Dear colleagues,

I want to take a moment to recognize and celebrate the remarkable work happening across the College of Education. Our faculty continue to demonstrate excellence through impactful research, innovative teaching, and meaningful community partnerships that elevate the field of education and transform lives. Our dedicated staff are the backbone of our college, playing a vital role in ensuring our operations run smoothly and that our students and faculty are supported every step of the way. From groundbreaking research to our community-engaged initiatives, there is incredible momentum throughout the college.

I am deeply grateful for each of you and your unwavering commitment to advancing our mission.  Read on for news, recent happenings, and upcoming events at the CoEdu. 

Warm regards, 

Frankie Santos Laanan
Dean

David Stroupe, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology, has been selected as an incoming Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his “distinguished contributions to the fields of science education and teacher education, particularly for scholarship on innovative, equitable and responsible teaching practices in diverse classrooms.”

AAAS has been recognizing distinguished members as AAAS Honorary Fellows since 1874. Selection is a lifetime honor. Past Fellows include inventor Thomas Edison, civil rights activist W.E.B. DuBois, astronomer Maria Mitchell, astronaut Ellen Ochoa and physicist Steven Chu. 

Congrats to Professor Stroupe for receiving this remarkable national recognition!  Read more. 

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) has announced the selection of 29 exemplary scholars as 2025 AERA Fellows, Distinguished Professor of Education, Culture, & Society William A. Smith among them. Nominated by Professor Larry Parker, a 2021 AERA Fellow, this honor celebrates Smith's outstanding work.

The AERA Fellows Program honors scholars whose research and leadership have shaped the direction of education research and policy. It has celebrated over 300 distinguished individuals whose work has helped to shape education research and policy. Being named an AERA Fellow is a high honor.

Congrats to Professor Smith for receiving this prestigious honor!

Professor Larry Parker has been selected as a recipient of the prestigious Division G Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Educational Research Association (AERA). This award recognizes his outstanding contributions to the study of social contexts in education and his commitment to advancing impactful research in the field.

Parker will be formally recognized at the Division G Business Meeting on April 25, 2025, at the Colorado Convention Center. His work continues to inspire and contribute to the advancement of educational research.

Congratulations to Professor Parker for this well-earned recognition!

Associate Professor Breda O'Keeffe has been re-elected as the Treasurer for the Division for Learning Disabilities, a special interest group of the national Council for Exceptional Children. After successfully serving one term, she will continue in this vital role until December 2028!

In addition to her leadership role, Professor O'Keeffe recently presented at the 37th National Virtual Conference of the National Resource Center for Paraeducators, Related Service Providers, & Interveners. Her presentation was titled "Navigating Social Media and Artificial Intelligence: Risks, Benefits, and Tools in Education."

Congratulations to Professor O'Keeffe on being re-elected. Your leadership continues to make a difference!

Chenglu Li, Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology, is exploring how artificial intelligence can help children learn math by having them teach it. As Li explains,

“The models are not weak in performance, but designed to foster learning by prompting students to think critically. The punchline here is: While AI has yet to become a reliable teacher, it is already an excellent student.”

Congratulations to Professor Li for his feature in @theU:  AI paves the way for kids to learn math by teaching it.

The CoEdu and Swoop welcomed Jordan High School students to the SAEC on February 18.

Students heard from Dean Laanan, representatives from the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Teach for Utah team, and current CoEdu students as they learned more about pursuing careers in education!

CoEdu leadership attended a U of U alumni event in Scottsdale, Arizona alongside spring baseball training. Attendees included Alex Hardman, the grandson of Michael Hardman, former dean of the CoEdu.

The U of U alumni community hosted a distinguished Dean’s Panel in Portland featuring our own Dean Laanan, Arnab Chakraborty, Dean of the College of Architecture + Planning, and Marla De Jong, Dean of the College of Nursing. The event provided an opportunity to connect with U alumni making a meaningful impact in their fields and communities.

On March 3rd, the CoEdu hosted H. Chad Lane as part of the Dean's Distinguished Speaker Series. His talk was titled "Navigating the Rapidly Evolving Landscape of AI in Education." Lane discussed the importance of grounding AI systems in established pedagogical principles, fostering meaningful human-centered interactions, and actively engaging with emerging technologies to better understand their capabilities and limitations.

Lane is a Professor of Educational Psychology and Computer Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and serves as the PI and Director of the NSF-IES INVITE AI Institute. His research focuses on the design, use, and impacts of intelligent technologies for engagement, interest development, and learning.

On Wednesday, March 19, the College of Education hosted Kamehameha Schools and Mana Academy students at the U. We greeted 25 Kamehameha middle school students and 20 Mana Academy students, as well as 8 faculty and administrators from Kamehameha and 4 faculty and administrators from Mana.

Jane Stringham joined the College of Education staff in August 2023, after five years as a full-time copywriter and adjunct writing instructor at Salt Lake Community College. Jane currently manages all communications for the CoEdu.

Jane is a Salt Lake native and U alum. She attended graduate school in Arizona, Spain (where she also taught high school English), and Vermont before returning to Salt Lake City. In her free time, she enjoys literary translation, skiing, trying new vegan recipes, and hunting for the best vintage clothing!

Join us on April 7 for the 2025 Jones Endowed Lecture, featuring Professor Endia J. Lindo, a leading scholar in special education. Endio's talk is titled: “Identifying and Bridging the Gap: Advancing the Science of Reading for Culturally, Linguistically, and Neuro-Diverse Learners."

This presentation serves to identify and interrogate the gaps in research and practice at the intersection of race, disability, and culture in reading intervention outcomes with the goal of advancing the science of teaching reading for all learners.       
          

Lecture: 3–4:30 p.m. | Art Works for Kids Auditorium

Reception: 4:30–5 p.m. | SAEC HUB

Join the University of Utah Staff Council Blood Drive!

Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: Saltair Conference Room 201, 200 S. Central Campus Drive

Date: Thursday, May 1 
Time: 6 p.m.
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center

More details. 

Date: Friday, May 2
Time:  12 - 2 p.m. 
Location: Kingsbury Hall 

More details. 

From the desk of Jim Logue: 

Digital Learning Technology, part of University Information Services, has upgraded the AV system in SAEC 1145 (the Model Classroom) to create a "Zoom room." This room now has front and rear cameras, allowing full participation in Zoom meetings. A large touch panel has been added for interactive whiteboarding with meeting participants.

The Zoom setup also lets you present material wirelessly, whether you're in a Zoom meeting or not. To help with audio for remote Zoom sites, the room uses Catchbox wireless microphones. These microphones are inside a soft cube that can be tossed around the room, making it easy for students to join discussions and be heard clearly at remote locations. 

Overall, these improvements support a more engaging, flexible, and effective learning environment for both in-person and remote participants. 

This project was funded by the Learning Spaces project, which uses student computing fees to support learning technology across campus.

Do you need to make a web update request? 

Please email: coedu-websupport@utah.edu. 

Are you a faculty or staff member with questions about HR, finance, or administration? 

Please email:  CoEdu.Support@utah.edu. 

By newly centralizing these services, the dean's office aims to ensure that faculty and staff won’t have to navigate institutional systems on their own when in need of assistance.

We are collecting feedback on our social media channels from CoEdu students.

Please consider sharing this survey with your undergraduate and graduate spring classes: 

CoEdu Student Social Media Survey.

The College of Education values open communication with you. We invite you to take advantage of this simple and anonymous way to share success stories, suggestions, and informal feedback that do not require a direct or immediate response.

All entries will be routed to the email address coe-feedback@utah.edu.

1721 CAMPUS CENTER DRIVE, SAEC 3202
SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84112
801-581-8221