Education Students and Alumni Help Advance Cross-Cultural Collaboration
Thursday, January 20, 2022
Junior Courtney Kerrigan reviews a book on recent changes in the American education system.
The 3rd and newest edition of the Young Scientists Grinchenko – Seton International Journal has been published.
This electronic journal is a combined effort of both students and faculty at Seton Hall and the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine. A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two institutions, and for over thirteen years research, collaborative projects, virtual seminars and conference presentations have provided for study and exploration of important topics and issues. In addition to the publication of this journal, in November work by both alumni and undergraduates from both institutions was presented at the Annual Conference of the International Assembly of the National Council for the Social Studies.
This edition features work from eight students in both the secondary and the elementary education programs at Seton Hall. As in the past, the students addressed a range of issues and topics. Something new for this 3rd edition are reviews of books students have recently read. After each issue is published students meet virtually to discuss their work. A follow up event is being planned for scheduled the spring semester.
Student contributors for this publication include the following:
Matthew Youngberg, a Secondary Education and History major, shares a paper focused on the education of males in the 18th century and an analysis of John Locke's views on education. Gender is a topic routinely addressed in education classes at Seton Hall, and this historic view is of interest.
Secondary Ed and History major, Ethan Hom, reflects on the central themes of the book Evicted, by Matt Desmond.
Colette Cutrona is a Secondary Education and Biology major. She provides a personal and thoughtful reflection on being a first-generation university student (Gen 1). Her experience is different from many, if not most, of her classmates. She examines what many in our country refer to as "The American Dream", and the challenges in attaining it.
Lincoln Parker, a second-year student, is a Secondary Education and History major. He reflects on his pre-collegiate schooling. Parker grew up in Maine, and his schooling was in many ways atypical from most students here at the University. His views have been influenced by the theories addressed in his education classes. He comes to conclusions about what makes for effective schooling
Sara Otremsky is a junior majoring in Elementary Education and Speech-Language Pathology. She writes about one of over 150 student organizations at Seton Hall. Otremsky describes how a student led group has helped build a sense of community. Hers is a challenging academic major, and the organization about which she writes has been a source of support and professional growth.
Katie Walsh, is a senior studying in the dual degree 4 + 2 years program of Elementary Education/ Special Education along with Speech Pathology. She prepared a review of the book Star Teachers of Children in Poverty (Haberman, M., Gilette, M., Hill, D. Teachers of Children in Poverty. 2nd ed., Routledge, 2018.). This book builds on prior work done by Martin Haberman, with Maureen Gillette and Djanna Hill examining more current settings. The research suggests what benefits children in poverty settings.
In her essay, senior Katie Walsh reviews Star Teachers of Children in Poverty, which is co-authored by former CEHS dean, Maureen Gillette.
Olivia N. Correia, a sophomore, is a Secondary Education and English major seeking certification in Special Education. She chose to review the book Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, (Text Publishing Company, 2015). This work is written as a letter from Coates to his son. It describes his journey from childhood to the present time, with a focus on his vision of the challenges facing African Americans.
Courtney Kerrigan, is a junior Elementary Education and Special Education Major with a second major in Social and Behavioral Sciences. She provides a review of a book that gives readers an interesting examination of recent changes in the American education system. Diane Ravitch has changed her perspective from her days in politics and writes of what she feels has been lost. Her book is, The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and choice are undermining education. (Basic Books).
Ethan Hom is a junior studying Secondary Education and History. Ethan reviews the book Evicted, Poverty and Profit in the American City (Crown Publishing, 2016). The author, Matt Desmond, spends a year living with people who have been evicted, and the landlords who evict them. Ethan has chosen to present his work not as a paper, but in a unique format identifying what he feels are essential themes and providing his reflections.
"My colleague, Dr. Olga Tarasenko, and I believe that readers will find this edition informative and interesting.," explains James Daly, Ed.D., a professor in the College of Education and Human Services professor and co-founder with Dr. Tarasenko, of Young Scientists. "This publication supports university students by facilitating their ability to share their voices and their experiences. The topics cover a broad range of issues and interests. The first edition of this journal featured a bridge on the cover. The bridge on the cover of the first issue clearly demonstrated our commitment to helping students bridge their differences and discover their similarities."
