Cathy Lussier

GSOE research round-up & highlights

juliep — Wed, 07 Oct 2020 15:25:43 +0000

GSOE research round-up & highlights juliep Wed, 10/07/2020 - 08:25 More News Julie Porter October 01, 2020

Congratulations to Brian Jones, fifth-year PhD School Psychology candidate. Jones' master's thesis, “Supplemental Reading Interventions Implemented by Paraprofessionals: A Meta-Analysis,” was accepted by Psychology in the Schools for a special issue titled: "Current Status and Future Directions for Training and Supporting Paraprofessionals in Schools."

The article has been published online as an early release:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/pits.22427

Assistant Professor Cathy Lussier has been named co-faculty director of UCR's Cal Teach Science Math Initiative. Additionally, Dr. Lussier has become a co-PI on the NSF Noyce Scholars program this year, both initiatives focus on increasing the diversity of future STEM teachers.

Dr. Lussier and School Psychology doctoral student Ashley Pfenning presented at American Psychological Association (APA) annual virtual conference in August. It was titled: "Preparing Teachers for 21st Century STEM Classrooms with English Learners."

This past August, SUNY Press published University management, the academic profession, and neoliberalism (citation below), written by Professor John S. Levin, and former GSOE Ph.D. students Dr. Marie Martin and Dr. Ariadna López-Damián. This book is based upon research that began in 2010 and included interviews with part-time and full-time faculty, department chairs, and deans at numerous public universities, including research and comprehensive universities, among those the University of California. A number of former graduate students of GSOE’s higher education policy and administration program contributed to the research for this project.

Levin, J. S., Martin, M. C., & López-Damián, A. I. (2020). University management, the academic profession, and neoliberalism. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

Professor Levin also published the following article:
Gu, J., & Levin, J. S. (2020). Tournament in academia: a comparative analysis of faculty evaluation systems in research universities in China and the USA. High Educ. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-020-00585-4.

New papers from the CHAAOS Vocabulary team:
Professor Rollanda O’Connor (PI), Professor Keith Widaman. Valencia Youkhanna, PhD candidate, School Psychology; Luisana Suchilt, PhD student, School Psychology; Brian Jones, PhD candidate, School Psychology; Victoria Sanchez, PhD, Special Education ’10, Kristen Beach, PhD, Special Education ’12

O'Connor, R.E., Sanchez, V.M., Jones, B, Suchilt, L., Youkhana, V., & Beach, K.D. (2020). Continuing CHAAOS: Vocabulary Intervention for Students with Disabilities in Eighth Grade Who Are Also English Learners. Learning Disability Quarterly.

O'Connor, R.E., Sanchez, V.M., Jones, B, Suchilt, L., Youkhana, V., Beach, K.D., & Widaman, K. (2020). Systematic CHAAOS: Teaching vocabulary in English/Language Arts special education classes in middle school. Journal of Learning Disabilities. doi:10.77/002221940922839

Professor Begona Echeverria published a children’s picture book Basque-ing In Numbers (Kontaketa Euskaraz). Illustrated by Lara Scott (University of Pennsylvania, MFA; Yale University, BA in Art), the book draws on Echeverria's expertise as a Professor at UC Riverside’s Graduate School of Education and experience growing up as the Basque-speaking daughter of immigrants to California.

“Rhythm and alliteration help children learn the words: the object on each page either has the same number of syllables as the number, starts with the same letter, or rhymes with it. The text is in Basque, with English, Spanish and French translations.These features should make the book more accessible to non-Basque speaking parents who would like to expose their children to Euskera, an endangered language unrelated to any other in the world,” said Echevierra.

The following is a round-up of research and accomplishments sent on behalf of UCR SEARCH Center: Professor Jan Blacher; Assistant Professor Katherine Stavropoulos; Professor Keith Widaman; Assistant Professor Raquel Rall. Yasamin Bolourian, PhD Special Education, Post-Doctoral Fellow; Elizabeth Baker, PhD student, School Psychology ; Megan Ledoux Galligan, PhD candidate, Special Education ; Ainsley Losh, PhD student, School Psychology ; Elina Veytsman, PhD student, School Psychology ; Michelle Heyman, PhD student, School Psychology ; Tricia Choy, PhD student, School Psychology ; Katie Fullerton, PhD student, Special Education ; Giselle Salinas, PhD student, Special Education ; Ann Marie Martin, PhD candidate, Special Education

PUBLICATIONS:
Baker, E., Veytsman, E., Martin, A. M., Blacher, J., & Stavropoulos, K. (2020). Increased neural reward responsivity in adolescents with ASD after social skills intervention. Brain Sciences, 10(402). doi:10.3390/brainsci/10060402.

Baker, E., & Stavropoulos, K. K. M. (2020). The effects of oxytocin administration on individuals with ASD: Neuroimaging and behavioral evidence. In Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science (Vol. 173, pp. 209–238).

Heyman M., Bolourian Y., & Blacher J. (2020) Transition to Early Schooling for Children with ASD. In: McClain M., Shahidullah J., Mezher K. (eds) Interprofessional Care Coordination for Pediatric Autism Spectrum Disorder. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46295-6_8

Levinson, S., Neuspiel, J., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2020). Parent-teacher disagreement on ratings of behavior problems in children with ASD: Associations with parental school involvement over time. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04675-1

Rodas, N.V., Blacher, J., & Baker, B. L. (2020) Predictors of anxiety symptom trajectory in children with or without ID from early childhood to adolescence, Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2019.1710787

Rydzewska, E., Fleming, M., Young-Southward, G., Blacher, J., Bolourian, Y., Widaman, K.,Philo, C., & Cooper, S.-A. (2020, in press). General health status in young people with intellectual disabilities with and without Down syndrome in, and transitioning from, special education. Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). Journal of Intellectual Disability Research. DOI: 10.1111/jir.12781

Bolourian, Y., Losh, A., Ledoux Galligan, M.R., Heyman, M., Choy, T., Fullerton, K., & Blacher, J. (2020). Building classroom relationships in elementary school grades: Strategies for teachers during remote teaching. Riverside, CA: Graduate School of Education, University of California Riverside.

Losh, A., Bolourian, Y., Ledoux Galligan, M., Heyman, M., Choy, T., Fullerton, K., Andoni, L., Thammathorn, P., Hastedt, I., Rall, R. M., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2020). Addressing race and racism in the early school years: A guide for educators. Riverside, CA:Graduate School of Education, University of California, Riverside.

Gambetti, B., & Veytsman, E. (2020, Summer). COVID-19 and ASD: Impact on Families, Education, and Services. Psychology in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/Autism Spectrum Disorder: Official Publication of APA Division 33, 46(1).

Note re: Paper and Poster Presentations: All conferences were virtual, or cancelled as indicated.

PAPER PRESENTATION:
Bolourian, Y., Hamsho, N., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2020, May). Smooth Sailing: Iterative development of a teacher-directed intervention. Paper accepted at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), as part of a panel entitled “Parents and Teachers: Collateral Benefits for Children with ASD,” Seattle, WA.

Bolourian, Y., Zeedyk, S., & Blacher, J. (2020, May). Autism and the college experience: An empirical base for faculty preparation in autism. Paper accepted at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR), as part of a panel entitled “Capturing the Complexity of Young Adulthood for Individuals with ASD: Considerations for Measuring, Understanding and Maximizing Outcomes,” Seattle, WA.

Stavropoulos, K., Baker, E., Alba, L., & Veytsman, E. (2020, May). Impact of PEERS Social skills intervention on social motivation and reward. Symposium accepted to the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, USA. (Conference cancelled)

Losh, A., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2020, May). The impact of parent-teacher relationships on student-teacher relationship development for young students with ASD. Paper session accepted as part of the panel Parent and Teacher: Collateral Benefits for Children with ASD to the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) 2020 Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, USA (conference cancelled due to COVID-19).

Bolourian, Y., Ledoux, M., Blacher, J., & Baker, B.L. (2020, April). How worried should we be? Parent and adolescent self-reported anxiety of youth with autism. Paper accepted to the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA.

POSTER PRESENTATION:
Veytsman, E., Ledoux, M.R., Salinas, G., Baker, B., & Blacher, J. (2020, December). Mothers’ perspectives on the future of their young adults with and without developmental disabilities. Abstract submitted to the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, USA.

Ledoux, M.R., Losh, A., Veytsman, E., & Blacher, J. (2020, December). Assessing the service needs of families with children with ASD in the Inland Empire. Abstract submitted to the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, USA.

Veytsman, E., Baker, E., & Stavropoulos, K. (2020, October). Observed effects of the PEERS social skills intervention for a diverse sample of adolescents with ASD. Poster accepted to the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) Annual Convention, Palm Springs, CA, USA. (Virtual conference)

Losh, A., Bolourian, Y., & Blacher, J. (2020, October). Student-Teacher Race Incongruence in ASD: Influence on Early Student-Teacher and Parent-Teacher Relationships. Poster session accepted to the California Association of School Psychologists (CASP) 2020 Annual Convention, Palm Springs CA, USA (conference cancelled due to COVID-19).

Veytsman, E., Salinas, G., Ledoux, M.R., Blacher, J., & Baker, B. (2020, August). Staying positive: Dispositional optimism & attitudes for the future among mothers of adults with IDD. Poster accepted to the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., USA. (Conference cancelled)

Choy, T., Baker E., Veytsman, E., Martin, A.M., Blacher, J., & Stavropoulos, K. (2020, August). The relationship between problem behaviors and family life following the PEERS program. Poster accepted to the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., USA. (Conference cancelled)

Baker, E., Martin, A.M., Veytsman, E., & Stavropoulos, K. (2020, August). Neural correlates of social reward processing following the PEERSintervention. Poster accepted to the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., USA. (Conference cancelled)

Martin, A.M., Baker, E., Veytsman, E., Blacher, J., & Stavropoulos, K. (2020, August). Teen perspectives on the social validity of the PEERS social skills program. Poster accepted to the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., USA. (Conference cancelled)

Losh, A., Bolourian, Y., Rodriguez, G., Eisenhower, A., & Blacher, J. (2020, August). Early student-teacher relationships in ASD: Student perspectives and child factors. Abstract accepted to the American Psychological Association (APA) Annual Conference, Washington DC.

Ledoux, M., Heyman, M., Bolourian, Y., Stavropoulos, K., & Blacher, J. (2020, May). The influence of ADOS-2 E-codes on the assessment and classification of autism spectrum disorder. Abstract accepted to the International Society of Autism Research (INSAR), Seattle, WA.

Ledoux, M., Losh, A., Veytsman, E., & Blacher, J. (2020, May). Assessing the service needs of families with children with ASD in the Inland Empire. Abstract accepted at the International Society for Autism Research Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA.

Veytsman, E., Baker, E., & Stavropoulos, K. (2020, May). Observed effects of the PEERS social skills intervention for adolescents with ASD: A predominantly Latin sample. Poster accepted to the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting, Seattle, WA, USA. (Conference cancelled)

Baker, E., Heyman, M., Bolourian, Y., Baker, B.L, & Blacher, J. (2020, April). The role of siblings: Qualitative perspective of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disability and their caregivers. Abstract accepted to the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA. (Conference canceled)

Heyman, M., Baker, E., Bolourian, Y., Baker, B.L., & Blacher, J. (2020, April). Mother, father, and adolescent perspectives: Sibling relationship quality of individuals with ASD, ID, or TD. Abstract accepted at the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA. (Conference canceled)

Losh, A., Bolourian, Y., Rodriguez, G., & Blacher, J. (2020, April). Early student teacher relationships and ASD: Agreement between student and teacher perspectives. Abstract accepted to the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA. (Conference canceled)

Salinas, G., Veytsman, E., Baker, B., & Blacher, J. (2020, April). Commonalities in coping: Reports from parents of transition age youth across diagnostic groups. Abstract accepted to the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA. (Conference canceled)

Veytsman, E., Ledoux, M., Salinas, G., Baker, B. & Blacher, J., (2020, April). Parent perspectives on the future of their young adults with and without developmental disabilities. Abstract accepted to the Gatlinburg Conference, San Diego, CA. (Conference canceled)

TRAINING, CERTIFICATES, & AWARDS
Elizabeth Baker elected as APA Division 33 (IDD/ASD) Graduate Student Representative

New Funding from Collaborations with the School of Medicine, UCR:
Center for Health Disparities Research, University of California, Riverside. Mental Health and Educational Risks through the Lens of Disparities: Elevating Family Resilience during COVID-19. J. Blacher, PhD, Y. Bolourian, PhD, & R. Lee, MD.

Center for Health Disparities Research, University of California, Riverside. A Tele-Health Model of Screening for Autism in Under-Resourced Communities: Closing the Gap in Access. K. Stavropoulos, PhD, T. Cooper, MD, & J. Blacher, PhD

"Teaching from Home: Online Learning for Student Success During Challenging Times"

juliep — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:20:37 +0000

"Teaching from Home: Online Learning for Student Success During Challenging Times" juliep Thu, 07/23/2020 - 09:20 More News July 23, 2020

With the recent announcement of schools throughout the region starting online in the Fall, educators are, once again, implementing distance learning. To support our alumni and community partners in taking their classrooms virtual, UC Riverside Graduate School of Education is hosting a Zoom conversation with Interim Dean Louie Rodriguez and GSOE faculty centered on effective online teaching strategies on Thursday, July 30 at 3pm.

The event, which marks the first in the new "GSOE in the Community" series, aims to begin a conversation on practical strategies for online teaching between GSOE faculty and community members. Our goal is to provide as many practical responses as possible to help facilitate student and teacher success.

"Teaching from Home: Online Learning for Student Success During Challenging Times"
Thursday, July 30, 3pm - 4pm
REGISTER HERE

Some of the topics that will be addressed:

What active learning methods can be applied to an online format?
What are some of the best ways to engage students in STEM content areas?
What should my expectations be in an online teaching format?
What equity concerns should educators be considering in the context of a pandemic and ongoing challenges with race, racism, and systemic inequality?

**The webinar will be hosted in Zoom. You're invited to submit questions ahead of time when you register.**

FEATURED PANELISTS

Interim Dean Louie Rodriguez

Dr. Louie F. Rodríguez is an educator, researcher, author, professor, and speaker in the field of urban education. He is the current Interim Dean of the Graduate School of Education at UCR, the Bank of America Chair in Educational Leadership, Policy, and Practice, and the founding director of the Center for Educational Transformation. His research examines issues in Latina/o/x education, participatory action research, and educational equity. Dr. Rodriguez is the author of nearly 50 publications, and has received numerous honors including the American Education Research Association (AERA) Hispanic Research Issues SIG Award for Research in Elementary, Secondary, and Postsecondary Education in 2019, and Outstanding Latino Faculty by the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education (AAHHE) in 2015.

Dr. Kinnari Atit
Assistant Professor, UCR GSOE

Dr. Kinnari Atit is an assistant professor in educational psychology. Her research aims to increase access and broaden participation in STEM by focusing her work on two areas: 1) supporting and developing K-16 students’ and educators’ skills relevant to STEM teaching and learning, and 2) promoting STEM learning through engagement in multimedia learning platforms. She is the principal investigator on a grant from the California Department of Education titled Supporting Student Learning about Molecular Structures from Simulations. For this project, she leads a research team that will design and determine effective online formative assessments and the associated feedback for online simulations presenting fundamental introductory chemistry concepts. Additionally, she is the co-principal investigator on a Plant Biology Learning Objectives, Outreach Materials & Education grant which aims to measure the efficacy of a one-year outreach program that brings NGSS-aligned plant sciences activities to local middle school classrooms.

Dr. Eddie Comeaux
Associate Professor, UCR GSOE

Dr. Eddie Comeaux is an associate professor of higher education, and founder and executive director of the Center for Athletes’ Rights and Equity (CARE) at the University of California, Riverside. His research interests are located in the broad field of higher education and include racial equity and policy issues. Dr. Comeaux has authored more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and other academic publications and reports. He has also published five books, including his most recent book: High Achieving African American Students and the College Choice Process: Applying Critical Race Theory (Routledge, 2020). For his scholarly work, Dr. Comeaux received the Outstanding Contribution Award from AERA’s Research Focus on Education and Sport Special Interest Group (SIG), and the Dr. Carlos J. Vallejo Memorial Award for Exemplary Scholarship from AERA’s Multicultural/Multiethnic Education SIG.

Dr. Cathy Lussier
Assistant Professor, UCR GSOE

Dr. Cathy Lussier, an assistant professor of teaching, has been the director of two U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences grants (one focused on problem-solving interventions using working memory in mathematics, the other on literacy and cognition for Spanish-speaking English Learners). Prior to that, she co-directed The Copernicus Project, a U.S. Department of Education, Office of Post-Secondary Education five-year grant aimed at STEM teacher development and making science more accessible to underrepresented high school and community college students. She is also the co-principal investigator of the NSF Noyce Scholars program, the faculty co-director of the Cal Teach Science Math Initiative (SMI), and the faculty team leader for the NASA Minority Education Institute (NASA MEI). Additionally, she has worked for several years with her colleagues at NASA-JPL to provide K-12 student and STEM training and teacher development workshops throughout southern California.

UCR and NASA on shared mission to bring STEM education to local schools

juliep — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 22:32:54 +0000

UCR and NASA on shared mission to bring STEM education to local schools juliep Fri, 02/08/2019 - 14:32 More News Julie Porter February 11, 2019 Riverside, Ca

Three years ago, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, or JPL, joined forces with UC Riverside’s Graduate School of Education to bring science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, programming to schools throughout the region.

The partnership began when NASA selected UCR Assistant Professor of Teaching Cathy Lussier as a faculty team leader for NASA’s Minority University and Research Education Project, a program aimed at providing minority-serving institutions with awards and resources. Along with a team of student teachers, Lussier officially kicked off the partnership by attending a weeklong summer institute at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the results of which left lasting impressions.

“The NASA JPL experts and I worked together that week to help ensure my student team had fun making active connections between learning theories and some pretty great hands-on STEM activities that they could then take into their own classrooms,” Lussier said. “By the end of that week, you could palpably feel thestudents gain confidence in themselves as future science educators as a product of the work we were doing in refining their science teaching skills using those NASA resources.”

Shaped by Lussier and NASA JPL education specialists Brandon Rodriguez and Paula Partida, the collaboration with UCR now includes daylong, on-campus immersive development workshops for future teachers. Student teachers are also given access to NASA resources and educational materials that implement Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as well as opportunities to participate in summer institutes at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA’s Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, located at Edwards Air Force Base.

Although federal funding for these educational programs was abruptly cut in 2018, the Graduate School of Education stepped in to safeguard the continuation of those already planned throughout inland Southern California. The result is an expanded partnership that provides support for 34 K-12 student and teacher workshops at local schools, and even honors standing workshops the Jet Propulsion Laboratory had set up with schools that weren’t part of UCR’s original partnership or where UCR alumni are currently teaching.

“NASA provides great resources and programs implementing Next Generation Science Standards, and I am excited that UCR can help provide students and educators throughout the region with the opportunity to learn these tools,” said Thomas M. Smith, dean of UCR’s Graduate School of Education.

The workshops range from professional development sessions to school visits designed to get K-12 students and educators alike more excited about science education. One recent session geared toward student teachers enrolled in UCR’s teacher education program focused on lunar and meteorite training and certification, for example.

First-graders at Del Sol Academy testing their lunar lander's made out of sandwich bags, cups, straws and marshmallows.

This past month, meanwhile, recent alumna and first-year teacher Leah Dawdy organized a STEM development workshop at Del Sol Academy, part of the Jurupa Unified School District. During the event, 110 first-graders got a crash course in engineering principles as they built marshmallow lunar landers and spaghetti towers. The idea was to get students not only interested in exploring science and engineering, but also involved in practicing important skills such as making predictions, collecting data in the form of observations, evaluating outcomes, and suggesting revisions.

“What I've always valued about working with UCR is the implicit understanding that we are part of a team,” said Rodriguez, NASA education specialist. “Participants at UCR events walk through the door with the understanding that a workshop is just the first step of a collaboration that will span their teaching careers. For the past three years, it has been clear to me that we're not simply creating events; we're shaping a strategy for impactful science instruction.”

Lussier added, “When you consider that UCR has a long history of educational research and pedagogical knowledge, and NASA JPL has the diverse STEM content experts and Next Generation Science Standard educational specialists, it just feels, three years in, like an obvious and natural collaboration to come together to help students using our shared expertise.”