Category Archives: Faculty

Watch and Attend Our Emancipatory Education Speaker Series

What should education look like post-COVID? How do we get there?

Many are looking forward to a time when we can go back to “normal” in education; however, that “normal” wasn’t working for too many of our children, youth, families and communities. The SJSU Lurie College of Education Emancipatory Education Speaker Series features nationally recognized speakers and emerging voices who are sharing their visions for a post-COVID education system.

Watch the recording from our speaker series event on Friday, March 12, which included a Latinas Leading Schools panel discussion with Dr. Fabiola Bagula, Dr. Rebeca Burcaiga, Dr. Melissa Martinez, Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse, and Ana Tavares.

Visit sjsu.edu/education/community/iee/speaker-series to register for our final speaker series event:

  • Friday, March 19, 3:30-5pm PST | Dr. E.J.R. David, Dr. Saili Kulkarni, Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia, and Leroy Moore

Strategic Plan Spotlight: Early Childhood Connections

At the SJSU Lurie College of Education, we prepare transformative educators, counselors, therapists, school and community leaders through an emancipatory approach across our teaching, scholarship, and service and with a focus on being community-engaged, culturally sustaining, interdisciplinary, and holistic.  Learn more about what this looks like in practice from Child & Adolescent Development faculty Maria Fusaro as she discusses our Early Childhood Institute and Early Childhood Connections initiative below.

SJSU Lurie College of Education Early Childhood Institute Emily Slusser Andrea Golloher Maria Fusaro

As a faculty member in ChAD (Child and Adolescent Development), I’m privileged to work with many dedicated students as part of their educational journey.  Students bring rich insights from their experiences in their own families and from work and volunteer experiences in their communities to my classes on infant/toddler development.

While classes are a critical part of the college experience, college is also a prime time to make personal and professional connections, broaden our horizons, dream bigger dreams, and persist through new struggles.  When I began my journey as a first-generation college student, I had optimistic but vague perspectives about what higher education was all about.  While I cannot fully appreciate what it means to be a college student in the era of COVID, I do recognize the value of having intentional opportunities for connection and dialogue, especially to recover some of the informal connection that we’ve lost to this virus.

In 2019, I worked with my colleagues Emily Slusser and Andrea Golloher, from ChAD and Special Education, to launch the Early Childhood Institute (ECI).  At its heart, ECI is a hub for all things early childhood on campus, including research, training, and advocacy.  We create opportunities for dialogue to better meet the needs of young children and their families in ways that connect research and practice.

As part of our work, and with the support of Lurie College Strategic Plan funding, ECI established a program called Early Childhood Connections (ECC). ECC focuses on building community and supporting the professional growth of BA and MA students and recent alumni across disciplines in pursuit of careers involving young children.  During each of our ongoing sessions, presenters from SJSU and ECI’s community partners are invited to lead discussions on a range of topics.  We’ve learned about the landscape for infant/toddler intervention in California, strategies for engaging with diverse families, and ways in which early childhood teachers (generalists) can work hand in hand with early childhood specialists. We are particularly proud that some of our presenters are SJSU alum, returning to share their wisdom with the next generation of early childhood professionals.

ECC only exists because of our participants and their voices are critical for shaping the program.  A huge shoutout goes to Thao Ngyuen (ChAD BA, 2021), who has served as our dedicated student coordinator throughout our first year of program design and implementation.  Our team, which also includes Isabel Vallejo and Donna Bee-Gates, developed the bones of the program, and participants have weighed in on our meeting themes and ways to stay connected outside of our planned meetings.  ECC is one part of each of their unique SJSU experiences, but it is one that we hope will carry on long into the future, as they continue their professional journey and stay connected to ECI along the way.

Lurie College Faculty to Keynote Utah K-16 Equity & Inclusive Excellence Event

Shoutout to Teacher Education faculty Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, who has been asked to give his keynote address “Critical Consciousness Among Educators and Communities as a Core Goal of Dual Language Immersion Programming” at the upcoming Utah K-16 Equity & Inclusive Excellence in Language Education event on Wed., Mar. 17, at 12:15pm!

SJSU Lurie College of Education Teacher Education Faculty Eduardo Munoz-Munoz

Watch and Attend Our Emancipatory Education Speaker Series

What should education look like post-COVID? How do we get there?

Many are looking forward to a time when we can go back to “normal” in education; however, that “normal” wasn’t working for too many of our children, youth, families and communities. The SJSU Lurie College of Education Emancipatory Education Speaker Series features nationally recognized speakers and emerging voices who are sharing their visions for a post-COVID education system.

Watch the recording from our speaker series event on Friday, March 5:

  • Sec. John King – President and CEO of The Education Trust – Reversing the practices of providing the least educational support to those who need it most
    • 8:42​​ – Introduction of Sec. John King by Dr. Jennifer Husbands
    • 10:50​​ – Remarks from Sec. John King
    • 28:44​​ – Q&A with Sec. John King
  • Dr. Leslie Gonzales – associate professor in the Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Learning unit at Michigan State University – “Towards Epistemic Justice: Unlearning, Relearning, and Refusal in the Academy”
    • 50:40​​ – Introduction of Dr. Leslie Gonzales by Dr. María Ledesma
    • 52:01​​ – Remarks from Dr. Leslie Gonzales
    • 1:19:00​ – Q&A with Dr. Leslie Gonzales

Visit sjsu.edu/education/community/iee/speaker-series to register for our upcoming speaker series events:

  • Friday, March 12, 3:30-5pm PST | Dr. Fabiola Bagula, Dr. Rebeca Burcaiga, Dr. Melissa Martinez, Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse, Ana Tavares, and Dr. Tara Yosso
  • Friday, March 19, 3:30-5pm PST | Dr. E.J.R. David, Dr. Saili Kulkarni, Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia, and Leroy Moore

Reflections on the Lurie College Promise Group

SJSU Lurie College of Education Promise Group 2019 Fall

I wish I had a program like the Promise Group when I was a first-year college student.  I progressed through undergrad as a first-generation student, all the way to becoming a professor at SJSU.  However, it took years to find mentors who could best help me toward success.  Today, I am thrilled to be part of a program that facilitates that search and provides mentorship for SJSU students.

The Promise Group fosters a caring and supportive community of belonging, encourages relationship building, and cultivates a culture of appreciation, which reflects the “holistic” goal of the Lurie College of Education’s strategic plan.

  • Supportive Community of Belonging – Serving as a faculty mentor has given me opportunities to build meaningful relationships with my student mentees.  My mentors continue to be an important part of my life and I am glad to be that for my students today.  For instance, I have watched one mentee progress and graduate with her bachelor’s degree and my other mentee has started college in the most difficult of circumstances – during a global pandemic.  Our regular meetings have not only helped her develop strategies for success in college but help both of us feel a sense of connection, especially while we all work remotely.
  • Relationship Building – Serving as a faculty mentor has not only been about me imparting my knowledge and wisdom, but I am always learning from my mentee.  Whether it’s how to order Boba tea, keeping up with pop culture, or brainstorming teaching and research ideas together, I leave every encounter with a new perspective and a better sense of my mentee as a complete person.
  • Appreciation – It brings me great pride and joy to recognize and appreciate all of my mentee’s accomplishments and progress.  We celebrate small wins after each meeting (like getting a paper submitted), and BIG wins, like getting their first full-time job after graduation.  It is exciting to serve as their cheerleader along their academic journey!

…and speaking of appreciation: a big Thank you goes out to Donna Bee-Gates for all of her hard work in leading this group, and for pairing me with amazing mentees.  Watching all members of the group develop over time and successfully move into their next adventure is a highpoint of my work at SJSU.

– Dina Izenstark, Assistant Professor in Child and Adolescent Development

Attend Our Lurie College Emancipatory Education Speaker Series

SJSU Lurie College of Education Spring 2021 Emancipatory Education Speaker Series

Many are looking forward to a time when we can go back to “normal” in education; however, that “normal” wasn’t working for too many of our children, youth, families and communities. Join us for a series of live, online conversations with nationally recognized speakers and emerging voices who will share their visions for post-COVID education through an emancipatory lens and identify steps to enact their visions. Confirmed speakers include:

  • Friday, February 26, 3:30-5pm PST | Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings & Dr. Jonathan Rosa
  • Friday, March 5, 3:30-5pm PST | Secretary John King & Dr. Leslie Gonzales
  • Friday, March 12, 3:30-5pm PST | Dr. Fabiola Bagula, Dr. Rebeca Burcaiga, Dr. Melissa Martinez, Dr. Sylvia Mendez-Morse, Ana Tavares, Dr. Tara Yosso
  • Friday, March 19, 3:30-5pm PST | Dr. E.J.R. David, Dr. Saili Kulkarni, Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia, Leroy Moore

Visit sjsu.edu/education/community/iee/speaker-series to register for our upcoming speaker events and revisit the webpage in February for updates about additional speaker events!

Lurie College Dean Lattimer Featured on Leading Forward Podcast

Shoutout to the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence for featuring Lurie College Dean Heather Lattimer on their podcast Leading Forward.  During the episode, Dean Lattimer discussed leadership, equity, and well-being in times of COVID-19. Listen to the podcast below or on the Leading Forward Anchor account.

SJSU Lurie College of Education Dean Heather Lattimer

Lurie College Faculty Research Center Highlighted in EdSource

Shoutout to Teacher Education faculty Brent Duckor and Counselor Education faculty Lorri Capizzi, who were highlighted in EdSource for establishing their Center for Collaborative Research Excellence in Education (CCREE)! Read the EdSource highlight at bit.ly/2NSnlWX and read more about their CCREE at sjsu.edu/education/community/ccree

SJSU Lurie College of Education Faculty Brent Duckor Lorri Capizzi 2

Lurie College Faculty Asked to be Featured Presenter

Congratulations to Department of Educational Leadership faculty María Ledesma, who will be one of the featured presenters at the upcoming CSU Certificate Program in Student Success Analytics on Friday, January 29.  Learn more about the program at certificate-program.dashboards.calstate.edu

SJSU Lurie College of Education Educational Leadership Department Faculty María Ledesma

Lurie College Faculty Discuss ‘Queering Our Campus’

Shoutout to Child and Adolescent Development Department faculty Robert Marx and Counselor Education Department faculty Kyoung Mi Choi, who – with the support of a Lurie College of Education Strategic Plan grant – have established the “Creating an Inclusive Climate: Queering Our Classrooms & Our Campus” initiative, which aims to offer introductory and advanced trainings at the department and college level around topics like pronouns and vocabulary terms, the hidden curriculum in our classes, and creating opportunities for authentic self-expression!  Listen to an overview and update about their initiative below.

SJSU Lurie College of Education Faculty Robert Marx Kyoung Mi Choi Queering Our Classrooms and Campus

“I want to start by giving an overview of what the phrase ‘Queering Our Campus’ means because it’s not a term that is always used and it’s not always immediately understood.  When Kyoung Mi and I put this proposal together, we were thinking about the ways in which our campus – and our college in particular – sometimes unintentionally uphold certain hierarchies and power imbalances.  What it means to queer something is to trouble those hierarchies, to think critically and consciously about the power that’s in place, to think about the dynamics that are always circulating around us, and to think about what we can do to trouble that, to make that more capacious, to make that more inclusive, to make that a little less stable and a little more interesting for those of us who don’t necessarily fit into the norms of our society.”

Watch the Lurie College Fall 2020 Graduation Celebration

Our SJSU Lurie College of Education Graduation Celebration took place on Friday, December 18 – watch the recording from the live event above!

  • 14:35 – Video acknowledgment of Spring 2020 Lurie College graduates (alphabetized by last name) and remarks from Dean Heather Lattimer and Associate Dean Marcos Pizarro
  • 26:30 – Remarks from Lurie College Graduation Celebration Speaker, Jacqueline Lopez Rivas (BA, Child & Adolescent Development)
  • 36:14 – Slideshow of collages submitted by graduates (alphabetized by last name)

SJSU has also created a website to recognize all of the Spring 2020 graduates for the entire university. Visit the recognition webpage for Lurie College of Education Spring 2020 graduates.

 

Listen to the Lurie College BIPOC Faculty Affinity Group Playlist

This semester, Lurie College BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) faculty met throughout the semester to communicate, collaborate, and be in community with one another.  They recently created a group playlist as well – give it a listen on the Lurie College Spotify account at bit.ly/lurie-playlists

Lurie College Faculty Featured For Student Support

Congratulations to Counselor Education Department faculty Kyoung Mi Choi, who was featured by Flipboard in their article “Supporting Students Wherever They Are In Their Journeys” for her curation of online resources and support of international and LGBTQ+ students.  Read the full article at http://bit.ly/2KvgEIN

SJSU Lurie College of Education Counselor Education Department Faculty Kyoung Mi Choi

Lurie College Faculty Featured on Race, Policy, and Reform Post-COVID Panel

Shoutout to Educational Leadership Department faculty María Ledesma, who was featured on a panel at Stanford’s Race, Inequality, and Language in Education (RILE) conference during the Fall 2020 semester. Watch the full recording on the Stanford Graduate School of Education YouTube channel – Dr. Ledesma begins speaking at 36:42.

Lurie College Set to Celebrate Fall 2020 Graduates

SJSU Lurie College of Education Fall 2020 Graduation Celebration

While the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact so many facets of society over the duration of 2020, that’s not stopping the Lurie College of Education at San José State University from organizing a live graduation celebration to recognize our more than 200 Fall 2020 graduates (and soon-to-be alumni)!

This year has presented our students, our college, and our communities with one challenge and hardship after another, from prioritizing our health and safety while simultaneously addressing educational inequities in response to COVID-19; to responding to acts of racial injustice and uprooting systemic racism; to surviving wildfires and dangerous air quality levels; and to navigating through a tumultuous election cycle.  Despite all of these challenges and hardships, I have been proud to witness our students, faculty, and staff persevere and support one another throughout this year while continuing to make progress towards their personal, academic, and professional hopes, dreams, and goals.  With that in mind, while we are unable to celebrate with our graduates in person at this time, it’s our priority to celebrate virtually with them to acknowledge their accomplishments and bring some closure to their academic experiences with us.  We look forward to welcoming our graduates back to campus and celebrating in person together when it is safe to do so. – Dean Heather Lattimer

The Lurie College Graduation Celebration will take place online on Friday, December 18, at 4pm PST and begin with a college-wide ceremony that will include remarks from Dean Heather Lattimer, Associate Dean Marcos Pizarro, and student speaker Jacqueline Lopez Rivas, who is graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Child and Adolescent Development.

I’m so grateful and appreciative to have this opportunity to represent my peers as the graduation speaker.  With everything that’s happened this year, it’s been challenging for us to find moments to celebrate.  For me personally, I had previously taken a break from school and practicing self care made a huge difference in my life and in my ability to return to school and graduate.  It takes hard work to heal because it’s not always easy to focus on the difficult things in our lives.  However, that’s where having and practicing healthy and safe outlets come in.  Having a support system, different meditation practices, and getting in touch with my creativity are all my personal examples.  I’ve seen so much resilience, perseverence, and commitment from my peers as well, so I’m looking forward to all of us having the opportunity to celebrate our graduation and end this year on a great note.  After we graduate, I hope that everyone continues to find joy, keep working towards their goals, and not be discouraged. – Jacqueline Lopez Rivas

Each Fall 2020 graduate will also be recognized during the college-wide ceremony.  Lurie College graduates, faculty, and staff have been invited to attend the live ceremony on Zoom, and family and friends are invited to watch the live ceremony on the Lurie College YouTube channel.

After the college-wide ceremony, each Lurie College department – Child & Adolescent Development, Communicative Disorders & Sciences, Counselor Education, Special Education, and Teacher Education – is hosting an online reception to include remarks from faculty chairpersons, individualized slideshows, and socializing among graduates, faculty, and staff to close out the semester and calendar year.

Since this semester’s experience is entirely digital, Lurie College has created some other digital items to add to the experience, such as:

San José State University as a whole is honoring and celebrating all Fall 2020 graduates by launching graduate recognition websites, which will go live on Friday, December 18, at 10am.  Learn more on the SJSU Commencement website.

For me, graduating also goes beyond my own personal meaning.  It carries great importance for my family, friends, community, and future generations, especially as someone who is Latinx, a woman, queer, and a first-generation college student entering the education profession.  Sadly, I also have personal contacts and know of SJSU students who will never have the chance to graduate because their lives were cut short, so to me this graduation is in honor of all of them and is an opportunity that I am not taking for granted. – Jacqueline Lopez Rivas

SJSU Lurie College of Education Graduation Celebration Jacqueline Lopez Rivas

Reflections on Conversation on Abolitionist Teaching with Dr. Bettina Love

Shoutout to Department of Special Education faculty Saili Kulkarni for sharing her reflections from our Conversation on Abolitionist Teaching with Dr. Bettina Love in November!

SJSU Lurie College of Education Special Education Department Faculty Saili Kulkarni

Bettina Love began her talk quoting W.E.B. Du Bois and how “we who are dark see America in a way that white people cannot.” Du Bois describes this idea of double consciousness or second sight that People of Color possess. As a scholar who has specifically adopted DuBois’ ideas of double consciousness into my own research with special education teachers of color (SETOCs), I am constantly reflecting on how we can reposition/reframe the knowledge and gifts of teachers of color. Teacher education programs are not framed in ways that see the importance or value the perspectives of “we who are dark.”

Continue Reading…

Lurie College Establishes Racial Justice Commitments

Building upon the strategic plan the SJSU Lurie College of Education established in January 2020, we have identified several racial justice priorities to continue to decolonize our own institution and the systems within which we operate.

Strategic Plan Identity Statement

At the SJSU Lurie College of Education, we prepare transformative educators, counselors, therapists, school and community leaders. We do this through an emancipatory approach across our teaching, scholarship, and service with a focus on the four areas below.

Community-Engaged: We strive to become the hub for community-centered, educational transformation in the region.

Examples of racial justice priorities:

  • Strengthen outreach and recruitment for prospective students with an emphasis on recruiting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) applicants who are committed to racial justice
  • Identify/strengthen collaborations, student teaching, and internship placements/MOUs with local schools and colleges with high enrollment of BIPOC students and that are committed to anti-racist policies and practices
  • Strengthen outreach to BIPOC alumni to provide ongoing professional support and encourage their engagement with current students as mentors, fieldwork supervisors, and advocates
  • Provide open-access extra-curricular seminars, workshops, and colloquia for students and community partners to engage in interdisciplinary conversations to cultivate anti-oppressive, anti-racist policies, practices, and pedagogies within educational institutions
  • Launch of the Institute for Emancipatory Education. The mission of this P20 focused institute is to create more equitable and inclusive educational systems that nurture the creativity and brilliance of all learners so that our diverse, democratic society can truly thrive. The guiding principles of IEE are to center historically marginalized learners and communities, partner with community, and build bridges across institutions from preschool through post-secondary
  • Launch of the Healthy Development Clinic to be located in East Side San Jose to strengthen collaboration and engagement with local communities with an emphasis on equity through wellness for children, youth, and families

Culturally Sustaining: We value and sustain the linguistic and cultural practices of the communities we serve and make that the foundation of our work.

Examples of racial justice priorities:

  • Increase scholarship supports for BIPOC students committed to anti-racist priorities
  • Strengthen inclusion of BIPOC researchers and theorists in course syllabi
  • Recognize, value, and highlight scholarship from our faculty and students that focuses on issues of racial justice, educational equity, and culturally sustaining pedagogy and provide multiple venues to showcase this research for internal and external audiences
  • Implement learning outcomes assessment practices with an equity and culturally-sustaining approach

Holistic: We foster a caring and supportive community of belonging, connectedness, and appreciation.

Examples of racial justice priorities:

  • Cultivate a sense of belonging and connectedness with current students and provide intensive advising across the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development to ensure students, particularly those from BIPOC communities, are valued and included
  • Increase scholarship supports for BIPOC students committed to anti-racist priorities
  • Strengthen efforts to recruit diverse faculty and staff through targeted outreach, DEI training for hiring committees, and critical assessment of application review and interview procedures
  • Grow student representation in department- and college-level committees, including continued presence on the college strategic plan steering committee

Interdisciplinary: We learn together across and beyond the college, transforming schooling and benefitting our communities.

Examples of racial justice priorities:

  • Provide anti-racist, culturally sustaining, and intersectional professional learning workshops to faculty and staff. These may be led by internal faculty experts and/or external consultants
  • Engage faculty and staff in college-wide anti-racist affinity groups for BIPOC faculty and staff and white faculty and staff
  • Develop and launch new courses and programs that directly address issues of race, justice, and intersectionality
  • Critically examine coursework and pedagogical practices to ensure they reflect a lens of racial justice. Update course content, syllabi, and assignments to address systemic racism, racial justice, and intersectionality

Lurie College Faculty Published in ASCD Express

Congrats to Department of Special Education faculty Andy Golloher and Matt Love, whose article “What Special Educators Want Leaders to Know About Remote Education” was recently published in the ASCD Express, which empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.  Read the full article at bit.ly/36TolAe

SJSU Lurie College of Education Special Education Department Faculty Andrea Golloher Matt Love Gif

Watch The Equity-Driven Leadership for Dual Immersion Programs Webinar

As part of the Equity-Driven Leadership for Dual Immersion Programs Fall 2020 webinar series, Bilingüismo y Justicia – the Critical Bilingual Authorization Program at the SJSU Lurie College of Education – and the CSU Fullerton Departments of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership teamed up for to present “Building Partnerships Against the Bilingual Teacher Shortage.”

Join us at the Lurie College Deans’ Forum

SJSU Lurie College of Education Fall 2020 Deans Forum 4

Lurie College students, join Dean Heather Lattimer and Associate Dean Marcos Pizarro for a conversation on Thursday, November 19, from 3-4pm to discuss what’s next in education following the election results!  The Zoom link will be emailed to all Lurie College students’ via a Google calendar invitation.

Watch Our Faculty Research Symposium

Watch the recording of our Lurie College Faculty Symposium from Thursday, November 12:

  • 7:33 – Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education “The California Schools that are Coming: Towards Multilingual K-12 Programs beyond ‘Alignment’”
  • 31:12 – Rebeca Burciaga, PhD – Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Educational Leadership “Testimonio as an Emancipatory Pedagogy”

Watch Our Faculty Research Symposium

Watch the recording of our Lurie College Faculty Symposium from Thursday, October 29:

  • 5:16 – Saili Kulkarni, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Special Education – “DisCrit at the Margins of Teacher Education”
  • 30:04 – Tammie Visintainer, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education – “Empowering Secondary Science Educators as Equity Advocates and Designers of Transformative Justice-Centered Science Learning Environments”
  • 53:12 – Luis Poza, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education – “To Be Seen and Heard: Dignity, Language, and Educational Rights in the United States”

Join us for the next symposium on Thursday, November 12, from 3-4pm, on Zoom

  • Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, PhD – Assistant Professor, Department of Teacher Education “The California Schools that are Coming: Towards Multilingual K-12 Programs beyond ‘Alignment’”
  • Rebeca Burciaga, PhD – Associate Professor and Interim Chair, Department of Educational Leadership “Testimonio as an Emancipatory Pedagogy”