We congratulate the Graduate School of Education Class of 2011, who received their degrees at Fordham's 166th Commencement on Saturday, May 21st. Best of luck to all of our graduates, families and friends, and best wishes for a relaxing and enjoyable Memorial Day and summer!

GSE Honors Catholic School Educators

On May 17th, the 17th Annual Catholic School Executive Leadership Dinner was held at Fordham, organized by the Center for Catholic School Leadership and Faith-Based Education at GSE. Sister Mary Hughes, O.P. (Prioress of the Sisters of St. Dominic in Amityville, NY, and President of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious) was the keynote speaker, and six Catholic school principals were honored for significant contributions in the educational apostolate. At the award ceremony, President Reverend Joseph M. McShane, S.J. praised the work of Catholic educators, and the honor that these men and women of faith do to Fordham by accepting these awards for their service, and by building faith in their schools.

Click here to read the full story in Inside Fordham.

Commencement 2011: GSE Student Profile

As part of Inside Fordham's Special Commencement Edition, graduating students from each of the undergraduate and graduate schools at Fordham are profiled in "Faces in the Class of 2011". This year, the Graduate School of Education chose Sue Gallagher-Ross, who will receive her doctorate in Counseling Psychology at tomorrow's Commencement ceremony, after a leave of absence from her degree when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. She returned in 2008, cancer-free and armed with a resolve to complete her dissertation on “Predictors of Post-Traumatic Growth in Breast Cancer Survivors.”

Click here to read Gallagher-Ross's profile, "Beating Cancer Gives GSE Student New Approach to Life and Work."

GSE in Inside Fordham: 3rd Annual Assessment Conference

Dr. Alan S. Kaufman with Dean James Hennessy, Associate Dean Vincent Alfonso, Rosa A. Hagin Centers Director Dr. Zsuszanna Kiraly, and Dr. Dawn Flanagan (St. Johns University).

On May 13th, Dr. Alan S. Kaufman addressed almost 300 school psychologists and students as keynote speaker at GSE's 3rd Annual Assessment Conference, "The Role of Contemporary Cognitive Assessment in Intervention Planning." Kaufman, a clinical professor of psychology at the Yale Child Study Center at the Yale University School of Medicine, is a legend in the field of intelligence testing. Prior to his lecture, Kaufman was presented with the Excellence in Assessment Award by GSE Associate Dean Vincent C. Alfonso. The award (to be named the Alan S. Kaufman award henceforth) will be presented to the keynote speaker at the Assessment Conference at every future conference.

The conference (organized by the Rosa A. Hagin School Consultation and Early Childhood Centers at GSE) also featured Elaine Fletcher-Janzen and Barbara Wendling as speakers, and was sponsored by major sponsors Pearson and Wiley Publishing, as well as various supporting sponsors.

Click here to read the full story in Inside Fordham.

Click here to read more about the Assessment Conference (the 4th Annual Conference has been scheduled for May 11th, 2012).

Human Resiliency Institute in the News: 9/11 Healing Garden

Human Resiliency Institute Director Tom Murphy, recently published an Op-Ed piece titled, 'Kennifer' Memorial Garden Getting Spruced Up by Noble 'Dirt Therapists' for Star Exponent. In this article, Murphy describes how 300 American Airlines flight attendants helped create a healing garden for two of their colleagues who died on 9/11. He explains how the garden was used as a way not only to commemorate their friends, but to help survivors reclaim their lives and cope with their loss.

Click here to read the full article.

Alumni Notes: GoodTherapy from Sarah Noel

GSE alum, Sarah Noel [FCRH '02 (Psychology), GSE '05 (Mental Health Counseling)] is a licensed Mental Health counselor working with teens and adults, as well as a Person-Centered Topic Expert, publishing monthly online articles for GoodTherapy.org.

In her most recent article, "Parenthood: Acknowledging the Good and the Bad," Noel discusses the transition to parenthood:

"Life is full of transitions. Some are big and some are small, but most involve saying hello to something new and goodbye to something old. There may be no transition for which this is truer than the transition into parenthood...Most parents will tell you that all of these sacrifices are worth it when your child smiles at you, or says mama or dada (and actually means you), or takes those glorious first steps. And while the parents who say this usually do mean it, are they doing themselves a disservice by not also acknowledging what is lost?"

Click here to read more about Sarah (including links to her past articles), and stay tuned for new GoodTherapy article links here!

Faculty Accomplishments: Dr. Marshall George

Dr. Marshall A. George, Ed.D. (Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Curriculum & Teaching) made a presentation entitled "Global Perspectives on English Teacher Education" at the Conference of the International Federation for the Teaching of English , which was held on April 18-21, 2011 in at the University of Aukland in Auckland, New Zealand.

Dr. George serves as the Chair of the Conference on English Education of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and sits on the Executive Committee of NCTE.

REMINDER: 3rd Annual Assessment Conference: The Role of Contemporary Cognition Assessment in Intervention Planning

GSE presents the 3rd Annual Assessment Conference:

"The Role of Contemporary Cognitive Assessment in Intervention Planning"

When: May 13, 2011, 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Where: Graduate School of Education, Lincoln Center (Pope Auditorium) Who: Alan S. Kaufman, Ph.D., Keynote Speaker Elaine Feltcher-Janzen, Ph.D., NCSP Barbara Wendling, M.A.

What: Session titles include, RTI, Revionist History, and the War Against IQ Tests (Kaufman); The Link Between Neuropsychologically-based Cognitive-Assessment and Interventions(Fletcher-Janzen); Linking CHC Abilities to Academic Interventions (Wendling).

Please direct inquiries to Emily Rentz at sceccevents@fordham.edu or 212-636-7761

Presented by the Fordham University Graduate School of Education and Pearson Assessments

Sponsored by: The New York Association of School Psychologists, Wiley Publishers, St. John's University, the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University, Block Institute, KIDS, Inc. and The Gow School

GSE End of Year Party

GSE Students, Faculty and Staff:

Join us for the GSE End of Year Party:
A Day at the Beach
Wednesday, May 11th
5:30 - 9:30 pm
Lincoln Center Campus
Cafeteria Atrium and Outdoor Plaza

GSE Honor Society Induction Ceremony

On Wednesday evening, the GSE Honor Society Induction Ceremony was held in the 12th Floor Lounge of the Lowenstein Building. Almost 80 GSE students were inducted into Phi Delta Kappa International (The Professional Association in Education), Alpha Upsilon Alpha (The Honor Society of the International Reading Association), and Kappa Delta Pi (The International Honor Society in Education).

Congratulations to all inductees!

Faculty Publications: Akane Zusho

Akane Zusho, Ph.D. (associate professor of Educational Psychology at GSE) published an article entitled “Personal and Contextual Determinants of Ethnically Diverse Female High School Students’ Patterns of Academic Help Seeking and Help Avoidance in English and Mathematics” in Contemporary Educational Psychology.
Click here to read the article.

Dr. Bill Baker Honored at MOBiA

On Monday night, Dr. William F. Baker was honored with the Gala Visionary Award at the Museum of Biblical Art (MOBiA), for his long and prestigious career promoting artistic literacy and for his outstanding work as a member of MOBiA's Board of Trustees. Dr. Baker is the President Emeritas of the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, and a seven-time Emmy Award winner; currently he is Journalist-in-Residence at Fordham, and Claudio Aquaviva Chair of Education at the Graduate School of Education.

The award was presented to Dr. Baker by Bill Moyers and Roberta Green Ahmanson (Chairperson, MOBiA Board of Trustees), following a film tribute, silent auction, and dinner.

'Race to Nowhere' Screened at Fordham

Last week, the Graduate School of Education and Student Affiliates in School Psychology (SASP) sponsored a screening at Fordham of the documentary Race to Nowhere: The Dark Side of America's Achievement Culture, which was produced by parent-turned filmmaker Vicki Abeles.

More than 130 local educators, parents, and members of the Fordham community attended the screening of this documentary, which condemns the pressure put on some students by schools and parents.

To read more about the event in Fordham Notes, click here.

GSE Reflections: Jen Misthal

As they prepare to graduate, we asked our GSE Student Ambassadors to reflect on their experiences at Fordham and at the Graduate School of Education. Jen Misthal will receive her M.S.T. in Adolescence English this May.

"I’ve clocked 36 credit hours as a student in Fordham University’s Graduate School of Education. These are 36 hours devoted to keeping students engaged in classroom activities and helping them achieve academic goals. These are 36 hours I will revisit throughout my career as an English Language Arts teacher for grades 7 through 12. There are 36 hours that don’t include the hours devoted to developing lesson plans, reading contemporary adolescent literature and learning how to use a SMART Board.

The Graduate School of Education’s Curriculum and Teaching program is cognizant of what really goes on in New York City’s public schools. Every assignment and every reading contains an element of practicality and applicability. This produces a unique synergy that allows me to apply what I’ve read while substantively reflecting on my extensive fieldwork as a student teacher. Thanks to Fordham, reflection is an integral part my work as an educator. I am constantly asking myself what worked and what didn’t; how can I keep students engaged; what I can do differently the next time? Not only does this on-going reflection help me improve as an educator, but also it gives me the opportunity to consider a situation from a different perspective. I am never without my notebook to record these reflections. Stepping back to assess myself as an educator was a requirement for several of my Fordham assignments. The faculty understands teachers need to be thinking about their students and how to reach them effectively. They do are doing it too.

The Curriculum and Teaching program is built around a rigorous fieldwork component that distinguishes Fordham from other programs. For 14 weeks in the fall, I observed a seventh grade class. When I arrived, I simply sat in the back of the room and tried not to get in anyone’s way. When I left, I was part of the class and heartbroken that I wouldn’t be spending the rest of the year there. But in January, I arrived at a high school, where I would complete another, more intense 14-week observation. I became a part of both schools’ communities, and at every step, I had support to guide and challenge me. My Fordham classes gave me a place to reflect and develop my educational philosophy. My professors and fellow students were mentors. And the schools provided me with a place to put my ideas into action. Looking back, student teaching was exhausting and challenging, but it was illuminating and rewarding in ways I can’t even begin to describe.

As a student teacher, I came to see that no two students are alike: each one has diverse needs that must be addressed in order for the student to succeed. This notion of diversity is at the heart of the Graduate School of Education; Fordham understands students come in different shapes and sizes. Some work well with partners; others need to use their hands to really understand a concept. Successful teachers can address these different modes of learning in their classrooms; my field experience and courses gave me exposure to techniques I can implement to help my students. As I embark on my post-graduate job hunt, I am surprised when principals and educators use the terms I learned as a student teacher at Fordham. But then, Fordham has its finger on the pulse of adolescent education in New York City. And that means I’m prepared to begin my teaching career. My teacher training has been extensive and practical. For that, I am grateful — thank you Fordham!"