NEWS
School of Education welcomes FWISD superintendent Johnson
The College of Education hosted a reception for the Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD) superintendent, Dr. Melody A. Johnson, to welcome her to TCU and introduce her to our programs.
"We have a long-term relationship with FWISD," said Sam Deitz, dean of the College of Education. "We are proud of our students and proud of our relationship with FWISD.”
The College of Education works with FWISD in a number of ways, the Center for Urban Education provides opportunities for aspiring teachers to have experiences in inner-city schools; the Institute for Math, Science & Technology Education helps to better prepare future teachers in math and sciences; the graduate programs help train principals and counselors who can serve FWISD; and the Alice S. Neeley Institute for Special Education helps train teachers in special education.
Dr. Jennifer Brooks, director of the Center for Urban Education, organized the reception with a goal to highlight the College of Education's programs, "We truly believe teachers make a difference." Brooks also wanted some fun and enthusiasm with the reception, by leading the group to Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
"I'm really honored to be here," said Dr. Johnson. "TCU is such a great place and a great partner. This event is very helpful and I'm thrilled to hear about the harmony between the District and TCU."
KinderFrogs art exhibit featured at local gallery
The KinderFrogs School recently hosted an art show at Studio Sabka Fine Art Gallery. The exhibition featured portraits from the KinderFrogs School, created by artist Grigor Aleski, along with artwork of KinderFrogs students. The art show began with an opening reception, attended by parents, children and faculty from KinderFrogs.
Albanian artist Grigor Aleski spent two months making portraits of the KinderFrogs children to show in his gallery, Studio Sabka, after his wife who teaches at KinderFrogs inspired him to do so. Some of the children's own artwork was framed and displayed in the gallery beside the portraits Aleski painted of them. Aleski used bright color pencils and pictures of the children to create the portraits. He decided to display his portraits of the children and their artwork to show his appreciation for the KinderFrogs faculty, children and their parents.
"The children's own artwork looks modern," said Laert Aleski, Grigor's son. "Some of these pieces are splashes of different colors of paint, while others have fishes, stars and hands. But it's all so cute - just too cute."
First TCU MBA/Ed.D.degrees awarded at Commencement
Three dual MBA/Ed.D. degrees were bestowed for the first time at fall commencement to students Jessica Tyler, James Bowen and Alison Tanner. The Neeley School of Business and the College of Education partnered to create this unique option: a comprehensive program that integrates a master of business administration degree with a doctorate in educational leadership, effectively combining the best of business and educational disciplines to help assure qualified leaders for our nation's educational institutions.
The dual degree program is one of only three in the nation to integrate these two areas. It prepares students to assume leadership positions in a variety of education-related organizations by applying managerial skills and educational leadership.
"To help assure qualified leaders for our nation's educational institutions, we created a program that combines the best of education and business disciplines," said Dr. Bill Cron, associate dean of graduate studies for Neeley. "The program prepares students to enter educational management in school systems, regional, state or federal governments, research institutions, private foundations, universities or private sector companies."
"The MBA/Ed.D. reflects the complexities of educational systems and emergent institutions," said Dr. Mike Sacken of the College of Education. "These graduates have drawn on the best knowledge about leading organizations and systems irrespective of public or private, profit or nonprofit, and have challenged and been challenged to question traditional expectations and solutions. They are prepared to lead in the present and future, however policy and practice evolves to meet the educational demands of our society and its young people."
Candidates for the MBA/Ed.D. first must be admitted to the MBA program and meet all 36 hours of core requirements as well as the START Workshop. At the completion of the first year of the MBA program, and a summer of coursework in educational administration, students apply for the doctoral program. Throughout the program, students must maintain a B average. At the completion of coursework, students take written and oral comprehensives before proceeding to the dissertation stage.
“TCU is a unique place,” said Jessica Tyler, one of the three students who earned the degree. “The College of Education and the Neeley School of Business are full of high-quality professors. They care, they spend time with you, and they made the experience challenging, what every graduate program should be!”
“The challenges we face and will face educationally can admit no boundaries to possible responses and alternatives,” said Dr. Sacken. “That is what these students have accepted as their leadership perspective: that the future cannot be the captive of familiar reactions to new problems. They are prototypes of adaptive leaders and learners, exactly what our educational systems must expect and require now and in the future.”
Tyler offers this advice to anyone considering the MBA/Ed.D. program: “Make it your own. That's the beauty of this program. Each individual that goes through the program has a completely different focus, goal, and background. Design the program to fit your personal goals get out of it what you need to grow and move along your own path. It is not a 'jump through the hoops' curriculum, thank goodness.”
For more information on the MBA/Ed.D. program, click here.
Improving inner-city education is the goal of new center
Last summer, Dr. Jennifer Giddings Brooks '71 took the reins as the first director of the College of Education's Center for Urban Education, which works with teachers and administrators in urban schools to bolster academic achievement.
A TCU adjunct professor, Dr. Brooks' career has focused on giving children in urban schools the same opportunities for education as their more affluent counterparts. She brings a wealth of experience — from inner city Los Angeles to the Fort Worth ISD's Edward J. Briscoe Elementary School, where she was principal — as well as an infectious enthusiasm for the center's future.
Q&A with Dr. Brooks and TCU Magazine editor
Q: What is the role of TCU's Center for Urban Education?
A: The Center will help to connect the pedagogy received by undergraduate and graduate students to what they will need to be successful in an urban environment.
Q: What are some of the challenges unique to urban educators?
A: The following challenges are not necessarily unique to urban educators, but they are certainly more prevalent: one-parent households, language other than English spoken in the home, high dropout rate/low attendance rate, discipline problems, low or no parental involvement, limited community resources, high turn over of administrators and teachers (because of frustration or burnout), students who live in low socio-economic neighborhoods, substance abuse concerns, gang concerns, low expectations for academic success.
Q: Why were you attracted to TCU and the Center?
A: Urban Education and the implementation of research-based urban education best practices have been of interest to me for many years. For 10 years, I was the principal of a high performing inner city school where each year at least 95 percent of the student population was on free or reduced lunch. I am eager to learn, network, and share some part of the practices that helped those I supervised to become successful. I would hope that through the Center a larger number of students could benefit from having well trained, competent teachers in their classrooms. Students in urban environments can be successful. They need to believe that they can succeed and they need to be surrounded by people that believe they can. Failure cannot and should not be an option.
Q: What are your immediate goals for the center?
A: We plan to conduct an assessment with area school districts and other urban education centers to see what concerns they have for preparing professionals to work in an urban environment. We want to develop a series of workshops, in-services and training opportunities for students and for professionals currently working in the field. And we will coordinate recruitment opportunities for prospective students.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish long term?
A: We plan to position the Center to be the expert and the critical resource on urban education issues in North Central Texas, and develop a set of protocols that will inform area policy makers and guide urban educational professionals in best practices.
