Closing The GapEastErn KEntucKy univErsity collEgE of Education • WintEr 2010

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IDE Assistant Dean Keynote Conference in India ..................................................... Page 2

SOAR: An Enrichment Program for Gifted Students .......................................... Page 3Evening of Excellence ........................................................................................ Page 3College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff ....................................................... Page 4College Welcomes New Faculty and Staff ........................................................ Page 5Collabration is Emphasized in EDF 413 ............................................................. Page 5EKU’S “Call Me Mister” Program ........................................................................ Page 6ASL Monster Bash ............................................................................................ Page 6Summer Activities of CMSAA ............................................................................ Page 7EKU Interpreter Outreach Efforts ....................................................................... Page 7Student Program News and Spring Events ........................................................ Page 8

On Wednesday, Oc-tober 28, Kentucky Education Commis-sioner Terry Holliday visited EKU with his wife, Denise. Dr. Hol-liday toured the Mod-el Laboratory School with Department of

Curriculum and In-struction Chair Dorie Combs, and met indi-vidually with President Whitlock, and with Executive Vice President Moberly. Education Dean Bill Phillips hosted the Commissioner and his wife to a private lunch with the President, and key members of Eastern’s faculty and administration. James Dantic, Director of Model Lab, assisted by Tim Hoover, gave a lunch presentation on the Model Vision. Following lunch, Commissioner Holliday addressed Dr. Richard Day’s and Dr. June Hyndman’s EDF 203 students, in the Grise Auditorium. All EKU faculty, staff, and stu-dents were invited to attend Commissioner Holliday’s discussion on the importance of high quality teaching, and his insights for the future of education in the Commonwealth. In the afternoon, Commissioner Holliday met with faculty members of the College of Education and the Math Department of the College of Arts and Sciences, to discuss math transition, Educational Extension Agents, EKU as partners with KDE, the Middle School Center, and the Doctoral program in Educational Leadership at EKU. Following the meeting Education Dean Bill Phillips said, “As a result of our meet-ing, KDE and EKU will collaborate to help schools and communities get better together. One initiative is to provide transition courses for math, reading, and writing so high school graduates can come to higher education ready for rigorous coursework.” During his lecture, Dr. Holliday chal-lenged students to learn how to embrace technology in their classrooms. “Every one of you, I bet, has a cell phone...Think about all

the ability you have to retrieve information, share it with each other, edit information, and do the work in the classroom with your cell phone, or a laptop. But what we do with stu-dents, when they come in the door, is we tell them to slow down...We’re still teaching 18th century style in a 21st century classroom. So, I encourage you as professors, and I encour-age you as teachers to figure out what makes a good teacher for 21st century learning.” Holliday warned the students and pro-fessors that high stakes assessment would continue and grow. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go out and get that job teaching. And we’re going to track you back to your university preparation program. We’re going to provide the professors ...with data that tells them how effective you are as a teacher.” But he also called for making teacher evaluations fairer to teachers than NCLB has allowed. “Now, here is the thing that we cannot let happen: We cannot let it happen that the only measure we look at is performance on standardized tests,” Holliday said. “No Child Left Behind, if it’s done one thing, it’s let us know which children aren’t getting it. But what it’s done probably more than anything - and many professors and many researchers will tell you this - there is a concern that maybe No Child Left Behind actually dumbed down America.” Holliday encouraged the students, and underscored the importance of highly effec-tive teachers in building a better Kentucky. “Don’t tell me teachers don’t make a differ-ence. Teachers are the only thing that makes the most difference. I can tell you that we

shouldn’t be spending our time repainting the Cadillac. We ought to be spending our time focusing on helping you guys be great instruction people. And principals need to be great instruction leaders. Just reshaping and making magnet schools, and schools of choice, and this, that, and the other - none of that’s going to work, unless you change what happens in the classroom.”

Dr. Day said of the visit, “The commis-sioner’s visit brought a real spark of excite-ment to the lecture hall. Students thought they were going to hear just another politician. What they heard instead was a leader who not only challenged them to become great teach-ers, but who wanted to listen to their ideas. And the students did not disappoint. Their questions challenged the commissioner to make good on his idea of producing an online instructional resource for teachers in all areas of the curriculum that would support teacher effectiveness; and for an accountability sys-tem that evaluated teachers more fairly.”

Continued to page 2

Education Commissioner Terry Holliday Visits EKU

Commissioner Holliday chats with Dr. Billy Thames.

Dr. Terry Holliday

Dr. Sherwood Thompson, Assistant Dean and Associate Professor of Education-al Leadership and Policy Studies, recently spent two weeks in Southern India, touring colleges and presenting at the Conference on Educational Leadership and Practices in India. Thompson’s presentation was titled “A Rubric for Teacher Leader Standards: Im-proving Enhancing Teacher Leaders Perfor-mance.” He presented before an audience of college administrators, faculty, graduate students, and educational policy officials. The conference was a joint meeting of scholars and educational policy makers who are involved in the school leadership prepa-ration and practice in India, Europe, United States, and Southeast Asia. The conference highlighted best practice models of educa-tional leadership in general, and special edu-

cation areas; policy implementations of edu-cational leadership preparation programs; leadership preparation in Higher Education Administration; and content and delivery of technology in educational leadership prepa-ration programs. The conference focused on the need to train, recruit, and retain school leaders who will shape the schools of the fu-ture. This international conference was held at the Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Education, in Coimbatore, India: the first College of Education in India to be awarded the status of autonomy. This is a major educational centre of the well-known Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, Howrah, West Bengal, and is situated in Southern In-dia. The Vidyalaya strives to infuse the edu-cational and spiritual ideas of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, into

the daily lives of its students. Mahatma Gan-dhi, the Father of India, laid the foundation stone at the College, in 1934. Over the last year, Thompson spent seven weeks traveling to over 21 cities and towns in India. His traveling provided the opportu-nity to lecture, present at international con-ferences, and meet with educational scholars and policy makers from around the world.

2 • Closing The Gap • Winter 2009

Assistant Dean at Keynote Conference in India

Holliday Visits EKUI think it is both reflective of how serious you are about this preparation to become teachers; but it’s also a great testimony to the job our faculty is doing here, exposing you to some of the real issues in education today. That was a feel good moment for me, so thanks.” Later that day, the class got a “shout out” from Dr. Holliday on his Twitter site. “Great visit today with staff at EKU. Very impressed with students in Richard Day’s class, and questions they asked, in session on [teacher effectiveness].” Dr. Hyndman added: “It was a pleasure meeting Dr. Holliday. He is one of us, a true practitioner with children in mind. Kentucky is blessed to have a commissioner who has high expectations for student achievement, tempered with the realization that testing is a tool, but not the complete answer. A highly qualified and caring teacher is the heart of student success.” Richard Day concluded: “It was a great day for us. Not only did the Commissioner inspire our students, but Eastern solidified itself, as an active partner for school im-provement alongside the Kentucky Depart-ment of Education. When the commissioner considers his resources for enhanced student achievement in Kentucky, I feel confident he will think MAROON.”

Continued from page 1 The students responded strongly to the Commissioner’s speech. Garrett Walt said: “It’s good to see that Kentucky’s education future is looking brighter and brighter. With the system in capable hands (hands that work closely with EKU, no less!), hopefully we can be on the cutting edge of education.” Bree Wilson said, “As a future Kentucky teacher, I can say with confidence that I am truly excited about the future of Kentucky

s c h o o l s under the d i r ec t ion of Terry Hol l iday. Mr. Holli-day seems genuinely

interested in improving Kentucky schools-and let’s be honest, there is a lot of room for improvement.” Michael Sparks said, “I was very im-pressed with the ideas that Kentucky’s new Education Commissioner shared with all of us on his visit to EKU. I will be the first to admit that I was not sure that his visit was going to have any effect on my decision to become an educator in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I was, very quickly, proven inaccurate. Mr. Holliday wasted no time in presenting to all of us at EKU his plans for the future of education in Kentucky. Mr.

Holliday has very ambitious goals for educa-tion in the Commonwealth, and I intend to be part of it, in the near future.” Andrea James said: “I was thrilled to see Dr. Holiday’s discussion on quality and teacher effectiveness. I felt this was a great lesson for me, as an upcoming teacher, and also to those currently teaching across the state. I particularly liked his plan for assess-ing effectiveness. Too often, teachers pass by year to year with just being mediocre; we want excellence.” Dana Winkler added: “After hearing Dr. Holliday’s speech in class this past week, I was truly inspired to continue on the track of education. As a speech pathologist major, I sometimes feel that these education classes don’t affect me as much as general educa-tion majors. Yet Dr. Holliday made it a point that all aspects of education are important, and all forms of teachers make the most dif-ference in a student’s life. Dr. Holliday is a very determined man, and I look forward to seeing his progress and the great things he will do for the state of Kentucky. I left class sharing his passion for education, and with excitement for the future.” At the close of Dr. Holliday’s chat, Presi-dent Whitlock complimented the students. “Now, I want to say some nice things about the students in this room. I was very proud of the quality and depth of the questions that our students asked in here today, because

EKU student Jason Williams asks a question of Commissioner Terry Holliday.

Winter 2009 • Closing The Gap • 3

An Evening of Excellence with the Dean” took place on Thursday, October 22, 2009; the first event of its kind, hosted by EKU’s College of Education. Education candidates, EKU faculty, Model Laboratory School faculty, principals from local schools, and other volunteers worked together to make the evening a success. Participants (175+ attending) received a t-shirt upon comple-tion of three of the evening’s activities. The evening began with a presentation of awards. Education candidates receiv-ing awards for exemplary portfolios were Ashley K. Arvin, Whitney Charles, Can-dice Brackett, Janette Mangin, Bridget Felts, Amie MacDonald, and Charles Rains. Amanda Potts received an award for col-laboration with peers, during methods block. After the presentation of awards, at-tendees chose among 11 different break-out sessions hosted by faculty, education candidates, and candidate organizations. Topics of breakout sessions ranged from “The Secret Strategy for Selecting Teach-ers: One Principal’s Priority List” to a “Stu-dent Teaching Panel” consisting of seven education candidates. EDF 203 candidates took part in mock interviews, in order to

hone their interview skills. The evening culminated with the showing of an educa-tional themed movie, followed by analysis. The next “Evening of Excellence” will take place on Thursday, March 18, 2010 at Model Laboratory School from 5-9PM. Education candidates are encouraged to cre-ate an Adobe Illustrator T-shirt design using the EKU College of Education Conceptual Framework as the theme. Ideas will be due in February. If interested in submitting a design and attending a workshop on Adobe Illustra-tor, please contact june.hyndman@eku.edu.

Evening of Excellence

Dean Phillips presenting Whitney Charles with an “Evening of Excellence” portfolio award.

Soar to New Heights...

An Enrichment Program for Gifted Students

come, first-served” basis, and usually based upon their first choice. This helps ensure the relevance of the class to individual students’ interests and strengths. The Soar to New Heights teachers orga-nize their classrooms assisted by students so that they have team learning experiences, which often result in opportunity for positive interactions with their classmates. In class, students learn directly through experiences by seeing and doing, rather than just listen-ing. For example, the CSI class visited the EKU Criminal Justice facilities to see prob-lem solving in action. Teachers help students set goals, complete projects, and some con-tacted mentors. Student accomplishments are shared periodically within the class, as well as at the Share Fair. The Share Fair is the final day of the pro-gram, in which each class shares their class projects for parents and friends. Students are excited and proud to see their projects, and participate in performances. Approximately 100 people, plus the students, attended the Share Fair. As part of the Soar to New Heights Pro-gram, a special parent session is offered each year. This year the speaker’s topic was Ten Essential Elements for Parenting Your Gift-ed Child. Seven parents attended the parent session the first year, and 45 the second year. The parent sessions offer to develop an im-proved personal awareness, and enhance the family educational experience. Several par-ents requested more sessions for parents. To be placed on a mailing list and re-ceive information for the 2010 Soar to New Heights Program, contact Jeanie Goertz at jeanie.goertz@eku.edu or Debra Sparks at debra.sparks@eku.edu

In an effort to address the differential needs of gifted students and accelerated learners, Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Education created the Soar to New Heights Program, a two-week summer program for gifted children, in grades 1-5. This program has been conducted the past two summers on EKU campus, and fulfills the practicum requirement for the Gifted Endorsement Program. The Soar to New Heights classes are designed to meet gifted children’s educational enrichment needs be-yond their everyday classroom experiences. Teachers who teach in the program are cer-tified and are completing their practicum requirement for the gifted endorsement pro-gram. This year nine teachers participated, and they now qualify to apply for the gifted endorsement. In addition, two teacher assis-tants were assigned to classes, and approxi-mately ten preservice teachers who attended EKU summer education classes made spe-cial arrangements with the director to ob-serve some of the classes.

The first year of the program, 35 stu-dents attended, and this summer enrollment increased to 75 students, and 15 students were turned away, because classes were al-ready filled to capacity. Students who apply to attend the Soar to New Heights Program prioritize their choices of classes. They are assigned to their selected classes on a “first-

This year classes included:

Build-a-Bot: a class of ten 4th and 5th grade students who designed, built, and programmed robots! They used technology and engineering skills to create their robots.

CSI: A Crime Scene Investigators class of twenty 4th and 5th grade students used science-based inquiry to investigate crimes and find physical evidence! Students were part of a detective team that used the same tools that police officers used to find and lift fingerprints handle and classify physical evidence, are sketch and photograph crime scenes.

The Amazing Race: Class of fifteen 2nd and 3rd grade students used technology to “visit” different coun-tries armed with clues that point them to their next destination.

A Kitchen Chemistry: Class of fourteen 2nd and 3rd grade students explored the basics of chemistry, while cooking up lots of fun in the kitchen.

Dr. Seuss on the Loose: class of sixteen 1st and 2nd graders, discovered the magical world of Dr. Seuss through hands-on art and science projects based on his books, and created their own Seuss-like world.

4 • Closing The Gap • Winter 2009

Karen Maloley is a 2008 gradu-ate of Michigan State Univer-sity, with a Ph.D. in Curriculum, Teaching and Educational Policy. Her interests include assessment,

accountability, and teacher decision-making. She is teaching elementary social studies methods, in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Karen is serving as the Col-lege of Education representative to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Annie Kipp was recently hired as a 5th grade instructor at Model Laboratory School. An-nie is a lifelong resident of Richmond, and attended Model from Pre-K through gradu-ation. Annie graduated from Eastern Ken-tucky University in 2008 with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. As an un-dergraduate, she worked at the EKU Coun-seling Center, and was active in the Student Government Association. She is currently working toward her Master of Arts in Educa-tion: Elementary Education Reading/Writ-ing Emphasis. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, traveling, volunteering, watching college sports, and swimming.

Angie Madden is a Visiting Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. She teaches Teaching Reading and Language Arts in the Elementary

School, and supervises pre-service teach-ers in their practicum field experience. She began her career as an elementary school teacher, and is currently completing her Doctorate in Literacy Education, at the Uni-versity of Kentucky. Her research focuses on literacy identity development or the ways in which students come to see themselves as readers and writers in elementary literacy classrooms with the goal of working toward creating equitable learning environments, where all students succeed.

Michael Milcznski was hired at EKU, as a PEPNet Outreach Spe-cialist under the Center on Deaf-ness housed in the ASLIE depart-ment which is chaired by Laurence

Hayes. He grew up on Staten Island, which is about 20 minutes from New York City. He is deaf and graduated from Gallaudet

University in 2005, with a degree in Com-munications. His interests include playing golf, Bible research, playing video games, reading books and learning new things from the readings, teasing others, astronomy, and keeping a sense of humor. He believes that with the 5 senses God has given us the sense of humor is an excellent addition and there-fore makes it the 6th sense!

Audrey Ruiz Lambert joined the ASLIE department in August. She teaches ITP classes as well as works with Outreach providing workshops to Interpreters across

the state. Her main focus in the Outreach area is providing support to K-12 Interpret-ers. She has been interpreting professionally for 20 years, and obtained her national cer-tification in 1997. Before moving into her own private interpreting practice, Audrey interpreted in K-12 schools for 11 years. Her degree is in Spanish and her interest now is in second language acquisition since ASL is a second language for most of the interpret-ing students.

Ginny Veeder feels her transition to EKU has been much better than she could have imagined! Grate-ful for the warm welcome and as-sistance she received from the staff

in the Office of the Dean, where she works, she is steadily learning the processes neces-sary to perform her assigned duties, and feels honored to be a part of the College of Educa-tion team. Coming to Kentucky via Illinois, Ginny previously worked at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for the past 11 ½ years. In the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences - Office of Advancement, she was the Office Manager for LAS Alumni Rela-tions and Special Events. She assisted the Senior Director of Alumni Relations with all facets of alumni events, from the plan-ning stages through the registration process, attending to administer the event, and all follow-up that included paying the bills. This department also worked closely with a Board of Directors that gave much direction to their work. Ginny and her husband John are very proud of their two children, Heather & Brian. Both graduated from Berea Col-lege. They became acquainted with this area

when they visited their children at college. Milder winters and a change of landscape sealed their desire to move to this area. No longer is the terrain flat with corn and soy-bean fields in mile-square sections of farm land, but now they see the “cattle on a thou-sand hills,” with winding roads all around. Living just outside Berea, they have begun to explore the area, and share new experi-ences unique to Appalachian life. Time spent with family is highly treasured! Her hobbies include being outdoors, taking walks, flower & vegetable gardening, listening to music, baking, and completing Sudoku puzzles. Ginny’s favorite season is summer, and she loves to decorate for Christmas, and enjoys all the wonderful holiday music!

Sheila Lippman is a visiting Professor of music, teaching on the elementary level, at Model Laboratory School. She received her B.A. from Alderson-Broaddus

College, Philippi, WV, and her Master of Music from Austin Peay University, Clarks-ville, TN. Her teaching experience includes elementary music in Metro Nashville Public Schools, TN, and most recently, humanities and chorus teacher at the middle school level for Madison County Schools. Lippman is a member of MENC, and the Richmond Ce-cilian Music Club. She has three children: Kevin (army captain), and twins Garrett and Danika, who attend universities in Tennes-see. She and her husband, Greg, reside in Richmond.

Vanessa Howard is the new Phys-ical Education Teacher at Model Lab School. Vanessa earned her Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education and Health from Lind-

sey Wilson College, in 2005. She then went on to teach PE at Scott Middle School, on the military post in Fort Knox, Kentucky, for three years. Vanessa also coached soccer and cheerleading at Fort Knox. Vanessa re-cently finished her first season of coaching the Model High School Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team, with a record of 15-4-1. The team won the title of 2009 28th District Champions.

College Welcomes New Faculty and StaffThe College of Education is pleased to welcome new faculty and staff to the ranks during summer and fall of 2009

Winter 2009 • Closing The Gap • 5

Melinda Lake is pleased to be serving as a second grade teacher at Model Laboratory School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Masters of Arts

in Teaching in 2005. She received her un-dergraduate degree from EKU and is also a graduate of Model. She taught second grade for three years in the Madison County School System. Melinda as been married for 15 years to Clay Lake and they reside in Berea with their three daughters. Their two oldest daughters are students at Model Lab. She is every pleased to have the opportunity to be part of such a special university and of the Model family.

Dr. Charles Hausman is an Asso-ciate Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He has served as a public school teacher, adminis-

trator, Director of Research and Evaluation, and Associate Superintendent of the Salt Lake City School District (SLCSD). He also has served on the faculties in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky,

University of Utah, and University of Maine, receiving awards for outstanding teaching. Dr. Hausman attained his PhD in Education-al Leadership and Policy from Vanderbilt University. His areas of academic interests include the educational consequences of school choice for students, families, teach-ers, and principals program evaluation and data-driven decision-making the role of the principal in school improvement and strate-gies to close student achievement gaps. He has conducted evaluations funded by the Na-tional Science Foundation, Spencer Founda-tion, and OERI. In addition he has published approximately 25 articles in refereed jour-nals, edited books, and made over 40 pre-sentations at national conferences.

Tara Shepperson arrived this fall from Honolulu, Hawaii to teach in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies doctoral program. She received a BA in History from

Santa Clara University, a MA in Anthropol-ogy from the University of Nevada, Las Ve-gas, and a PhD in Educational Leadership, from the University of Nevada, Reno. In

2008-09, she received a Certificate in Ad-vanced Study in Evaluation from Claremont Graduate University. Her research interests focus on program evaluation, qualitative re-search, and social foundations of education. Dr. Shepperson loves all things outdoors, and is enjoying getting to know the area through weekend hikes.

William “Billy” Gulley, Jr. works as an American Sign Language Sign Lab Assistant Manager, in the American Sign Language and Interpreter Education (ASLIE)

department. Graduating Magna Cum Laude from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in 2005, he majored in Computer Informa-tion Systems. Previous to coming to EKU’s ASLIE department, he worked for Amazon.com, Office of Financial Institutions, and Timberland. Billy comes from a large deaf family, enjoys working in the Sign Lab, teaching, and tutoring his native language, American Sign Language. In his free time, Billy enjoys playing video games and read-ing anything of interest to him. He loves op-portunities to travel to any place new.

College Welcomes New Faculty and StaffThe College of Education is pleased to welcome new faculty and staff to the ranks during summer and fall of 2009

Collaboration is Emphasized in EDF 413 In the EDF 413 Assessment in Education classes collaboration is taken seriously. Dur-ing the second week of the class the EKU Teacher Dispositions are reviewed and the candidates are reminded that many of the as-sessments they will be doing as teachers will be done in collaboration with other teachers. That week a partner assignment is required. Two weeks later, as students are required to figure the grades of a simulated K-12 class, they are encouraged to check their work with one another. Fairness in grading is another topic that is discussed in groups. Other col-laboration assignments take place through-out the semester. Shortly after midterm the students are re-quired to do a collaboration project in which they look at a common assignment about the writing of constructed-response items in their individual fields. As a group, they then create a rubric by which the assign-ment would be graded. In the above picture three middle school candidates are working together to decide on the criteria they will

place on the rubric, so it aligns with the as-signment. After candidates have completed the as-signment, they use the rubric to grade one another’s assignments and give feedback. This simulates the experience they will have

when they are teachers and have to create common assess-ments and ru-brics by which they are graded.

It also allows them to be reflective about their test-item writing skills, as they decide whether the feedback they receive is valid and useful or whether it is not. After deter-mining that they update their assignment and submit it to the professor along with the group’s rubric, a log of their meeting times, when papers were sent to one another, and when feedback was provided. Since two of the sections of EDF 413 are offered online, some of the groups do the

group work by “meeting” on SKYPE. Some of them meet in person and some use other social networking sites, like Facebook. The exchange of assignments and feedback takes place primarily by e-mail. The logs indicate that a lot of texting takes place during the project as well.

As the end of the semester nears students are required to do a large assessment project on a topic that they plan to teach. As they begin to work on it they are again required to share their drafts with peers for review and feedback.

Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on the fact that assessment involves the development of the ability to create or choose appropriate assessments, the abil-ity to grade fairly, and the ability to inter-pret various statistical measures. However, an overlay of the class involves the fact that assessment in schools requires coordination with others and the ability to collaborate ef-fectively.

6 • Closing The Gap • Winter 2009

American males in society, it tends to be negative,” Powell said. “Here is an oppor-tunity to show for the MISTERs themselves, and to the community at large, that there are very positive contributions that African American males are making, and can make.“Education,” said Powell, “is the new civil rights movement. It’s one of the best ways of making an impact on the future because one person can have an invaluable influence on hundreds of young people.” “We want to produce a graduate who’s going to change lives, be a real help agent in the schools,” Thompson added.Dr. Roy Jones, director of the Call Me MIS-TER program at Clemson, said: “We are quite excited to have Eastern Kentucky University join the growing partnership of institutions to launch Call Me MISTER. From the very start, we were impressed with EKU’s persis-tent, demonstrated interest prior to our site visit. Dr. Sherwood Thompson, our initial connection with EKU, gave us a tremendous sense of confidence that EKU could provide the leadership, commitment, and environ-ment necessary for students participating in Call Me MISTER to succeed. “That belief was affirmed during our site visit to EKU,” added Jones, who received the 2009 Pacesetters Award from the Ameri-can Association of Blacks in Higher Educa-tion. “Both the College of Education and administration pledged their support, and have worked tirelessly to meet their goals. I am greatly encouraged by the willingness of program leadership at EKU to work closely with us at Clemson to provide enriching ex-periences off site during the summer. I have little doubt Call Me MISTER at EKU will become a model program that we will all point to with great pride.” Students who would like to learn more about the program should visit www.coe.eku.edu/mister or contact one of the follow-ing: Dr. Roger Cleveland at 859-622-6678 or roger.cleveland@eku.edu, Dr. Sherwood Thompson at 859-622-1175 or sherwood.thompson@eku.edu, Dr. Norman Powell at 859-622-1828 or norman.powell@eku.edu or Felisa Wilson, recruiting and retention specialist with the College of Education, at 859-622-1828 or felisa.wilson@eku.edu. Cleveland, Thompson and Powell hope to replicate the program at some point to similarly target Latino males.

African American children comprise 17 percent of the student population nation-wide, but their chances of seeing an Afri-can-American male teacher in front of their classroom are about 1 in 100. Hoping to close that gap, Eastern Ken-tucky University recently became the first college or university in the Commonwealth or any adjacent state to join the Call Me MISTER (Mentors Instructing Students To-ward Effective Role Modeling) program, a national initiative that begun at Clemson University and seeks to attract more African American males to the teaching profession. The MISTER acronym also refers to the classic film “In the Heat of the Night,” in which Sidney Poitier’s character demands respect with the line, “They call me Mister Tibbs!” Five EKU freshmen are enrolled in the program, which is housed in and funded by the University’s College of Education, but the program is open to all undergraduate and graduate students who plan to pursue a ca-reer in elementary or middle school teach-ing. “We want to help our MISTER Scholars frame their consciousness around a com-mitment to education, develop a sense of responsibility, and gain the courage to suc-ceed,” said Dr. Sherwood Thompson, assis-tant dean of EKU’s College of Education.Participants in the program must be Eastern students from Kentucky, show a strong inter-est in the teaching profession, and maintain at least a “B” average. In order to be select-ed, they also must complete two essays: one

explaining why they want to be an educator, another about how the MISTER program will help them achieve their goals. They will also participate in an interview. “This is not a remediation program,” emphasized Dr. Norman Powell, director of Teacher Education Services for the College of Education. “We’re looking for the best and brightest.” Dr. Roger Cleveland, director of the pro-gram, put it another way: “We’re looking for quality, not quantity. We want students who would be successful in whatever profession they select.” Once in the program, MISTER Scholars will receive additional academic support, perform community service (such as tutor-ing high school students), attend numerous professional development conferences and workshops, and participate in various exer-cises to build their leadership skills. “We want them to come out as role mod-els and as leaders in their profession and in the community,” said Cleveland.The infusion of more African American males at the head of K-12 classrooms will have wide-ranging positive effects, he add-ed. (And not just African American males, the three agreed, noting that the number of male teachers is at a 40-year low, according to the National Education Association.) “It’s better for all students,” Cleveland said. “They need to see African American males in such settings in order to dispel neg-ative stereotypes.” “When you look at the image of African

EKU’s “Call Me Mister” ProgramAims to attract more African-American males into teaching profession

The ASL Monster Bash was established in 2007. The purpose of this event is to gather people from the Deaf Community for them to socialize and meet new friends. We provide food, games for children, and FUN. However, socializing is not the only goal of the party. The ASL Lab also wants to inform ASL students and the parents of deaf children about the resources they need for their child. It is a deaf-friendly event that we usually do in our community, and it is a part of our culture to gather and enjoy

ourselves, especially during the holidays. The Bash was held on October 22, 2009 from 12:00-2:00 PM. We provided BBQ pulled chicken with several side dishes, such as vegetables, chips and des-serts. About 50 people attended the party, and we provided games and prizes for chil-dren. The BBQ and the pumpkin dump cake were BIG hits among the attend-ees! We hope our 4th year will bring more people from the community to participate in our special tradition, first held in 2007.

ASL Monster Bash

and responsibilities, and exploring sensi-tive content and use of strong language in 4 school districts including Fayette, Rowan, Kenton and Jefferson counties with 198 par-ticipants. The Outreach Program has worked with the Administrative Office of the Courts and Street Law Institute of Silver Spring, MD, to provide training to 48 interpreters in the courts system (both spoken and sign lan-guage) on language issues in the courtroom, and to 10 interpreters preparing to take the national written legal exam. In November, EKU ITP students worked with the Kentucky School for the Deaf “Hands Alive” program as volunteers to deaf children, and their families. In Morehead, Audrey Lambert, Outreach Team member, presented on ethical decision making in the educational setting, and role and responsibili-ties of interpreters, allowing those wishing to obtain temporary licensure to work in these school districts in order for them to fulfill the 16 hours required by their program.

The 2008/09 school year was filled with numerous training opportunities for educa-tional interpreters across the state. The EKU Interpreter Outreach program was able to provide in excess of 40 training dates with 1,238 attendee, and included 3 on-line fo-rums. In-service/PD training was provided to 6 school districts, with a total of 16 dif-ferent locations statewide from Pikeville to Paducah. Collaboration efforts were estab-lished with the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to provide training opportuni-ties to interpreters working in the legal set-

tings, in order to meet criteria for taking the national Specialist Certification, Legal with Vocational Rehabilitation, and Department of Mental Health, to provide training to those who work with individuals in mental health settings. A statewide training session was conducted for interpreters working with deaf-blind individuals, and a deaf-blind re-treat was organized, in conjunction with Vo-cational Rehabilitation in Jabez. Thus far for 2009/2010, the Interpreter Outreach team has provided 7 sessions dur-ing In-service/PD trainings on ethics, roles

Winter 2009 • Closing The Gap • 7

EKU Interpreter Outreach Efforts for 2008/09 and 2009/2010Linda Kolb Bozeman, Karen Petronio and Audrey Ruiz Lambert - Interpreter Outreach Team Members

Summer Activities of CMSAA The Center for Middle School Academic Achievement hosted two academies for less-experienced middle level teachers in July, one in Bowling Green, and one in Rich-mond. The academies focused on differenti-ated instruction and classroom management. Both academies were held at middle schools, and attendees were teachers, with 0-3 years of experience with teaching middle grades students. The academy program consisted of small group content area discussion groups, large and small group presentations, and work times. Evaluations verified the effectiveness of the academy program. One attendee wrote on the evaluation: “I’m so excited, and I can’t wait to get home and put all of the material to use”; and another commented, “First time I went to a PD that I could use everything.” As a means of offering continued support, monthly messages sharing strategies, and websites will be sent to the attendees. The first message was sent toward the end of Au-gust, and several of the academy attendees replied that they were already utilizing strat-egies and resources from the academy. One attendee responded that she had started the

year with more confidence and enthusiasm, as a result of attending the academy. In June, the CMSAA hosted a training for “Schools to Watch” reviewers at Cum-berland Falls State Park. “Schools to Watch” is a national school improvement and recog-nition program for middle level schools. The reviewers who visit identified middle level schools to determine if they are a “School to Watch” or not, are required to participate in a training annually. Through the training experience, reviewers revisit the criteria and process for the “Schools to Watch” program; new reviewers become acquainted with the

criteria and gain experience with the review process. This year, as participants arrived for the training, they were ushered into the hallways of the park lodge due to a tornado warning issued for the area. This led to some team building time among the 51 attendees, and also prompted a quick adjustment in the training schedule. The reviewers comment-ed that the training provided them with time to network, a vehicle for discussing school improvement, an opportunity to meet other middle level practitioners, and a way to re-focus and reenergize.

Nina Coyer Receives AwardsThe 42nd Biennial Conference of the Kentucky Association of the Deaf (KAD) was held on Sep-tember 11 and 12 at Cumberland Falls. Nina Coyer attended with her husband and was honored and surprised to receive two awards. The first one was KAD’s President’s Outstanding Award in appreciation for her distinguished service to the Deaf Community, and the second was a certifi-cate from the National Association of the Deaf’s, a Golden Hand Award, in recognition of valuable contributions to KAD. “It was quite an honor to receive these awards”, she says.

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origin or Vietnam era or other veteran status, in the admission to, or participation in, any educational program or activity which it conducts, or in any employment policy or practice. Any complaint arising by reason of alleged discrimination should be directed to the Equal Opportunity Office, Eastern Kentucky University, Jones Building, Room 106, Coates CPO 37A, Richmond, Kentucky 40475-3102, (859) 622-8020 (V/TDD), or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, Philadelphia, PA.

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Student Program News and Spring Events Eastern Kentucky University Kentucky Education Association Student Program membership is on the rise and is listed as one of the top ten campus organizations in Kentucky. The statewide total membership is 1,353 with 65+ of these enrolled at EKU. We welcome the newest chapter in the KEA-SP family, our sister campus, EKU-Corbin. Congratulations, Drs. Peggy McGuire, Peg-gy Petrilli, and Connie Hodge and to all edu-cation candidates. Saturday, October 3rd, KEA members attended the Chinese Moon Festival at Shil-lito Park sponsored by the Kentucky Chi-nese American Association. A poster con-test, Asian food, music, and games were all part of the celebration. Tuesday, October 6, KEA members Amanda James, Christy Scott, Bree Wilson, and Danielle Lillie met and created noun flashcards for use in Ms. Bianca Randall’s Ashland Elementary 1st Grade Class. “An Evening of Excellence with the Dean” took place on Thursday, October 22, 2009, the first event of its kind hosted by EKU’s College of Education. Education

candidates, EKU faculty, Model Labora-tory School faculty, principals from local schools, and other volunteers worked to-gether to make the evening a success. Par-ticipants (175+ attending) received a t-shirt upon completion of three of the evening’s activities. Attendees chose from among 11 differ-ent breakout sessions (several hosted by our KEA-SP group) ranging from “The Secret Strategy for Selecting Teachers: One Prin-cipal’s Priority List” to a “Student Teaching Panel” consisting of seven education candi-dates. EDF 203 candidates took part in mock interviews in order to hone their interview skills. The evening culminating activity was the showing of an education-themed movie

followed by audience analysis. KEA-SP members volunteered for the Ashland Elementary Fall Festival in Lex-ington, Friday evening, November 13th. Education candidates helping with festivi-ties were Kaila Andrlik, Kamyla Andrlik, Kaitlyn Crossman, Emily Kennedy, Casey Huffman, Martin Baker, Michael Sparks, Kylee Reimer, Ashley Johnson, Leah Elliott, Christy Scott, and Morgan Embry. KEA-SP members Jeffrey Peake, Aman-da Stepp, Megan Fergie, Lauren Melvin, and Karina Morgan volunteered at the West Chester, Ohio Scholastic Warehouse, De-cember 18th & 19th. Members earned books for their work and donated the books to local schools.

UPCOMING EVENTSEvening of Excellence with the Dean March 18 5:00 (Model Lab School)KEA-SP Meeting –PD TBA April 27 5:00 (Combs Building)

Those interested in joining EKU KEA-SP, please visit https://www.kea.org/membership/tickets/add/register/0/student.

Fill out the required information and you may choose to pay online or by check. The cost is $25.00.

Closing The Gap

Editor: Perrine DeSezeDean: Bill Phillips

Associate Dean: Kim NaugleAssistant Dean: Sherwood Thompson