Publications, News, and Recognition for Secondary Education Faculty
Dr. George Sirrakos: Spring 2022 Commencement Faculty Speaker
Dr. George Sirrakos was invited to serve as the faculty speaker for the Spring 2022 commencement ceremony for the undergraduate students in the Colleges of Education and Liberal Arts and Sciences.
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Dr. Amber Pabon: Kutztown University Frederick Douglass Institute Director
Dr. Amber Pabon was named director of KU's Frederick Douglass Institute beginning in Fall of 2022. The director collaborates with other offices and all university divisions, encourages equity, diversity and inclusion among faculty, staff and students through activities including facilitation of scholarship opportunities, research activities, topical forums and exhibits, conferences and visiting scholars.
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2nd Annual Kutztown University-District Partnership Joint Conference on English Learner Education
The second convening of the English Language Learner conference was held on May 2, 2022 at KU. This year's conference theme was In their Shoes: Honoring the Lived Experiences of English Language Learners. Dr. Brenda Muzeta co-organized the conference with Dr. Carissa Pokorny-Golden. View the conference program here.
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EEC Does NYC
As program director of Emerging Educators of Color, Dr. Amber Pabon led students on a trip to New York City in April 2022 for a social and historical field trip to examine inaccuracies, distortions and omissions of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) cultures in exhibited art and artifacts. The group visited the African Burial Ground National Monument, the National Museum of the American Indian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. EEC completed their trip with a community walk in Brooklyn, investigating intersections of local infrastructure, demographics and cultural norms relative to urban public schools in diverse, multicultural neighborhoods. The group was joined by Dr. Haroon Kharem of Brooklyn College, CUNY.
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National Science Foundation Noyce Scholarship
The Mentoring Urban STEM Teachers for Equity and Innovation program was awarded a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program's goal is to recruit STEM professionals from a wide range of diverse demographic, disciplinary, and professional experience for careers in secondary STEM teaching in under-resourced urban communities. The scholarship program will provide stipends of $27,900 for five STEM teacher candidates per year in the M.Ed. Secondary Education Initial Certification program from 2022-2027. KU professors involved in the grant include Dr. Mark Wolfmeyer (PI), Dr. Yun Lu (Co-PI), Dr. Ju Zhou (Co-PI), Dr. Amber Pabon (Co-PI) and Dr. Richard Heinemann (Co-PI). Learn more about the program here.
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1st Annual Virtual Kutztown University-District Partnership Joint Conference on English Learner Education
Dr. Brenda Muzeta co-organized the first convening of the English Language Learner conference at KU with Dr. Carissa Pokorny-Golden on May 29, 2021. See the conference program here.
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"Sistering, Daughtering, and Mothering: How a Black Woman's Virtual Literature Circle Helps Me Survive a Global Pandemic"
Dr. Amber Pabon presented "Sistering, Daughtering, and Mothering: How a Black Woman's Virtual Literature Circle Helps Me Survive a Global Pandemic" as part of Kutztown University's Frederick Douglass Discussion Series on March 30, 2021.
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"From the Soil to the Sun to the Schoolhouse: A Black Woman Educator’s Process of Learning Her Life History through Critical Ethnoquilting"
Dr. Amber Pabon was invited to speak on behalf of Alvernia University's SEARCH - For Social Justice Everywhere speaker series. Dr. Pabon presented, "From the Soil to the Sun to the Schoolhouse: A Black Woman Educator’s Process of Learning Her Life History through Critical Ethnoquilting" on October 22, 2020.
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"Experiences Teaching During Covid: A Q&A Session with In-Service Teachers"
Secondary Education Mathematics students of The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) affiliate of KU hosted "Experiences Teaching During Covid: A Q&A Session with In-Service Teachers" on October 26, 2020. This live Zoom session featured teachers from Central Columbia High School, Kutztown Area Middle School, and Oley Valley Elementary school.
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2019 Chambliss Faculty Research Award & Presentation
Dr. Mark Wolfmeyer received the 2019 Chambliss Faculty Research Award as recognition for exceptional work. Dr. Wolfmeyer presented his lecture, "The Politics of Mathematics Education," on Wednesday, Oct. 7,2020 to Kutztown University and the public. Click here to watch the lecture.
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"(Re) Conceptualizing Transnational Identities: Language and Culture in Zambia"
Dr. Brenda Muzeta presented "(Re) Conceptualizing Transnational Identities: Language and Culture in Zambia" September 30, 2020. The presentation was hosted by the KU Frederick Douglass Institute. Dr. Muzeta shared her experience of transnational identity and introduced the audience to Zambian culture, fashion, and language. The audience practiced Zambian greetings with an interactive activity.
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"Recruiting Teachers of Color: Policy Initiatives in Urban U.S. and International Contexts"
Dr. Amber Pabon was accepted to give a presentation at the 2020 World Education Research Association Conference held in Spain: "Recruiting Teachers of Color: Policy Initiatives in Urban U.S. and International Contexts." WERA was unfortunately postponed due to the pandemic.
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National Science Foundation Grant
Dr. Mark Wolfmeyer and Dr. Brian Kronenthal (Mathematics department) were awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide scholarships for low-income, academically talented students interested in pursuing mathematics and computer science/information technology (CSIT) from nearby urban areas with high proportions of first-generation college students. Drs. Wolfmeyer and Kronenthal will serve as the project's educational researcher to investigate the impact that program supports have on student success
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"Can Monolingual Language Teachers Be Effective?"
Dr. Brenda Muzeta and co-author Dr. Kathryn Accurso's article, "Can Monolingual Language Teachers Be Effective?," was published in the May 2020 TESOL newsletter.
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"Mathematics for a Future Humanity: A Radical Onto-Epistemological Approach"
Dr. Mark Wolfmeyer and co-author Dr. Nataly Chesky's published an article in the International Journal of Critical Pedagogy in April 2020 titled "Mathematics for a Future Humanity: A Radical Onto-Epistemological Approach".
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Emerging Educators of Color Washington, DC Trip
Drs. Pabon, Sirrakos, Bernstein-Danis and Prof. Howell-Shields accompanied the College of Education's Emerging Educators of Color to Washington, D.C., for the 65th anniversary of the Brown vs. Board of Education lecture by Dr. Prudence Carter, held at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Building. The group also visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture.