College of Education Announcements

Nuñez Earns AERA BER SIG Early Career Award

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:00:00 CST

Idalia Nuñez, associate professor Curriculum & Instruction, has received the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Bilingual Education Research SIG.

This award recognizes an individual in the early stages of their career—within 10 years of receiving the doctoral degree—whose research focuses on the role of bilingualism in education, including bilingual education policy, research, and practice. The Early Career Award Committee and the BER SIG Executive Committee commended the exceptional caliber and impact of Nuñez’s scholarship.

Her research is situated at the intersection of race, bi/multilingualism and bi/literacies, border crossing, education, and social justice. She examines the school experiences of bi/multilingual students from diverse backgrounds, exploring the everyday cultural and linguistic resources they bring into K–5 biliteracy classrooms.

She will receive her award at the 2026 AERA Annual Meeting, April 8-12 in Los Angeles, CA.

Two from EPOL Published in Language Teaching Research Journal

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 22:00:00 CST

Hyun-Sook Kang, associate professor, and Allison Hinds, an Ed.D. student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, have published a new paper, "Joint-Degree Language Programs for Future Business and Health Professionals: Student Perspective," in the journal Language Teaching Research.

Language programs face significant challenges in the U.S. and globally. Despite the growing demand for multilingual skills in today’s workplaces, language programs face declining student enrollment, a shortage of qualified teachers, and ongoing budget cuts.

To help address this crisis, Kang and Hinds examined the motivations and experiences of undergraduate students enrolled in joint-degree language programs, such as Language + International Relations and Language + Health Sciences at a U.S. university. The findings highlight the potential of joint-degree language programs as a viable strategy for mitigating the plight affecting language programs in higher education and beyond.

EPSY Alum Recognized with AERA Outstanding Dissertation Award

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:30:00 CST

Taiylor Rayford, Ph.D. '25 EPSY, was named the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Division E Outstanding Dissertation Awardee in Human Development.

The reviewers for the award nomination noted that they found her work “to be of critical importance to the field, and of great importance to our division.”

Her dissertation was titled Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst: A Framework for Understanding Belonging Fulfillment Among Black Graduate Students. She examined factors surrounding the attrition of Black graduate students and how a lack of a sense of belonging can explain it.

Rayford will be honored at the AERA Annual Meeting, April 8-12, in Los Angeles, CA.

Wilson Receives Two Grants from the State of Illinois

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:45:00 CST

Asif Wilson, assistant professor Curriculum & Instruction, has been awarded two grants from the State of Illinois

Wilson, along with Education faculty Theopolies Moton III, Tamara Bertrand-Jones, and Jon Hale, has received a $2 million grant from the Illinois State Board of Education. The grant will facilitate the implementation of resources for inclusive social studies and the engagement of teachers across Illinois in professional learning opportunities.

The second grant, from the Illinois Department of Human Services, is for Transforming sites of Black healing in Illinois into K-12 curriculum. The grant will allow Illinois Social Studies teachers to visit three sites of Black freedom and resistance in Illinois. This includes a stop in Champaign, at sites of the 1990’s school desegregation social movement led by Black parents.

Alumna Named Special Education Teacher of the Year by ISBE

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 10:00:00 CST

Dr. Lisa Jackson, LAS ’95, ENG, Elementary Education, was honored by the Illinois State Board of Education as the Special Education Teacher of the Year as part of the Teacher of the Year Cohort.

Jackson works for Woodland High School in Streator, Illinois, where she teaches high school and special education classes. She is one of just 12 teachers statewide to be selected for the cohort.

Teachers named to the Teacher of the Year Cohort must have demonstrated a commitment to equity and the success of all students. They regularly collaborate with colleagues, students, and families to create positive school cultures. They are lifelong learners who connect their schools to the community at large and who inspire other education professionals within and beyond their schools.

Many of Jackson's students highlighted her commitment to helping students in interviews with WEEK-TV news:

Senior Layna Wilcoxen said Jackson helped her feel like a leader through the freedom and independence she’s been given through having her as a leader in the school’s Key Club.

“She honestly has been such a figure in my life. She’s changed my life so much, I can’t even express it in words. She’s just always there and she helps us create like this sense of independence,” said Wilcoxen.

“She lets us create all our own ideas, and she helps us shape them into the best versions they can be, so when we carry them out for service projects, they’re always successful because we have her as our backbone and our support,” Wilcoxen said.

The Illinois State Board of Education will announce the 2026 Illinois Teacher of the Year later this spring. All honorees will be recognized at the annual Those Who Excel and Teacher of the Year awards banquet on April 18.

Hedrick-Shaw Earns Dissertation Award

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 18 Feb 2026 09:30:00 CST

Devon Hedrick Shaw, assistant professor Curriculum & Instruction, was honored by the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) with a dissertation award.

Hedrick-Shaw earned honorable mention for his dissertation, Learning to Become Language Policy Actors: A Qualitative Longitudinal Study of Bilingual Special Educators in Synchronous-Service Teacher Preparation.

The paper was judged on its research, the scholarly quality of the dissertation, and the significance of its contribution to knowledge in the field of bilingual education.

Hedrick-Shaw was recognized at the NABE conference in Chicago, February 9-13.

EPOL Ed.D. Alum Receives Award from GlobalEd

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 10:30:00 CST

Erin Gahimer, Ed.D '24 EPOL, has been named to the 2026 Cohort of the Early Career Research Fellows Program from GlobalEd.

Now in her 10th year in International Education, Erin spent 8 years working in Education Abroad, specifically developing and coordinating faculty-led programs. Since August 2024, Erin has worked in International Admissions at Indiana University Bloomington, recruiting international students from across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

The ECRF program provides mentorship and guidance to promising researchers and scholar-practitioners in international education, along with a stipend. Fellows work on projects related to their research areas under the guidance of GlobalEd faculty.

Education Grad to Represent U. of I. for BTAA Data Visualization Championship

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:30:00 CST

Cameron Schwing, Ed.M. '20 C&I, will represent the University of Illinois in the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Data Visualization Championship as part of their Love Data Week.

Schwing’s data dashboard summarizes who uses the Illinois app, how they engage with its features, and how they navigate between core services. It was selected as the winning entry for the University of Illinois and will compete against submissions from other Big Ten universities. Schwing is a Data Analyst for the University of Illinois Office of the Chief Information Officer.

The BTAA showcase is publicly accessible and open to the broader academic community. Voting for the Faculty/Staff submissions closes at noon on February 13 and can be found here.

Generative AI Pilot Program Available to College of Education Faculty & Staff

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 14:15:00 CST

The College of Education is leading the campus in expanding access to generative AI by launching a centrally funded AI licensing pilot in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Information Officer, which will run from February 2026 through February 2027.

This pilot provides eligible faculty and staff with access to ChatGPT for Education while intentionally building skills for the responsible, effective use of ChatGPT in teaching, research, and administrative work. Eligibility is based on appointment type and percentage, job-function alignment, and completion of a required Canvas ChatGPT training course.

Eligible employees received an invitation via their university email and/or Canvas notifications. This initiative positions Education at the forefront of thoughtfully integrating generative AI into daily academic and professional practice.

The program guidelines are in the Inside Education Teams Channel in the Shared files section of the Generative AI Ideas and Resources channel for more info.

Climate Change Education: A Practical Workshop for K–12 Educators

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 17:45:00 CST

The Forum on the Future of Public Education is hosting an interactive morning workshop for K–12 teachers navigating Illinois’s new climate change education mandate on Saturday, March 7, from 8:30 a.m. - noon in the Campus Instructional Facility.

Join Education faculty Sam Lindgren, Jon Hale, Stephanie Toliver, Oliver Tapaha, post-doctoral researcher Carine Verschueren, and Leon Liebenberg of the Grainger College of Engineering for a morning of facilitated activities and panel conversations.

Participating teachers will examine what climate change education can look like in practice and the questions it raises for teaching and learning. The session will also offer an early introduction to new climate change and sustainability education professional learning opportunities at the University of Illinois.

The workshop is open to Illinois teachers in all K-12 subject areas. The workshop is free, but space is limited, and advance registration by February 26, 2026, is required. Participating teachers will receive professional development hours.More information

New Marketing & Communications Resources

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 10:15:00 CST

The Marketing and Communications team is proud to announce new templates and tools that provide self-service options for your promotional needs.

You have access to professionally designed, branded templates and downloads for easy-to-create fliers, presentations, and more through Adobe Express. This drag-and-drop design program is available to all University of Illinois employees. Just sign in with your university NetID and password. Please email the Communications Inbox to request access to our templates.

We have also created a Project Request form to help streamline our collaboration process. Submit a project request as soon as you know MarCom support is needed; it gets your work in the queue and on our schedule. The link to the request form is at the top of the Weekly College Announcements.

Our Internal MarCom Website has also been updated with detailed information on the services we offer and ways we can help publicise your work. We’d like you to think of us as your in-house public relations and marketing agency. You don’t have to know everything about marketing to utilize our services. Just bring us your ideas, and we’ll help you shape them into an ideal campaign. We're here to help!

Wilson to Host Screening of New Documentary

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:15:00 CST

Asif Wilson, assistant professor Curriculum & Instruction, will host a screening of his new documentary, Against the Current.

The screening will take place on February 11 from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at the Spurlock Museum Auditorium.

The film follows Kyla, a high school senior and community organizer, who journeys across Illinois in search of ways Black people have resisted oppression throughout history. Drawing on interviews and archival research, the film illuminates Black resistance in Illinois and around the world, with the hope of inspiring others to remember the past and reimagine their role(s) in shaping the future.

The screening is free to attend. Please register to attend.

Lecture Feb. 19 on Paulo Freire's 'Pedagogy of the Oppressed' by Carlos A Torres

lherrera@illinois.edu (Linda Herrera) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 12:45:00 CST

On February 19, Carlos Alberto Torres, Distinguished Professor at UCLA and former director of UCLA's Latin American Center, will give a lecture celebrating the extraordinary humanitarian career of Paulo Freire, author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in which he compared the relationship of colonizer and colonized to that of teacher and student, asking about the political distribution of power. The lecture will take place at 5:15 PM at the Plym Auditorium in Temple Buell Hall. A reception will follow the lecture.https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/7041?eventId=33535111

Kalantzis to Receive Funding From Spencer Foundation

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:30:00 CST

Mary Kalantzis, professor Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, is part of a group that was recently awarded funding from the Spencer Foundation.

The group was awarded $498,533 in funding for their research project, Fostering Translingual, Disciplinary Literacy Development Through Generative AI in U.S. Middle and High Schools. The project will run through March of 2029.

The initiative explores the empowering and transformative potential of Generative AI to support translingual, Latinx students’ disciplinary literacy in U.S. middle and high schools, grounded in the “lived civics” framework.

Kalantzis is collaborating with Kris D. Gutiérrez, a professor, and Gabriella C. Zapata, an associate professor, both of the University of Nottingham, and with John W. Jones, an assistant professor at the State University of New York-Cortland.

Ph.D. Student Publishes Article in the Journal of Education

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 21:45:00 CST

Israt Z. Nipa, a Ph.D. student in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, recently published an article in the Journal of Education. The

Nipa examines the lived academic experiences of South Asian Bangladeshi and Indian international doctoral students at a U.S. midwestern university. The research underscored the institutional commitment to integrating the experiences of these marginalized student subgroups, developing relevant measures that address their specific needs, and fostering an inclusive campus climate.

Read the article here.

Tapaha, Tanner, Publish Article in AERA Educational Researcher

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 09:30:00 CST

Oliver Tapaha, assistant professor Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, and Nathan Tanner, Ph.D. '25 EPOL, have a new paper that was published in the American Educational Research Association’s Educational Researcher journal.

Their article, "A Different Brown Story: Black Teacher Recruitment to Navajo Reservation BIA Schools During the Desegregation Era," tells the story of the black educators recruited to Navajo Nation schools in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education decision.

Tapaha and Tanner share one former student’s story and contextualize it along with the broader history of Brown.

Read their full paper here.

EPOL Team Publishes Research as Part of Public Engagement Fellowship Program

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:45:00 CST

Paul Bruno, assistant professor, and Haeryun Kim, Ph.D. student, Education Policy, Organization & Leadership have published a new paper on teacher hiring in the journal Leadership and Policy in Schools.

The research uses unique data from an unidentified school district in Central Illinois to study how teacher hiring committees work: how much they agree, what characteristics they look for in applicants, and how successful they are at hiring their preferred candidates. They also provided summary memos and results to our partner district to support their internal improvement efforts.

This research was conducted as part of the College of Education’s Public Engagement Faculty Fellows program.

Read their paper here.

Martinez Negrette Earns Early Career Reviewer Award

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 10:15:00 CST

Giselle Martinez Negrette, assistant professor Curriculum & Instruction, has been selected to receive the Early Career Reviewer award from the Bilingual Research Journal.

Martinez Negrette’s research interests center on bilingual/multilingual education, English as a Second Language (ESL), sociolinguistics, and International Comparative Education.

The award ceremony will take place during the Bilingual Research Journal Editorial Board Meeting at the National Association for Bilingual Education Annual International Conference in Chicago, on February 12.

Education Launches Two New Microcredentials on Culturally Responsive Teaching

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:15:00 CST

The College of Education is proud to offer two new online microcredentials on culturally responsive teaching.

Marlee Bunch, Ed.D.’ 23 EPOL, created the two microcredentials in partnership with the Illinois State Board of Education to support educators’ culturally responsive practice through sustained, reflective learning.

The two microcredentials offered this spring are The Magnitude of Us Learning Series (101) and Unlearning the Hush (102). Both are offered as four required asynchronous modules with an optional fifth module.

Illinois teachers who complete modules one through four will earn 42 professional development hours. Those who complete all five modules (one through five) will earn 50 professional development hours and become eligible for an Illinois State Board of Education microcredential.

Microcredentials provide Illinois educators with a way to demonstrate specialized competencies. Upon completing this series, Illinois educators with a professional education license will be eligible for a permanent notation on their license, indicating to current and future employers that they have completed advanced and focused training in culturally responsive teaching.

Learn more about these two microcredentials here.

Moton Named 2026 MLK Champion

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:45:00 CST

Theopolies Moton III, teaching assistant professor Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, has been named a 2026 MLK Champion by the University of Illinois MLK Commemorative Planning Committee.

The MLK Champions recognize those who have exemplified Dr. King’s quest for social justice. The life of Dr. King illuminated many pillars for social change. Through his direct engagement with communities and his prolific writings and speeches, Dr. King’s legacy has shaped our consciousness and touched our humanity.

Moton will be recognized at the 2026 MLK Champions Recognition Program on Thursday, January 22.

Nelson Published in Social Science Research Journal

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 15:30:00 CST

Jennifer Nelson, assistant professor Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, was recently published in Social Science Research.

The article is titled Is My Manager Feeling Threatened by Me? Racial Differences in Content and Activation of Threat Metastereotypes"

Her study examines an individual’s or group’s projection of how members of outgroups think about that individual or group, and the role of that projection in workplace interactions in the context of diversity and inclusion.

The original vignette experiment explores how White and Black teachers interpret a potentially racially biased action by a school principal, and how the workplace racial composition and principal’s race moderate teachers’ perceptions of the scenario.

Read the full article here.

Cope, Kalantzis Publish Book on Literacy and AI

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 11:30:00 CST

Education Policy, Organization & Leadership Professors Bill Cope and Mary Kalantzis are co-authors on a new book on literacy and modern technology.

Literacies in the Age of AI: Teaching and Learning in the Digital Era will be published by Wiley on February 17.

From the publisher: "Literacies: Learning and Teaching in the Age of Digital Media and Artificial Intelligence" responds to a critical need in contemporary education by redefining literacy in light of digital transformation and the rise of generative AI. Moving beyond traditional definitions of reading and writing, this innovative volume situates literacy as a complex, multimodal practice involving text, image, sound, space, and gesture. Through a compelling historical and theoretical account of literacy's evolution―spanning from oral traditions and early writing systems to today’s AI-integrated learning environments―the text equips readers to navigate a shifting communicative landscape shaped by emerging technologies."

The book is co-authored with Gabriela C. Zapata, associate professor of Education at the University of Nottingham.

University Primary School Application Period Begins

cwyant@illinois.edu (Christine Wyant) — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 12:15:00 CST

University Primary School, the Reggio Emilia inspired Preschool-5^th Grade lab school here on campus for 50+ years, is accepting applications for the 2026-2027 school year January 10- March 1. Uni Primary’s families hail from campus and the greater community. Schedule a tour on our admissions page and experience Uni Primary, where “Learning is Serious Delight!”

Professor Emeritus Tom Schwandt Passes Away

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:45:00 CST

The College of Education is saddened to announce the death of Educational Psychology Professor Emeritus Thomas Schwandt.

Tom was a national and international leader in evaluation, helping establish the profession’s value in democratic societies. He focused on qualitative inquiry across disciplines and how moral and ethical values shape our understanding of these practices.

During his tenure at Illinois, he served as Chair of the Department of Educational Psychology. He was recognized for his teaching at both the university and college levels, earning the University Distinguished Teacher-Scholar in 2003, the campus award for Excellence in Graduate and Professional Teaching in 2006, and receiving the Distinguished Teaching Career Award from the College of Education in 2012.

Tom was named an American Education Research Association (AERA) Fellow in 2010. He also received the American Evaluation Association’s Paul F. Lazarsfeld Award for his contributions to evaluation theory. He is a past editor of the American Journal of Evaluation.

A celebration honoring Tom’s life and legacy will be held on Saturday, January 24, at 1:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 6th and Lincoln St., in Bloomington, Indiana. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall, where everyone is invited to join the family in celebrating Tom’s life and honoring Tom’s love for food and conversation.

CASE Award Named for Education Alumna

communications@education.illinois.edu (Communications Office) — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 13:45:00 CST

The Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) has announced the naming of its prestigious research award in honor of Mary Lynn Boscardin, Ph.D. ’84 EPOL. The award will now be known as the Dr. Mary Lynn Boscardin Excellence in Special Education Research Award.

For more than 40 years, Boscardin has shaped the field of Special Education Administration and Leadership at the University of Massachusetts Amherst through her work as a professor. Her guidance has prepared leaders nationwide to meet the profession’s legal, instructional, and equity-focused demands. She has also directed multiple U.S. Department of Education (OSEP) initiatives supporting the development of highly qualified special education administrators.

Boscardin’s service to CASE has been exceptional, including her presidency from 2014–2016 and more than 25 years as Editor of the Journal of Special Education Leadership. She also served as President of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) in 2018–2019 and is a member of the prestigious Elizabeth Farrell Society Honor Roll.