University of Denver Autumn 2024

PUBLIC GOOD

Research Roundup Researchers are shaping the future of education in Denver and beyond. Here are five research projects you should know about.

A brighter future for youth in foster care Only 30% of Colorado’s students in foster care will graduate alongside their peers. But a program called Fostering Opportunities, supported by DU’s Colorado Lab, dissolves barriers between child welfare, schools and other agencies through transparent communication and data sharing agreements, working on the premise that educational agencies should lead interventions. During a pilot program in Jeffco Public Schools, Colorado Lab’s evaluation demonstrated improved attendance and class pass rates. Now funded through the Foster Care Success Act, Fostering Opportunities is expanding to additional districts and gaining national attention. Women make up just 34% of the workforce in professional STEM fields. Jennifer Hoffman, Shannon Murphy and Robin Tinghitella, faculty in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, want to increase that number by putting theory into practice. Together, the trio have co-hosted science summer camps for middle school girls and study the effects of these camps on girls’ scientific self-efficacy, which they have found to increase after just one week at camp. Listen to the full story on the RadioEd podcast at du.edu/girlsinstem . A one-of-a-kind preschool on wheels Kristopher Tetzlaff, a PhD student in the Morgridge College of Education, is a co-founder of You Be You Early Learning, Colorado’s first and only nonprofit mobile preschool. After noticing Read more at du.edu/fosteringopportunities . Empowering the next generation of women in STEM

an abundance of places without affordable and equitable access to early childhood education programming—Tetzlaff and his colleagues partnered with the Aurora Housing Authority to bring school to local communities. The nonprofit has two mobile preschools—a converted library bus with a bathroom, Wi-Fi and small library, which serves the Willow Park community, and a converted RV, serving the Peoria Crossing area. Read more at du.edu/mobileearlylearning . Supporting Colorado’s school boards Provost Mary Clark, Morgridge College of Education Dean Michelle Knight-Manuel and Emeritus Chancellor Dan Ritchie came together to address a question frequently on their minds: How might DU support the important work of Colorado school boards? The result was the first-ever School Board Symposium, in which school board directors from 29 districts across the state gathered on campus for day of discussion, networking and, ultimately, action to address K-12’s most pressing challenges, like mental health, teacher retention and school closures. Read more at du.edu/schoolboards . An innovative way to evaluate teachers Teachers are there for every second of the 160-day school year. There are systems in place to educate and evaluate teachers on best practices in the classroom—but are we doing enough to make sure teacher training is culturally sensitive? In her latest book, “Teacher Evaluation as Cultural Practice: A Framework for Equity and Excellence,” María del Carmen Salazar, associate dean of the Morgridge College of Education, examines the existing state of teacher evaluations and recommends how things can be improved. du.edu/culturallyresponsive .

13

UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | AUTUMN 2024