Monthly News | February 2025

Dear School of Education community, 

Each February, we come together to honor Black History Month — celebrating the rich legacy, groundbreaking contributions, and ongoing resilience of Black individuals and communities throughout American history. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the work still needed to create an equitable and inclusive future. 

Our commitment to equity and inclusion is foundational to everything we do at the UC Irvine School of Education. This month, we reaffirm our dedication to cultivating spaces where all voices are heard, valued, and empowered. I encourage each of you — our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners — to use this time to deepen your understanding of the issues facing Black communities, amplify their stories, and engage in meaningful action. 

Here are some resources and events to guide your learning and participation: 

• UCI Center for Black Cultures, Resources, and Research 
• Confronting Anti-Black Racism 
• Center for Racial Justice in Education’s Resource Guide 
• UCI Diversity Resources 
• UC Systemwide Campus Climate Webpage   
• Virtual Bookshelf - UCI Libraries  

School of Education Events

• Feb. 19, 12:00 p.m.: Talk by Dr. Wanda J. Blanchett, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education: “We’ve come too far to turn back now: embracing a racial justice and equity agenda in education in a hostile political climate.”
• Feb. 25, 4:00-6:30 p.m.: Screening of Black Barbie: The Untold Story, followed by a conversation with Dr. Amirah Saafir, assistant professor, California State University, Fullerton. RSVP and more details are here. 

As educators, scholars, and leaders, our role in building a more just society is critical. Let us continue to engage in courageous conversations and take purposeful steps to confront inequities, champion inclusion, and ensure a brighter future for all. 

Thank you for your commitment to these shared values. 

Frances Contreras

Dean and Professor

Exploring the power of parents in advancing racial equity

Assistant Professor Eupha Jeanne Daramola's research includes K-12 education policy and the often underappreciated role that Black parents play in advocating for their children’s education.

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School of Education hosts second annual UCI-Tübingen Global Research Initiative

Twelve German scholars and more than 20 UC Irvine faculty and students for a week of collaboration, research exchange, and interdisciplinary discussions on topics such as AI in education, motivation, higher education and teacher professional development.

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The transformative five-year journey that shaped her leadership style

Recent graduate of the STRIVE Leadership Program Senior Assistant Dean Tamara Schaps reflects on her career path, the lessons she learned in the program, and where her trajectory will take her professionally.

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On the UCI Podcast: Bringing the classroom into the community

In this episode, Associate Professor Andres Bustamante discusses the concept of “playful learning landscapes” – places for play that can build upon skills learned in the classroom.

Listen now

Dean Frances Contreras Delivers Keynote at UC CLAA Summit

On January 25, 2025, UCI School of Education Dean Frances Contreras was a keynote speaker at the UC Chicano/Latino Alumni Association (UC CLAA) Quarterly Summit at UC Irvine. In the “Forging a Historic Partnership” session, she highlighted the School of Education’s collaboration with Monroe Elementary School, emphasizing the university’s commitment to strengthening educational pathways for Latino students.



The summit brought together alumni, educators, and university leaders to explore ways to enhance Latino representation and success across UC campuses.

Transforming Santa Ana parks into interactive learning spaces

Associate Professor Andres Bustamante, in partnership with the City of Santa Ana, Santa Ana Parks & Recreation, and the Santa Ana Early Learning Initiative, unveiled three new playful learning installations at Madison Park and Angels Park in Santa Ana, Calif.

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Congratulations to Kunlei He for advancing to the Grad Slam Finals!

We are thrilled to celebrate Kunlei He, one of our Ph.D. students, for advancing to the Final Round of UC Irvine’s Grad Slam competition! 

Grad Slam is a prestigious systemwide competition that challenges graduate students to deliver compelling three-minute presentations showcasing the impact of their research. Making it to the Final Round is a huge achievement, and we are so proud of Kunlei’s accomplishment.

The Grad Slam Finals will take place on March 13, where Kunlei will compete against top graduate scholars from across UCI. Stay tuned for more details, and let’s cheer Kunlei on as she takes the stage!

Five UC Irvine CalTeach students attend California Math Council South Conference

With the support of the the Mike Contino Scholarship., the conference provided the future educators with access to inspiring workshops, seasoned mentors, and a vibrant community of fellow educators.

Learn more

Winter 2025 newsletter from the CRT available now

The Education Center for Research on Teacher Development and Professional Practice (CRT) shares news on their new leadership team, recent accomplishments, and more.

Learn more

Upcoming Events

• February 19 – Talk by Dr. Wanda J. Blanchett, Distinguished Professor, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education: “We’ve come too far to turn back now: embracing a racial justice and equity agenda in education in a hostile political climate.”
• February 22 – Book Club: Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online, presented by the UC Irvine Teacher Academy
• February 25 – Screening of Black Barbie: The Untold Story, followed by a conversation with Dr. Amirah Saafir, assistant professor, California State University, Fullerton
• February 25-26 & March 6 – Learning How English Works Open Institute, presented by the California Reading & Literature Project at UC Irvine
• March 1 – Solidarity et al., presented by the UC Irvine History Project
• March 4 – NGSS Certification: Tier 1: Transform Your Science Classroom, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• March 5 – Elevate Your Teaching: Equivalent Fractions and Fraction Addition, presented by the Irvine Math Project
• March 5 – Elevate Your Teaching: Grades 4-5 Fractions, presented by the Irvine Math Project
• March 5 – NGSS Certification: Tier 2: Deepen Your Science Pedagogy with NGSS Certification Tier 2, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• March 6 – NGSS Certification: Tier 1: Transform Your Science Classroom, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• March 8 – UC Irvine Science Project Computer Science Community of Practice
• March 11 – NGSS Certification: Tier 1: Transform Your Science Classroom, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• March 12 – Elevate Your Teaching: Systems of Equations, presented by the Irvine Math Project
• March 13 – NGSS Certification: Tier 1: Transform Your Science Classroom, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• March 13 – Solidarity et al., presented by the UC Irvine History Project
• March 20 – Solidarity et al., presented by the UC Irvine History Project
• March 27 – NGSS Certification: Tier 2: Deepen Your Science Pedagogy with NGSS Certification Tier 2, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• April 5 – Solidarity et al., presented by the UC Irvine History Project
• April 10 – NGSS Certification: Tier 2: Deepen Your Science Pedagogy with NGSS Certification Tier 2, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project
• April 26 – Centering Students in Science Classrooms, presented by the UC Irvine Science Project

Please visit the Teacher Academy website to view more upcoming workshops.

• Associate Professor Andres Bustamante and Chancellor’s Professor Emerita Deborah Lowe Vandell: “Childhood predictors of high school sport participation and effects of participation on young adult activity and mental health.” In: Annals of Medicine
• Professor Gustavo Carlo: “Editorial: Promoting a Kinder and More Just World: The Development of Prosocial, Moral, and Social Justice in Adolescence.” In: Adolescent Psychological Development
• Professor Gustavo Carlo: “How Latine youth's positive development unfold through farmwork in rural migrant farmworker families in the US Midwest.” In: Journal of Research on Adolescence
• Professor Gustavo Carlo: “Is it possible to talk about violence climate in grassroots sport? A study on the psychosocial adaptations of young athletes.” In: Sport Psychology
• Doctoral Student Phebe Chew and Professor Kylie Peppler: “Exploring the Long-Term Impacts of Out-of-School Arts Participation Among Marginalized Youth.” In: International Journal for Research on Extended Education
• Professor Penelope Collins and Distinguished Professor Mark Warschauer: “Exploring the Direct and Indirect Relations of E‐Book Narration and Bilingual Parent–Child Talk to Children's Learning Outcomes in EFL Shared Reading.” In: International Journal of Applied Linguistics
• Distinguished Professor Greg Duncan: “The impact of a monthly unconditional cash transfer on child brain activity: A 4-year follow-up.” In: ResearchGate
• Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles: “Expectancy value theory's contribution to unpacking the black box of motivation.” In: Behavioral and Brain Sciences
• Professor Michael Hebert: “Can teaching writing enhance students’ writing self-efficacy: A meta-analysis.” In: Journal of Educational Psychology
• Postdoctoral Scholar Glona Lee-Poon, Associate Project Scientists Nayssan Safavian and Anna-Lena Dicke, Distinguished Professor Jacquelynne Eccles and Professor Sandra Simpkins: “Girls and Boys Typically Have Similar Math Value Beliefs: Replication Evidence Across Historical Time, High School, and Racial/Ethnic Groups.” In: Journal of Adolescence
• Doctoral Student John Louis-Strakes Lopez, Assistant Professor Katherine Rhodes, Research Scientist Kreshnik Begolli, Associate Professor Andres Bustamante, and Professor June Ahn: “What ‘Exactly’ Describes Planning in a Math Game-Based Assessment? Introducing Fraction Ball: Exactly.” In: Game Based Learning
• Doctoral Student Roushanac Partovi and Professor Gustavo Carlo: “Varieties of altruistic actions across development and culture / Variedades de acciones altruistas a lo largo del desarrollo y entre culturas.” In: Journal for the Study of Education and Development: Infancia y Aprendizaje
• Professor Elizabeth Peña: “Changes in the home language environments of US Spanish–English bilinguals between the ages of 4 and 12.” In: Bilingualism: Language and Cognition
• Professor Stephanie Reich: “Understanding the Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Wellbeing.” In: Childhood Education
• Professor Lindsey Richland and Doctoral Student Joseph Wong: “Individual Differences in Attention to Analogical Relations.” In: Journal of Cognition and Development
• Professor Lindsey Richland: “Leveraging Pedagogical Comparisons in Mathematical Thinking and Learning.” In: Cognitive Psychology
• Doctoral Student Alexandra Román Irizarry and Distinguished Professor Judith Kroll: ““Todes” and “Todxs”, linguistic innovations or grammatical gender violations?” In: Cognition
• Doctoral Students Julie Salazar, Isabella Seccia, Jennie Maldonado, Laura Hernandez, Vanessa Bermudez and Lourdes Acevedo-Farag: “Sustaining Latine Families’ Cultural Values Through Technology Mediation Practices.” In: Journal of Latinos and Education
• Professor Rossella Santagata: “Value‐sensitive design of chatbots in environmental education: Supporting identity, connectedness, well‐being and sustainability.” In: British Journal of Educational Technology
• Professor Sandra Simpkins and Chancellor’s Professor Emerita Deborah Lowe Vandell: “Developmental changes in youth's unsupervised time across middle childhood and early adolescence.” In: Applied Developmental Science
• Doctoral Student Marixza Torres and Professor Gustavo Carlo: “The Associations Between Culture-Related Stressors and Prosocial Behaviors in US Latino/a College Students: The Mediating Role of Cultural Identity.” In: Adolescents
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow Nestor B. Tulagan and Professor Sandra Simpkins: ““If I can't help, I find someone who can”: Lower-SES Latine parents' adaptive responses to math support challenges.” In: Social Psychology of Education
• Chancellor’s Professor Emerita Deborah Lowe Vandell: “School entry skills and young adult outcomes.” In: Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Doctoral Student Jiali Wang, Professor Young-Suk Kim, Doctoral Students Joseph Hin Yan Lam and Molly Leachman: “A meta-analysis of relationships between syntactic features and writing performance and how the relationships vary by student characteristics and measurement features.” In: Assessing Writing
• Professor Julie Washington: “Linguistic justice: Addressing linguistic variation of black children in teaching and learning.” In: Linguistics and Education
• Professor Di Xu: “Does professional development for online instruction improve student course outcomes?” In: The Internet and Higher Education
• Professor Di Xu: “STEM Faculty Professional Development: Measuring the Impact on College Student Grades and Identifying Critical Program Components.” In: Journal of Research in Science Teaching

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