Dean Easton-Brooks speaks with Teacher Pathway students at
Roosevelt High School and Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls.
Greetings,

August was a month of great beginnings, change, and growth for the School of Education. We welcomed students back to campus, celebrated the publication of a book, watched our teacher education graduates enter their new classrooms, and witnessed countless accomplishments by our faculty.

We are also excited to announce that the School of Education now houses five divisions. Aiming to maintain the high quality of our Curriculum and Instruction graduate programs while also highlighting our teacher education programs, one of our divisions is now expanding into two divisions: Curriculum and Instruction and Teacher Residency and Education. We are confident that this change will elevate our programs and align our vision with that of national leaders in education.

This time of beginnings and change can hardly be catalogued in a single issue of our newsletter. Even so, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into our first month of the new semester, and I look forward to sharing our journey with you throughout the year.
Dean Donald Easton-Brooks, Ph.D.
University of South Dakota School of Education

August Highlights
Jing Williams, Ph.D. Publishes New Book, Hometown's Fallen
Jing Williams, Ph.D., assistant professor of social studies education at the University of South Dakota, is preserving the stories of Clay County’s fallen veterans and showcasing student research in a new book. 

The book,  Hometown’s Fallen: Discovering the Human Aspects of Wars,  shares stories of Clay County veterans who served in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Nine of the ten chapters were written by USD students.
Williams donated over 160 copies of the book to local organizations, including VFW Post 3061, American Legion Post 1, the Clay County Historical Society, and the W. H. Over Museum. Williams said,

“This is our way of giving back to the community, an important component of social studies education – cultivating young people’s civic competence and serving the public good.” 

You can watch a KELOLAND News segment or read an article from Plain Talk for a closer look at the project.
President Gestring spoke with School of Education faculty and staff and accepted a copy of Williams' book.
Head Start on Credit Hour Podcast
The University of South Dakota podcast, Credit Hour , featured Head Start Director Carmen Stewart. Stewart speaks to the value of Head Start for families and the university.


Teacher Pathway Program
The semester has begun for the Sioux Falls School District students involved in our Teacher Pathway Program. This week, Dean Easton-Brooks visited four classes and spoke about his research, experiences, and vision for the program.
Research Spotlight
Hyung Suk Yang, Ph.D.
Dr. Yang of the Division of Kinesiology and Sport Management published research in Human Movement Science .

Titled " Effects of Arm Weight on Gait Performance in Healthy Subjects ," the research examines how the addition of various weights affects body movement.
Gabrielle Strouse, Ph.D.
Dr. Strouse of Counseling and Psychology in Education coauthored a study investigating the impact of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood media on preschool-aged children's learning outcomes. " Promoting Preschoolers' Emotional Competence Through Prosocial TV and Mobile App Use " was published in Media Psychology .

The study's lead author shares four takeaways in this article .
David De Jong, Ed.D.
Dr. De Jong of Educational Leadership and a colleague published research on superintendent tenure and what influences their decisions. Factors Influencing Rural Superintendent Tenure in a Midwestern State ” was published in AASA Journal of Scholarship & Practice

Dr. De Jong also identified the positive impact of curricular coaches in reducing teacher turnover in a recent study published by the International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education .

Daniel Hajovsky, Ph.D.
Dr. Hajovsky of Counseling and Psychology in Education published research on how cognitive ability and computation development relate to children's math problem solving.

Educational Leadership
David De Jong, Ed.D., Susan Curtin, Ed.D., and Derrick Robinson, Ph.D. presented at the International Council of Professors in Educational Leadership (ICPEL) Conference. Dr. De Jong, Dr. Curtin, and Dr. Robinson gave presentations entitled "Frequencies of Titles and Keywords of Published Manuscripts in Educational Leadership Journals" and "Learning Through a Telepresence Robot in Educational Leadership Preparation Programs."

They also presented with leaders from the Yankton School District at the School Administrators of South Dakota (SASD) conference. They discussed the value of telepresence robots and how the technology is being used in Yankton schools and the USD Division of Educational Leadership.
Faculty Spotlight
Longevity Pins
Congratulations to the following faculty for their milestones in the School of Education. We are grateful for your continued contributions to the SOE!

Gary Cheeseman - C&I (10 years)
Susan Gapp - C&I (20 years)
Kevin Reins - C&I (15 years)
Amy Schweinle - SOE (15 years)
Alumni Spotlight
Alexis Smith
Many of our graduates have now begun teaching in classrooms for the new semester. Alexis Smith, who graduated from our elementary education and special education program with a kindergarten endorsement, is enthusiastic about starting her first teaching position at Alcester-Hudson School District. She was featured on KELOLAND News .
Student Spotlight

Residency and Student Teaching
Students currently in their residency or student teaching experience have started the new semester in their classrooms. We look forward to hearing about your experiences, Teaching Coyotes!
Katy Mertens
Congratulations to ELED/SPED double major and School of Education student ambassador Katy Mertens on her new position as state director of South Dakota Miss Amazing!
Hunter Paulsen
Kinesiology and sport management undergraduates complete a practicum and an internship to gain experience in their area of study. KSM major Hunter Paulsen discusses the value of his KSM practicum in the article below.

If you have a news item that you'd like to submit for an upcoming Learning Link, please reach out to Bailey at Bailey.Quanbeck@usd.edu