Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 1 2013.pdf - Graduate School of Education

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SEARCH has anew Posdoctoral Fellow,Dr. ShanaRaquel Cohen. Forher dissertation, Shanaexamined how perceivedemotional andinstrumental supportfor Latino and non-Latino caregivers relateto caregiver and familywell-being. More specifically,the goals of her study were: (1) to identifyspecific types and sources of support that are usefulto Latina and non-Latina mothers; (2) to examine therelation between familial support and family wellbeingwithin a culturally diverse sample of motherscaring for a child with intellectual disabilities; and(3) to understand whether culturally situated beliefs(i.e., familism) moderated the relationship between amother’s perceived support and her family’s wellbeing.Although research shows that social support reducesthe effects of stress on individuals caring for achild with an intellectual disability, little researchexists that examines the relation between supportand caregiver well-being for culturally and economicallydiverse families, specifically Latino caregiverswho care for a child with a disability. We also knowvery little about how caregivers draw upon the supportavailable within their own family; a useful resourcefor some Latino families who may hold certainculturally relevant notions about family.As a post-doctoral researcher for the SEARCHcenter, Shana hopes to engage in research activitiesthat address similar issues for Latino families andtheir children with autism.Always smiling andhelpful, Academic PersonnelAnalyst, Ms.Janet Harshman, is avital member of the GSOE community.Janet is a long time UCR employee. She startedout at UCR as a temp checking out pool cues andmaking student IDs in the Commons. In 1998, Janetbegan working for the California EducationalResearch Cooperative (CERC) directed by our currentInterim Dean, Dr. Douglas Mitchell. Janet tooka short stint away from the GSOE and spent sometime working at the College of Engineering. Shereturned to the GSOE in 2002 and has been hereever since.As Academic Personnel Analyst, Janet managesthe process for faculty merit reviews, facultyrecruitments, academic appointments and letters,and ensures the GSOE follows proper proceduresfor all personnel policies.Although she was born in Sacramento, CA,Janet has spent the majority of her life living in theRiverside area. When Janet is not busy working tokeep the GSOE on track, she enjoys spending timeat home with a good book and a cup of coffee orplaying with her wonderful grandchildren.Thanks to Janet for all her contributions to theGSOE!Please join SEARCH in welcoming Dr. Cohen to theGSOE community!Page 6
I’ve recently beenthinking about what itmeans to call the GraduateSchool of Educationa ProfessionalSchool. Professionalismrequires, above all,an acceptance of responsibilityfor the consequencesof our beliefsand actions. Where scientificdisciplines areappropriately concernedwith understanding the complexities and dynamicsof the natural, social and psychological dimensionsof life, responsible professionals attend diligently tothe implications and consequences of their scientificunderstanding. Where the classical humanitiesengage in disciplined inquiry into the underlyingmeaning and human significance of art, history,culture and philosophy, professionals add practicalreasoning and personal responsibility to this humanunderstanding. Thus, professionals accept moraland practical responsibility for how the repertoireof analytic sciences and human sensibilities thatdefine their fields of endeavor.How do we hone this professional judgment andresponsibility – while still providing ourselves andour students with a thoroughly grounded scientificbasis for action and a richly sensitized appreciationof the moral principles, artistic elegance, and thesocial and historical significance of their work?Historically, professionalism in education has beennurtured through guided practice of our craft. Supervisedstudent teaching became a required part ofthe preparation of teachers because it was the mosteffective way of being sure that teacher candidatesbecome aware of student differences in ways thatinform their judgment about how to meet individualand community needs. In our School Psychologyprogram extensive and demanding practicum workis built into the curriculum to help these professionalsrecognize that effective student and teacher supportrequires the development of practical judgmentabout when, where and how to apply the theoreticalknowledge derived from course work and researchexperiences.It is increasingly clear that similar practical reasoningand professional judgment is required in theinstruction of graduate students and even in the designand conduct of social science research. Ourresearch proposals must undergo scrutiny by ourInstitutional Review Board precisely because theUniversity recognizes that professional researchrequires practical and moral reasoning in order tobalance the potential benefits of discovery againstthe risks of harming study participants (or wastingscarce resources). Equally important, researchfunding agencies – whether governmental or philanthropic– are routinely asking us to evaluate andarticulate the practical implications of our work.Nowhere is this demand for professional justificationfor research methods and purposes more evidentthan in the field of education. Every requestfor proposals routinely requires that investigatorsexplain the practical significance of their work beforefunds are awarded.In order to develop a richer understanding ofhow professional responsibility is grounded in scientificcompetence and humanitarian sensibility, theGSOE is working cooperatively with the School ofMedicine and others to organize an invitationalconference with the working title: ProfessionalResponsibility for a Diverse Society: Meeting Individualand Community Needs. From this conferencewe expect to launch an ongoing research organizationable to enrich the professionalism of ourown graduates, encourage professionalism throughoutour fields of endeavor, and clarify the professionalimplications of our research, our teachingand our public service. At the center of this commitmentto strengthened professionalism is ourcommitment to addressing the burgeoning needs ofour diverse communities.Page 7
Page 1 and 2: The GSOE has been awarded a newgran
Page 3 and 4: Here is oneof ouradoptedclassesfrom
Page 5: Dr. John S. Levin presented “Out

Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 1 2013.pdf - Graduate School of Education

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