Monthly Digest | January 2026

A Message from Interim Dean Julie Washington

Dear School of Education Community,

Welcome back, and happy new year! I hope you had a restful and joyful holiday season. 

As we begin the winter quarter, I’m excited to share a few highlights from the School of Education and the impactful work happening across our community. From innovative research and partnerships to student success stories, there’s so much to be proud of as we head into 2026. 

Wishing you a great start to the quarter and a wonderful year ahead. 

Warm regards,

Julie A. Washington

Professor & Interim Dean, UC Irvine School of Education

New & Noteworthy

New Grant Explores How AI Is Changing the Way Students Learn Together

Associate Professor Nia Nixon has received a Spencer Foundation Vision Grant to study how AI is reshaping collaboration in the classroom — not just as a tool, but as an active participant in how students learn, reason, and build knowledge together.

Learn more

School of Education Faculty Named to 2026 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings

Two School of Education faculty members have been named to the 2026 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, which recognize the top 200 education scholars shaping national policy and practice. Greg Duncan (No. 45) and Richard Arum (No. 90) both climbed the rankings this year, reflecting their growing national impact and leadership in evidence-based education research.

Learn more

Spotlight On

Welcome to the Faculty: Fred Oswald 

Please join us in welcoming professor Fred Oswald to the UC Irvine School of Education. His research focuses on educational and workforce assessment, including how AI is shaping testing, fairness, and career readiness. We’re excited to have him join our faculty. 

Learn more

Celebrating Fall Graduates

More than 75 UC Irvine School of Education students officially received their Bachelor of Arts in Education Sciences at the end of fall quarter. Read on for spotlights on three of the graduates.


Learn more

Alumni Co-Author, Publish Book for Practicing and Pre-Service Teachers

Published on January 19, School of Education alumni Undarmaa Maamuujav and Jacob Steiss co-authored Academic Languaging and Historical Thinking: Cultivating Students' Language Skills for Argument Writing. The book prepares teachers to assess where students are in their written and critical thinking skills and to develop the art of teaching historical argumentative writing to students.


Learn more

MES: Artificial Intelligence & Learning Analytics Advisor Chat

Advisory Board member Peter McPartlan discusses how the Master of Education Sciences program can help support careers in AI in education and data science.

Watch now

Community Impact

Professor Gustavo Carlo Named Highly Ranked Scholar by ScholarGPS

Professor Gustavo Carlo has been named a Highly Ranked Scholar™ in the 2025 ScholarGPS rankings, placing him in the top 0.05 percent of scholars worldwide. He is ranked No. 2 globally in Prosocial Behavior and Latino studies, reflecting the sustained impact and international reach of his research on youth development and social behavior.

Learn more

Events & Calendar

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Resources

Visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Virtual Bookshelf, presented by the UC Irvine Libraries. Resources include books and streaming video.

Learn more

UC Irvine to Co-Host 2026 Student and Community Voice AI Summit

UC Irvine’s School of Education is co-hosting a national convening on AI and education, uniting 800+ educators and researchers across the country.

Learn more

• Jan 26 – CRLP Administrator PLC Series
• Jan 28 – The Declaration at 250: Why it Matters Today Beginning the Conversation in History and Civics Classrooms
• Feb 4 – Faculty Research Seminar Series: "Noncredit Workforce Training, Industry Credentials, and Labor Market Outcomes" presented by Professor Di Xu
• Feb 10 – Demystifying the CAST: Unlocking Student Success Through Assessment
• Feb 17 – California Dyslexia Screener
• Mar 4 – Faculty Research Seminar Series: "The Ebonics debate 30 years later: What do we know now?" presented by Professor & Interim Dean Julie Washington

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

Learn more about the UCI School of Education as seen on Viewpoint, hosted by Dennis Quaid