31 Jan2019
By Benita Kluttz-Drye
Congratulations to Madjiguene (Madji) Falls, Holmes Scholar of the Month for January 2019!
Falls is a 3rd-year doctoral candidate at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey. She is part of Rowan’s inaugural cohort and is a professor in residence at West Avenue School in Bridgeton, NJ. Falls is devoted to social justice and equity in education. Her areas of specialization are language literacy and working with students who are English language learners. She fluently speaks five languages: Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Wolof.
As founder of her own language literacy company, Language for Work, Falls helps to eradicate barriers hindering families and children’s whose first language is not English. She provides cultural diversity training and occupational language courses to help students and families to engage with and be able to communicate more effectively with various systems. In addition, she partners with the Family Success Center of Glassboro, NJ and the Glassboro Child Development Center. Falls has provided other humanitarian services such as providing free Spanish classes to families in need, advocating for families involved with immigration services, and using her voice to speak out against violence.
07 Aug2018
By Benita Kluttz-Drye
Holmes Scholars Carlos Richardson, Benita Kluttz-Drye, Dana Dunwoody, Natoya Coleman, Evandra Catherine, and Hope Barnes join members of the Rowan Urban Teacher Academy, along with Rowan University Dean Monika Shealey (in green).
Several AACTE Holmes Scholars took time out from their intense schedule during the AACTE Holmes Dissertation Retreat and Research Symposium, July 26-28 at Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, to speak with students from the Rowan Urban Teacher Academy.
The academy serves students in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade who are interested in learning more about becoming teachers. The purpose of the 10-day program is to create a pipeline into the education profession for high school students from urban areas, hoping that students exposed to the field of education will consider returning to teach in urban schools. As part of the academy’s training and exposure, students tour the campus of the university.
23 Mar2018
By Benita Kluttz-Drye
The annual Holmes Program gathering at AACTE’s Annual Meeting was held in Baltimore, Maryland, from February 28 to March 2. To date, this was the largest assembly we’ve had from the program, with students from over 47 universities and institutions in attendance as well as faculty, coordinators, and program alumni. The theme for the conference was “Celebrating Our Professional Identity,” and the subtheme for our preconference event was “I Too Am Holmes.”
A wide variety of sessions was available for Holmes Cadets, Honors, Master’s, and Scholars. Students were able to share their research through poster sessions, roundtable discussions, and paper presentations. Breakout sessions covered topics such as Effective Strategies to Recruit and Retain Minority Preservice Teachers, Beginning the Doctoral Journey, Navigating Dissertation, and Navigating Untenured Faculty Positions, to name a few. Members also had the opportunity to network, collaborate, and share their experience of being part of this dynamic community called HOLMES.
13 Nov2017
By Benita Kluttz-Drye
This year’s Holmes Dissertation Symposium and Retreat was sponsored by the University of Central Florida (UCF) and Florida A&M University (FAMU). It was held October 27-28 on the beautiful campus of UCF, providing attendees with a plethora of information to advance their scholarship and practical knowledge.
The conference began with a welcome by Dean Pamela Carroll of the University of Central Florida, Dean Monika Shealey of Rowan University, and Tim Finklea of AACTE. Shealey challenged us to use the support provided through the Holmes network, to glean from each other and all of the presenters at the symposium, and to take this as an opportunity to learn from others before us.
