Fall 2011

GSE Welcomes Dr. Drew GitomerInaugural Holder of the Rose and Nicholas DeMarzo Chair in Education

In This Issue

Dr. Drew Gitomer..............1

Dean’s Corner...................2

Literacy 101......................2

Alumni Snapshot..............3

Urban Teaching Fellow....3

New Faculty Faces...........4

New Beginnings................4

RU a HENRY?....................4

A foremost scholar in the field of assessing teaching, Dr. Drew Gitomer joins the Graduate School of Education as the inaugural holder of the newly endowed Rose and Nicholas DeMarzo Chair in Education. The DeMarzo Chair was established in April 2009 by a bequest gift from the estate of Charles A. DeMarzo to honor his parents. The Chair was designed to honor, retain, or recruit eminent scholars in the field of teacher education.

Early in his career, Dr. Gitomer began his research with student performance assessment. The scope of his research evolved to include and then eventually focus on the design of assessments that support the improvement of instruction. As Chair, Dr. Gitomer will have the opportunity to develop a plan of research, teaching, and professional leadership to address questions about teacher quality, teacher education, and student achievement in collaboration with Graduate School of Education faculty.

To celebrate both Dr. Gitomer’s appointment and the generous gift that created the DeMarzo Chair, GSE and the Rutgers University Foundation will be hosting an investiture ceremony on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at Kirkpatrick Chapel. If you are interested in attending, please contact Junelynn Sadlowski at 732-932-8514, ext. 6012.

Click on the video below to watch Dr. Gitomer’s faculty profile interview.

Graphic ©iStockphoto.com/drlogan

Dean’s CornerEven though the 2011-2012 academic year has just begun, it is already shaping up to be exciting for Rutgers GSE. We are currently busy preparing for the October 27th investiture ceremony of Dr. Drew Gitomer, inaugural holder of the Rose and Nicholas DeMarzo Chair in Education. Dr. Gitomer joins our faculty from Educational Testing Service (ETS). His research, teaching, and professional leadership address key questions about teacher quality, teacher evaluation, and teacher education.

At GSE, there are two new members of the academic leadership team: Dr. Sharon Ryan, associate dean of Academic Affairs, and Dr. Eugenia Etkina, chair of the department of Learning and Teaching. Additionally, Jennifer St. Pierre, former public relations specialist at GSE, accepted the position of assistant director ofmarketing and communications in July. Jennifer is already hard at work, updating GSE’s website regularly and producing marketing pieces for the school.

I hope this new academic year provides you with an opportunity to reconnect with GSE and learn about the multiple ways we are growing. As we celebrate the appointment of Dr. Gitomer and the establishment of the DeMarzo Chair on October 27, we hope you will join us. Please contact Junelynn Sadlowski at 732-932-8514, ext. 6012 for more information.

Warm Regards,

Richard De LisiDean and Professor

Literacy 101Q&A with Literacy Professor Dr. Lesley Morrow

Photo taken by Nick Romanenko

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Q NJ has adopted the Common Core State Standards. What does this mean for the field of literacy education? A Under the new initiative, literacy is integrated throughout the curriculum. When teaching social studies and science, teachers should always remember that they are teachers of reading. Reading is a skill, not a content area. Therefore teachers need to purposefully embed reading strategies throughout the day when teaching in social studies and science. It is more meaningful for children to be taught to read using a theme in social studies or science; it makes reading more interesting and meaningful.

Q I’m a certified reading specialist but am always looking for new ways to improve myself. Where can I go for resources?A Check out Rutgers’ Center for Literacy Development! The Center is committed to improving literacy support systems and providing a professional learning network of literacy leaders and teachers. The Center’s network membership services include professional development to improve teacher quality and school leadership, on-site coaching, and workshops tailored to the needs of the districts. For more information, please call 732-932-7496, ext. 8353. Q There is a constant concern about reading achievement, especially when it comes to children who are considered at-risk. Where should we put the bulk of our resources?A The tendency is to want to put resources into the upper grades because there are so many students who have fallen behind. However, I truly feel that we should be putting the emphasis on the youngest children we serve. The research is clear -- those who have had quality pre-school and kindergarten experiences have higher grades in the upper grades. Investing early is going to pay off in the long-run. It is crucial for children to have all-day preschool and kindergarten, which has demonstrated success in literacy development in the future.

Lesley Morrow is a professor of literacy at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. She began her career as a classroom teacher, then became a reading specialist and later received her Ph.D. from Fordham University in New York City. Her area of research deals with strategies for enhancing early literacy development, organizing and managing literacy programs, and professional development. Her research is carried out with children and families from diverse backgrounds. Dr. Morrow has more than 300 publications that appear as journal articles, book chapters, monographs, and books. She received Excellence in Teaching, Research and Service Awards from Rutgers University. She was the recipient of the International Reading Association’s Outstanding Educator of Reading Award and the association’s William S. Gray Citation of Merit Award for lifetime achievement of outstanding scholarship and service nationally and internationally to the field of literacy. Last year, Dr. Morrow received the Oscar Causey Award from the Literacy Research Association for contributing profound new knowledge to the field of literacy through research that has had an impact on practice. Photo taken by Nick Romanenko

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Alumni Snapshot:

Urban Teaching Fellows Program Attracts Students, Offers Opportunity to Enact Change

Dr. Arthur Kirk, GSE’84

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“What do you want to be when you grow up?” We all have had to answer this question to family, friends, and even ourselves. For many, it is no easy task to come up with an answer but Dr. Arthur Kirk, GSE’84, has known since his mid-20s; Kirk wanted to be president of an academic institution.

Kirk recalls his most memorable conversation detailing his dream, as he and an acquaintance talked about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Asked why he would want to be a president, Kirk remembers saying with conviction, “I want to do it where it really matters, where I could make a fundamental difference in the lives of students.”

But before he could become a president, he knew he had to work from the ground up. After spending some time teaching in junior high school, his administrative career began at Kean University where he served as assistant director of the Division of College Development and director of Alumni Affairs. He went on to work at Raritan Valley Community College and College Misericordia.

By age 37, Kirk achieved his goal when he became president of New York’s Keuka College in 1983. While he remained devoted to Keuka for the next 13 years, Kirk didn’t stop dreaming big. In 1997, he became president of Saint Leo University, based in Florida.

While there were many factors that played a role in his decision to uproot his life in New York and move to Florida, transforming lives was definitely at the top of the list. Kirk wanted to lead a campus where he could engage students as he did at Keuka but he also wanted to be a part of a larger, more complex environment. He wanted to be part of an institution that “needed to change and knew it.” Saint Leo met his criteria.

Today, “[Saint Leo is] the seventh largest Catholic college or university with locations in seven states and a large online program as well,” notes Kirk.

Kirk takes great pride that Saint Leo operates by six core values: excellence, community, respect, personal development, responsible stewardship, and integrity.

“The university has embraced every aspect of the core values in its work and, consequently, has changed the culture of the university,” says Kirk.

His high aspirations can be attributed to his parents who encouraged him and his siblings to get an education and even consider teaching as a profession. Kirk took his parents seriously and got his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Kean; he then came to Rutgers Graduate School of Education for his doctoral degree. His experience at GSE allowed him the flexibility to pursue courses and interests without being “put in a tight box,” something he truly appreciated.

Kirk’s most “profound experience” was through the dissertation process. Having nationally renowned experts who challenged him serving on his dissertation committee is something Kirk will never forget. Up until that time, Kirk considered himself a practitioner but through the dissertation process, he “learned the importance of theory to the practice, the power and the value of theory that has to be applied in practice even if it does not always work.”

Although it has been more than 25 years since he graduated with his Ed.D., Kirk still has good feelings about Rutgers and GSE. He enjoys the annual call from Telefund because it gives him a chance to connect with current students, and reminds him of when he made similar calls as a student.

When Kirk gets that annual call, he makes sure to support Rutgers GSE.

“Every graduate has a responsibility to give what they can. It’s a really important moral obligation,” believes Kirk. “No college experience is based on tuition and state support alone. Others who came before us made gifts to provide scholarships, endowed chairs and we need to continue the tradition of giving.”

“My hope is that every student can get as strong an education and will have as positive an experience as I did,” Kirk concluded.

Photo courtesy of Dr. Arthur Kirk

“ I wish to return to an urban school district and show these students that life isn’t just confined to the boundaries of their cities. I, as a teacher, might not be able to save the world, but I might actually spark the mind of someone who will.

Growing up in Jersey City was not easy for Tanya Carneiro, GSE’12. With her father suffering from various health issues caused by a past accident, Tanya’s mother worked two jobs just to make ends meet. Unsurprisingly, college was a difficult decision for Tanya but she does not regret coming to Rutgers for both her bachelor’s and master’s at all.

“Through the help of financial aid, numerous scholarships, and being a Resident Assistant at Rutgers Residence Life, I was able to pay for my four years here,” said Tanya.

In May 2011, Tanya graduated from Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences with dual degrees in journalism and media studies, and English. While Tanya is currently in GSE’s five-year teacher education program for English, she is also part of GSE’s Urban Teaching Fellows (UTF) program.

Co-directed by professors Thea Abu El-Haj and

Beth Rubin, the UTF program provides students interested in working in urban districts with a three-semester urban residency, accompanied by specialized coursework. “Not until my junior year [of high school] did I encounter a teacher who inspired and motivated me to make a difference in my life,” remembers Tanya.

“No longer was the teacher simply teaching to meet a standard, but rather they were teaching to create motivated students. That is one of the reasons I wish to return to an urban school district and show these students that life isn’t just confined to the boundaries of their cities. I, as a teacher, might not be able to save the world, but I might actually spark the mind of someone who will.”

Currently, the UTF program has relationships with schools in East Orange and Perth Amboy, and has 12 fellows in the 2012 cohort.

A product of an Abbot district, Jersey City, Tanya is thriving in her Perth Amboy placement and is inspired by her students daily. Upon graduating, Tanya is keeping her options open, with career possibilities including teaching in Jersey City or another urban district, or entering the Peace Corps.

Click here to learn more about GSE’s UTF program and the other members of the 2012 cohort.

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New Beginnings on the Board

GSE Welcomes New Faculty Faces

In April 2011, GSE was again ranked by U.S. News and World Report within the top 50 graduate programs of education nationwide.

This fall, we are pleased to have the addition of four new faculty members:• Drew Gitomer, Ph.D.Dr. Gitomer received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. Formerly a distinguished researcher and director of the Understanding Teaching Quality Center at ETS, Dr. Gitomer joins our faculty as the inaugural holder of the Rose and Nicholas DeMarzo Chair in Education.• Melinda Mangin, Ph.D. Dr. Mangin received her Ph.D. in educational policy from Rutgers University and has been a faculty member at Michigan State University since 2005. Dr. Mangin joins us as an assistant professor in the department of Education Theory, Policy, and Administration. • Youngsuk Suh, Ph.D.Dr. Suh holds her Ph.D. in quantitative methods, educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She joins our department of Educational Psychology as an assistant professor from the University of Texas at Austin. • Sheila Witherspoon, Ph.D.Dr. Witherspoon holds her Ph.D. in counseling education from the University of South Carolina and has served as a counselor, educator, and supervisor in various capacities. A New Brunswick native, Dr. Witherspoon joins our faculty in the school counseling program.

GSE would like to thank the members of the GSE Alumni Association (GSEAA) Executive Board for their outstanding service in their previous positions. GSE extends a very special thanks to former GSEAA President Dr. Roberta S. Kanarick for her exemplary leadership and successful efforts to partner with the School.

Congratulations to GSEAA’s newly elected board members: Dr. Barbara Whitman - President, Susan Driessen - 1st Vice President, Jennifer Jones - 2nd Vice President, Carmen Peterson - secretary, Ann Gagliardi - treasurer, Dr. Mary Carrington - treasurer, Dr. Carolyn Dittus - Historian, and Evelyn Matelski - Historian.

GSEAA continues to promote and support education and camaraderie among alumni. We encourage you to attend GSEAA events that take place throughout the year.

2011-2012 Calendar of GSEAA Events:December 5, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. Alumni Networking and Holiday Party The Rutgers Club

April 19, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. Alumni/Student Information Exchange GSE Lounge

April 21, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. Distinguished Service Awards Dinner The Rutgers Club

May 12, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. Reunion Reception The Rutgers Club

Graphic ©iStockphoto.com/drlogan

RU a HENRY or ready to become one? Please contact Rajini Kurian at 732-932-7496, ext. 8134 for assistance.