Faculty Highlights
Professor visits China to share about preschool special education
One faculty member in the College of Education began this semester with a trip to Zhengzhou, China for the International Seminar on Preschool Inclusion. Kymberly Harris, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Elementary and Special Education, was an honored keynote speaker at the 4-day event. Roughly 2,500 administrators, instructors and professors from the area attended to learn about serving children with disabilities in the preschools of Henan Province. Harris’ presentation covered evaluation practices.
While in Henan, Harris visited some conference attendees’ preschool locations, strengthening relationships with administrators and teachers. She also visited Henan University of Foreign Exchange in Kaifeng where she participated in a workshop for roughly 30 faculty, sharing a presentation about preschool (birth to five) special education in the United States.
Harris has been involved with special education teacher preparation in China since 2006 when she published an article with Meng Deng, Ph.D., comparing special education practices in the United States with those in China. Denong later established China’s Institute of Inclusive Education, and Harris serves on the organization’s administrative board.
Harris credits Deng for initiating her engagements in Henan. Their collaboration has kept her involved in China, and his connections have allowed her hands-on access to the work there. During the trip, Harris spent time with Deng in person for the first time since before the COVID pandemic. She says, “This has been a long and productive relationship. He has an international vision, and he is the smartest person I know. I have learned so much from being around him.”
Professor selected to study African Diaspora in Barbados
Georgia Southern University assistant professor of elementary education and culturally responsive pedagogy Jarvais Jackson, Ph.D., spent four weeks this summer traveling throughout the Caribbean nation of Barbados. He attended lectures at a host institution, the University of West Indies, to become familiar with the country’s history, politics and culture. The trip included tours of historic sites like the Newton Slave Burial Ground and the St. Nicholas Abbey as well as visits to schools throughout Barbados to engage with teachers and students.
The trip was a Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program grant recipient, and Jackson was part of a 14-member Curriculum Development team composed of educators from University of South Carolina, Voorhees University, South Carolina State University, Claflin University, and Georgia Southern University. The team was made up of K-12 educators, preservice teachers, and higher education faculty that all had a background in African Diaspora Literacy.
As a scholar of African Diaspora Literacy who has spent time in Ghana, Nigeria and South Carolina, Jackson was most interested in exploring the connections between Barbados, Africa and the United States. He says, “It was eye-opening to see the similarities in the African diaspora there and other places I have visited.” For example, one tour guide told the story of an enslaved person in Barbados who planned a revolt, and Jackson could make connections between that story and expressions of resistance in different African cultures.
After returning July 17, Jackson began work to apply his findings not only through academic literature but also in a non-academic video series that can be used in classrooms and communities. He says, “It is Sankofa–learning from the past to move forward. My task is to make sure black histories aren’t lost or mistold.”
COE faculty and staff are part of the research team for National Science Foundation Lifelong Learning Grant to address workforce needs
Elise Cain, Ph.D., and Kania Greer, Ed.D., are part of a research team participating in the recently awarded National Science Foundation Lifelong Learning Grant. Read the full story here.
Georgia Southern education professors awarded nearly $400K from National Science Foundation, part of collaborative $3M initiative to improve math problem solving through innovation
Almost 30% of adults in the U.S. lack basic numeracy skills, meaning they don’t understand simple processes like counting, arithmetic and calculating percentages.
Two professors from Georgia Southern University’s College of Education (COE) are part of a collaborative effort, funded by a $3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) grant, aimed at improving that number for upcoming generations.
Sam Rhodes, Ph.D., assistant professor of elementary mathematics education, and Antonio Gutierrez de Blume, Ph.D., professor in curriculum, foundations and reading, were awarded almost $400,000 of the overall sum…….Read the full article.
Doctoral students awarded memorial scholarship
Georgia Southern University’s Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Sequaya Chapman and Marshall Parrent during the Curriculum Studies Doctoral Program Orientation on April 22. Each student was awarded $880 toward tuition for their Ed.D. in Curriculum Studies.
Grateful for the scholarship, Chapman says, “This award means that I don’t have to worry about paying my full tuition for this upcoming fall semester and can focus on writing my dissertation.”
For two decades, the Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship has honored the legacy of Bryan Deever, Ph.D., a faculty member in the Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Research from 1989 until his tragic death in 2000. Deever’s contributions included the creation of the Doctoral program in Curriculum Studies.
Honored by the recognition, Parrent says, “Dr. Deever’s work taught me that altering education for the better will indeed be a Herculean task, but a goal we must strive for regardless of the challenges ahead, and with courage and conviction.”
If you would like to contribute to the Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship fund, please make your check payable to Georgia Southern University Foundation (for the Bryan Deever Memorial Scholarship) and send to the Foundation Office at Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8053, Statesboro, GA 30460-8053.
