Thank you to Slate and Huffington Post for great articles featuring Donna Pinckley’s photo series titled “Sticks and Stones,” which features interracial couples.
Interracial Couples Share The Insults They’ve Experienced In Insightful Photo Series
Arkansas We The People Announces New Resources to Train Teachers in Civics
Arkansas We The People is pleased to announce that funds will be available Arkansas to provide professional development for middle and high school teachers in civics and government focusing upon the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The initiative, entitled the James Madison Legacy Project, is part of a nationwide professional development program directed by the Center for Civic Education, a nonprofit educational organization that was recently awarded a federal grant under the U.S. Department of Education’s Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED) grant program.
Arkansas We The People is one of the organizations participating in the 46-state James Madison Legacy Project partnership. The funding we receive will be used to increase the number of highly effective teachers of high-need and other students through professional development and the implementation of an exemplary curricular program for students. The teacher institutes and workshops will focus on the research-validated We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution program, a nationally acclaimed curriculum that teaches upper elementary, middle and high school students about the history and principles of the U.S. Constitution.
The James Madison Legacy Project will use an existing professional development model that is enhanced with online resources as well as a new blended-learning variation of the traditional model that will involve the use of new online resources to be developed by the Center. These resources will provide teachers rich academic content and a mastery of teaching methods useful in helping students develop the capacity and inclination to become competent and responsible participants in the civic life of their communities and the nation.
The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in civics revealed that only about 25% of students performed at or above the “proficient” level. All the other students scored at “basic” or “below basic” levels that leave them ill-equipped to participate effectively in civic life. This clearly indicates the need for the James Madison Legacy Project to improve civic education.
“In order to help students become effective and engaged members of ‘We the People’ and further the goal of a nation that is supposed to be of, by, and for the people, it is critical that teachers have a sound background in civics and government and develop the skills required to bring the subject to life for their students,” said (name of state coordinator).
For more information contact Dr. Jeff Whittingham, Arkansas We The People Coordinator, University of Central Arkansas, 501-450-5445, jeffw@uca.edu
Jewel More Nature Reserve and COPA Hosted Leave No Trace Awareness Session
The UCA Jewel Moore Nature Reserve (JMNR) and Campus Outdoor Pursuits & Activities (COPA) hosted a Leave-no-trace session at the nature reserve on October 12, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. from 4:00 p.m. Students learned about enjoying nature without damaging it and about all the great resources on campus to help everyone enjoy getting outside.
UCA OT Student Is Helping A Hero Heal In Germany
UCA Occupational Therapy Level II Fieldwork student, Kirby Kirkland, is part of the team who has been helping a hero.
Being placed at Ladstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany was a dream that came true. While she might argue that she is helping heroes daily, she recently worked with a hero with international acclaim, Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone.
On the left, Captain Ashley Welsh assists Stone with his occupational therapy during an August 31, 2015 appointment at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany. Also assisting are OT Assistant Sgt. Aaron Keller (top) and OT Intern Kirby Kirkland (right). Stone is receiving care for injuries sustained while helping prevent an attack by an armed gunman on board a train in France. (U.S. Army Photo/Chuck Roberts)
Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone didn’t think twice before he and his friends stepped in to thwart a terrorist attack on a Paris train, and his selflessness resulted in a potentially disabling cut to his hand.
However, thanks to the skillful work of surgeons in Paris and the expert therapy he’s receiving from Army medical professionals at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, he is expected to regain full use of his hand.
Stone received a deep laceration at the base of his thumb that severed the tendon and nerves that run along the inside of the thumb, according to Lt. Col. Arthur Yeager, LRMC’s Chief of Occupational Therapy.
According to Yeager, the cut appears to be a defensive wound from when the would-be attacker sliced at him with a knife, while Stone and the other heroes on the train attempted to subdue him.
“Stone said everything happened so quickly he doesn’t recall exactly how he was cut,” Yeager said. “The tendon that was severed allows you to flex the thumb and use it to grasp things, and without it, you can’t really use your thumb.”
Yeager says the excellent care Stone received at a French hospital has set him on a path to a complete recovery.
“Thanks to our counterparts in France, he underwent surgery that same day, which is critical,” Yeager said. “What tends to happen is that the longer you wait to repair the cut, the harder it is to get more range of motion and the harder the rehab will be.”
UCA Leadership Students And Faculty Presented At International Conference
Students and faculty of the Interdisciplinary PhD in Leadership Studies program (LEAD) at the University of Central Arkansas have recently traveled to Georgetown University in Washington, DC, to present research at this year’s annual conference of the Human Development & Capability Association (HDCA).
HDCA is a global community of academics and practitioners that seeks to build an intellectual community around the ideas of human development. HDCA’s conference theme this year was Capabilities on the Move: Mobility and Aspirations.
The LEAD director, Rhonda McClellan, is pleased that six students, an affiliated faculty member and she presented original research at this year’s conference. Several students and Dr. McClellan presented their field-based research project on health and well-being in the Arkansas Delta. One student presented her dissertation work on girls’ education in Niger. Another student, along with Dr. Jayme Stone, presented a pilot study for the student’s dissertation work that focuses on environmental leadership in Rwanda.
LEAD students and faculty had the opportunity to see some of their academic/research idols present new ideas as well as debate current theory. They particularly enjoyed plenary sessions with Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, founders of the Capability Approach, and James Heckman and Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureates in Economics. They also had the opportunity to attend a multitude of paper sessions from international researchers who look to improve well-being and human agency around the world.
Emily Lane, a LEAD student working on research in the Arkansas Delta, was excited to present at the conference and proud to represent UCA and LEAD. “The work we do in this program is indispensable, and we are always happy to share it with others. The HDCA conference was a great place to discuss our research, to network with like-minded scholars, and to continue our work of enhancing human and community capabilities.”
The LEAD program is now accepting applications for its incoming 2016 cohort. For more information on the program, visit https://uca.edu/phdleadership/.
For more information on the conference and the presentations by LEAD students and faculty, visit http://hd-ca.org/conference.