During the 2020s, I worked with this terrific group on a variety of community-engaged projects: we’ve partnered with rural school districts to improve the graduation rates for newcomers from Guatemala and to explore the effects of the 4-day school week; with the Missouri Office of Refugee Administration to examine the opportunities and barriers in accessing federal funds; and with school board members to support their ongoing roles and responsibilities in turbulent times. Pictured here from left to right: JJ, Lisa, Sophie, Blake, Emily, and Se Woong. Come join us in elpa.missouri.edu.
From 2017-2022, I was lucky to co-lead “SEE-TEL,” Strengthening Equity and Effectiveness for Teachers of English Learners – a National Professional Development project in Missouri. This project was designed in partnership with Dr. Kim Song at University of Missouri-St. Louis and funded by the US Department of Education. Read more at see-tel.org.
From 2015-2016, this wonderful group of “ELPAns” pictured above worked on the research project, School Board Members and Policymaking. Everyone pictured here has since earned their PhD, most of them from Educational Leadership & Policy Analysis (ELPA) at the University of Missouri-Columbia! Front row: Jeong-Mi, Sujin, Isabel, Jinmyung. Back row: Lisa, Palwasha, Jason, Laura.
From 2008-2013, at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, I was fortunate to work with the now Drs. Sarah Coppersmith, Jesus Diaz, Emily Hager, Angela Layton, and Sujin Kim, among other fabulous students! Our work mainly focused on research at language immersion schools and with immigrant communities in the Midwest.