Monthly Digest | September 2026

A Message from Dean Julie Washington

Dear School of Education Community,

As we begin a new academic year, I’m especially grateful to do so in my new role as dean. It is a privilege to lead the School of Education, and I’m looking forward to the year ahead. 

This summer, we shared our 2025-26 Annual Report, which offers a look back at the many accomplishments of our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners. I hope you’ll take a moment to explore the report and celebrate all that our community accomplished together. 

As we look ahead, I’m excited to build on that work, welcome new students and colleagues to our School, and continue finding ways to strengthen our research, teaching and community engagement. Most of all, I look forward to seeing many of you around campus and hearing about the work you’re doing. 

Thank you for all you do for our School. Wishing you a wonderful start to the year! 

Julie A. Washington

Professor & Dean, UC Irvine School of Education

New & Noteworthy

Professor to Lead Effort Shaping the Future of AI, College Writing

The new WRITE AI Center, led by Mark Warschauer, Distinguished Professor of Education, will bring together researchers, educators, community colleges, higher education organizations and policymakers from across the country to focus on the question When, where and how can AI actually improve teaching and learning?

Learn more

MAT Program Receives Sun Family Foundation Award

Evelyn Young (left) and Stacy Yung authored Classroom-to-Career Pipeline: Sustaining Transformative Educators Across the Professional Continuum, receiving the $100,000 award which will provide valuable opportunities to strengthen the support and guidance provided to Master of Arts in Teaching + Credential (MAT) candidates throughout their teacher preparation.

Learn more

MES Student Receives California Legislative Caucus Foundation Scholarship

Martha Trujillo, a member of the inaugural cohort in the Master of Education Sciences in AI and Learning Analytics program, has been awarded a foundation scholarship Trujillo was one of just 60 students selected this year from a pool of 1,200 applicants. The competitive scholarship supports students pursuing higher education in California. Congratulations to Trujillo on this recognition and achievement. Press release

Spotlight On

Three Faculty Honored at 2026 Celebration of Teaching

Director of Undergraduate Education Janice Hansen (left), Assistant Professor Katherine Rhodes (center) and Lecturer Julie Chiaverini are this year's award recipients.

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Julie Washington Recognized Among Leaders in Early Literacy Reform

Dean Julie A. Washington was named by Ignite Reading as one of eight Black Americans leading the charge for early literacy reform. The feature highlights Washington’s research on the connections between language, cultural dialect and reading achievement, and its impact on literacy education for Black children.

Read the full feature from Ignite Reading

School of Education Assistant Professor Named 2026-27 UCI Hellman Fellow

Eupha Jeanne Daramola received $35,000 to support her research examining how a California school district implemented a “science of reading” policy. Her study could offer valuable lessons for districts across the state as California adopts new approaches to early literacy instruction.


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School of Education Faculty, Students Join National Early Childhood Policy Institute

Associate Professor Jade Jenkins and doctoral students April Yu (pictured, right) and Pritha Sengupta represented UC Irvine at the ECPIHE Summer Policy Institute in Washington, D.C., joining faculty and graduate students from 12 universities to explore early childhood policy, advocacy, and leadership.

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Di Xu Awarded Prestigious Fellowship at Technical University of Munich

Professor Di Xu has been awarded a Dieter Schwarz Fellowship at the Technical University of Munich Institute for Advanced Study. The fellowship will support her sabbatical at TUM beginning this September and foster international collaborations in AI, learning sciences and the economics of education through 2029.

Learn more about the Dieter Schwarz Fellowship

Spark Wins $150,000 National Growth Prize

The student success platform, developed by a research team from the UC Irvine School of Education and Office of Information Technology, brings together academic, career, and campus engagement data to give students a more complete picture of their college experience, supporting more informed decision-making throughout their academic journey.

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Community Impact

America at 250: Bringing History and Civics to Life

Middle and high school teachers from school districts across three local counties came to UC Irvine to explore how the country's founding ideas can resonate with a new generation of students. Through Teaching the Declaration of Independence at 250: Fellows Program, teachers deepened their knowledge of foundational documents.

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Educate to Empower Recognized with Award

The Courage Project awarded Educate to Empower, a grassroots nonprofit led by Virginia Nguyen (left) and Stacy Yung, for their work in reimagining education and empowering hundreds of educators to teach with confidence and purpose.

Learn more

2025-26 Annual Report

Get the latest facts and figures of the School of Education.

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Helping Students Make Sense of Climate Change

Co-authored by Professors Hosun Kang (left) and Asli Sezen-Barrie, Making Climate Justice Count: Teaching with Data Stories for Action offers students a new framework to question data and apply it with integrity.

Learn more

Published & Presented

• Professor Fred Oswald serves as vice-chair of inaugural Research Advisory Council, established by the ETS Research Institute (ets.org)
• In partnership with Professor Elizabeth Peña and Doctoral Student Reinaldo Cabrera Perez, high school student Sailee Charlu conducted a four-year research study across Orange County Title I schools, which will be published in the Education Role of Language International Journal (Points of Light)
• Doctoral Student Sina Rismanchian partnered with McGraw Hill researchers to conduct one of the largest studies of how generative AI is changing student behavior and academic skills (Hechinger Report)
• After ChatGPT’s launch, Doctoral Student Sina Rismanchian and researchers from McGraw Hill found that math students spent less time on word problems, concluding that some students use AI to solve problems and learn less (Future Ed)
• Large-scale study led by Doctoral Student Sina Rismanchian found that after ChatGPT’s release, high school students spent 31% less time on word problems; Rismanchian said students using AI to solve math problems is “coming at a cost for their learning outcomes.” (The 74)
• Associate Professor Shayan Doroudi discusses how AI technology is making an impact in schools and shares insights on how to navigate AI that’s beneficial for teachers, students, and parents (Spectrum News)
• USDE awards WRITE AI Center, led by Distinguished Professor Mark Warschauer, a $10 million, five-year grant to examine how generative AI should be used in postsecondary writing instruction (ETIH)

Events & Calendar

• Sep 23 – Media Literacy and Democracy: A Meet-up to Start the New Academic Year
• Oct 3 & 10 – Oral History as Student Learning and Leadership: Foundations and Futures Workshop Fall 2026
• Oct 5 – UC Irvine School of Education Scholarship Awards Ceremony and Dean's Leadership Society Event. Contact edu-advancement@uci.edu for more information.
• Oct 8 – UC Irvine OCEAN Research-Practice Partnerships Talk
• Oct 17 – Literacy is STEAM Books 2026

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

Other News

MAT Class of 2026 Capstone Colloquium

The Master of Arts in Teaching + Credential (MAT) Class of 2026 presented their inquiry projects at the Capstone Colloquium on July 24, 2026. After twenty-five weeks of identifying and investigating a dilemma of practice, they shared their findings with incoming MAT students, UC Irvine faculty, local school partners, and their families. It was a joyful culmination of their 14-months in the MAT program.

Apply Now for the SAGE Scholars Program

The Student Achievement Guided by Experience (SAGE) Scholars Program is a two-year leadership development and business acumen training program for high-achieving, underserved students. The application window is open now. Click here for info session and application information.