This month, C&I's Diane Tedick, Associate Professor in Second Languages and Cultures, has been tapped by a California community for her expertise in dual language and immersion education. A group of parents and educators in Orange County's Little Saigon neighborhood are advocating for the state's first Vietnamese-English dual immersion program. Tedick supports this kind of initiative citing powerful benefits of biliteracy including better performance in English, as well as other subjects.

However, not everyone in the community sees the proposal for a Vietnamese-English immersion program in a favorable light. In May, Jim Tortolano, a journalist in California, and editor and publisher of the Garden Grove Journal, posted an editorial on the possible political reasons for pursuing a Vietnamese-English dual immersion program. In an article titled "Jim Tortolano's Retorts: 'Immersion' or segregation?", he expresses skepticism for the educational benefits of immersion programs and some reservations for the cost.

He questions, "And where does it all end? Will we have immersion programs in Spanish, Korean and Arabic soon after? I suppose we will if the votes are there, regardless of the absence of any apparent educational benefit. What, also, about the cost? You'd have to buy books in every subject in the foreign language. Are there many calculus or U.S. history textbooks in Vietnamese? Can we afford to hire dozens, perhaps hundreds of teachers because they have that fluency?"

This month, Tedick authored a response to Tortolano's concerns and addressed some misinformed beliefs commonly held about immersion programs. In "Immersion programs are a good idea" Tedick states: "In high quality two-way programs, ELs achieve at levels that are comparable or superior to their [English Learner] peers' in the same school district and state. In fact, ELs who attend two-way programs and are eventually reclassified by state criteria as proficient in English on average tend to do even better than native English speakers being schooled only in English on measures of reading/language arts and math achievement. Two-way programs are the most effective program model we have today when it comes to teaching ELs."

Tedick also addresses concerns over cost, cultural assimilation and segregation. Read Diane Tedick's full editorial at ggjournal.com.

Minnesota recently joined a national trend to adopt Common Core standards to improve student knowledge in reading. The new standards will progressively make student readings more sophisticated as they move through grades. These new standards come with new assessments implemented just this spring in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment tests (MCAs).

In an MPR story covering what the Common Core standards will mean for Minnesota, Curriculum and Instruction Associate Professor Lori Helman says, "The Common Core standards really take us to a higher level in terms of comprehension."

Listen to the full story at mpr.org.

This week, C&I Associate Professor Diane Tedick, Second Languages and Cultures, was featured in a Voice of OC article on a proposal for a new Vietnamese language immersion program.

A 2006 study found that the local Vietnamese community in Southern California may be losing its language. The study showed that this language loss is occurring in one to two generations, among the shortest in time frame of all the groups studied. That is why a group of Vietnamese parents are petitioning for the state's first Vietnamese-English dual immersion program.

Tedick weighed in on the benefits of bi-literacy citing five decades of research. From the article:

"Consider," Tedick said, "that while nationwide the dropout rates for Latino students are higher than for other ethnic groups, studies show that Latinos in two-way programs have more positive attitudes toward school, say good grades are important, want to go to college and believe a good education will lead to a better life."

Read the full article on voiceofoc.org.

The University of Minnesota STEM Education Center is a recipient of a College Ready grant from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, which will provide mathematics tutors/mentors to 135 eighth and eleventh graders in Minneapolis during the 2013-14 academic year. The $300,000 award will support the Prepare2Nspire program, which prepares underserved students to succeed on grade-level, high-stakes mathematics exams and to inspire them to continue their study of mathematics.

Prepare2Nspire is an innovative, cascading, multi-grade mathematics tutoring and mentoring opportunity that will include graphing calculator technology.

Principal Investigator Dr. Lesa Covington Clarkson, associate professor, has a history of working in urban schools with diverse populations in the Twin Cities. "Too often, underrepresented students aren't served in our urban classrooms," she said. "This program will provide additional time and tools to support students in their mathematics learning."

As university undergraduate students will be tutoring and mentoring eleventh grade algebra 2 students in the program, the eleventh grade cohort will be tutoring and mentoring eighth grade algebra students. Graphing calculator technology will support students' development of algebraic thinking and their preparation for postsecondary study.

Every student profits from this model, according Clarkson. Tutors are developing mathematics communication and reasoning skills as they explain content in which they were recently engaged and at the same time they are developing roots in mathematics that are fundamental to their current study. Middle school participants are receiving individualized tutoring and mentoring services designed to meet their unique challenges in the mathematics content studied. Simultaneously, grade-level skills will be continually addressed through mini lessons at weekly meetings.

The University's ACT/SAT Review Program also received an award of $21,721 to help 180 high school students through a 10-week ACT review program. Led by Ernest Davenport, associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology, the program addresses test-taking and other issues for academically at-risk students. It's been offered for more than 20 years.

The Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation awarded more than $4 million in May to 34 student-centered programs that will serve nearly 4,000 students in Minnesota and Wisconsin in grades 6 through 12 and adult learners. Each program is actively preparing more students to succeed academically, enroll in college, and then succeed in college-level coursework.

Part of the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the STEM Education Center includes researchers from five U of M colleges, with core faculty from CEHD's Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

We recently heard an update from one of our initial teaching licensure alumni, and we thought we'd share her story. Christina Thuli was one of our outstanding ESL teacher candidates who graduated from the Second Languages and Cultures Education program in 2010. She moved to New York City to pursue her teaching career but she maintains her strong connection to our program. Read her story below.

I distinctly remember waiting for a train in India, when a boy asked if he could shine my shoes. I smiled because my shoes were filthy, but they were also cross-trainers, and I was sure his cloth would only rub around the dirt. However, he looked so eager to shine them that I couldn't resist. "Of course," I said, and as he began his work, a man in a well-tailored business suit slid over to sit beside me. "He would do anything to be in those shoes," he said, "...to go all the places you've been."

His comment spoke as a metaphor for the past year of my life. I had taken time off from my undergraduate degree at UW-Madison and was nearing the end of my year long trip around the world. The sudden chills that ran down my spine at his comment were all too familiar. I recalled the voices of the Nepalese children from the school in which I'd taught in Kathmandu. "Ms., will we learn English every day?" they'd ask with vehement enthusiasm, desirous to learn as much as possible. The mornings in the orphanage flashed almost simultaneously through my mind. "You'll teach us English?" the children would ask as they gobbled dal bhat before school. As I reflected on these experiences and thought about what the man in the business suit had said, I realized that I had not only fallen in love with all of the places I'd been, but rather than quenching my traveling thirst, my journey had ignited a fervid desire to forever be a part of this cultural exchange.

Upon returning to university, I changed my major to Spanish Language and Culture, studying abroad in Chile and volunteering to teach English in a public elementary school. I then moved to New York City to teach, and soon it became clear to me. Just as in India, I realized that as much as I loved experiencing different languages and cultures, it was sharing it with others that made me the most passionate. I wanted to be a teacher.

My decision to complete the Second Languages and Cultures Program at the University of Minnesota could have not have been more fitting. The model that the university promotes--teaching students English through culturally relevant, content-based instruction--thoroughly resonated with me. The rigor and progressive educational model of this program also gave me confidence to teach English Language Learners at any level. For the past three years, I have used this model to teach ESL at a charter school in the Bronx, where I also co-advise the student council.

I have recently accepted a position as the ELL specialist at East Harlem Scholars Academy II, a founding charter school in East Harlem that focuses on ELLs. The integrity of the ELL program at its sister school--East Harlem Scholars Academy-- immediately struck a chord with me. I soon learned that the ELL specialist at this school also completed the Second Languages and Cultures Program at Minnesota! I could not be more excited to begin my new work, helping to create a program from the ground up for English Language Learners, with an emphasis on family involvement and holistic education.

Thinking back to the boy who wanted to shine my shoes in India, I truly believe I've found my calling to help children like him "go all the places [I've] been." As a teacher of languages, I am forever committed to helping create opportunities for people, such as the boy in India, who may otherwise have gone denied. In the future, I hope to travel and write children's books, combining my love of culture, language and travel with meaningful education and engaging literacy that will push students forward and give them the opportunities they deserve.

C&I faculty members and LTML co-directors Aaron Doering and Charles Miller delivered a presentation to a full house at the 4th Annual See Change conference this week. Their talk, titled "Exploring the Intersection of Design, Education, and Sustainability," showcased many LTML projects such as Avenue, Earthducation, North of Sixty, WeExplore, and Flipgrid.

See Change is an annual conference centered on the power of visual communication across the creative spectrum. Launched in 2010, See Change has hosted acclaimed speakers across the visual spectrum including George Lois, Margo Chase, Ian Adelman, Karin Fong, Gary Koepke, Janet Froelich, Sharon Werner, Doug Menuez, Jon Forss, Joe Duffy, and many more.

For his pioneering work in science education, Larry Yore received one of the highest awards bestowed on alumni of the University of Minnesota at a ceremony on campus May 22. The U's Outstanding Achievement Award recognizes graduates who have attained unusual distinction in their chosen fields -- appropriate for Yore, an internationally known expert on the role of language in science and science education and on how language affects scientific inquiry.

"Larry has international teaching and research accomplishments that go beyond what most teachers and educators could even dream of," said Jean Quam, dean of the U of M's College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), which nominated Yore for the award. "But his generosity of spirit and tireless commitment to students, colleagues, and learning is even more impressive."

Yore is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, but his roots run deep in Minnesota. A native of Delavan, in the south-central part of the state, Yore earned his bachelor's degree ('64), master's degree ('68), and Ph.D. ('73) in education at the University of Minnesota. Teaching science and studying its connection to reading and literacy became his specialty early on, including positions where he excelled as both a teacher and administrator in the Eden Prairie Public Schools and University High School ('64 to '70) before joining the faculty at the University of Victoria. Over 41 years of service at Victoria, he taught science, technology, and science literacy and research courses, and he chaired the Departments of Social and Natural Sciences and of Curriculum and Instruction. He also served as president of the university's faculty association and a member of the Board of Governors.

His accomplishments in higher education include 76 research articles in national and international journals, service on the board of directors of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, participation on review panels for 20 education research journals, and founding membership on the International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education. At Victoria and other universities, he has mentored and advised more than 175 graduate students, worked with numerous researchers whose second language is English, and led studies on scientific literacy in many countries around the world.

Yore has been honored as "Science Teacher Educator of the Year," by the Association for Science Teacher Education; awarded with highest honors for contributions to science education through research, by the National Association for Research in Science Education; recognized with the Distinguished Contributions Award, by both the reading and science education communities; and named the University's first Distinguished Professor at the University of Victoria.

Photo credit: University of Victoria Photo Services.

The mission of North of Sixty° is to create a global tapestry of climate stories, weaving together the history and culture of Arctic communities worldwide and preserving the voices and ecological knowledge of generations. Recently, the North of Sixty° explorers visited the communities Qikiqtarjuaq and Pangnirtung in Nunavut, Canada to interview teachers, students, elders and others.

Below is a video of Expedition Leader, Aaron Doering sharing personal reflections and brief interview excepts with Elders from their recent trip.

North of Sixty: Arctic Voices from North of Sixty on Vimeo.

Tomorrow, Doering will meet with famous weatherman, Al Roker from the Today Show to discuss the project.

Doctoral candidate Shannon McManimon (Culture and Teaching) is the recipient of this year's C&I Outstanding Graduate Student Research Paper Award for her paper, The Practice of Teaching as Blurred Translating. The award was established by the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in order to recognize excellence in research and research writing among graduate students.

Shannon is also the recipient of the Seashore Fellowship awarded by the College of Education and Human Development to a doctoral student whose interests focus on issues of broad social inquiry problems, social and cultural change, or social justice.

Shannon's research and teaching interests include critical pedagogy, critical whiteness studies and school-community partnerships. She works with the Neighborhood Bridges Critical Literacy and Creative Drama Program.

The Department of Curriculum and Instruction has announced three recipients of the Judy King Potts Endowed Fellowship in Literacy Education for 2013. The endowment was provided by Mrs. Potts, a former elementary reading teacher. Her fund supports fellowships for students who are doing graduate work in literacy and have taken leadership roles in working within the reading program.

Kristi Bergeson, from Edina, MN
Kristi's interest in education began as a teenage volunteer providing support to students with special needs in Minneapolis. After graduating from college with a major in Elementary Education and Music, she began her career as a first, second and third grade classroom teacher working in Minneapolis, Edina and the greater Chicago area. She also worked for the Center for Reading Research at the University of Minnesota where she provided leadership for schools as they engaged in school-wide improvements in reading. During this time, she completed an MA degree in Curriculum and Instruction and received her Reading Specialty License.

Most recently she's worked with first through fifth grade students as both a Gifted Education Specialist and Learning Specialist in Edina. Kristi says, "I am excited to pursue my PhD and continue learning about literacy development in children. My doctoral interests are in the area of reading to engage all learners. With a PhD, I hope to either work as a college professor, work in reading research, or work in a literacy leadership position in a school district. I am grateful to have received this award."

Kay Rosheim, currently living in Eden Prairie, MN; originally from Iowa City, IA
Kay Rosheim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Iowa and a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. She started her career working as a clinical researcher for 15 years before deciding to go back to school to get her initial teaching license and an MA in teaching. She first taught middle school science and math; then after earning an MA in Reading and K-12 reading license, she worked as an elementary reading specialist for the past 8 years. She's enjoys working specifically with struggling students and English learners who come from diverse backgrounds. Kay says, "The reason I'm at the U of MN for my PhD is because of my students."

Her immediate educational and career goal is to continue learning ways to best teach students how to read and motivate them to want to read. It is that goal that prompted her to apply to the Reading to Engage All Learners (REAL) doctoral program here at the U of MN. She is interested in effective instructional practices that support struggling readers and assessment of English learners. She looks forward to investigating what motivates students, and she wants to learn ways to help children remain engaged with reading and learning as they move through the K-12 educational system and beyond.

Megan Van Deventer, from Salt Lake City, UT
Megan earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Portland in English and Secondary Education. After graduating in 2008, she returned to her alma mater, Judge Memorial Catholic High School in downtown Salt Lake City to begin her teaching career. For the past two years, Megan has earned a Masters of Education from the University of Utah while still enjoying teaching English to ninth and tenth graders. Megan is excited to join the Curriculum and Instruction Department at the University of Minnesota in the Literacy Education Program Area. Dr. David O'Brien is her adviser and she plans to pursue her interest in Reading Education and Adolescent and Children's Literature. Megan's passions include advocating for literacy across the curriculum, teaching comprehension strategies and motivating adolescents to read and enjoy literature.