$3 Million Grant Aims to Bolster Math, Science Teaching in SD County Schools

Noyce Master Teaching Fellows from SDSU's 2012-2019 cohort.

By Michael Klitzing

San Diego State University has received a $3 million National Science Foundation-funded grant to strengthen mathematics and science teaching in high-need, urban schools throughout San Diego County.

Starting in May, SDSU will recruit 20 teachers from the Grossmont, La Mesa-Spring Valley, Santee and Sweetwater school districts to serve as Noyce Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs). Over the course of five years working both at SDSU and at their school sites, fellows will hone their skills as teachers of math and science, provide professional development for colleagues, serve as guide teachers for SDSU student teachers and teach university courses in math and science education.

Researching Immigrant Families, Lazarevic Sees Stresses, Hope … and Her Own Past

As she conducts research into dynamics between parents and their adolescent and young adult children in immigrant communities, Dr. Vanja Lazarevic, assistant professor in the Department of Child and Family Development, finds common threads — as well as echoes of her own experience as a teenage refugee from Bosnia.

Read the full story in SDSU NewsCenter.

A Message About COVID-19 Response From Dean Y. Barry Chung

Over the past few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us all to make the difficult adjustment to a new reality — one that would have seemed unimaginable before. In the San Diego State University College of Education (COE), that has meant shifting every facet of what we do — be it classroom learning, experiential training or community service — into the virtual space. It has been an enormous undertaking full of long hours and unforeseen hurdles, but I am pleased to report that, thanks to the astounding dedication and innovative spirit of our students, faculty, and staff, we have met this challenge head on.
 

COE’s Virtual Support Team Comes Through in Crisis

By Michael Klitzing

As the COVID-19 pandemic has made telework and virtual instruction the norm at San Diego State University, one household in particular has become something of a technological nerve center for the campus. In a home office, Andrea Saltzman Martin, instructional designer and lecturer in the College of Education, has worked long hours to help faculty shift their classes into the online space. In their living room, her husband Gregory Martin serves as the tech support lead for the College of Arts and Letters. And from his bedroom, their son Avi Martin works as a student assistant in the Library Hub Student Computing Center.

At the peak of the transition from in-person to virtual instruction in mid-March, the family was so busy they might as well have been in different ZIP codes.

“We sometimes pop into the same Zoom call just to say hi,” Saltzman Martin said with a laugh.

Peterson Elected President of American Rehabilitation Counseling Association

By Michael Klitzing

A member of the San Diego State University College of Education faculty will soon lead the rehabilitation counseling field’s top professional organization. Dr. Sonia Peterson, assistant professor in the Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary Education (ARPE), has been elected president of the American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA).

Peterson will be officially named president-elect starting July 1 and will serve a one-year term as president starting in July 2021.

COE News in Brief

JDP doctoral candidate Darielle Blevins (middle) accepts the President's Award at Student Research Symposium.

Accomplishments, awards, events and more — here’s a glance at a few things you may have missed in the College of Education since our last issue.

Meet the New Department Coordinator in Counseling and School Psychology

Meet Mony Chau, one of the newest members of the College of Education team! You may just be getting to know him as the department coordinator in Counseling and School Psychology (CSP), but did you know he’s also a movie buff, health enthusiast and defiantly-awful singer? Find out more about Mony in this edition of 7 Things You Didn’t Know About Faculty and Staff!

More Vital Than Ever, Community Mental Health Services Move Online

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing, the San Diego State University College of Education’s community clinics are meeting the mental health needs of hundreds of San Diegans. Faculty and student clinicians in the Community-Based Block (CBB), Center for Community Counseling and Engagement (CCCE) and Healthy Early Years (HEY) have continued to provide their important services virtually.

Read the full story at SDSU NewsCenter.