The Lead
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November 2020 Vol. 2020 | Issue 10
Dean's Message
Hello everyone. 

Wondering why The Lead did not publish on the first Monday of the month as it normally does? Well thanks for everyone who asked. We have moved to a new presentation platform and it took a bit more time than anticipated to configure.  Thanks to the Lindenwood technical staff and our very own Matthew Kertzman, editor of The Lead, we are thrilled to present the November edition of the Lindenwood School of Education’s Newsletter. 

We are pleased to include in this November issue continued recognition of some of our outstanding students and faculty, as well as our very first reflection written by one of our students.  Please take time to enjoy this issue of The Lead. You will see that even under some very trying circumstances the School has thrived. Our faculty continues to aggressively advance our school mission and assist our students as they pursue their professional goals. 
Enjoy!  As always we welcome your feedback. 


Very best, 
Anthony Scheffler, Ph.D. 
Dean, Lindenwood School of Education 
Student Reflection - Yvette Armstrong-Staples
Featured Stories
Student Advisory Council Holds First Meeting!
Dr. Brittany Nuenuebel - Advisor, and Matthew Kertzman - Office Manager (pictured below), are co-facilitators for the School of Education's Student Advisory Committee!

A select group of students, who were nominated by a faculty or staff member, meet each month to discuss the positives and potential areas of improvement within the school.

This committee is crucial to the continuous improvement in the SOE, and we so value the opportunity to interact and hear honest feedback from our students.

If you are a staff or faculty member, and have a great student in mind, please submit your nomination here.
Last month, the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society sent out invitations to the top 10% academically of juniors, seniors, and graduate students to join one of the nation’s most distinctive interdisciplinary honor societies. Our Missouri Pi chapter is particularly exceptional, having won the 2020 national championship of this prestigious honor society for academics and service! Check out the Alpha Chi website here!

If students receive an invitation and accept this honor, they will be part of a community of 300 chapters of the very best student scholars from every discipline across the country. And, when they join, they will have access to benefits that can make their college experience even more rich and gratifying:

  • They can apply and compete for more than $150,000 Alpha Chi awards each year in undergraduate and graduate scholarships, prizes, research fellowships, and convention travel grants.
  • They can submit work for publication in Aletheia, one of the nation’s only peer-reviewed journals publishing undergraduate scholarship.

Students should check spam, junk, or quarantine email just in case. For more information, contact: eragland@lindenwood.edu  
The School of Education's Center for Innovation & Insight is supporting efforts in creating online, digitally based programs by hosting a Going Digital presentation for faculty on November 13, 2020.  Dr. Carla Mueller and Dr. Denise King will share their experience in taking the Social Work program to a digital, 1:1 delivery format. Faculty will also hear from Apple Higher Ed Leadership members Josie Lolli and Vin Capone on device development and innovation. Lindenwood's network of support will be on hand to discuss implementation procedures unique to our campus: TJ Rains will address informational technology policy and procedure, with Michael Fetters and Lisa Young discussing Library Resources and OER development.  

Lindenwood faculty are striving to create relevant, real, and timely program transformations to enhance the student experience. This event provides faculty with essential information and supports efforts to make important evolutions in program design.  
School of Education Faculty Approved for Research

The School of Education Faculty Scholarship Advisory Committee completed a blind review and unanimously approved two faculty proposals for scholarly deployment for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Recommendations to the university Faculty Student Scholarship Committee include the following:

  • Kristen Levin (pictured left): research proposal "Unfamiliar Ground: The Effect of Moving Instruction to Virtual Platforms on Higher Education during the COVID Era".
  • Agata Freedle (pictured right): research proposal "Psychological Outcomes following Reproductive Trauma".
Lindenwood University to Sponsor St. Louis Post-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee in Connection with the Scripps National Spelling Bee

Lindenwood University will be the exclusive presenting sponsor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Regional Spelling Bee in connection with the Scripps National Spelling Bee competition. 
 
This partnership engages many facets of the Lindenwood University community and provides resources for K-8 students, teachers, and parents in 14 counties in Illinois and Missouri. Lindenwood University School of Education faculty will be offering study tips and advice to support students in their preparation for the spelling bee. 
 
Additionally, Lindenwood University will serve as the host site for the two-weekend competition in March, pending COVID-19 best practices on group gatherings. The winner of this event will move on to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 2021. 
Counseling, Social Work, Behavior Analysis
Counseling Program Coordinator, Brittany Grass, Receives Certificate in Culturally Responsive Assessment

Congratulations to Ms. Brittany Grass who is the program coordinator for our counseling, social work, and BCBA department. Brittany reflects upon her experience below:

“As I began to reflect on what culturally responsive assessment means to me, three words came to mind: equity, evaluation, and improvement. Equity defines and shapes how I educate and interact amongst a more diverse and global student population. As I continually learn to become more culturally sensitive and aware of the populations that I serve, I am better able to assess and evaluate those interactions and define areas of improvement within my own personal biases, while being intentional within my approach with those students. This has allowed me to advance my culturally responsive approach while ensuring every student succeeds regardless of their differences.
 
My experience has allowed me to become more consciously aware in recognizing cultures outside of my own. While I have experiences in socially diverse settings, and been provided with educational opportunities to further explore diverse populations, this certificate has provided me with a deeper understanding and impacted me in a way that I did not know possible. The activities that I was able to participate in have allowed me to apply what I learned in my everyday work and interactions with students.”
Board-Certified Behavior Analysis (BCBA)

Tori Spain passed her BCBA exam on the first try last month! Tori’s passion for ethical behavior analysis has been clear from her first day in the program and culminated with an excellent master’s project on ABA applied to preventing abuse and abduction among individuals with developmental disabilities. Thanks instructors for helping support her professional development and personal growth through her time at LU! We are 3 for 3 with our 2020 grads’ first time pass rate! Congrats!
Assistant Dean, Dr. Sarah Patterson-Mills, Co-Authors Article

Dr. Patterson-Mills co-authored an article in the October issue of the National Career Development Association’s (NCDA) Career Convergence Web Magazine. NCDA is the premier career counseling association in the US. The article is titled "Making Video Conferences Equitable and Inclusive." Congratulations Dr. Patterson-Mills!

Chi Sigma Iota

Chi Sigma Iota was founded in 1985 for counselor educators, professional counselors, and counselors-in-training. Their mission is to promote scholarship, research, professionalism, and leadership. Also, to recognize high achievement in academics and clinical excellence in the profession of counseling. Lindenwood's chapter is called the Lambda Chi Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota and was founded in 1995. Our Greek letters for Chi Sigma Iota were selected to denote that we are the Counseling Society International. The wreath was chosen to encircle the Greek letters as a symbol of honor earned and promise for commitment to high ideals. The colors represent white for virtue, goodness, and moral excellence. Blue represents trustworthiness, honesty, integrity, reliability, and justice towards others. Integrity is implicit in all as well. Every semester we strive to create an induction ceremony event to honor those who have committed themselves to these values.

This semester we will have our induction ceremony on November 20, 2020 from 6pm - 7pm via Zoom. Immediately following the induction ceremony, we will have our first business meeting to discuss what our chapter is currently doing, and what we will be doing in the future. All alumni and students of Chi Sigma Iota are invited to attend this event via Zoom to celebrate the new inductees.  
MO DESE School Counseling Team Meets with 61 School Counseling Students

The School of Education Counseling Department, via Professor Cindy Wynn, welcomed Dr. M. Rene' Yoesel, LPC, Coordinator of School Counseling and Adult Education & Literacy, and Chrissy Bashore the incoming Director of School Counseling.

Their presentation overviewed new updates to Missouri Connections, career clusters and pathways. They also spoke about new initiatives and the partnerships with other state organizations such as Workforce Development. One exciting addition will be coming with regard to K-12 career development and we learned about it firsthand. In addition, students were shown new legislation and encouraged to advocate for their profession in order to have their voices heard and to be 'in the know' about updates. This was a great opportunity for students in the beginning and end of the program to come together and see the amazingly progressive things the State of Missouri Comprehensive School Counseling Model is engaged in on a national level. We want to truly thank Rene' and Chrissy for the warm welcome to the profession on behalf of our students.
Curriculum & Instruction
Dr. Chajuana Donates Books to Reading and Literacy Center

Dr. Chajuana Trawick, Endowed Chair and Associate professor of Fashion and Business Design, generously donated two beautiful picture books she wrote with her sister, Chauncy Trawick. Both books draw attention to Annie Malone and her many contributions to St. Louis. These two books are displayed prominently as our first donations for the Reading and Literacy Center!

If you are interested in making a donation to the Reading and Literacy Center, please email Associate Dean, Dr. Jill Hutcheson jhutcheson@lindenwood.edu
Kappa Delta Pi Provides Treats to Teachers

The Tau Phi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi at Lindenwood's School of Education provided TREATS (no TRICKS) to local teachers. The chapter's faculty sponsor, Dr. Nancy Schneider, facilitated a "BOO" the teachers event by delivering snacks, candy, and coffee to the school. Dr. Schneider says its a little more difficult to recognize teachers and celebrate their work during COVID-19, but this was completed with social distancing and individually packaged treats!
Educational Leadership
Dr. Jen Edler Receives Doctoral Degree!

Let us all take a moment and say a big CONGRATULATIONS to Dr. Jen Elder, Specialist for Professional and Continuing Education (PACE).

Dr. Edler recently finished her doctoral degree!
We at the School of Education know that you will do great things in your journey! We are so proud!
Dr. Leavitt Serves as Theme Lead in Upcoming White Paper for RSA

Dr. Lynda Leavitt, RSA Fellow, will serve as Theme Lead while working with an international team of contributors, in the upcoming white paper published by the RSA, Augmented Society Network https://www.augmentedsociety.org/.

The focus of the white paper is on the future form of education centralized around 8 themes: 1) Setting the stage, 2) Foundational Skills, 3) Problem Solving, 4) Access and Inclusivity, 5) Purpose and Context, 6) Success and Failure, 7) Enabling Educators, and 8) Education as a Communal Structure. Dr. Leavitt ‘s focus is on answering the question, “How can the current educational platform support an evolution within the current bureaucratic structures as styles, preferences, and subject matters evolve at exponential rates?” Dr. Leavitt also serves as program lead for the upcoming Leadership, Ed.D. in which doctoral students will use design thinking to solve complex educational issues. 
Dr. Mitch Nasser Hosts Dissertation Support Zoom Meetings

Dr. Mitch Nasser, Assistant Professor in Educational Leadership, will host a variety of Zoom meetings for dissertation support. Although these are intended for students in Capstone Experience, any students who have completed Capstone I are encouraged to attend.

Thursday, November 19: 6:00pm-7:00pm
Meeting ID: 843 6840 3106
Passcode: 5L8rgP

Saturday, December 5: 11:00am-12:00pm
Meeting ID: 892 6067 0350
Passcode: 3uAhrB 
Educational Leadership Spotlight on Adjunct and Full-Time Faculty

In an effort to help our readers get to know our faculty and adjuncts working in Educational Leadership, we will be spotlighting a member of our team each month. This month, our Spotlight falls on adjunct Dr. Beth Rapoff.

What brought you to Lindenwood?  
I came to Lindenwood for my doctoral degree, due largely to Dr. Weir and his support and attentiveness while I was choosing a program. Once I was here, I stayed because I felt I learned so much from the high-quality faculty with whom I worked. I was honored when Dr. Weir offered me an adjunct position. 
 
What are your research interests?  
I am interested in non-traditional approaches to teaching and learning and how to create change to ignite growth in academic settings. I am also interested in teacher evaluation and how to effectively evaluate teachers. Lastly, I am really passionate about how, at the district level, we can provide a variety of opportunities and supports for students that are more out-of-the-box .
 
What motivates you as an educator?  
In my current role as an associate principal, I think critically about the passions of my students and how their research can help them in their next step in their careers. I believe that students must choose topics that are relevant to them and about which they are passionate, and I enjoy guiding them towards those choices. I am constantly thinking about how their research can translate into school improvement where they are. 
 
What do you like best about teaching?  
While I love being a school administrator, I truly miss teaching. I really enjoy interacting with students, guiding them, and helping them recognize their passions and strengths. I also really love teaching writing and giving feedback to students. 
 
What impresses you about our students?  
I am impressed by the diverse group of students who enter my classroom every semester. I always learn interesting and unique facts about every single person, and each story is fascinating. Our students are focused and driven.   
 
What authors or books have influenced you personally and/or professionally?  
I read books about teacher evaluation, such as Mike Rutherford's The Artisan Teacher. I also read about school culture and school change; Todd Whitaker and Mike Mattos come to mind as top authors who have influenced me in these areas.   
Sign Up for Comprehensive Exams

The Comprehensive Exams for the EdD program for all campuses will be held online via Canvas on Saturday, December 5th from 8:00 AM-11:00 AM. If students will finish ALL of their coursework, other than Capstone III, by the end of the FA20 semester they need to sign up for the Comprehensive Exam by writing Dr. Robyne Elder, at relder@lindenwood.edu. Students should check with their advisors to assure that all coursework is complete before signing up for the exam. In order to prepare for the exam, a study guide will be provided in early November and Dr. Elder will be hold an online prep session in November as well (date and time TBD). Once students have signed up for the exam, they will be on the email list to receive information on the Comp Exam (specific information about the exam, study guide, prep session link, etc.). Please contact Dr. Elder with any questions. 
Plan Now for Upcoming Online Professional Development Opportunities

The Economic Education Center (EEC) invites you and your colleagues to be a part of its virtual professional development opportunities this fall. In fun, interactive online events led by Dr. Tawni Hunt Ferrarini (director of the EEC), discover new ways to engage students and enhance your online, hybrid, or in-person teaching. Registration is free and easy.
 
  • Thursday, December 3, 2020, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (CST) | Financial Fitness for Life, Chapter 21: No Free Lunch in Investing. Explore ways to teach students the keys to successful saving and investing via diversity and acceptable risk. Learn about five types of risk and frequently-used investment vehicles. Click to register.

  • Thursday, December 10, 2020, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (CST) | Financial Fitness for Life, Chapter 2: The Economic Way of Thinking. Learn how students can use a six-point primer – “The Handy Dandy Guide” – to apply a process of reasoning called “the economic way of thinking” to everyday life choices. Click to register.
 
These events are perfect for teachers, curriculum coordinators, and pre-service teachers – especially those teaching personal finance and life skills. Contact eec@lindenwood.edu if you have any questions about these opportunities. Learn about all our opportunities at http://econed.center.
REcharge Virtual Event for Educators

We at Youth Entrepreneurs know this year is setting up to be a challenging one in your career. Many of you are wearing more and different hats: you’re IT experts, motivational speakers, homeschoolers... the list goes on. 
 
As educators, we feed off the energy we get back from our students. Like the battery in your car, we are charged with the same engine to which our charge provides spark. It’s an important and virtuous cycle. And like that car battery, sometimes we give more energy than we get back. This year might well require that sort of imbalance. We’re here for you, cables in hand, ready to give you a jump.
 
That’s why we at Youth Entrepreneurs have chosen 2020 to host our inaugural REcharge virtual event. This FREE, day-long, engaging event will help you to recharge your battery, jumpstart your mind, and empower your spirit in preparation for the second half of your year.  We’ll develop new skills amongst friends, old and new. We’ll hone your craft in a safe place, among likeminded colleagues, all who are ready for a recharge. 
 
REcharge will be held on December 5th from 10 AM - 4 PM CST, with multiple session tracks and dynamic keynote speakers. Learn more and REGISTER for free here!
 
Keynote Speaker: Jeremy Anderson 

Jeremy is a firm believer in, and representative of, the power of an entrepreneurial mindset. He started life with a different perspective; a fixed mindset and some huge challenges left him feeling handcuffed and hopeless. The path to discovering his value was long and arduous, but today he’s dedicated his life to helping educators uncover their potential and reimagine how to do the same for their students.