03 Dec2021
By Rangasamy Ramasamy
This opinion article originally appeared in Diverse Issues in Higher Education and is reprinted with permission.
The demographics of our nation’s PK-12 student body are changing. In fact, a report from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2019 as cited in Burden, 2020) projects that by 2027 the Caucasian student population will decrease to 45%, Latinx student population will increase to 29%, and the African American student population will remain at 15%. Thus, tomorrow’s student body will be more diverse than today and that trend is expected to continue. To meet the needs of the future PK-12 student population, educator preparation programs (EPPs) must attract a greater number of diverse candidates to the teaching profession—and that requires advocating for policies that promote diversity in the classroom and address critical teacher shortages.
12 Jul2019
By Deborah McEwan, Danna Demezier, Shanett Dean, Denise Dowdie and Rangasamy Ramasamy
BIG Data may not be “a piece of cake” but during a presentation by Charles Dukes, students and faculty noted that it can be a slice of pie. On April 11, 2019, Holmes Scholars at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) hosted a seminar, “The story of big data, with all the small details,” featuring Dukes, associate professor in the Department of Exceptional Student Education at UFA. Some 25 doctoral students and faculty, along with a Holmes Scholar from the University of Central Florida, attended the seminar with FAU’s Holmes Coordinator Rangasamy Ramasamy and Holmes Scholars Denise Dowdie, Danna Demezier, Shanett Dean, and Deborah McEwan (pictured above with Dukes). During the seminar, Dukes defined “big data” and explored how such data may be used for social science research. He also shared “big data” links that anyone can access, reviewed primary considerations for its usage, and provided an overview of a current research study with big data.
05 Apr2018
By Rangasamy Ramasamy and Deborah McEwan
The authors are part of the AACTE Holmes Program at Florida Atlantic University. For information about the program, visit aacte.org. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of AACTE.
On March 27, Holmes Scholars at Florida Atlantic University hosted a research workshop, “Understanding the Role of the Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Dissertation Research.” More than 30 doctoral students and faculty attended the event with the university’s four Holmes Scholars – Kalynn Hall Pistorio, Kayla Elliott, Deborah McEwan, and Brianna Joseph (pictured above, standing, along with Holmes Coordinator Professor Rangasamy Ramasamy).
