Reflections - Fall 2012

              Table of Contents
Partnership with Bridgeport Schools........1
B.E.S.T. Education Project provides
tuition-assisted training for teachers.......2
Faculty News............................................3
Recent Grants...........................................4
Honors and Awards...................................4
Scholarship Awards..................................4
Commencement 2012...............................5
SMART Classroom.....................................5
Recent Faculty Publications.....................6
Partnering Locally.....................................7
Partnering Globally...................................7
Message From the Dean............................8
www.fairfield.edu/gseap
Autumn 2012
Partnership with Bridgeport Schools
Reflections
Fairfield University
a publication of the graduate school of education and allied professions
A significant school-university
partnership launched by
Bridgeport Interim
Superintendent Paul Vallas and the
Graduate School of Education and Allied
Professions at Fairfield University will
have a major impact on Bridgeport high
school students as well
as Fairfield University
students.
The partner-ship
includes an
Early College Dual
Enrollment Plan that
will allow Bridgeport
high school seniors
to take introductory
courses at Fairfield University, as well as
the University of Bridgeport, Sacred Heart
University, and Housatonic Community
College. Students are required to have a B
average and demonstrate college readiness
on the Accuplacer test, a college place-ment
examination. The Bridgeport school
district will pay the students’ tuition. The
goal is to connect students with local col-leges
and to prepare more college-ready
students.
“The other exciting part of this ini-tiative
is the internship component,” says
Dean Susan Franzosa. “Bridgeport will
have openings for approximately 30 of our
students to work in district schools. It’s a
wonderful opportunity for our students to
work directly with experienced teachers
and for Fairfield University to contribute
to educational change.” Teacher interns
and interns in counselor education will
receive tuition grants from the school
district, so the cost of their education at
Fairfield will be significantly reduced.
“For preservice teachers, an urban
teaching experience should be almost
mandatory,” says Peter
Ziegler, Bridgeport’s
college and university
partner liaison, who
has been working
on the city’s school
redesign team. “The
exposure they’ll have
to ethnic diversity,
languages, learning
disabilities, and other
issues will help them hone their skills as
teachers.”
Internships, though not required, have
long been available to aspiring teachers,
“but this partnership comes with a dif-ferent
job description,” says Dr. Joseph
Ricciotti, Fairfield’s internship program
director. “Instead of substituting for teach-ers
in the classrooms, these interns will be
working alongside an experienced teacher.
Our students will receive feedback that
will help them grow professionally. We
think these interns will have an excel-lent
learning experience in conjunction
with their studies.” An added bonus, notes
Ricciotti: “School districts look at these
candidates as potential teachers, so the
internship can be a stepping stone to a job.
It’s really a win-win.”