Congratulations to these Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education alumni! Max Finley, B.S.Ed. Kinesiology, ’17, was named athletic trainer for the South Carolina Stingrays, affiliate of the NHL’s Washington Capitals and AHL’s Hershey Bears. Finley was assigned to the Stingrays by MUSC
Read moreClever solution, good relationships allow P.E. majors to visit schools for clinicals
Getting pre-service teachers into K-12 schools for clinical experiences during COVID-19 isn’t easy. But Zach Wahl-Alexander, assistant professor of pedagogy in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, has engineered just that for NIU P.E. majors. Wahl-Alexander worked the phones this spring,
Read moreEducator in Residence P.J. Fleck to share lessons of football, life in March 3 talk
P.J. Fleck will never forget his semester as a student-teacher at Clinton Rosette Middle School. It was Spring 2004, and the wide receiver for the NIU Huskies football team had tried to postpone that classroom immersion – he was training for his
Read moreMiddle Level Teaching and Learning majors grapple with ‘Hateful Things’
Joseph Flynn is, through and through, an educator. And as the associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction viewed and absorbed the 39 pieces contained in the “Hateful Things” traveling exhibition from Ferris State University, he saw the great potential
Read moreKNPE, Lorado Taft staff combine forces to keep field experience despite COVID
COVID-19 is not stopping P.E. majors in Gail Koehling’s KNPE 466: Field Experience at Outdoor Environments course from getting a taste of Lorado Taft training. Students in KNPE 466 typically visit the NIU facility in Oregon, Ill., for three days and two
Read moreCAHE graduate students find validation of paths via Phyllis Cunningham honors
Valronica Scales felt the call to work toward social justice while working in Chicago with low-income students and families. Some were undocumented. Some spoke no English. Most were people of color. “Because I spoke fluent Spanish, and had lived abroad for a
Read moreBlack, Brown & Bilingüe: Alums launch podcast while leading suburban schools
For Lissette Jacobson and Maurice McDavid, the connection began Day One. Both began working in DeKalb in August of 2011, when they attended an orientation for new teachers – and Jacobson couldn’t help but notice McDavid’s commanding voice in the room: “You’re
Read moreDecade of distinction: U.S. News ranks online graduate degrees in nation’s best
Online graduate programs in the NIU College of Education are celebrating their 10th consecutive year of high acclaim from U.S. News & World Report. The College of Education is ranked 21, placing in the top 10% of the 296 institutions assessed with
Read morePLEDGE program aims to ease shortage of teachers, boost teacher diversity
Illinois schools, like schools nationwide, desperately need more teachers – as well as more teachers who look like their students – to serve in growingly diverse classrooms. According to the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, nearly 50% of teachers leave
Read moreIASBO partnership continues to prepare Illinois chief school business officials
Language on the Illinois Association of School Business Officials website (IASBO) leaves no doubt. “For those seeking a master’s degree, Northern Illinois University has become the quintessential training ground in the state for school business leaders!” it proclaims. “Students in the School
Read moreKaneland teams with NIU to stimulate teacher-leaders, personalized learning
Nearly two dozen teachers, mostly from Kaneland Community Unit School District 302, are trailblazers in a new school-university collaboration that will produce instructional leaders focused on providing personalized learning for students. Sarah Mumm and Patrick Raleigh, Kaneland’s directors of Educational Services for
Read moreNIU’s Educators Rising chapter hoping to engage, mentor high school groups
Members of the NIU College of Education’s still-young chapter of Educators Rising are devoted to furthering their preparation, enhancing their marketability – and, they hope, making meaningful connections with those students who will follow in their footsteps. “When we began Educators Rising,
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