Dear friends of the College of Education,
Our college is starting the new year with a clear mission that focuses on preparing educators, educational leaders and mental health professionals who are committed to social justice, education and the well-being of all. At the center of our mission is a call to serve those with the greatest need. This digital issue of Marquette Education highlights the grants that faculty in the College of Education have received to support our pursuit of social justice and the impact educators and counselors can have on those they inspire.
Dr. Kavitha Venkateswaran and Dr. Lisa Edwards have partnered with experts across Marquette’s campus on a multidisciplinary project to support neonatal mental health. The team was awarded $250,000 from the Medical College of Wisconsin to construct and initiate a coordinated, population-based prevention effort in Milwaukee.
Dr. Melissa Gibson – with Drs. Blake Turner and derria byrd from the College of Education and Dr. Robert Smith from the Department of History and the Center for Urban Research, Teaching and Outreach – received a $1.27 million U.S. Department of Education grant to fund “MKE Roots: The Democratizing Local History Project.” The project will develop an educational ecosystem to teach a place-based, inquiry-centered approach to the history and civic engagement of Milwaukee’s communities. Partners include Milwaukee Public Schools, Wauwatosa Public Schools, the Vel Philips Juvenile Justice Center School, St. Joan Antida High School and America’s Black Holocaust Museum.
Faculty in the College of Education, including Drs. Jill Birren, Terry Burant and Leigh van den Kieboom, have partnered with Dr. Dennis Brylow of the Department of Computer Science to address the need for more K-12 STEM teachers through a $1.2 million NSF Noyce grant. The grant prepares graduate students to teach mathematics, science and computer science education in high-need schools, with a special emphasis on computer science education — a serious shortage in K-12 education.
These mission-oriented projects would not be possible without you. Thank you for your continued support of the College of Education.
Sincerely,
Heidi Bostic
Dean of the College of Education and Klingler College of Arts and Sciences
Leigh A. van den Kieboom
Professor and Associate Dean of the College of Education
