05 May2021
By Weade James
To support the academic, professional and personal growth of Holmes Program participants, AACTE will offer a learning series this summer to Holmes doctoral and master’s students at participating institutions. The sessions offered in the upcoming series will be led by diverse and accomplished leaders in the field. All sessions will build on prior professional development that have been offered to the Holmes Program participants and will address their unique needs as graduate students of color who are pursuing degrees in education.
The session details, descriptions, and links to register are below.
29 Apr2021
By Gaelle Gilbert
AACTE is excited to welcome the inaugural Holmes Scholars at Indiana University Bloomington. The cohort of nine students are pursuing doctorate degrees in education with concentrations in teacher education, higher education and curriculum studies, and special education. Led by Carl Darnell, associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion, and Alexander Cuenca, assistant professor, the IU Holmes Program demonstrates IU’s commitment to supporting racially diverse students in higher education.
Below are excerpts from the Indiana University Bloomington School of Education website.
Loukisha Anderson is a doctoral student studying higher education and student affairs at IU. She received her master’s degree in educational psychology, with a concentration in human development from Ball State University. She is currently an associate instructor, supporting the student development and retention of Hudson & Holland Scholars. Some of Anderson’s research interest include traditionally underrepresented students’ retention, persistence, and success, mentoring experiences of Black women in higher education, and wellness experiences of Black women pursuing higher education at predominantly white institutions (PWIs).
29 Mar2021
By Leslie Ekpe
Congratulations to Ayan Mitra on being named the March Holmes Scholar of the Month. Mitra recently defended his dissertation, titled “Exploring Neurocognitive Processes that Underline Reading Performance in Children: A Foundational Study.” His other research agenda attempts to bridge the gap between education and neuroscience. Mitra strives to understand how connectivity across different regions of the brain (coherence) is predictive of reading measures in widely used cognitive reading assessments. With rapidly evolving neuroimaging techniques providing better spatial and temporal resolution to brain imaging, it is increasingly important for literacy scholars to theorize the neural basis of reading.
23 Mar2021
By Weade James
AACTE is pleased to welcome new Holmes Scholars from the University of Louisville and the University of North Florida. These institutions’ expansion of their Holmes Program signals their continued commitment to investing in initiatives that seek to advance equity in the education profession.
Easter Brown is in her second year in the pursuit of her Ed.D. Brown served as a classroom teacher for six years and three years as resident clinical faculty for a professional development school in partnership with the University of North Florida (UNF) before becoming an elementary school administrator. In continued efforts to bridge the gap between higher education and K-12 education, Brown serves as a member of the Business and Industry Leadership Team for Education and Human Services at Florida State College at Jacksonvilleand UNF’s Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Advisory Board. Brown is passionate in culturally responsive pedagogy in elementary school curriculum and the leadership journeys of Black female educators in predominantly white institutions, specifically K-12 education.
08 Mar2021
By Weade James
AACTE is pleased to introduce the 2021-22 Holmes Council, an elected body comprised of current Holmes Program doctoral and master’s students. The Council serves as a student voice to AACTE on the programmatic needs of the Holmes Program. All newly elected officers will serve a one-year term, with exception of the president and vice president who will each serve for two consecutive years.
02 Mar2021
By Weade James
During AACTE’s 73rd Annual Meeting last week, Pricella Morris, Phllandra Smith, and Moe Green were announced as recipients of the 2021 Holmes Program Dissertation Funding Competition (DFC).
Over the last four years, AACTE has held an annual Holmes Program DFC to support Holmes scholars’ dissertation research related expenses. This annual event is sponsored by AACTE and its partners, including the Council of Academic Deans from Research Education Institutions (CADREI), Teacher Education Council of State Colleges and Universities (TECSCU), the Association of Independent Liberal Arts Colleges of Teacher Education (AILACTE), and the National the National Association of Holmes Scholars Association (NAHSA).
26 Jan2021
By Weade James
Meet the nominees for the 2021-22 Holmes Council Elections. Each Holmes institution is entitled to one vote, which must be submitted by the Holmes Program Coordinator. Program Coordinators are encouraged to confer with their scholars for input on each candidate prior to completing the e-ballot. E-ballots must be completed via the AACTE Voting System. The window to cast votes will begin on January 28, 2021, through February 12, 2021.
22 Jan2021
By Weade James
AACTE is proud to welcome new Holmes Scholars from the University of Portland. The program, led by Assistant Professor Benjamin Gallegos, launched last winter with three outstanding scholars that AACTE is pleased to welcome to the Holmes Community: Kiko Garcia, Yvonne Ayesiga, and Ana Lia Oliva.
Kiko Garcia
Garcia is pursuing a Ph.D. in educational leadership and neuroeducation at the University of Portland. His family showed him the value of education at a very young age. Coming from an immigrant family who has strived to be a meaningful part of its community while growing up in California, he vows to do the same in Oregon. As a nonprofit administrator and educator in the greater Portland area, Garcia’s goal is to help communities to be empowered by creating meaning within their own journeys. Educational leadership and neuroeducation have helped him to forge an understanding about how we learn. His philosophy is that the world outside is the classroom and there are always opportunities to improve upon this classroom through social justice, equity, and recognition that our neurodiversity, as well as different abilities, are the true path to authentic learning and community-making.
22 Jan2021
By Azaria Cunningham
Congratulations to Talisa Jackson, the January Holmes Scholar of the Month. Originally from Natchez, Mississippi, Jackson is a doctoral candidate at George Mason University where she is studying science education research. Through her research, Jackson seeks to examine the representation of girls of color in STEM-related picture books with the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented populations in the STEM field. Since 2019, Jackson has worked at the National Science Foundation as a program assistant. Additionally, she is recipient of a 2020 College of Education and Human Development Completion Fellowship from George Mason University.
Prior to pursuing her doctoral studies, Jackson taught kindergarten and fourth grade in Title I schools in North Carolina and Virginia. Her experience in Title I schools, where 70% or more students receive free or reduced lunch, opened Jackson’s eyes to STEM education inequalities. This led her to research the various ways girls and people of color can be encouraged to participate in the STEM field.
17 Dec2020
By Azaria Cunningham
Congratulations to Timara Davis, the December Holmes Scholar of the Month. Davis is a doctoral candidate in the Exceptional Education program at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Prior to studying at UCF, Davis earned her master’s in special education with an emphasis on mild to moderate disabilities from Western Carolina University. Davis is an experienced educator, having taught for more than seven years at the elementary level and in higher education.
Previously, she served as secretary on the Holmes Council and credits the program with helping her to expand her network to other scholars of color and providing ample opportunities to build professional and personal connections. Davis has also served in other leadership roles, including serving as the former president of the Association for Doctoral Students in Exceptional Education (ADSEE) in 2019.
Her research interests include teacher preparation and professional development for general education teachers in inclusive settings and the retention of teachers, with a particular focus on high needs populations. Davis’ dissertation research will focus on implementing a data-based coaching model for general education teachers in inclusive settings.
14 Dec2020
By Pamela Carroll
Did you know that over 1,000 traditionally underrepresented doctoral students have benefitted from the AACTE Holmes Scholars Program? Through networking, collaboration, mentoring, leadership opportunities, and research activities, the program provides high-achieving minority students with rich professional development. In fact, you probably know a former scholar, as many are now in tenured faculty and leadership positions at institutions across the United States.
Educator preparation programs (EPPs) are keenly focused on developing strategies to advance the field of education, close the equity gap, and make a more diverse teacher workforce a reality, and the Holmes Scholar Program is an essential component to achieving those goals. To promote diversity of the education profession and to prepare educators who can serve diverse learners, the program provides EEPs with the opportunity to attract students from historically underrepresented communities, increase the retention and graduation rates of doctoral students of color, and strengthen the institution’s role as a leader in supporting diversity.
09 Dec2020
By Weade James
Current participants of the AACTE Holmes Program are encouraged to submit an application to serve on the 2021-22 Holmes Council. The Holmes Council is comprised of Holmes students who serve in a leadership capacity to support AACTE with implementation of the Holmes Program, specifically in areas of scholar engagement and retention.
The Call for Nominations will open December 18 and end January 15, 2021. The following officer positions are vacant for nominations:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Historian
- Sergeant at Arms
- Research Coordinator
- Social Media Coordinator
- Master’s Representative
- General Alternate I
- General Alternate II
Interested scholars are encouraged to learn more about these positions prior to completing the nomination process. Self-nominations are accepted and encouraged. Scholars may also be nominated by their program coordinators, peers or other individuals.
Following the nominations, Holmes institutions will be invited to elect officers to serve on the 2021-22 Holmes Council. The voting window will occur starting January 28 through February 12, 2021. Elected officers will be announced during the Holmes Program event at the 73rd AACTE Annual Meeting on February 23, 2021.
For more information about the AACTE Holmes Program, please contact me at wjames@aacte.org.
21 Nov2020
By Azaria Cunningham
AACTE congratulates Diana Gallardo, Holmes Scholar of the Month for November. Gallardo is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision at Pennsylvania State University. She is a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and has worked in the field for three years.
Prior to enrolling at Penn State, Gallardo obtained her master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling from Northwestern University. Additionally, Gallardo is a graduate teaching assistant with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. After attending the AACTE Holmes Preconference for the first time in 2019, Gallardo expressed how she benefitted from the experience and how thrilled she was to be a part of a supportive community. “I was able to connect and meet scholars of color who are doing amazing work in all fields of education. I have come back refreshed and ready to continue my purpose in counselor education and supervision programs,” she stated.
Despite challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gallardo continued to excel in her scholarship. She recently obtained IRB approval and has started conducting her latest research on diversity issues within counselor education faculty. In addition to the academic and professional experiences that Gallardo brings to the Holmes community, she is known for being a light to everyone she interacts with due to her warm and open personality.
19 Nov2020
By Adriana Labarta
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, institutions of higher education have experienced various challenges, including transitions to online learning and adaptations to the delivery of campus services. Students, faculty, and staff alike have navigated feelings of anxiety and stress amid these uncertain times. Further, students that identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are navigating two pandemics: COVID-19 and systemic racism. This reality presents an important question: How are university systems working to address racial injustice and support BIPOC students?
On Monday November 2, 2020, the College of Education (COE) Student Achievement Council (SAC) at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) collaborated with AACTE’s Holmes Scholars Program and the COE Diversity Committee to host a student outreach event with the purpose of addressing the aforementioned question. The three-part virtual presentation consisted of a welcome from COE Dean Stephen Silverman, a panel discussion with FAU’s Holmes Scholars, and an open discussion with all attendees of the event.
18 Nov2020
By Weade James
The Holmes Program at AACTE has grown exponentially in recent months. AACTE commends its member institutions for their commitment to launch new and expand existing Holmes programs in spite of the institutional barriers caused by the coronavirus pandemic, including budget cuts, hiring freezes, and faculty reduction. AACTE recognizes that these are unprecedented times. Despite these challenges, members have pressed on to meet the needs of emerging scholars. AACTE would like to recognize their investment to provide mentorship, support, and professional development to graduate students of color during this difficult period. AACTE is proud to introduce new Holmes Scholars at Kent State University, Syracuse University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Moreover, we are excited to welcome new institutions to the Holmes community, including the University of Connecticut, University of LaVerne, and the University of Portland.
