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George Mason launches literacy project to support Virginia families

Colleen Rich — Mon, 22 Jul 2024 18:01:30 +0000

George Mason launches literacy project to support Virginia families Colleen Rich Mon, 07/22/2024 - 14:01

A statewide literacy project designed to counteract the educational impacts of the pandemic is now in full swing, thanks to the efforts of educators in ��AV’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD).

Allison Ward Parsons. Photo by Office of University Branding

Called the Literacy Engagement Action Project (LEAP) and designed to build literacy skills in K-12 students with a scalable, comprehensive program for teachers, students, and their families, the program is run by the Elizabeth G. Sturtevant, PhD, Center for Literacy at George Mason with center director Allison Ward Parsons serving as the principal investigator.

Funding for this project through a U.S. Department of Education grant was made possible by the efforts of Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, who secured a $1.83 million designated spending provision as part of the Fiscal Year 2022 federal government appropriations bill.

The LEAP project addresses the needs of families, children, and teachers resulting from the negative impacts that the pandemic has had on K-12 learners, particularly those from marginalized or economically disadvantaged populations. “The project overall is geared toward post-COVID support, recognizing that many families know that their students need additional help,” said Ward Parsons, an associate professor of the literacy program in CEHD’s School of Education.

The need for this support is reflected in testing data collected by the state. Ward Parsons and her team members analyzed reading test scores compiled by the Virginia Department of Education and found significant gaps between students of wealthier backgrounds compared with those from economically disadvantaged communities, English language learners, and students from Black and Hispanic populations.

The main components of the LEAP project include:

Community outreach and support where families are provided with free access to books and other literacy resources that include workshops, podcasts, read-aloud events at public libraries, and other venues;
A website, leap.cehd.gmu.edu, developed by the Sturtevant Center for Literacy, that is accessible on its own as a stand-alone site as well as through the main Literacy Center home page (the LEAP website provides tools such as video modules offered in English and Spanish that explore different topics in literacy, activity links supporting various aspects of literacy development across grade levels, and interactive reading guides for literary genres that include comprehension tips applicable to specific age groups);
Tutoring of K-12 learners given by George Mason students who must successfully complete a series of LEAP training modules and pass required background checks conducted by partnering schools (once approved, tutors are provided with lesson plans and tutoring support materials developed by the LEAP team and which are available on the Literacy Center’s website); and
Asynchronous online teacher professional learning modules (now under development), which include content that meets teacher needs assessment and enhances teacher engagement (once finalized, these materials will be housed on the LEAP website).

LEAP bookshelf at Fair Lakes Barnes and Noble. Photo provided

As part of the LEAP project, book bins are being installed in various locations throughout Northern Virginia stocked with a curated set of books available for sharing with students and families.

Ward Parsons explains that this LEAP feature is patterned after the “take a book, leave a book” free mini-library movement that has become popular in many neighborhoods in cities across the United States. However, she adds that there is one distinguishing feature that makes the book sharing component unique: Each book contains a QR code linking back to an interactive reading guide that is accessible on the LEAP website.

These reading guides, formatted as PDF documents, contain conversation prompts, questions, vocabulary support, and suggested discussion topics related to the characters and plot of the book that families and tutors can use when they are reading and talking about the books with children.

“We want to go beyond a passive read-aloud where the student just sits and listens as the book is being read to them,” Ward Parsons said. “We want children to be thinking about the text and to interact with the adult so that there is more opportunity for fluency and comprehension development in reading.”

She points out that the reading guides encourage families and children to read together and that this can help support literacy development in young learners.

The sites being chosen for the book bins are places where families bring their children in accessing needed services, such as medical clinics, food banks, and homeless shelters. Families can engage their children in an interactive read-aloud of the books provided at these locations. They can also sign up on the LEAP website to receive their own copies of the books with more book sharing support. Book bins are also being placed at schools which have partnered with LEAP to provide spaces where tutors can work with children who have been identified as needing additional help with reading comprehension and literacy.

The LEAP project has made significant gains in its book distribution endeavors over the past year. Some of the most recently installed book bins include: the installation of community book bins with reading guides at General Heiser Boys and Girls Club in Dumfries; a community book bin at Ivy Rehab for Kids in Falls Church that will be available to families in the waiting room and used by staff speech-language pathologists and therapists during speech therapy visits; and, a community book bin at Fort Belvoir to support military-connected families.

In addition to establishing the book bins, LEAP faculty and staff are collaborating with communities in Northern Virginia as they launch initiatives in support of children’s literacy. For example, in March and April this year, LEAP representatives organized four family workshops in the Georgetown South Community of Manassas, Virginia. These workshops were conducted in Spanish and included interactive read-alouds, as well as other activities designed to build vocabulary, background knowledge, and reading comprehension in children.

LEAP also hosted a two-week summer camp for elementary students in the Georgetown South community during which George Mason students provided daily literacy tutoring. The camp's theme centered on science and included experiments and other activities performed by the children who attended the camp which provided them with the opportunity to learn more about science while improving their reading comprehension skills.

Representatives of LEAP continued their work with members of the Georgetown South community with the introduction of a summer book club and lending library for students. In describing this initiative, Ward Parsons stated, “Our goal is to support summer reading and offer students opportunities to talk about their reading, get help as needed, and build a community of readers.”

Other LEAP projects include:

A bookshelf at Fair Lakes Barnes & Noble bookstore;
A family/student literacy workshop and summer STEM read-aloud that was held at the Fort Belvoir military base in Northern Virginia;
A series of three children’s events at the Fairfax City branch of the Fairfax County Public Libraries (following one of these events the library requested a full set of printed reading guides, which are now compiled and displayed in the children’s section for easy patron access);
A partnership with the Fair Lakes Barnes & Noble bookstore where the QR codes linking to the LEAP reading guides are posted throughout the children’s section so that a reader browsing the shelves will see the content developed by LEAP alongside the corresponding books;
A Back-to-School Book Fair to be held Aug. 17 at the Fair Lakes Barnes and Noble bookstore through which a portion of the proceeds from the sale of books will go to the Sturtevant Center for Literacy to purchase books that will be shared with community partners; and,
A back-to-school event sponsored by Micron and Barbershop Books.

Because the literacy resources and tutor training materials accessible on the LEAP website will continue to be maintained by the Sturtevant Center for Literacy beyond the life of the project, Ward Parsons and her team members are confident that this initiative will create a sustainable, practical model for literacy support in Virginia.

“These materials become a durable commodity, something that we can provide throughout Virginia and something that any school can use because it is all made available through federal funding that is specifically dedicated to the support of literacy,” said Ward Parsons.

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Research will aid law enforcement officer decision-making in high-stress situations

Colleen Rich — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 17:54:37 +0000

Research will aid law enforcement officer decision-making in high-stress situations Colleen Rich Tue, 04/09/2024 - 13:54

��AV researchers are using immersive virtual reality to examine ways in which high-stress conditions may influence law enforcement officer decision-making and utilization of equitable policing strategies.

photo by Matt Gush/Getty Images

Mason College of Education and Human Development professor Stephanie Dailey is serving as the principal investigator on the project and working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, in collaboration with the Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute, a federally funded research and development center at the MITRE Corporation.

Stephanie Dailey. Photo by Office of University Branding

For this project, Dailey aims to better understand how law enforcement officer support, including training and wellness strategies, can affect officer decision-making and lead to equitable policing outcomes.

This multidisciplinary, multi-year effort includes Sue-Ming Yang in the Department of Criminology, Law, and Society and Justin Ramsdell in the Department of Psychology in Mason’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The study, which uses MITRE’s SIMEX system, involves law enforcement officers who have been participating in a series of experiments where immersive virtual reality is used to simulate a high-stress encounter with a subject—as portrayed by an avatar—exhibiting various social and behavioral characteristics. The SIMEX simulation labs, located McLean, Virginia, offer a special mix of technical and operational capabilities for government agencies that want to try out new ideas by using dedicated, state-of-the-art laboratories.

In the experiments, the subject avatars vary throughout the experiment in dress, skin tone, compliant or noncompliant behaviors, and whether they are armed or unarmed. In response to a rapid sequence of simulated scenarios in which the suspect displays different combinations of these controlled variables, officers volunteering for this study are required to make quick decisions on how to respond to the subject. The simulated scenes mirror real-life situations in which officers could find themselves.

Sue-Ming Yang. Photo by Office of University Branding

In discussing her research, Dailey said that examining an officer’s use of force decision-making allows for a better understanding of the circumstances in which officers use different levels of force. Specifically, circumstances in which officers are more likely to react in a way that is not commensurate with the situation or threat level at hand.

“We all have biases,” said Dailey, who is an assistant professor in the Counseling Program in the School of Education. “Anytime we are navigating the world, we are operating off a series of cognitive shortcuts or mechanisms that support rapid decision-making, such as ‘don’t touch a hot stove!’”

But Dailey added that sometimes the cognitive shortcuts people use are based upon faulty assumptions. “Having officers repeatedly go through different simulated scenarios helps us isolate what factors may influence officer decision-making.”

Dailey provided several examples of how the behavioral cues displayed by the subjects in the simulated experiments are manipulated in isolation or in combination with other characteristics thus giving researchers the opportunity to observe the officer’s reactions under different scenarios. The combination of these variables is randomized and determined by algorithms designed to identify factors that may merit further investigation in subsequent runs of the simulated experiments.

“We look at different combinations of factors and see where there are statistically significant variations in the decisions made by an officer on how to interact with the subject, including use of force decisions,” said Dailey, who watches the simulations in real time.

She added that the officer’s use of force is based upon a continuum and not limited to discharging a service weapon but could include verbal commands, soft hand controls, using a taser, attempts at physical restraint, or other nonlethal actions.

The next phase of the project will center on the impact of training supporting equitable policing. Researchers will survey law enforcement officers who have had this training to investigate if it has positively impacted officer behaviors and well-being in the field.

Dailey emphasized the importance of being proactive in ensuring that law enforcement officers are well-equipped to make good decisions not only when faced with a threat, but to be prepared even before a threat presents itself. This can enhance the protection and safety of both the officer and the community.

“The idea is to provide recommendations for these trainings and to help law enforcement agencies understand what part of equitable policing training is most helpful for officers,” she said. “The primary focus of this training is self-awareness, de-escalation skills, and procedural justice.”

The research team will examine whether there are specific aspects of this training that are especially beneficial in enhancing an officer’s ability to respond to a high-stress situation in a way that protects the safety and well-being of the community.

“If my main goal is to help communities that are impacted by police violence, then the best place to start is with the decision-making of officers,” said Dailey. “As a researcher, I am trying to support safer and more just communities by helping officers make informed decisions.”

This is Dailey’s second time working with MITRE on research using their SIMEX. Previous research sought to determine best practices for school safety during active shooter incidents.

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Two Virginia Department of Education grants will help prepare special education teachers

Colleen Rich — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 17:30:28 +0000

Two Virginia Department of Education grants will help prepare special education teachers Colleen Rich Mon, 01/22/2024 - 12:30

Two new Virginia Department of Education grants to ��AV’s School of Education promise to facilitate a pipeline of well-qualified special education teachers in the commonwealth.

Kelley Regan. Photo by the Office of University Branding

Kelley Regan, a professor in Mason’s Special Education Program, was awarded funding to support two initiatives.

“Although these are two separate awards, they both address the preparation of provisionally licensed special education teachers serving students who access the general education curriculum,” said Regan. “One award provides these teachers with a tuition stipend, and the second award focuses on coaching their development as special educators.”

Working with Regan as co-principal Investigators on one of these projects, Traineeships for Education of Special Education Personnel (Special Education-General Curriculum K-12), are Mason faculty members Pam Baker, Margaret (Peggy) Weiss, and Kristen O’Brien, all associate professors in the Special Education Program.

The goal of this grant is to maintain and expand Mason’s Cohort Outreach Program, which provides high-quality special education teacher training for employed Virginia teachers. If a school division has at least 20 employed individuals who are provisionally licensed and need to complete their Special Education: General Curriculum K-12 five-year, renewable state license, the individuals are provided a 25% discount per 3-credit class. The state grant provides teachers in these cohorts with a tuition stipend to complete a 3-credit licensure course during any single semester.

Pam Baker. Photo by Office of University Branding

The course delivery modes vary, and the Mason team collaborates with division staff and the special education advisors to support the coordination and recruitment of cohort members.

“We have had a long-standing partnership with our district partners, delivering more than 110 cohorts,” said Baker, who serves as division director of special education and disability research and the outreach program coordinator at Mason. “Support from the Virginia Department of Education for our students makes an incredible difference in how accessible our programs continue to be.”

Regan, Baker, and Weiss are also co-principal investigators on the second project titled Traineeships for Special Education Personnel: A Dynamic Coaching Outreach Program in Special Education: General Curriculum, also known as DCOP. The award supports the School of Education’s teaching internship course (EDSE 783) for provisionally licensed teachers in the cohorts.

Margaret Weiss. Photo by Office of University Branding

This grant focuses on using technology to provide provisionally licensed teachers with timely and relevant performance-based feedback while in the classroom. It also facilitates a more dynamic coaching experience during the required 10-week internship of provisionally licensed teachers enrolled in Mason’s general curriculum (K-12) licensure program.

Weiss provided an overview of the different technologies that have been integrated into this project. “We call it ‘eCoaching’ where we use email, Zoom, video capture, and bug-in-ear technology to provide delayed and immediate feedback to our students as they are teaching,” Weiss said. “It has been a great success. Our newest eCoaches value this model of supervision.”

As the program advancement liaison in the school’s Division of Special Education, O’Brien orients cohort students to their internship, supports the onboarding of university supervisors, and works with the research team to expand the eCoaching model.

Kristen O'Brien. Photo by Office of University Branding

“During the internship, the teachers receive mentoring, coaching, and supervision from an on-site experienced special education teacher and a [Mason] faculty supervisor,” said O’Brien. “In 2023, 48 provisionally licensed teachers completed on-the-job internships. Each semester, 10 to 15 faculty members supervise these internships.”

Regan said the financial support provided by this award has allowed the research team to develop a flexible model of eCoaching and a series of professional development modules on eCoaching with built-in measures of fidelity. The team is conducting research to better understand the role of the coach and how eCoaching’s professional development influences their supervisory practice.

Regan believes that the eCoaching design has the potential for more widespread use in the future. “Not all on-the-job internships use eCoaching at this time, but the research team is piloting the model, and we are encouraged by the data outcomes so far,” she said.

According to Regan, the faculty involved in these projects have taught courses in the cohort outreach model and both grant initiatives closely align with their research interests in providing high-quality teacher preparation, which aligns with Mason’s strategic goal of meeting workforce demands.

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Mason researchers study physical and mental demands on collegiate dancers

Colleen Rich — Wed, 03 Jan 2024 17:39:32 +0000

Mason researchers study physical and mental demands on collegiate dancers Colleen Rich Wed, 01/03/2024 - 12:39

Researchers at ��AV’s College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and College of Visual and Performing Arts are studying the intricate world of collegiate dance as they try to develop a better understanding of the physical and mental demands placed on dance majors.

Jatin Ambegaonkar and team conducting their annual assessments with first-year dance majors in 2018. These assessments are part of the ongoing work SHARe consortium via Mason's SMART Laboratory. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

The research team is led by Jatin Ambegaonkar, a professor in the Athletic Training Education Program within Mason’s School of Kinesiology, Mason doctoral candidate Kelley Wiese, and Jena Hansen-Honeycutt, the athletic trainer for the School of Dance.

This study, funded by a grant from the Virginia Athletic Trainers’ Association, will allow the researchers to call attention to the rigorous nature of this art form and how it can impact the well-being of performers. In so doing, they hope to increase awareness of the health needs of collegiate dancers.

The study will include an assessment of the physical activity demands and sleep quality among 30 to 40 Mason dance majors, as measured by data collected from wearable biosensors, and an analysis of self-reported perceptions involving physical and mental workload, fatigue, and sleep within the same demographic. The researchers believe that an assessment of the sleep habits and workload endured by these performers will elucidate the complexities of the physical and mental strains experienced by collegiate dancers and provide crucial information to clinicians, educators, dance programs, and the dancers themselves.

The study will include an assessment of the physical activity demands and sleep quality among 30 to 40 Mason dance majors, as measured by data collected from wearable biosensors. Photo by Jena Hansen-Honeycutt/School of Dance

While dance offers physical and psychosocial benefits to an estimated 11 million participants in the United States, an alarming 85% of dancers suffer injuries annually, underscoring the vital need for specialized care.

Weise, who is pursuing a PhD in Education with a kinesiology concentration, is dancer and performer herself, which led to her interest in performing arts medicine. “My personal passion for performing arts aligned with the desire to provide quality care for performers,” she said. She added that this understanding, cultivated through her personal experiences on stage, provides her with insights into the physical and psychological demands of artists during training, rehearsals, and recovery.

“Our mission is injury prevention and performance enhancement, extending dancers’ careers,” said Ambegaonkar, who is also associate dean for research in CEHD’s Office of Research Development. “Our findings will enable stakeholders to tailor training, recovery, and participation considerations to accommodate the fluctuating demands experienced throughout the year.”

Ambegaonkar anticipates the study also will illustrate the importance of on-site access to qualified health care professionals who are dedicated to monitoring and supporting the unique needs of this specialized group of aesthetic athletes.

For Ambegaonkar, his lead role in the current study is representative of the dedication and commitment he has exhibited throughout his career in seeking to expand the body of scientific knowledge pertaining to dancers’ risk of injury—a mission he embarked on when he first started working at Mason in 2006. His ethos of “Health for Dancers, Dance for Health,” gave rise to a pioneering consortium established in 2018, Supporting Healthy Arts Research (SHARe), aimed at holistically addressing dancers’ health needs.

To this end, he believes that this area of research holds the promise to unlock crucial insights that could significantly impact the training, recovery, and overall care provided to collegiate dancers and which could lead to enhanced support and understanding within the performing arts.

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Viano receives NSF CAREER award to study high school policy and STEM

Colleen Rich — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 18:35:38 +0000

Viano receives NSF CAREER award to study high school policy and STEM Colleen Rich Wed, 10/04/2023 - 14:35

Samantha Viano, assistant professor in the Education Leadership program in ��AV’s School of Education, was recently awarded a prestigious Early Career Development (CAREER) Program grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Samantha Viano. Photo provided

As the principal investigator on “Second Chance STEM: Uncovering school policies structuring access to and engagement in high school STEM credit recovery,” Viano will address online credit recovery (OCR), a topic that was the subject of her dissertation for which she received a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship.

Online credit recovery allows students who fail a course to retake it online to earn course credit to graduate. Over the past 20 years, students have increasingly retaken their failed courses online, Viano said. She added that there are significant concerns that OCR may be detrimental to student learning and may only serve to push students to graduate without learning course content.

In a summary of her research proposal submitted to NSF, Viano points out that the data on student performance in online credit recovery courses compared with traditional face-to-face (F2F) credit recovery is mixed.

“Correlational studies suggest OCR leads to higher graduation rates, particularly for minoritized students, but lower STEM test scores, postsecondary enrollment, and earnings compared to students in F2F credit recovery,” she wrote. “Conversely, studies that randomly assign students to F2F/OCR Algebra One find few differences in course completion, learning, and downstream outcomes when variables like student to teacher ratios and classroom seat time are kept constant.”

Viano will analyze approaches to online credit recovery and face-to-face credit recovery for STEM courses across 14 high schools located in a large, diverse school district. Her study will focus on STEM learning outcomes, particularly for minoritized students, and examine broader trends in OCR policy through a nationally representative survey of school leaders.

“I am interested in how schools structure opportunity around credit recovery to understand whether students are being pushed through high school or being assigned to online courses in a personalized manner,” Viano said. “This CAREER grant will allow me to better understand school-level policies on credit recovery.”

The NSF CAREER Program grant is described as one of NSF’s most prestigious awards given in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. NSF states that activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research.

I am interested in how schools structure opportunity around credit recovery to understand whether students are being pushed through high school or being assigned to online courses in a personalized manner,” Viano said. “This CAREER grant will allow me to better understand school-level policies on credit recovery.”

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Mason’s School Psychology Program launches new center for child and teen testing and evaluation

Colleen Rich — Wed, 30 Aug 2023 14:46:42 +0000

Mason’s School Psychology Program launches new center for child and teen testing and evaluation Colleen Rich Wed, 08/30/2023 - 10:46

The School Psychology Program at ��AV’s School of Education has launched a Coordinated Educational and Wellness Services (CEWS) center for psychoeducational testing and evaluation of school-aged children.

Nicole Beadles.
Photo by Evan Cantwell/��AV

Housed within the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), the center will specialize in mental health, psychological, and educational services for children, adolescents, and teens, ages 5 to 18. The goal of these services is to improve the emotional, behavioral, and academic functioning of children in primary and secondary schools.

“We wanted to develop a center that was focused on school-age children and educationally related concerns,” said Nicole Beadles, associate professor in Mason’s School Psychology program, who oversees the center.

Previously, the School Psychology Program provided psychoeducational testing for children and teens through the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), which operates a mental health clinic serving a client base that includes young children as well as adults of college age and beyond.

The new center will serve as a community resource helping families with a child who may be experiencing academic, emotional, or behavioral problems impeding their functioning in school and elsewhere. Services will begin in September; the center accepting appointments for testing to be conducted through its Comprehensive Assessment Services (CAS) program. No referral is necessary, and parents may contact the center directly for an appointment.

“We have extensive experience helping families whose children have psychological, behavioral, and emotional difficulties, and we strive to support them across all areas of their lives,” Beadles said, adding that the center is “a much-needed resource for parents, families, and youth in the community.”

Evaluations performed through the CAS program are designed to assist parents in addressing specific areas of concern where their child may be having difficulties. Some of the more common concerns include anxiety, mood disorders (depression), social interaction challenges, behavioral difficulties, emotional outbursts, learning and attentional difficulties, ADHD, and autism. Assessments encompass interviews, questionnaires, record reviews, and direct testing of the child.

Graduate students in Mason’s School Psychology Program will conduct testing under the close supervision of licensed clinical and school psychologists affiliated with the university. Parents get the benefit of two sets of eyes on all work conducted in the center, Beadles said. “Our goal is to provide accurate and useful information that can make a difference in a child’s life,” Beadles added.

Beadles, a former school psychologist with Fairfax County Public Schools, has been in contact with community organizations and school psychology leaders in Northern Virginia school districts including Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Arlington, Alexandria, and Manassas to spread the word about the center.

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Mason hosts Dell Technologies Education Innovation Summit at Mason Square

Colleen Rich — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 18:51:27 +0000

Mason hosts Dell Technologies Education Innovation Summit at Mason Square Colleen Rich Wed, 03/08/2023 - 13:51

Experts and leaders in the fields of education and information technology came together at ��AV to discuss how advances in the digital landscape can be harnessed to solve the unique challenges facing today’s educators and reinvent the classroom post-COVID. They were part of a two-day Dell Technologies Innovation Summit held in February at Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia.

From left, Provost Mark Ginsberg, Dell's Tara Nattress, Michael Horn and Dean Ingrid Guerra-Lopez. Photo by Stephanie Aaronson/OUB

The summit included presentations and panel discussions examining how technology can play a key role in expanding instructional delivery methods to reach more students and thus create a more personalized learning experience for students. The event also provided teachers with opportunities for professional development and collaboration, and ways to maximize efficiencies and facilitate solutions to teachers’ problems of practice.

Provost Mark Ginsberg opened the summit with Tara Nattress, senior education strategist with Dell Technologies, who most recently served as assistant superintendent of teaching and learning for Arlington Public Schools. Ginsberg said this is an important moment in time following the pandemic, which pushed schools in terms of leveraging technology to teach and engage different learners. He emphasized the need to partner as we adapt to change and address gaps.

Award-winning education author Michael Horn gave a keynote talk, “Defining and Articulating What’s Possible.” Horn, co-founder of and a distinguished fellow at the nonprofit think tank Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation, frequently writes about the future of education and is widely recognized for his contributions on the topic of advancements in the use of technology in education.

Ingrid Guerra-López, dean of Mason’s College of Education and Human Development, delivered opening remarks on the second day highlighting how technology can influence society, the workplace, learning, and education. She also introduced a panel discussion on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education, featuring Shahnaz Kamberi, an associate professor in Mason’s Department of Computer Science, and leaders from Microsoft, ITSE, Discovery Education, and aiEDU.

Also on day two of the summit was the “Innovation Slam,” introduced by Kamaljeet Sanghera, executive director for Mason’s Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA), and featuring examples of Mason’s innovative programs, including the Early Identification Program (EIP) for middle and high school students who will be the first in their families to attend college, CEHD’s School of Education’s learning technologies that are supporting students with disabilities and regional teachers to measure and improve blended teaching readiness, and College of Science’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program designed to help area high school students see themselves in STEM professions.

Representatives from Prince George’s County Public Schools, Winchester Public Schools, and Newport News Public Schools were also on hand to provide an overview of proposed initiatives within their respective school districts that use technology to build innovative learning models. School district leaders anticipate that implementation of these models will strengthen human capital, result in the increased effectiveness of teachers, and provide improved learning experiences for students.

Dell will be producing a white paper as a follow-up in the coming weeks.

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