USC Rossier Magazine: Spring/Summer 2021

A New Vision for Schools

How can we bring lasting change to education?

In the Fall/Winter 2020 issue of USC Rossier Magazine, we explored how both the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement exposed existing inequities in schools, resulting in an urgent need to reconsider how we educate. Our findings were clear: We can’t simply go back to normal after the pandemic is over. Instead, we must use this opportunity to help bring lasting change to the field of education. In this issue, you will read about how the USC Rossier community is considering the ways education can be re-envisioned and how these transformations can help us work toward our mission of achieving educational equity. The pandemic, in fact, has shown us in many ways that the things we thought could never change, actually can.

A second grader attends online school from her socially-distanced desk at the Delano Recreation Center, which is a part of the Safer at Parks: Alternative Learning Centers and After School Program in Los Angeles. (Photo/Getty Images, Al Seib)

Dean’s Byline

Building a more equitable future

As schools start to reopen, now is the time to create an education system that supports all students

Scientific intuition exists in all children

But how can STEM instruction tap into this natural curiosity as kids grow up?

Knight checks on seedlings in the greenhouse at Oak Hills Elementary School

The pandemic forced us outside, and Oak Park Unified shows how schools can benefit

Led by Anthony Knight EdD ’06, this Ventura County district provides a model for outdoor education and environmental literacy

Gamifying the virtual classroom

The pandemic has educators turning to digital tools to increase engagement, but how can we ensure these technologies are accessible for all students?

Is the pandemic worsening the equity gap in college admissions?

While test-optional policies have some applauding, declining application rates for low-income students and people of color are worrisome

Top row, from right to left: Paul Gothold EdD ’17, Vivian Ekchian EdD ’19, Scott Parker EdD ’14; bottom row, from right to left, Merril Irving Jr. EdD ’07, Kenechukwu Mmeje EdD ’12, Roxane Fuentes BA ’94, EdD ’15. (Kenechukwu Mmeje Photo/Hillsman Jackson)

News

Leaders in education reflect on a year of upheaval

Alumni from Hawai‘i to Minnesota share their experiences and hopes for the future

Akilah Lyons-Moore EdD ’14 assistant professor of clinical education, discusses The Democracy Project, growing up in Pacoima and what she misses about teaching high school

Akilah Lyons-Moore EdD ’14

Why we must rethink how we teach civics

Shaun R. Harper, Provost Professor in Education and Business, discusses his AERA presidency, his role on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s educational equity taskforce and hosting a race and equity summit viewed by millions

Shaun R. Harper

In a year of sea change, keeping equity in focus

Sánez (right) and colleague Barbara Clark, professor emerita at California State University, Los Angeles, visit Mexico City in 1990 to present at the Autonomous University of Tlaxcala. (Photo courtesy of Janet Boldt Sánez)

Discovering the talents in every child

This alumna’s illustrious career in gifted education took her from LA to the remote villages of Mexico

Kia Hill, a student in USC Rossier’s online Master of Education in Learning Design and Technology program will graduate in May. (Photo/Rebecca Aranda)

Bringing an online mentality to the medical profession

How this USC Rossier LDT student is improving continuing education for health care professionals

Amanda Holdsworth EdD ’17 started her own firm, Holdsworth Communications, in 2016. (Photo courtesy of Amanda Holdsworth.)

Helping schools share their stories

This OCL alumna paired her communication skills with a passion for education

Razor wire and fences surround the U.S. Capitol building at sunrise a few days after the Capitol was breached during an insurrection on Jan. 6. (Photo/Associated Press, Jeremy Hogan)

Tips for Educators

Teaching about the inescapable racial realities of the capitol insurrection

Professor Shaun R. Harper on how the attack on Congress underscores important lessons about racial double standards and White privilege

Opinion

Disruption as an opportunity for change

Dean Pedro A. Noguera on how the pandemic has provided a chance to reimagine how schools function

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