Fortune, a CEHD alum (Ph.D. '01, curriculum and instruction) and immersion projects coordinator within CARLA, comments in an article on a Texas immersion program.

Hurst-Euless-Bedford immersion program gives students an early start en español
Dallas Morning News (Tex.) Feb. 10, 2008

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Elaine Tarone has been selected as the full-time director of the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA), after an extensive international search. Elaine is the current director of CARLA and professor in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. She will begin her full-time position on August 1.

Continue reading "Tarone named director of CARLA at U of M" »

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A new edited volume on language immersion education, co-edited by Tara Williams Fortune (Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition) and associate professsor Diane J. Tedick (Curriculum and Instruction), has just become available from Multilingual Matters, Ltd. The volume, Pathways to Multilingualism: Evolving Perspectives on Immersion Education, features chapters by many of the world’s leading scholars in the field of language immersion education.

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This past Tuesday the MAIN Immersion Celebration was held at Northrop Auditorium. MAIN — Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network — is a non-profit organization comprised of educators that represent Minnesota’s immersion programs and University members representing CEHD’s second languages and cultures education program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) Immersion Projects.

See a 5-minute video clip of the event from WCCO.

Continue reading "Immersion celebration a rousing success" »

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Research from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) is mentioned in an article on school start times in the Harlem School District in Illinois. CAREI director Kyla Wahlstrom (pictured right) is quoted.

Harlem start time change part of movement
Rockford Register Star (Ill.) Dec. 16, 2007

UPDATE: Another article mentions CAREI's research.

Teens suffer when their sleep schedule is out of sync
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Pa.) Jan. 30, 2008

Posted by Anitra Budd at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) is mentioned in an article on St. Paul's Yinghua Academy, a Chinese immersion charter school.

Yinghua Academy grows into second year
Asian American Press (Minn.) Dec. 21, 2007

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A New York Times article on later school start times mentions research from the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI).

The early bird gets the bad grade
New York Times (N.Y.) Jan. 14, 2008

Tired students don't learn much
Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Wash.) Jan. 14, 2008

Later start, better students
News & Observer (N.C.) Jan. 16, 2008

Resetting the clocks at school
Dallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Tex.) Jan. 16, 2008

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The Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare would like to announce the release of the newest edition of Practice Notes, edited by Professor Esther Wattenberg (School of Social Work). Practice Notes is developed in collaboration between Center affiliates and public child welfare practitioners. It is intended as a reference for practitioners, linking research with best practices. If you would like to be added to the e-mail notification list, please contact the Center at cascw@umn.edu with "Subscribe to Practice Notes" in the subject line.

Download Practice Notes now

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Marti Erickson, senior fellow in the Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), advises parents not to focus solely on the so-called "terrible twos" when raising toddlers.

If you think the 'terrible twos' are trying, just wait a year
Baltimore Sun (Md.) Dec. 27, 2007

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Research on motion sickness from the School of Kinesiology's Tom Stoffregen's Affordance Perception-Action Laboratory (APAL) is featured in an article on the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Web site, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The video clip in the article is one of only five currently listed, and one of only 32 in the history of the HFES program. Read the article here: http://www.aip.org/dbis/HFES/stories/17051.html.

Posted by Anitra Budd at 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A study on school start times conducted by the Center for Applied Research and Improvement (CAREI) was mentioned in a recent Gazette article.

"Sleepy students hope for later school day start times"
Gazette (Md.) Nov. 15, 2007

Posted by Anitra Budd at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kyla Wahlstrom, research associate (Educational Policy and Administration) and director of the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, discusses her research on the positive effects of adequate sleep on grades for high school students.

"Snooze or Lose," by Po Bronson
New York Magazine, October 15, 2007

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Charlie Lakin, director of the Research and Training Center on Community Living within the Institute on Community Integration, was quoted in an article in the October 29 issue of People magazine. The article detailed the story of Molly Daly, a woman with devel