UC Chancellor Michael Drake Visits with Faculty, Staff, and Students
UC Irvine Chancellor Michael Drake visited the Department of Education on April 6 to explore department accomplishments, ongoing research, and future goals.
First on the afternoon's agenda was a presentation by ladder-ranked faculty. Chair Vandell introduced this segment with a review of the state of education in California. Calling attention to California’s performance in reading and math proficiency assessments and the state’s college readiness patterns, she summarized the role of the university in addressing these critical issues:
With research as its core focus, the university is responsible for preparing teachers and educational leaders, offering programs for students and practicing teachers, and participating in curriculum and policy development. To meet these responsibilities, the Department of Education is promoting educational success and achievement of ethnically and economically diverse learners of all ages through a multi-faced approach that includes teaching, research, and service in the areas of early childhood, K-12 education, communities and families, out-of-school time, and college access and completion.
Following Chair Vandell’s introduction, representative faculty summarized accomplishments in each of the above areas.
Early Childhood: Distinguished Professor Greg Duncan discussed one of his ongoing research projects, a collaboration among UC Irvine, Harvard, University of Wisconsin, and Johns Hopkins that is synthesizing four decades of rigorous program evaluation research relevant to children from the prenatal period to age five, looking at early education, parenting, health, and support. Outcomes that are being studied include achievement, behavior, health, adult earnings, and delinquency.
K-12 Education: Senior Lecturer Carol Booth Olson summarized her Pathway to College Success research, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences. This study, which is designed to enhance the academic reading and writing skills of secondary English-language learners, is being carried out in collaboration with Santa Ana College and involves each intermediate and high school in the Santa Ana Unified School District.
Communities and Families: Assistant Professor Stephanie Reich discussed her National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded Baby Books Project, which is embedding educational information in books mothers can read to their children. Measurements for the project’s 3-group randomized design include home visits, telephone calls, observations, and assessment of community risks and resources.
Out-of-School Time: Associate Professor Joseph Mahoney presented his National Institute of Health funded study of the effects of summer time on youth development. Explaining that studies of the impact of summer time are few, he highlighted the need to understand how summer activities, or lack thereof, influence academic achievement, youth engagement in crime, and weight gain.
College Access and Performance: Assistant Professor Leticia Oseguera described how her research, funded by UC ACCORD and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is drawing a national portrait of 16- to 26-year olds who are not on track to attain a post-secondary education. She and researcher Cynthia Feliciano are examining the life experiences and factors that shape enrollment, completion, labor force participation, and mobility and the role of educational, economic, and social institutions in determining outcomes.
Following the faculty presentation, Chancellor Drake talked with faculty, staff, and students during a department reception.
