ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø

2026

Nineteen children at Fairview Elementary School in Bloomington received new books and other educational activities thanks to a book drive organized by the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Staff Council.

Alexander Cuenca, Associate Dean for Accreditation, has been appointed to the board for a three-year term starting next year. Cuenca said he is deeply honored to join the AACTE Board of Directors and grateful for the opportunity to serve an organization that plays such an important role in advancing educator preparation in the United States.

Five alumni of the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø have been awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor for graduates of the school. The award, founded in 1977, recognizes alumni who have enhanced the reputation of the school by distinguishing themselves in their careers through significant professional and civic contributions to their community, state, and nation.

Professor Jessica Lester has been selected for the Academic Leadership Program, a prestigious professional development initiative that prepares faculty leaders to navigate and excel in academic administration, with a network of more than 2,400 alumni including many university presidents, provosts, and deans.

Daniel Hickey, professor of learning sciences, will study and teach at the University of Tartu in Estonia from November 2026 through July 2027. In addition to teaching a graduate course and offering workshops and seminars on cybersecurity for future educators, he will support and study two nationwide, EU-funded projects during his Fulbright.

Students taking classes in math education this semester will find a new space for their studies. Room 3017 in the Wright ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø building was recently redesigned to meet the needs of today’s future math educators, a project three years in the making.

Associate Professor Sarah Hurwitz and Professor Adam Maltese visited India over the summer for an event with IU Gateway and visits to schools, all in an effort to discuss how to better educate students with disabilities. They met with Indian policymakers, ministers of education, and leaders of disability groups, among others.

Researchers with the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø will lead the education research as part of a five-year, $20 million grant recently awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the NSF AI Institute for Engaged Learning. This will allow researchers to create artificial intelligence-enabled technology that supports student and teacher agency in narrative-centered learning environments.

IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø students celebrated a special milestone last week when they received their official name badges during the Undergraduate Induction Ceremony. These badges will be used when they work in schools this year as part of their student teaching or practicum requirements.

Over the summer, Dean Robert Berry and Professor Faridah Pawan visited Singapore, where they observed how mathematics is taught and built relationships with people in the special education community. The visit connects to a larger effort for teachers at the Association for People with Special Needs to expand their ability to work with people who have autism.

After his work performing for competitive drumlines was halted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wesley Kopis accepted an offer to teach at a local high school's drumline. Once he started to teach, he found a deeper resonance with what it means to be an educator, leading him to transfer to IU and join the Global Gateway for Teachers program.

Gamze Ozogul was recently selected to participate in leadership programs offered by the Big Ten Academic Alliance. Ozogul, Professor and Department Chair, was chosen for the Departmental Executive Officer Program, a three-day workshop involving department heads and chairs from Big Ten Academic Alliance institutions.

Aniya Burnett was among the first cohort of Counseling and Student Services majors to participate in Global Gateway, spending three weeks of her summer in New Zealand. She was inspired to pursue counseling and student services because of a desire to work in higher education and support students from diverse and multicultural backgrounds, especially students of color.

Y. Joel Wong has won the 2026 Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society of Counseling Psychology's Prevention Section. Wong was selected for "exceptional, sustained contributions to the advancement of prevention and health promotion in counseling psychology."

As students return to the Wright building, they’ll notice Room 2002 has become the Student Center, a place where they can connect, find support, prepare for their futures, and thrive. The Center is intended to serve all students at the entire IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, both undergraduate and graduate, recognizing that everyone may have different needs and ways of engaging throughout their educational experiences.

Reagan Kandole is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in the Arts ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø program. His research focuses on community engagement and activism through the arts, particularly how arts-based interventions can encourage community participation, address social and environmental issues, and contribute to meaningful social change.

Keith Barton received the 2026 Irving Morrisett Award for Excellence in Social Science ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, while Alex Cuenca was the opening speaker of the conference’s plenary session, “Borikén Social Studies: Reflections on the Estándares de Contenido y Expectativas de Grado en Estudios Sociales in Puerto Rico.”

A new school year brings new expertise to the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø faculty. With research interests that include language development in early childhood, gender-inclusive pedagogy, and higher education finance, these scholars and educators will enrich our teaching and research.

Ten Indiana teachers had their own summer adventure this July with a trip to the Galápagos Islands as part of a new environmental education initiative. The project provided the opportunity to work alongside faculty from the Universidad San Francisco de Quito and K-12 teachers from the Tomás de Berlanga School on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos.

Five students from the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s school psychology program spent part of their summer giving back through a community project, where they helped children build social-emotional skills in a unique camp setting alongside horses.

Over the summer, high school students stayed on the IU Bloomington campus for the Factor Future Educator Program, a one-week summer immersion experience. These students, all about to enter their senior year, were introduced to what IU and the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø had to offer through mini-workshops, campus tours, and college readiness sessions.

For three days this summer, teachers and IU researchers and faculty came together to create resources that will be used in classrooms during the school year. It’s the third year for the writing intensive called Hearing Each Other’s Voices, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø 110 experts in education and educational law gathered this June for the 2026 Martha McCarthy ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Law and Policy Institute. This year’s institute focused on legal issues surrounding curriculum, instruction, and parental rights as well as other current discussions in education law and policy.

A free summer reading program at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Library is free to all and includes prizes and a free book for participants. Readers will explore a variety of art mediums, including drawing, book illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, ceramics, textiles and fiber arts, and dance.

Seven faculty members from the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø have been promoted. The promotions were approved by the IU Board of Trustees at their June meeting and are effective as of July 1, 2026.

A recently released report from the Chronicle highlights ways that university leaders can motivate and retain faculty in tough economic times—and emphasizes the importance of considering stress on faculty, using research from Allison BrckaLorenz, Senior Research Scientist at the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.

From future elementary educators and school counselors to educational leaders and mental health professionals, this graduating class reflects both the growing needs of today’s schools and the expanding ways educators make an impact. Among the undergraduate class alone are 17 first-generation students.

Researchers and faculty members in special education came together for two days of work in April through a think-in and seminar at the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, with the goal of establishing a shared, forward-looking vision for the future of research and impact in the field of intellectual disability.

Jayla Langford, doctoral student in Higher ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Student Affairs, has been elected by peers across the United States, and will lead efforts to advance the scholarly mission of the Holmes Scholars Program by supporting research, publications, and conference participation.

Mariah Pol, a 2025 graduate of the Teacher ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Curriculum Studies program, was awarded the Best Dissertation Award from the Peace ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Special Interest Group of the Comparative and International ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Society at their annual meeting this year in San Francisco.

Over 50 local teachers attended the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers, Inc., mini conference at the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, where they heard from IU researchers, learned how to incorporate new statewide Science of Reading standards into their lessons, and addressed the use of AI in classrooms.

The Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s Outstanding Future Educator Award recognizes academic excellence and significant professional promise, demonstrated during the student teaching experience.

Three classrooms of kindergarteners from Fairview Elementary enjoyed special reading time, a puppet show, and lunch at the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø last month, a special event that encouraged reading while highlighting the resources and expertise at the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Library.

This award from the National Multicultural Conference and Summit honors a mid-career psychologist who has demonstrated a sustained and exemplary commitment to advancing multicultural research, teaching, advocacy, policy, and/or clinical care.

Professor Valarie Akerson has been elected Chair of the AERA Science Teaching and Learning special interest group. Her term will begin at the end of the annual AERA Conference this year.

Zoë Peterson

Zoë Peterson was recently elected to fellow status in the Society of Counseling Psychology. Peterson, a Professor in the department of Applied Psychology in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Research Methodology, said she is very honored to be recognized by the society.

Zoë Peterson

Curtis Bonk has been named a Distinguished Professor, the most prestigious appointment offered by Indiana University to honor faculty whose outstanding scholarship, artistic or literary distinction, or other achievements that have won significant recognition by peers.

Zoë Peterson

Hana Jun, a 2025 graduate of the Teacher ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Curriculum Studies program, was awarded the Larry Metcalf Exemplary Dissertation Award by the National Council for the Social Studies, at their annual meeting last December.

Zoë Peterson

The honorary Doctor of Philosophy in English Language Studies and Teaching from the National Institute of Development Administration recognizes the collaborative efforts that Pawan led between the IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and NIDA’s Graduate School of Language and Communication.

Zoë Peterson

Vasti Torres has won the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA), the leading comprehensive student affairs association that advances student affairs and engages students for a lifetime of learning and discovery. Torres will be honored along with other awardees during ACPA’s convention in March.

Zoë Peterson

A project led by Anne Leftwich and Cindy Hmelo-Silver and funded by the National Science Foundation will partner IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø researchers with rural elementary teachers in Indiana to help them introduce AI concepts while studying how rural contexts shape implementation and how the curriculum impacts students’ AI knowledge, engagement, and STEM interest.

Zoë Peterson

Dean Robert Berry, Keith Barton, Jessica Lester, and Vasti Torres were among 34 scholars across the country selected as American ºÚÁϳԹÏÍøal Research Association Fellows for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research. They will be inducted during a ceremony at the AERA Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on April 9.

Zoë Peterson

Two new grants, led by Assistant Professor Heather Ormiston, will help support recruitment, training, and retention of school psychologists in two local school corporations, expanding the capacity of each district to address shortages.

Zoë Peterson

Graduate student Le Dolino won the People's Choice for the Three Minute Thesis award at the Association for Science Teacher ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø’s annual conference last month.

Zoë Peterson

A podcast that amplifies awareness of issues in student-athlete mental health is now being produced by IU School of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Professor Jesse Steinfeldt and doctoral students within Applied Psychology in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø and Research Methodology.

Zoë Peterson

Professor Christopher Lubienski has been named to the list of the 2026 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings from ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Week. The list ranks 200 university-based scholars in the United States who did the most last year to shape educational practice and policy.

Zoë Peterson

A new three-year research grant will allow Professor Joel Wong to study gratitude intervention. The grant, funded by the John Templeton Foundation, is titled "Training and Treatment Integration Research for Virtue and Flourishing in Mental Healthcare: A Team Science Project" and is a collaborative project conducted by multiple researchers from nine institutions.