Author: Brynn Boyer

On March 21^st, representatives from UMW’s administration, faculty, staff and students came together for the initial meetings of the grant-funded civic seminar, “Civic Engagement: Recasting and Drawing Upon a Wider Net.” The purpose of the meetings is to bring together stakeholders from UMW and the local community to explore and strengthen the role of civic engagement within UMW and with the broader community.

Check out some of the progress: Video

The last civic engagement meeting this semester will continue these discussions with UMW administration, faculty, staff, students, and also include Fredericksburg-area community leaders. It will be held on April 9, 2013 at Lee Hall, Room 412 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

About the UMW Civic Engagement Grant Initiative

UMW was awarded this 2012-2014 civic learning grant through the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) and the Bringing Theory to Practice Project.

The co-directors of the “Civic Engagement: Recasting and Drawing Upon a Wider Net” grant are Dr. Mary Kayler (Director, Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation), Dr. John P. Broome (Assistant Professor, College of Education) and Christina Eggenberger (Director of Service, Center for Honor, Leadership, and Service).

Comments or Questions

Please contact Dr. Mary Kayler: mkayler@umw.edu

John P. Broome, assistant professor in curriculum & instruction and director of  secondary education and preK-12 education programs in the College of Education, has co-authored a book chapter entitled, “Three States: A Comparison Across Diverse Policy Contexts” to be published in Research on the Status of Social Studies: Views from the Field by Information Age Publishing in Summer 2013.

Since 2008, Broome has served on a national research team studying the state of social studies education in the United States. The first study of its kind, this 50-state survey-based research sampled K-12 social studies educators in America. Research on the Status of Social Studies: Views from the Field focuses on the impact of high-stakes standards, use of instructional time, methods of instruction and assessment and application of technology in U.S. K-12 social studies classrooms. The book is divided into six parts: I. Foundations, II. Types of Schools; III. Curricular Emphases; IV. Teaching Strategies; V. Professional Issues, and; VI. What It All Means

Collaborating with Dr. Gayle Y. Thieman (Portland State University), Dr. Joseph E. O’Brien (University of Kansas),  Dr. Thomas Barker (University of Kansas) and Dr. Patrice Preston-Grimes (University of Virginia), Broome co-authored a chapter comparing K-12 social studies practices of three states: Kansas, Oregon and Virginia.

An abstract of “Three States: A Comparison Across Diverse Policy Contexts” is included below.

Much of the recent data on the state of social studies teaching has focused on the impact of NCLB on the decline of instructional time in elementary classrooms, though little is known about what occurs during instruction. To address this concern the Survey on the Status of Social Studies (S4) asked K-12 teachers to report on the current status of their social studies curriculum and instructional practices. The survey investigated the impact of mandated testing, social studies curriculum goals and concepts, and teachers’ instructional strategies in the classroom. This chapter analyzed the findings from three states (Kansas, Oregon, and Virginia) and compared the results to data from the national survey.  Our analysis addressed four questions: 1) How much instructional time is devoted to social studies in elementary and secondary classrooms and how has mandated testing influenced the time available? 2) How often and in what types of instructional activities are students engaged? 3) What are the major goals and key concepts of the social studies curriculum? 4) How do the three states compare to each other and to the national findings?

The co-principal investigator for the Virgina study, Broome continues to examine the status of social studies education in our state. This past year he conducted an explanatory mixed-method study by convening focus groups with K-5 Virginia social studies educators throughout the Commonwealth  of Virginia. As he develops manuscripts on this work, Broome’s research is being used to inform school-, district- and state-level policy and instructional decisions around the Commonwealth.

Faculty and staff:
Please join us at the Battleground Athletic Complex on Wednesday, April 10 from 4 to 6 p.m. for a Spring Jubilee celebrating National NCAA Division III Week. We will have simultaneous contests going on in men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball and softball, as well as free food and prizes.  We will share information about what it means to compete in Division III and how it personally impacts our student-athletes.  In Division III, team members are students first and athletes second, and the support of our outstanding faculty is critical to their success.  Thank you for all you do every day and we look forward to seeing you on April 10.  It’s a great day to be an Eagle!

For more information, contact Ken Tyler, director of athletics, at (540) 654-1876 or Lynne Richardson, dean of the College of Business and faculty athletic representative, at (540) 654-1455.

First-year UMW Athletic Director Ken Tyler has been very busy since joining the university last summer. Among the many positive changes Tyler has brought has been the institution of a corporate partner program for the athletic department. So far, nine different local businesses have partnered with Eagle athletics. These partners represent a wide array of services, from pizza to retirement planning, and from Nike to the Homestead Resort. We invite all members of the UMW community to support our corporate partners and thank them for their support!

Myers Wagner Wealth Management – http://www.investdavenport.com/myerswagner/
Northwestern Mutual Financial – http://www.robert-billingsley.com
Vocelli Pizza – www.vocellipizza.com
Nike/BSN Sports – www.nike.com
Ultimate Automotive – http://www.driveultimatesubaru.com/index.htm
The Homestead Resort – http://www.thehomestead.com/
Home Team Grill – http://www.hometeamgrill.com/
Union First Market Bank – https://www.bankatunion.com/home/home
Academy Bus – http://www.academybus.com/

For more information, contact Clint Often, sports information director, at coften@umw.edu.

Eric Lorentzen, associate professor of English, gave an invited lecture at the University of Connecticut on Wednesday, March 20 entitled “‘The Catechizing Infection’: Subverting Dangerous Pedagogy in the Novels of Austen, Dickens, and Charlotte Brontë.“