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Ed.

the magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education


summer 2009 | vol. Lii, no. 3

Also
The Not-Retiring Retirees
One Student’s Second Chance
A Former Dean (and Santa) Says Goodbye

Arts Education in
the United States
How deep will the
cuts be in this economy?
Ed. The Magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education | summer 2009 | vol. lIi, no. 3

features
16 On the Chopping Block, Again
Music, painting, theater, literary magazines — even during the best
of times, these are often the first to go in public schools when bud-
gets get tight. With today’s economy worse than ever, are students
having to say goodbye completely to their beloved arts?

The Third Chapter: An Excerpt


When it comes to aging in America, we are at a key moment in history,
writes Professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Ed.D.’72, in her new book,

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The Third Chapter. It’s a time when we are “neither young nor old.” The
result? More and more potential retirees are forgoing a life of leisure and
instead continuing to work, learn new skills, and even go back to school.

As Luck Would Have It


Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar’s family, immigrants from the Philippines,
were living the American Dream before they lost it all. With a lot of

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hard work, and a little boost from a winning lottery ticket, the family
Pulling Back the Cover got back on track — and this current doctoral student began to realize
the importance of higher education.

Poster Campaign
Reflections of a Retiring Former Misfit
The arts, unlike other content areas, have always needed a
As he gets set to retire from the Ed School
campaign to justify their inclusion into the curriculum, says
after nearly 40 years, former dean and current
Natalie Bortoli, Ed.M.’03. It was this idea of a campaign that

34
professor Jerry Murphy, Ed.D.’73, talks about

departments
lead her, while she was a student at the Ed School, to create this
the nuances of administrative leadership,
series of propaganda posters, “not only to capture the variety of
playing Santa Claus every year, and where his
arguments made for the arts over time,” she says, “but to inspire
next adventure will take him.
continued thinking among fellow artists and educators about 3 Dean’s Perspective
how we will campaign for the arts moving forward.”
Now vice president of education at the Chicago Children’s 4 Letters
Museum, which was founded 25 years ago as a response to arts
cut backs in Chicago Public Schools, Bortoli says “the post-

52
6 The Appian Way
ers were a response to a study of the history of arts education,
and the various ways the arts have been justified in the school 38 In the Media
curriculum throughout American history. This included
everything from the notion that an education in the arts would 46 Alumni News and Notes

38
create more adept industrial craftsmen to the Progressive

6
argument that the arts helped to produce stronger individuals 52 Recess
by creating a society of free thinkers. Later justification argued
that arts learning leads to better scores in other subject areas.”

Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 1


Ed.
The Magazine of the
Harvard Graduate
School of Education
dean’s perspective
senior writer/editor Dear Friends:
Lory Hough
HGSE Alumni Council, 2008—2009
lory_hough@harvard.edu
Chair Irene Hall, C.A.S.’93, Ed.D.’05 Around the time that Barack Obama was being sworn in as our 44th president,
production manager/editor Margaret Jay Braatz, Ed.M.’93, Ed.D.’99
Deborah Hirsch, Ed.M.’86, Ed.D.’89 music maverick Quincy Jones was lobbying the newly elected administration to
Marin Jorgensen Vice Chair
marin_jorgensen@harvard.edu Marc Lewis, Ed.M.’99 create a cabinet-level national ministry of culture and the arts, similar to those
Sarah Levine, Ed.M.’77, Ed.D.’80
Tanya Odom, Ed.M.’98 already in existence in more than two dozen countries. This idea is not new —
designer Anthony DeJesus, Ed.M.’97, Ed.D.’03
Paula Telch Cooney Darnell Williams, Ed.M.’96 Jones has been talking about the need for at least a decade. With the Obama
paula_telch@harvard.edu Rowena Fong, Ed.D.’90
Douglas Wood, Ed.M.’96, Ed.D.’00 administration’s talk about reinvesting in arts education, including creating an
Tasha Franklin, Ed.M.’95
Director of
Communications David Greene, Ed.M.’91, Ed.M.’94, Ed.D.,02 artists corps that would work in low-income schools, Jones, no doubt, felt the
Michael Rodman time was right to make a move.
michael_rodman@harvard.edu

Communications intern
Amanda Dagg HGSE Visiting Committee, 2008—2009 Today, although still pushing hard for his idea, Jones also acknowledges that
with the current economic woes, this may take awhile longer. Every educator
contributing writers Chair
Amanda Dagg Alan Bersin, A.B.’68 Ira Krinsky, Ed.D.’79 reading this magazine knows all too well that when budgets get tight, one of
Denton DeSotel, Ed.M.’09
Vice Chair Arturo Madrid the first things to go is the arts. This, too, isn’t new. So the question becomes:
Amy Magin Wong
Mary Tamer Marshall Smith, A.B.’59, Ed.M.’63, Ed.D.’70 Richard Melvoin, A.B.’73 is it going to be even harder for public schools across the country to fund their
Arlene Ackerman, Ed.M.’93, Ed.D.’01 Andy Rotherham in-house music and painting classes, student literary magazines, and theater
copyeditor
Abigail Mieko Vargus Edith Aronson, A.B.’84, Ed.M.’97 Patti Saris, A.B.’73, J.D.’76 programs? What author Mary Tamer found was bleak, with urban and suburban
Paul Buttenwieser, A.B.’60, MD’64 Steve Seleznow, Ed.M.’89, Ed.D.’94
schools facing the biggest budget cuts since the mid-1980s. As I read this issue’s
© 2009 by the President and
Fellows of Harvard College. Idit Harel Caperton, Ed.M.’84, C.A.S.’85 Dacia Toll
cover story, what I found particularly distressing is that the fallback for many
Ed. magazine is published three
times a year, free of charge, P. Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, A.B.’74 resource-poor schools — offsite arts organizations that bring their services to
David Vitale, A.B.’68
the classroom — was also in trouble: the Associated Press predicted that this

jonesfoto
for alumni, faculty, students,
M. Christine DeVita Susan Wallach
and friends of the Harvard
Graduate School of Education. David Gergen, L.L.B.’67, KSGF’84 year alone, about 10,000 arts organizations could fold.
Roger Wilkins
This issue is No. 3 of Vol. LII,
Summer 2009. Third-class John Hobbs, A.B.’60, MBA’65
postage paid at Cambridge, MA, Does this mean the end of arts in most public schools, or will many programs be shells of their former selves? Federal aid to
and additional offices. education totals about $115 billion under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which President Obama signed into law
POSTMASTER: Send address in February. Advocates hope that some of these funds will be designated for the arts. I am encouraged to see many of the talented
changes to: HGSE Dean’s Council, 2008—2009 students in our Arts in Education Program, as well as many of our alumni, already preparing for the challenges ahead. As Chris-
Harvard Graduate School of
Education Sarah Alturki David Lubin, Ed.D.’77 tine Jee, Ed.M.’09, says in the story, “We can have this crisis, and focus on everyone cutting the arts, or we can think creatively of
Office of Communications
44R Brattle Street Kenneth Bartels, A.B.’73, MBA’76 John McArthur, MBA’59, DBA’63 new ways to incorporate them.”
Cambridge, MA 02138 Donald Burton, MBA’89 Ronay Menschel
www.gse.harvard.edu
Jamie El-Erian Albert Merck, A.B.’47
To read Ed. online, go to
www.gse.harvard.edu/ed.
John Hobbs, A.B.’60, MBA’65 John Nichols Jr., A.B.’53, MBA‘55 Sincerely,
John Humphrey, MBA’64 Susan Noyes
Andrea Kayne Kaufman, Ed.M.’90 Patti Saris, A.B.’73, J.D.’76

Kathleen McCartney
Printed at Dynagraf using
100% renewable energy. March 2009

2 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 3
letters
Perla Praise as encouraged by colleges of online with people from other coun- has had. … I know that Howard doesn’t
How circular this world education and others will only tries, generations, and cultures, gaining Join the Conversation want to be an “MI rock star,” but I think
is! I met Perla (“One on serve as a Band-aid. Training first-hand access to anecdotal history Want to weigh in about arts that there is still much to be learned and
One,” winter 2009) in institutions need to accept that would otherwise be, in all prob- budgets being further slashed? Feel much to be done with this work. So I
1974 in Tunis, Tuni- their responsibilities to train ability, inaccessible. Or as mentioned in strongly about students spending more will just say thank you Howard, we truly
sia, where, as a foreign and prepare teachers of reading the text of the article, creating a large, time in school? In addition to writing appreciate what you have given us!
service officer with the instead of seeking more useless universal circle that would include the letters to the editor, you can now add Cheryl Milton Roberts
U.S. Information Agency, dissertation and study topics. disadvantaged and immigrant students online comments. Go to the magazine’s
I was serving as cul- Teachers at all levels and of all if anyone has studied when a person’s with just, literally, the tips of fingers and webpage (www.gse.harvard.edu/ed)
tural affairs officer. Perla had a grant subjects need to be readers themselves. brain becomes completely functional a keyboard. I will go back and reread and leave your comments at the Rural Fresh Air
to coach tennis to aspiring Tunisians. I Jackie Ziff, Ed.M.’57 in the morning and at what point in the the article many, many times, internal- bottom of each story. I found the article “Boon, Not Boon-
encouraged her to apply for the Foreign evening does it slow down? In my high ize it all, and then go on my perpetual dock” in the recent edition of Ed. (fall
Service, which she did and where she school, we started at 8:25 a.m. and had a campaign to bring the world to each 2008) to be a true breath of fresh air for
served for a few years before moving on Long Days 20-minute break at 10 a.m. We did that student. A beautiful read. those of us interested in rural education.
to her current career. I’m glad I spotted Clearly the quality of teaching and because they found that starting too Sharon Couto, via the website We’re Impartial Much like an individual profiled in the
the smarts, talent, imagination, and a learning is key to the success of ELT early was not helping anything because “Music to My Ears” (winter 2009) page article, I am also “from the hollers” of
sassy sense of humor. schools (“Time Hasn’t Been on Their people are still waking up. Finally, an article about the potentially 14, line 3: “Disinterest”? Please tell me Appalachia and have seen our education
William Stephens Jr., via the website Side,” winter 2009). Teachers must Cornell Woodson, via the website
positive aspects of social networking that I am not the only person on earth systems to be too heavily influenced by
have rich professional development to sites for teens. I get so tired of adults as- who still believes there is distinction trends that are intended for urban and
engage, challenge, and provide students During the Australian summer holidays suming the worst about technology and between “disinterest” and “uninterest.” suburban schools. As pointed out in
Teaching Teachers with 21st century skills. Perhaps, then, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The teens. Every parent discussion on the Gary Blauvelt, M.A.T.’63 the article, rural schools share a unique
Upon receiving my winter issue of Ed., professional development needs to be Story of Success. It resonated well with topic attempts to scare us into believing set of concerns and issues that have
I was delighted to notice an article on re-envisioned and expanded beyond what I have observed having worked that the positive attributes of technol- been overlooked for decades. Frankly, it
middle school readers (“In the Middle,” current teacher collaboration within as a teacher for 30 years across various ogy are few and far between. Connect- Go Gardner! is refreshing to read that others in the
winter 2009). Unfortunately, although a buildings. Quality online learning for socioeconomic environments. Gener- ing with people via writing is a great Professor Howard education community are beginning to
well-written overview, it was a disap- teachers, for example, offers the flex- ally, Gladwell maintains that students skill to have. Who says my 15-year-old Gardner has see that techniques and approaches that
pointment. In quoting case studies and ibility to be incorporated within the from high socioeconomic groups are daughter shouldn’t hone that skill in impacted more have been effective in Boston are a bad
describing some of the current scene ELT day or completed at other times given more out-of-school opportuni- her spare time? Additionally, the focus students than he fit for rural West Virginia.
with readers at the middle school, the convenient for teachers. ties. Gladwell calls this “concerted on low-income teens in the study was will ever realize Conrad Lucas II, Ed.M.’05
writer neglects any mention of the real Bess Kapetanis, via the website cultivation and intense scheduling.” It great information for me, as I work for a (“15 Minutes Has
reason for the problem, i.e., the teach- made me reflect on the absurdity of our foundation that provides scholarships to Turned into 25
ing of reading to grades 1–5. Contrary Interesting idea. If you want public “one-size-fits-all” approach to education. low-income teens at independent high Years,” fall 2008). I
to current belief, these students do not school teachers to do this, it is going to If education is meant to be an equal- schools around the United States. was overwhelmed
read well now. Mention is not made mean two things: first, money; second, izer, and it should have this potential, Jennifer Schauffler, Ed.M.’95, when I first learned of his theory of
of the inadequate training of teach- very clear parameters around extended why are we not providing opportunities via the website MI 14 years ago, at age 42. I am now
ers who, for years, have just taught duties. I teach all day and go home to within education systems for students a teacher. My sole goal is to impress
decoding skills but not comprehension being a parent of school-aged children I’ve never doubted that social network- adolescents with the fact that they are
from poorer homes to access extra time?
skills. Curing the problem with literacy that need my help with their homework. ing sites and other “cloud apps” could be smart. I have students tell me that my
Maria Leaver, via the website
coaches and short-term pilot programs How can I help my own kids at night if used by participants in a positive way. class, with an MI-Howard Gardner fo- Ed. magazine welcomes
kids I teach during the day are call- What I find disturbing is that discussion cus, is the first time that they feel smart. correspondence from all of its readers.

ing me? How are we supposed to have Tweet Success? and criticism of these tools rarely goes It’s overwhelming to hear. Send letters to:
time to get our kids to the doctor’s or This is one of the most intriguing ar- further than user-to-user privacy. Yes, Kathy Keene Ed. magazine
dentist’s or their commitments if we’re ticles (“Thanks for the Add. Now Help you can you can set your keg party pho- Letters to the Editor
teaching so long? Me with My Homework,” winter 2009) to album to “private” in Facebook. What My children attend New City School Harvard Graduate School of Education
Office of Communications
Katriona, via the website I’ve read about online social network- I question is the wisdom of subjecting in St. Louis, Mo., which was one of the
44R Brattle Street
ing. As a retired high school teacher us and our children to the data mining first schools to really turn the multiple Cambridge, MA 02138
I think expanding the hours that now in the “world” of social media, I and analysis that these companies are intelligence theory into a 20-plus-year E-mail: letters@gse.harvard.edu
students spend in school is not very have spent countless hours thinking of employing. A great deal of information practice. Though I will agree that Howard Online Comments: www.gse.harvard.edu/ed
creative and does not address many how I could have used this phenom- is being collected about us, and we have Gardner’s contributions are broader than Please note that letters may be edited
other issues that play roles in the suc- enon in my classroom; perhaps a new no say in how it can be used. MI, I think that he is being awfully hum- for clarity and space.
cess of students. I would like to know pen pal, where kids could correspond Dean, via the website ble based on the impact that the theory

4 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 5
the appian way
How does the parenting process of low-income immigrant was entirely accounted for by the Dominican children’s greater
parents, many undocumented and all with limited resources, exposure to English and therefore their larger English vocabu-
shape how their babies learn? When Hirokazu Yoshikawa first laries. The Spanish vocabularies were the same size.
started thinking about this question, he was living and working
in New York City. At the time, research in this area was spotty, You suspected that the Mexican families were showing the
limited primarily to how older first- and second-generation highest level of hardship, perhaps because they had the highest
children learned. So Yoshikawa and his colleagues at New York level of undocumented status. How did this affect parenting?
University did what they had to do: They went into maternity I cannot assess citizenship status directly due to confidentiality
wards in the city and started recruiting families for a long-term issues. However, in assessing aspects of social exclusion that
project that would follow parents and their babies until the ba- might be associated with citizenship, such as the use of finan-
bies were toddlers. Four years later, Yoshikawa, now a professor cial services like formal banking instead of informal methods,
at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is back in New we find that these differentiate our groups and are related to
York as a visiting scholar with the Russell Sage Foundation, parents’ levels of hardship, their psychological distress, and
where he is working on a book using the data he collected. This their children’s early development.
past winter he spoke to Ed. about home visits, major findings,
and why he decided to write a book. The newborns you started with are now four years old. How
much time did you spend with each family?
How many families were involved in the study? The entire sample of about 200 families gets two or three home
We started with 310 Mexican, Dominican, and [U.S.-born] visits every year. That includes a bunch of structured interview
African American families. An additional 60 or so Chinese questions, direct child assessments, and videotape of the par-
families were included but followed [only] six months due to ent and child in a variety of tasks.
high rates of sending [the babies] back to China, though we did
go to China to observe the kinds of settings where infants and You also followed a smaller group more closely.
toddlers such as those in our sample were being raised. An in-depth, longitudinal qualitative study was conducted with
a randomly selected subgroup of 25 families. These families
You said it was hard to keep tabs on this mobile group. How got between eight and 10 visits over a period of two years, with
many of the original families are still with you? a combination of ethnographic participant observation and
Yes, low-income, immigrant families in New York are an semistructured interviews. Each of those visits typically lasted
extremely difficult group of families to track. Of the 310, about a couple hours. All families also receive birthday cards, holiday
mark morelli

200 remain with us at four years. cards, etc., in between visits in order to keep them involved.

Did you notice similarities in how they parented? Did you only observe them at home?
Name: Hirokazu Yoshikawa Title: professor of education They are very similar in their goals for their children’s school In the ethnography, we accompanied them to places like
success. For example, they all state that they want their chil- parks, relatives’ homes, WIC offices, restaurants, beauty
Focus: early learning and development in low-income immigrant families dren to do well academically and in school. salons, viveros — bodegas where chickens and other sources
of food are purchased — and childcare settings.
Any major differences?
“They are very similar in their goals for their Our groups do differ on other conceptualizations of goals for
children’s development, such as emphases on definitions of
Has it helped to be back in New York where the study started?
Yes. Visiting more of the neighborhoods, for example, gives me
children’s school success.” good behavior. More emphasis in the Latino groups on being a richer sense of the texture of the daily lives of our families.
calm, or tranquilo; more among African Americans on leader-
ship and avoiding negative peer influences. There are also some Why write a book instead of a journal article?
emerging differences in their social network support, their rela- The combination of rich ethnographic data and our survey,

Home Visits and Babies tionships and involvement with ethnic enclave neighborhoods,
and their household budgeting.
assessment, and other results make the overall story of these
families — including histories of immigration of different
groups to New York, their varied strategies to make ends meet,
By Lory Hough What about the children? their accounts of their towns and villages of origin, the daily in-
We found at 24 months that Dominican and Mexican chil- teractions of children with adults, siblings, and others in their
dren’s vocabularies were significantly different in size, but this lives — difficult to publish in journal article form.

6 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 7
the appian way
STUDENT impact A TO B: Why I Got into Education

5 Reasons to Know ...


Tea Gergedava
master’s student
Special Studies Program

There was always a pause when students walked into the Department
The Dorm and a Webcam Marriage
By Denton DeSotel, Ed.M.’09

My transition from “A” to “B” is somewhat of an interesting


story. My life prior to enrolling at Harvard was great. I had a
steady career path as an up-and-coming manager at a higher
education marketing and consulting firm while simultaneous-
ly completing an MBA program. My wife and I, along with our
150-pound Great Dane, lived in a nice Cape Cod-style house
of Foreign Relations at Tbilisi State University in Georgia, a former
in the beautiful state of Iowa. This has all changed in the last
republic of the Soviet Union, and asked to speak to the director. At 26,
five months.
Tea Gergedava looked like just another student, not a high-ranking My new life now consists of attending the Harvard Gradu-
administrator running an elite department in the country’s oldest

jeff hopkins, Ed.m.’05


ate School of Education to study higher education policy, living
university. It wasn’t long before they knew they had found an ally in in a 12x12-foot dorm in Cambridge, and carrying out a long-
Gergedava — as a recent graduate, she “knew their slang” and could distance marriage.
share her personal experience with the classes they were considering. My decision to upend my life stems from a bit of a quarter-
Now, after a year at Harvard, Gergedava is set to return to her home- life crisis (at 28 I’m far too young for a mid-life crisis). In many
ways, my work as a higher education consultant should have Being introduced to this community confirmed that there
land to give back. “When you are living in a peaceful prosperous state,
been fulfilling. If I did my job correctly, colleges and universi- was more I could be doing with my life and the Ed School was
you have only a vague understanding of what it means to be a respon-
ties would be equipped with solid data and recommendations the place where I could shape a career that would have a larger
sible citizen, but if you are living in tiny Georgia, squeezed between that would allow them to make wiser decisions. The colleges and more direct impact in higher education. It was with these
the Russian Federation and Turkey, and your country’s territory is would thus improve, and all parties — students, faculty, staff, points that I made the case to my wife that it was a good idea
being bombed and villages annihilated, you realize that it’s time to and alumni — would theoretically be more satisfied. However, to leave my job, quit my MBA program, and move a thousand
pay your share of the citizenship in any way you can.” I wasn’t sure my work was making a difference in the world. I miles away for the better part of one year. Much to my surprise,
felt there was more fulfilling work worth doing that would have she was very supportive of my idea. Her support came from

1
Despite her country’s troubles, including separatist conflicts, corrup- a greater impact. her understanding of how important it was to me to engage in
tion, and last summer’s brief war with Russia, she remains optimistic. I felt that if I could just tweak my current career in higher a career of work worth doing. She understands how passion-
“I’ve seen crowds ready to sacrifice anything they could to make Georgia education enough to project me on to a different career path, ate I am about making an impact, and we both know that an
work as an independent, democratic state.” I could be satisfied. After all, education, at its core, is about education from the Ed School will provide me the opportuni-
helping people reach their full potentials. If I could change my ties to fulfill these aspirations. Plus, as she likes to joke, there is

2
Although technically on leave from her job for a year, she continues role within education, my career could offer the opportunity to an unwritten marital vow that says if your spouse is admitted
to oversee her university’s involvement in a European-wide student make a difference by creating real and lasting societal change. to Harvard, you let him or her go.
exchange program called Erasmus. This idealism is what led me to change career trajectories. It is Admittedly, I do not know exactly where my life will lead
what has convinced me that these goals are worth nine months me after graduation. My eyes have been opened to a variety of

3
This is her third master’s degree. The others, both from Tbilisi State, of dorm living, cafeteria meals, and a webcam marriage. opportunities to make an impact in higher education. HGSE’s
were in social sciences and American studies. She has also studied in I had become familiar with the Ed School through my con- focus on operating at the nexus of practice, policy, and research
Turkey, Austria, and India. sulting work. My former company was hired by the school to serves as an excellent example of how effective one can be in
conduct a research study examining why students chose to en- any of these three areas. The big question I am currently wres-

4 During her year studying in Istanbul, she became fluent in Turkish. At roll. In interviewing students, I saw a diverse group of individu- tling with is where my talents and abilities best fit within this
Harvard, she kept up with the language by attending weekly university- als with interests ranging from early childhood development spectrum. Whether my career leads me into a role as a higher
sponsored “language tables.” “It gave me a chance to meet others I to education administration and policymaking. Each group education practitioner, researcher, or perhaps even as a policy-
might not otherwise meet and practice my Turkish. It’s a beautiful language — of students I met was just as passionate about their potential maker, I am confident the knowledge and skills I have acquired
very emotional and melodic.” role in education as the next. Most importantly, though, I saw at the Ed School will serve me well in any of these endeavors.
a community of students that shared a common belief — the

5
martha stewart

Asked what she plans to bring back to young Georgians, she says, “I belief in the power of education to solve most societal prob- — Denton DeSotel is an Ed.M. candidate in the Higher Educa-
have experiences that I can share and stories to tell. I can also prove to lems and the power of their individual contributions to make tion Program from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Upon graduation he
them that there is no goal too distant.” this happen. plans to leave the dorm and return to eastern Iowa.

8 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 9
the appian way

Emily Ausubel
Renee Slajda
No Gap in This Year By Lory Hough
It’s called many things. Time out. Time off. Year off. Deferred trying to make sense of it all. Just over two months in, students
year. And perhaps most commonly, gap year. But in many have begun to question their deepest assumptions about how
ways, the phrases are misleading, especially for the teenag- the world works, what causes poverty and oppression, and
ers enrolled in Thinking Beyond Borders, a new program what role they can play in an effort to effect change.”
cocreated by former Peace Corps volunteer Robin Pendoley, By the time they had reached their sixth country, Vietnam,
Ed.M.’03, that allows students taking off the year between high Pendoley says it was clear that each student was struggling
school and college to travel the world and explore international with these questions.
development through service projects. In Bua, a small village in “Their assumptions are clearly being challenged and they
Ecuador, the students hand-dug a well for a community center have begun to see themselves in new ways,” he says. “Some are

sandy pendoley
and built ecological toilets for local schools. In Kunming, a expressing for the first time that their ethnicity, nationality, and
city of 5 million in China, they taught English at three schools. economic class might be significant social and political identi-
And in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, they worked with the fiers for them. Service work has provided an understanding
Waste Collectors Union sifting through trash in an effort to of the challenges of development work, the fragility of well-
learn about recycling and then hosted a student environmental intentioned idealism, and the need for expertise and careful
conference with more than 60 local university students. planning when providing services to those in need. At the same
The 35-week program officially started last September in time, many are expressing an understanding of the universality
Costa Rica with 16 students and three staff members. Centered of some human experiences.”
around eight development issues, including clean water, public For student Renee Slajda, this has meant adding more ques-
health, and sustainable agriculture, the program’s purpose is tions to the ones she initially had in September. “What makes
similar to other gap year programs: It allows students time to the program exciting is exactly what makes it feel overwhelm-
find their direction and, in some cases, develop maturity and ing at times: There’s just so much to it,” she says during their
independence, before jumping into college or the work world. month in Vietnam. “One question begets five more.”
“So much of our education system is about reaching the Living with host families proved to be a challenge for many,

Renee Slajda
next milestone: winter vacation, the end of the semester, as did living without cell phones — a deliberate policy set by
graduation,” says Liz Kuenstner, a current participant, while in the staff. “The cell phone rule is primarily about ensuring that
Vietnam. “I spent all of high school working towards The Next students see the program staff as their primary support people,
Big Thing — college — without any real consciousness of the rather than family and friends thousands of miles away,” says

Katie Robson
larger picture and what I was ultimately working towards. I Pendoley. (Students can access e-mail.)
certainly don’t know what that is now, but taking this year with As the group moved on to their next country, Thailand (In-
Thinking Beyond Borders has challenged me to reflect on what dia had to be canceled due to the Mumbai attacks), Pendoley Photos (from top left, clockwise):
I want to pursue.” talked about having his computer stolen in Peru, the logistical Renee Slajda and host siblings in Bua,
Because students travel throughout Asia, South America, challenges of traveling on buses, boats, and planes and though Ecuador; Katie Robson, Lily Bullitt,
Africa, and North America, the program uniquely allows stu- small villages, and the need to grow their financial aid. (About and Katie Cromack at waste collection
site in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;
dents to reflect globally. a quarter of the students receive aid.) But, he added, every students cleaning up a river in Bua,
“It’s hard to keep the magnitude of what we’re doing in per- challenge is worth it. “It’s rare to go to bed these days without Ecuador; Ian Chmar and community
spective,” says Pendoley in an e-mail while the group is in Chi- feeling excitement for the possibilities in the day to come.” leader Pati Saju blacksmithing in
na, the fourth country on the itinerary. “Each day we venture Huay Hee, Thailand; Liz Kuenstner
journaling on the Inca Trail, Peru;
out into a culture that we are just beginning to understand, the Go to www.thinkingbeyondborders.org to learn more Robin Pendoley and Tsa’chila com-
students engage readings that challenge their understanding of about the program, and to read stories written by the

robin pendoley
munity leader in Bua, Ecuador; and
themselves and the world around them, and we sit in dialogue students during the trip.

becca title
Emily Ausubel teaching in a school in
Kunming, China.

10 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 11
the appian way

Second Time Around By Lory Hough that teaching and learning is, to a great extent, working with
the experience and prior knowledge of the learners — and of
been inspired by my interaction with the fellows and with the
participants in the education think tank.”
the teachers — the opportunity to work with the fellows will Asked how they will know if the fledgling program is a suc-
Experience matters. That was the message this
give me access to a very different range of experiences than I cess, Moss Kanter says, “When the fellows create projects that
past February when the first crop of fellows
normally have in the courses I teach at the Ed School.” are viewed as making a meaningful difference in society and
in Harvard University’s newly created
Reimers says that as a result of his interaction with the fel- the fellows attribute their success to their time at Harvard. And
Advanced Leadership Initiative arrived
lows and the new program, he has revamped his curriculum when other colleges and universities offer rigorous, serious
on campus. While many their age would
for master’s students. “I have redesigned my seminar on educa- educational programs for people at later stages in life, in their
be retiring or nearing retirement, these
tion, policy, and inequality in Latin America this semester own ways.”
baby boomer lawyers, doctors, military
to include a section that engages the students in doing case
officers, and business executives were here
studies of leaders who have succeeded at creating educational Visit www.advancedleadership.harvard.edu to learn
to jumpstart the next phase of their lives:
opportunities for disadvantaged children,” he says. “This has more about the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative.
first as students and then as leaders focused on
social problems, including education.
“I’m too young to die on the golf course,” jokes fel-
low Hans-Ulrich Maerki, a former executive with IBM. WHAT THEY KEEP
Conceived initially at the Harvard Business School by

jeff hopkins, Ed.m.’05


Professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter and her colleagues, the One of the small white squares shows a teacher, her embroidered
initiative is a now a collaboration between five of the uni- arm writing on a blackboard. Abolitionist Harriet Tubman is in the
versity’s graduate schools — education, business, law, public top right square, drawn in marker. Some of the other squares, 25
policy, and public health. Fellows like Maerki are spending nine in all, show an ice cream cone, the words “Seneca Falls,” and a tiny
months (February through October) taking classes across the one-room schoolhouse. Lecturer Sally Schwager, Ed.M.’76, C.A.S.’78,
university, mentoring students, leading study groups, meeting got in with Ed.D.’82, knows the images well — she has been looking at the
with faculty advisors, and attending working dinners where someone already doing this kind of work?” squares, which are part of a quilt that hangs in her office, for more
aspects of leadership are discussed and debated. They are all After hearing a range of advice — do a literature search, than two decades now. Made, in secret, by the students in one of the
here, says Senior Lecturer James Honan, Ed.M.’85, Ed.D.’89, to focus on family, start small — London, who was busy taking American History: New Scholarship on Women programs that she ran
figure out how best to harness their existing expertise as they notes, concluded, “My life was much easier when I was in the from 1986 through 1998 at the Harvard Graduate School of Educa-
move into new careers in public service. corporate world.” tion, the quilt was a thank-you gift from the students, middle and
“Given that these fellows have spent their careers primar- Throughout the program, fellows also have a chance to ana- high school teachers who were attending the intensive four-week
ily in the for-profit world, the question becomes, how do lyze issues and problems on deeper levels by getting involved summer program, which was sponsored by the National Endowment
you make a transition to a new operating environment? How with case-based “think tank” seminars, including one led by for the Humanities. The idea for the quilt started during a class trip
do you take the leadership skills you already have and ask Reimers that is looking at education reform in Brazil, among to a quilting show in Lowell, Mass., a former mill town about 30 miles
what’s new or different?” says Honan, who serves as a faculty other “cutting-edge education challenges and solutions,” he says. north of Cambridge. The students had learned about the importance
leader on the project along with Professor Fernando Reimers, It’s this ability to dig deep that sets the new initiative apart of needlepoint and quilting in women’s lives, particularly during the
Ed.M.’84, Ed.D.’88. from other short-term programs aimed at experienced profes- abolitionist, suffrage, and temperance movements, and the legitimate
Initially, in an effort to help answer these questions and to sionals. “This program is much more than taking existing historical documentation that these handiworks have provided over
develop the “social purpose plan” that each fellow will present courses; it has its own educational offerings and experiences,” the years. Looking at a family quilt and admiring the group compo-
when the program ends, four fellows interested in education says Moss Kanter. “It is also an honor to be selected. Fellows nent of the piece that still allowed for individual expression, one of
turned to Ed School students for advice. During the first of form a peer group and are expected to mentor students based the students suggested to the others that they make a quilt and give
several meetings organized by Reimers, for example, a dozen on the fellows’ extensive, successful careers.” it to the staff. Already armed with massive amounts of reading to do
students spent nearly two hours one afternoon brainstorming The program is also unique for the faculty members in- each night, the students, living in the Chronkhite dorm, had no idea
ideas about fellow Shelly London’s interest in youth violence volved, says Reimers. Students are not typical — besides being how they could possibly take on another project. Spurred by Nancy
and ethics. London, a former corporate communications older, few have professional experience in the public service Sizer, a student in the class and herself a master quilter, the students
expert, was toying with the question made famous in 1991 by area in which they are focusing. (With education, several decided to give it a shot. “They would meet during lunch breaks and
Rodney King, “Can we all get along?” and hoped the students served on the boards of education-related projects and one fel- at night, and one person would read the homework assignment while
could help her better understand what educational research low, Vivian Lowery Derryck, did some Africa-based education the others worked on the quilt,” Schwager says. “They said they really
was being done in this area. work with the U.S. Agency for International Development.) felt like 19th-century quilters.”
“What or where can I go with this? Where can I make the “Learning is about developing new understandings based
biggest impact?” she said. “Everyone wants to be a social entre- in re-examining our knowledge and experience in light of new What They Keep is an occasional feature that looks at something found
preneur, but then you have to ask, would I be more effective if I ideas and exchange with others,” Reimers says. “Since I believe in a faculty member’s office and the story behind it.

12 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 13
the appian way Pilot School Test Scores
-'
DXk_ CAMPUS BRIEFS
Do Boston Charters Perform Better? <e^c`j_CXe^lX^\8ikj
By Lory Hough

G\iZ\ek`c\
Fifteen years after the first charter school opened in Boston, ,' Upgrade Name that Chair Long Standing
a research team led by Professor Tom Kane released a highly This past winter, a number of faculty were In February, Professors Catherine In March, Professor emeritus
publicized study that shows that charter schools outperform promoted: Vanessa Fong from assistant to Snow and Daniel Koretz were Charles Willie was given the
other public schools in the city, including pilot schools. associate professor, Nancy Hill from visiting named to endowed chairs. Snow Lifetime Achievement Award
“Fifteen years ago, the charter school movement in Mas- associate professor to tenured full professor, became the Patricia Albjerg Graham by the American Association
+'
sachusetts was launched to see if new models could lead to 9Xj\c`e\ -k_>iX[\ .k_>iX[\ /k_>iX[\ and Bridget Terry Long from associate to Professor and Koretz was named of Blacks in Higher Education.
gains in student achievement,” says Kane, faculty director of the >iX[\ tenured full professor. Lecturer Lee Teitel, Henry Lee Shattuck Professor, the Willie, a sociologist, joined the
school’s Center for Education Policy Research. “The results of Ed.D.’88, became director of the School Lead- chair that was vacated by Snow. Harvard faculty in 1974.
this study suggest that charter schools in Boston are making a ership Program. Mark Moore, a professor at
Charter School Test Scores
significant difference.” the Harvard Kennedy School, also became
/'
“Unfortunately, the results for pilot schools are more ambig- DXk_
professor at the Ed School. Lewis “Harry” Need Tweets?
uous and deserve further study,” the report states. Results were Spence, former commissioner for the Mas- You can now keep up with all the exciting news coming out of
<e^c`j_CXe^lX^\8ikj
positive for English language arts in elementary school, but sachusetts Department of Social Services, the Ed School by following the school on twitter.com/hgse. To
.'
was appointed professor of practice. follow events being tweeted live, go to www.twitter.com/hgse_live.
G\iZ\ek`c\
not math. In middle school, the study found that pilot school
students “may actually lose ground relative to traditional public
school students.” -'
Until now, despite standardized test scores and school Prep the Frosh He Measured Up
rankings, there had been little agreement over whether Several Ed School faculty members discussed education Professor Daniel Koretz’s new book,
charter or pilot schools in the city actually produced better in America at the recent Institute of Politics 18th biennial Measuring Up: What Educational
,'
results or whether one (or both) should be expanded. Part of 9Xj\c`e\ -k_>iX[\ .k_>iX[\ /k_>iX[\ Program for Newly Elected Members of Congress held Testing Really Tells Us, received the
the skepticism, the authors write, comes from the fact that >iX[\ at the Harvard Kennedy School. Although members of the 2009 Outstanding Book Award from
families volunteer to attend both types of schools and because Ed School faculty have participated in prior years, this was the American Association of Colleges
Percentile test scores of Boston pilot and charter middle schools compared
of the belief that these schools “shed” low-performing stu- the first time that a session focused explicitly on education. for Teacher Education.
with students in traditional public schools.
dents and keep only the best. Developed in the early 1990s,
both charter and pilot schools are similar in their goals — to “At the time of admission, the only difference between appli-
improve student progress and help close the achievement gap. cants who were offered admission and those who were not was New Feature: Now It’s Your Turn New Direction Distinguished Dean
Both operate with a high degree of flexibility when it comes to a coin flip,” he says. “The fact that there are large differences in In this interactive feature, HGSE Shari Tishman, Ed.D.’91, was named From a record number of nominees,
curricula, budgets, and staffing. However, pilot schools, which subsequent performance suggests that the charter schools were faculty members will offer their the new director of Project Zero. the Society for Research in Child
were started by Boston Public Schools and the Boston Teachers indeed having an impact. The next step is to identify what’s thoughts on current issues in edu- Tishman replaced Steve Seidel, Development awarded Dean Kathleen
Union, remain part of the local school district and are con- working in charter schools that can be transferred back into cation and invite a response from Ed.M.’89, Ed.D.’95, who will continue McCartney with the Distinguished
tinuing to grow — seven new schools are slated to open this the traditional public schools to improve student achievement.” the Usable Knowledge community. as a senior research director and Contributions to Education in Child
September; charter schools have independent advisory boards, The authors stress that this report was not intended to un- Visit www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu to steering committee member. Tishman Development Award. The nonprofit pro-
are mostly nonunion, and report directly to the state. Some cover how charter and pilot schools could change test scores, jump into the conversation. was a senior research associate. fessional association was started in 1933.
cities like Boston are nearing the local cap on the number or which approach is most valuable, particularly in individual
allowed, despite long waiting lists. schools. They also state that many factors can impact a school’s
Using data from the state, Kane, Jon Fullerton, Sarah Co- success, not just the fact that one is a “charter” or a “pilot”: G.I.V.E.S. Back In Good Company
hodes, and the team were able to follow individual students student/teacher ratio or the use of tutors, for example. They painted murals, built storage Siury Pulgar, Ed.M.’09, is in good
over a four-year period. They looked at their achievement prior A couple of weeks after the report was released, Massachu- units, and helped restore a green- company these days. Pulgar, who was
to entering a charter, pilot, or regular public school, as well as setts Governor Deval Patrick, who has resisted expanding char- house. In February, 50 Ed School featured in the winter 2009 issue of
their achievement in one of those schools. This allowed them to ter schools in favor of proposed “readiness schools,” reversed students spent the day at the John Ed., was recently named one of 10
“compare charter and pilot students to traditional public school course and proposed raising the cap on how much a school Marshall Elementary School in citizens of the year by El Nacional, one To learn more about
students who had similar academic achievement and other district could spend on charter schools, from 9 to 12 percent.
Dorchester, a neighborhood in of the major newspapers in Venezuela. these briefs, go to
traits during an earlier school year.” Since students in Boston His proposal also requires new charter schools to enroll more
Boston, as part of the newly created Other honorees included U.S. President Barack Obama www.gse.harvard.edu/
are assigned to schools based on a lottery, the researchers also special education, low-income, and limited English students.
Graduate Students in Various Efforts and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva. Pulgar news_events.
compared the outcome of those students who got into a charter
of Service (G.I.V.E.S.) program run received the honor for her 10,000 Book Challenge, which
or pilot school to those who applied but did not get in. This To read the full study, visit www.gse.harvard.edu/
by the Office of Student Affairs. is helping to rebuild a library in her hometown.
made the study unique, says Kane. ~pfpie/pdf/InformingTheDebate_Final.pdf.

14 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 15
On the
Chopping
Block,
Art budgets in public schools
are constantly on the cutting
block. With the nation’s current

Again
economic woes, schools are
preparing for even deeper cuts.
Is there any hope?

By Mary tamer

illustrations by Tim Walker


A
s someone who has been immersed in arts educa- bare bones to begin with. According to a January article in
tion for more than 20 years, Steve Seidel, Ed.M.’89, Education Week, 31 states face budget shortfalls of $30 billion
Ed.D.’95, has seen it all. or more, and the nation’s governors have acknowledged that
When he arrived at South Boston High School in education will have to bear its fair share. Some states have
1981 as part of an artist-in-residence program, the school already imposed midyear cuts, including California, which was
curriculum included music, visual arts, a poetry magazine, expected to shed $1 billion from its $42 billion education bud-
and theater — which Seidel taught — allowing students to get. Fiscal year 2010 could see New York state lose $700 million
partake in a full range of offerings. In the wake of Boston’s in education funding, while Ohio’s state budget could lose as
painful desegregation process in 1974, monies were made much as 25 percent across the board.
available to fund such projects in schools where racial ten- For schools that have already lost traditional in-house arts
sions had not only simmered, but boiled over. South Boston programs and have come to rely on the services provided by
High School had already seen its fair share of trouble, and the outside partnering art institutions and organizations, advocates
artist-in-residence program was viewed as a positive step and are fearful of their fates as well, with predictions, as reported by
a creative outlet to bring all students of all races together. the Associated Press in early February, that as many as 10,000
To Seidel’s delight, the program met with success. His arts organizations could disappear in 2009.
theater program thrived, and he felt that he was able to reach “What concerns me about this downturn is that everyone
students who may not have been reached otherwise. Boston- is feeling the pain,” says Richard Bell, a member of the AIE
bred actor Paul Guilfoyle (currently on CSI) even got in on the advisory board and the executive director of Young Audiences,
act, visiting class on a day when a student who could barely the nation’s largest arts education program, serving 7 million
achieve focus performed an improvisation that, as Seidel children in 700 programs across 26 states. “This is the worst
explains, “just exploded.” economic situation I’ve seen in my 37 years with Young Audi-
“We had our mouths open,” says Seidel, now director of the ences, and even though it hasn’t hit us yet, we are definitely
Arts in Education (AIE) Program and former director of Har- going to be affected. I don’t see a clear strategy or path for us to
vard’s Project Zero, a 41-year-old program focused on learning emphasize how to ameliorate this condition.”
and creativity in the arts. “He was great, and when it was over, With partnering arts organizations like Bell’s bracing for a
he was so excited. Paul and I talked about it afterward, about multiyear effect — and the impact of President Barack Obama’s
whether we could get this student to that place again. Paul said, $787 billion state stimulus package on K–12 schools still yet
‘It doesn’t matter, because he’s already tasted it.’ Years later, I to be seen — arts educators from every discipline admit that
ran into this former student on Brattle Street at the Harvard while they are used to the earth shifting beneath their feet, they
Extension School, where he was taking writing classes. He now face a virtual earthquake of change. “Sputnik was the wake-up call to America as a society but of view, engagement with art and the creating of art are op-
told me then that it was the theater class at South Boston High “I’ll be very honest; we’re not just seeing the clouds on the also to American education,” says Seidel. “Science in schools portunities for students to learn to think in one or another
School that led him to writing.” horizon, we’re in the storm,” says Amanda Lichtenstein, Ed.M.’05, was pushed to the forefront, and the notion that we might not medium. … After all, thinking in one or another medium is
Seidel knew he had similarly reached other students, but a poet and consultant at Urban Gateways Center for Arts Edu- be up to par [vis-à-vis] the Soviet Union brought intense scru- what we have to do every day as we engage the complexities
by the time he departed eight years later after funding was cut, cation, an organization that brings visual, literary, media, and tiny. More funding was put toward science in education. As of contemporary life.”
South Boston High School was left with one visual arts teacher performing arts experiences to children in and around Chicago. a society, we agree on the central role of science and technol- And as we ponder the important passage of information
for an urban school comprising about 900 students. “It’s the single discipline that’s always on the chopping block, ogy on building a powerful nation. The arts, and, in truth, the from one generation to the next.
“Providing powerful learning experiences for large groups and the arts, like sports, get cast aside with budget cuts,” says humanities, take a back seat to math, science, and technology, “Human beings have done some bad things, but they have
of people is an enormously difficult task, and we don’t have the Jessica Hoffmann Davis, Ed.M.’86, Ed.D.’91, founder of the AIE and while we have a focus on literacy, history, and the humani- done some remarkable things as well, especially in the arts. We
resources to do it,” says Seidel. “I don’t accept the premise that Program and author of Why Our Schools Need the Arts and ties broadly, and while they have a secure place in the curricu- remember civilizations much more for their arts than anything
most of the education we’re attempting is adequately resourced Framing Education as Art. “So once again, we are going to cut lum, the arts are seen as peripheral.” else,” says Professor Howard Gardner, a fellow Project Zero
to address the task, and arts education is one of the many com- arts in education. Alert the media!” Still, more than 50 years after Sputnik — and despite founder. “Moving to the more cognitive issues, I am not a per-
promises. Who suffers? What does it mean to a child who can’t boundless research and anecdotal evidence on the value of the son who believes we should teach art to raise math scores. …
have art? Who can’t have music?” arts as part of a child’s comprehensive educational experience, The arts give young people the chance to express things they
Unfortunately, many school systems around the nation may not to mention art simply for art’s sake — why is it still the first may otherwise not express.”
soon find out exactly what it means. With urban and suburban A HISTORY OF CHALLENGE to go when budgets head south? For the majority of Americans who believed there was in-
districts facing the deepest budget cuts they’ve seen since the Seidel and others trace some of the earliest reductions in K–12 “People generally think that the arts are nice and cultur- deed a correlation between the arts and math scores, Gardner’s
recession of the mid-1980s — and a milder recession in the arts funding back to October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union ally significant and all that, but most people don’t have much wife, Ellen Winner, a professor of psychology at Boston Col-
early 2000s — the prospects for comprehensive arts education launched Sputnik I, the 180-pound, beach ball-shaped satellite of a vision of why the arts are really important in people’s lege, along with Lois Hetland, Ed.M.’92, Ed.D.’00, an associate
in most K–12 public schools appear bleak, and even schools whose 98-minute orbit around the Earth launched more than personal, civic, and professional lives,” says Professor David professor of art education at the Massachusetts College of Art,
with minimal programs may lose what they considered to be the U.S.-U.S.S.R. race into space. Perkins, a founding member of Project Zero. “From my point changed those perceptions with a study conducted for Project

18 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 19
Zero in 2007. Winner and Hetland refuted what 80 percent of and to collaborate in innovative ways. We want them to know “There is the argument one can make that the arts are es- “We’ve created an approach that uses the resources of the
Americans considered education gospel, namely that learn- how to make mistakes … and fix them. We want people who sentially a very powerful form of communication that allows Kennedy Center, the local schools, and local arts organizations
ing a musical instrument could translate into greater talent in are reflective and know how to use words, and we want people people to express what one cannot do easily,” says Seidel. “When to create a tailored program for K–8,” says Kaiser, author of The
math and science. However, the two researchers acknowledged to know how to evaluate quality.” people become effective in the arts, they can communicate Art of the Turnaround: Creating and Maintaining Healthy Arts
in a 2007 Boston Globe story that while “students involved in As famed conductor Leonard Bernstein once said, “Music profound perspectives and analyses of human conditions.” Organizations. “So many schools do programs but they’re not
the arts do better in school and on their SATs than those who … can name the unnamable and communicate the unknow- Seidel cites a passage from Narrative of the Life of Frederick tailored … and we’re trying to say, ‘Let’s take what the orga-
are not involved … correlation isn’t causation, and an analysis able.” In 1984, he told The New York Times that his initiation Douglass, an American Slave in which Douglass recalls the im- nizations have, what the schools have, and what the Kennedy
we did several years ago showed no evidence that arts training into the love of learning, and of learning how to learn, “was pact of hearing fellow slaves singing in the middle of the night. Center has and see what collectively we can do.’”
actually causes scores to rise.” revealed to me by my [Boston Latin School] masters as a Their mournful lyrics served to illustrate the soul-destroying Current Harvard Graduate School of Education master’s
However, Hetland says grades should not be our focus. matter of interdisciplinary cognition, that is, learning to know quality of their bondage. Douglass later escaped to freedom, students enrolled in the AIE Program also see the opportuni-
“Grades are supposed to be an indicator that students are something by its relation to something else.” taught himself to read and write, and, against his personal ties along with the challenges. One example is integrating arts
getting what they should be getting,” she says. “When the That definition, say educators and advocates, is exactly the safety, published his autobiography. into other subject areas.
standardized tests begin to test thinking, I’ll care about the balance that arts education provides to students who have the “When you really learn to express yourself,” says Seidel, “you “Arts and other content don’t need to be mutually exclusive
test scores … but it’s not what we want to be doing for kids. benefit of its lessons, but if that “something else” is taken away are given your full humanity.” at all,” says Christine Jee, Ed.M.’09 a public school teacher in
We don’t want to open up their heads, dump information in from today’s children, especially those with limited exposure Lawrence, Mass., a city north of Boston with a large Spanish-
there, and then ask them to recite it. We want them to be good, who may not be motivated by math or science, how do we speaking population. “We can have this crisis, and focus on
productive citizens, to know how to solve problems creatively, reach them? everyone cutting the arts, or we can think creatively of new
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS ways to incorporate them.”
As the economic climate worsens, Seidel and others tout the “Sometimes it’s just getting arts in the door,” says Elena
resilience of the arts and those who work creatively to keep it Figueroa, Ed.M.’09, an elementary school teacher in Framing-
in classrooms and community centers. ham, Mass., where 60 percent of students qualify for free or

A
s director of visual and performing arts at Boston Latin Boston Latin junior and string player Benjamin Hill could not “We can look at some of the losses but we also need to fo- reduced-price lunch. “You can integrate into the classroom if
School for the past 10 years, Paul Pitts has grown a vi- agree more, which is why he sprang into action in January upon cus on new innovations and new processes,” says Seidel. “It’s a you do it with integrity.”
brant program, which serves more than 1,100 of the 2,400 realizing the full implication of the proposed cuts. Within hours of time for entrepreneurial initiative, but that’s not new for people Both Jee and Figueroa have done exactly that, using grant
students who have tested into the nation’s oldest, and creating a new Facebook group, “Save our BLS Education,” Hill had in this field.” money for special arts-based class projects or for first-time
Boston’s largest, public school. more than 800 supporters signed on, a number that grew to 1,700 Lichtenstein sees some silver linings at Urban Gateways. trips to museums. This fall, Santina Protopapa, Ed.M.’09, will
Come fall, it may also be one of the city’s hardest hit by the within a few days. Since then, rallies have been held at key politi- “We’re feeling the economic impact, but at the same time return to Cleveland’s Progressive Arts Alliance, the nonprofit
nation’s economic crisis. The school, which includes grades 7 cal events in Boston, and Hill and other engaged students have that we’re feeling it and it’s devastating, there’s also this really she founded in 2002 to bring meaningful arts experiences to
through 12, is slated to lose 16 percent — or $2 million — from its had face-to-face meetings with a number of city officials, includ- powerful momentum being built around this crisis,” she says. children in a community where 100 percent of students qualify
projected FY09 budget of $12.2 million. In all, more than a dozen ing Mayor Thomas Menino and Superintendent Carol Johnson. “It has been a really incredible opportunity to build new coali- for free lunch. Despite a “skeletal” staff and an annual budget
teachers are expected to lose their jobs, including six of the eight As Hill explains, the performing arts wing at Boston Latin “is a tions, to have different kinds of conversations with people. of $270,000 that serves 1,500 children a week, Protopapa says
arts faculty. sanctuary for some students. It helps us out.” We’re bringing in principals, we’re bringing in parents, reach- she is “trying to scale it up in Cleveland so that every child will
Included among the proposed visual and performing arts “You become part of a community,” says Kathleen Pierre, a ing out to other arts groups … so while I feel like we’re definite- have an art experience every day.”
losses are eight orchestras and bands; a number of chorus, choir, senior who participates in the school’s theater program. “After I ly feeling the cuts and we’re seeing it in schools and suffering is What will help during this economic crisis, she says, is
and a cappella groups; the theater program; and Advanced graduate, I look forward to coming back and seeing everything happening with museums and cultural institutions in Chicago, Ohio’s new cigarette tax, with 30 percent of revenue earmarked
Placement visual arts classes. In addition, the school’s longstand- we’ve built and how it will move forward, to see how others have at the same time there’s a lot of energy and excitement about for the arts.
ing eighth-grade Connections program, which links the arts grown in the ways I’ve grown through acting. … Life would be national conversations around the arts.” “All the artists are telling people to ‘smoke one for the arts!’”
and academic subjects in partnership with neighboring Boston very dull without the arts wing.” Included among those national conversations is the pro- she says, jokingly.
museums, is also slated to end. Boston Latin School Headmaster Lynne Mooney Teta, Ed.M.’95, posed addition of a White House–level secretary of the arts “I foster celebration rather than justification, and hopeful-
For Pitts, a talented musician and maestro with a musical son says the arts programs at the school also allows students to de- and culture, a post that music producer Quincy Jones and oth- ness rather than despair,” says Davis. “Maybe folks dare to cut
in the ninth grade, the cuts will decimate a program that he says velop a broader appreciation of the world around them, as well ers have publicly asked President Barack Obama to consider. the arts because they know they will not go away. It’s very
serves as a lifeline to students who cite the arts as a needed as their role in it. And in February, Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser inspiring to see those who work on a shoestring budget and
respite from the rigors of their other academic subjects. The arts “The loss of these programs would impact the fundamental announced Arts in Crisis: A Kennedy Center Initiative to help when that funding dries up, they still work.”
also serve as a community builder, he says. mission of our institution,” she says, which is “to develop stu- fellow arts organizations persevere the economic storm. In As agents of social change, says Davis, it is, after all, what
“My son wants to go somewhere else, but the question is dents for academic excellence, responsible and engaged citizen- the first three and a half weeks of its launch, Kaiser reported artists do.
where would he go?” says Pitts, a graduate of Boston Latin’s class ship, and a rewarding life.” that 250 arts organizations contacted the Kennedy Center for
of 1973. “One of my goals in coming back to Boston Latin was And as Pitts says, “The arts help us to be human. That’s why we its pro bono help, which will include a new arts in education — Mary Tamer is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to
to bring the arts up to the level of its academics. Today, we have study them.” program, slated to pilot in the Lafayette, La., schools next year, Ed. Her last piece profiled illustrator Jeff Hopkins, Ed.M.’05. The
students who compete at the city, state, and national level, and that aims to reshape the current, episodic nature of children’s illustrator, Tim Walker, is a visual arts teacher in a Plymouth,
the arts have become part of who we are.” — MT arts education. Mass. middle school. Ed.

20 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 21
The
Third
Chapter
An excerpt from the new book by
Professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, Ed.D.’72

For years it was referred to as the “golden years,” the time in one’s life just
before and just after retirement when, it was assumed, you would slow down
and quietly enjoy the spoils of your hard word. But for many, these golden
years are anything but golden. As Professor Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot points
out in her new book, The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure in the
25 Years After 50, these years “do not shimmer with excitement and adven-
ture: they grow rusty with routine. They mark the beginning of a slow decline
toward death.” It is a time, she says, for circling the wagons.
Thankfully, she writes, this is changing. A good chunk of the more than 75
million people — about a quarter of the U.S. population — between the ages
of 50 and 75 are living longer and living healthier. And many are not ready
just yet to fade away on the couch: They are learning new skills, going back to
school, and, very often, finding ways to add value to society. They are in a new
developmental stage, what Lawrence-Lightfoot calls the “third chapter.” In
this, her ninth book, she redefines how we think about aging, summed up in
a poem told to her by a 70-year-old female poet during one of her interviews:

After a long seeking


I gave up on all mirrors
Then feeling a way forward in the fog
Without a lamp or even a candle
And absent any guide at all,
photographs: Istockphoto.com

One starless night I stumbled


Upon this place of water where
Gleaming in its darkest deeps,
My own two astonished eyes.
Light.
F
or two years, I traveled around the country interviewing forty men themselves — their capacities, strengths, and intelligence; their vulnerabili-
and women between the ages of fifty and seventy-five who saw ties, weaknesses, and challenges?
themselves as “new learners,” who were eager to reflect on their In addition to exploring the origins, processes, and trajectory of new
experiences, question their motives, celebrate their achievements, learning, I also was interested in having people describe the context — his-
and tell their stories. I spoke to twenty-four women and sixteen men, from torical, physical, relational, and cultural — in which the learning was embed-
a variety of professions and careers, from diverse racial, ethnic, and religious ded, and the ways in which the setting and timing shaped their engage-
backgrounds, and from a range of geographic regions around the coun- ment and mastery. How were they influenced by these external forces and
try. Although many had grown up in poor and working-class families, the events, those that were within and out of their control? Were there pivotal
women and men whom I interviewed were all well educated (with college moments — of public achievement, personal crisis, serious illness, family
and advanced degrees) and relatively affluent (living middle, upper-middle, realignments — that rocked their reality and inspired change in them?
and upper class lives). “I have known a generous abundance in my adult I was also curious to see the imprint of the immediate context in the
life,” said a former entrepreneur who had grown up in poverty and was places where people were learning. I visited a sixty-three-year-old portrait
now, at sixty, trying to master a pair of courses in quantum physics, “and painter in her studio, traced the history of her work chronicled in her large
that has allowed me the freedom to take the risks of creating a new reality portfolio, and watched as she applied thin luminous layers of paint to a
for myself.” Most of the people I interviewed, then, did not to have to worry portrait in progress. I examined the Victorian cabinet of a seventy-year-old
about paying the mortgage, keeping their health insurance, educating their furniture maker and listened as his colleagues offered their tough critiques
children and grandchildren, or funding their retirements. They enjoyed a of his design. I toured the gorgeous studio of a seventy-year-old quilter and
“privileged place” that allowed them the resources and emotional space watched her lure novices into working on a collaborative public exhibit, in
to explore new adventures, imagine different scenarios, and make unlikely the process turning the privacy and asylum of her studio into a space for
choices they might never have anticipated in their first two chapters of life. public art. I sat for hours on the bench beside a sixty-two-year-old jazz pia-
Using what sociologists call a “snowball” sample (asking each intervie- nist as he practiced his scales and played me some of his new compositions,
wee to recommend others who might be interested in joining the project), and I observed Roma, the fifty-seven-year-old laboratory scientist in her first
I searched out people who were embarking on new learning adventures; year of teaching adolescents in an after-school program.
who were eager to examine their motives and the goals and processes of I sat in the audience of a fifty-two-year-old woman who had worked with
their learning; and who wanted to be intentional in shaping their journeys. a voice coach for two years to become a more fluent and compelling public
I was interested in exploring what these men and women meant by “learn- speaker, watched the dress rehearsal of a play written by a sixty-three-year-
ing” and why it felt “new” to them. I asked them to trace in detail the initial old new playwright, and enjoyed the debut performance of a fifty-eight-
impulses and motivations that led them to the learning experience, the year-old former schoolteacher at the conclusion of his first year of studying
barriers and breakthroughs they experienced, the path, pace, texture, and acting. I stood on the beach and watched a fifty-five-year-old woman biolo-
rhythms of their learning. I also wanted to know whether their learning gist take surfing lessons, bravely battling — rather than riding — the big
was solitary and self-sustained, maybe even secretive (the stealth learner), waves, and stood at the finish line when a seventy-year-old man completed
or whether it was being supported by mentors, teachers, or coaches. What his first half-marathon, to raise money for cancer research. I followed in the
scaffolding was needed to support their efforts; whom did they go to for footsteps of a seventy-year-old architect going on her first archaeological
criticism, assessment, and feedback? Along the way, how did they stay dig at the site of an African American meetinghouse that had been a stop
motivated; how did they withstand the inevitable failures, setbacks, and on the route of the Underground Railroad, and watched a sixty-year-old
criticism; and what did they mark as signs of progress and measures of former CEO working with activists and advocates from a nonprofit, to apply
achievement? Did the new learning become their life’s central preoccupa- his business knowledge to their mission.
tion, and in what ways did it impact their normal rhythms, routines, and Each of these visits not only helped me visualize and document the set-
relationships? Did the mastery of learning make them feel different about tings in which learning was taking place, but also allowed me to observe

24 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 25
those processes of mastery that people were not yet able to identify and ing for a story.” The former, she says, is a more passive, receptive stance in
articulate — the inchoate, often chaotic experience of newly emerging which the interviewer waits to absorb the information and does little to
perspectives; the rawness of embryonic skills. My site visits allowed people give it shape or form. The latter is a much more engaged, discerning posi-
to “show” me rather than “tell” me about what they were learning — for tion in which the interviewer searches for the story, seeks it out, and is cen-
example, to witness the knowledge expressed through their bodies, rather tral in its creation. She does not compose or direct the unfolding drama; she
than through thinking and language. And it helped me notice the almost does not impose her own story, drowning out the narrator’s voice. But she
imperceptible changes and tiny improvements in mastery of which people is willing to enter into a dialogue that reveals part of her own journey, and
were often not aware. In the days and weeks following the interviews, she is aware of the part she plays as witness in shaping the story’s coher-
people would often want to continue our conversation, fix a misstatement, ence and aesthetic. In this work, I employed Welty’s more activist, artistic
embellish a point, or explain something further; they sent me e-mails and approach of “listening for the story”: for its shape, intensity, rhythm, and
letters, published pieces and diary excerpts that they had written, photo- texture; for its substance and content; for its metaphors and symbolism; for
graphs they had taken of new work, or drawings that mapped the progress the light and shadows.
of their learning since we last spoke. As I listened to the voices of Third Chapter learners, I played many roles. I
As I observed and witnessed the learning of these men and women, was the empathic and attentive witness, putting myself in their shoes, trying
I listened carefully for the ways in which the storytellers composed their to decode the environment as they saw it, resonating with their anxieties
central narrative. I was attentive to the talk and the silence; to those moments and fears, reckoning with their inhibitions, challenges, and successes. I was
of expressivity and restraint; to those places where they feared to tread; to the eager cheerleader, offering applause, appreciation, and acclaim for their
those revelations that surprised them; to those memories long buried. These creativity, their grit, and their courage. I was the discerning connoisseur,
were emotional encounters, filled with tears and laughter, breakthroughs and developing a taste for the shape of their sentences, the cadence of their
breakdowns, curiosity and discovery. Even narratives that might have begun language, the arc of their stories. I was the artist, painting the landscape,
as intellectual excavations often found their gravity and expression in the af- drawing their portraits, sketching in the light and the shadows. I was the
fairs of the heart, blending emotion and cognition, feelings and intellect. Talk- spider woman, weaving together their life remnants, unsnarling the tangled
ing about the present and the future almost always required journeys into threads of their stories, casting a net to catch them if they should fall. I was
the past. More than one person exclaimed, “This is like looking backward into the probing researcher, patiently gathering data, asking the impertinent
the future.” As I listened, I always pressed for details, for nuance, for complex- questions, examining their interpretations with skepticism and deliberation.
ity; for the subtext, the hidden underside of things palpable and tangible. And I was the fellow traveler, walking beside them, watching their backs,
In her wonderful autobiographical account One Writer’s Beginnings, my admiring the vistas, avoiding the minefields, and bringing my own story to
favorite storyteller, Eudora Welty, says about her craft, “What discoveries our dialogue. As a matter of fact, as I heard the narratives of these women
I’ve made in the course of writing stories all begin with the particular, never and men, I felt myself deeply engaged in new learning as well — echoing
the general.” In the particular resides the general. Stories — well told, with and reflecting the curiosity, vulnerability, risk-taking, and passion of their
detail and context — allow for texture, subtlety, and multiple interpreta- journeys in my own. I looked into their eyes and saw my reflection, the
tions, and they help us to discover the universals among us. As I traced refracted images of my face in the mirror: a sixty-two-year-old woman with
the narratives and delved for the particulars of person and place, I listened “confessional moments” of my own.
for the patterns, the themes, the collective voice. I worked to discover the
idiosyncratic even as I probed for the similarities and commonalities — the — This excerpt is reprinted with permission from the author.
places where people’s stories converged and overlapped, even when those Excerpted from The Third Chapter: Passion, Risk, and Adventure
people at first appeared to be so unalike. in the 25 Years After 50 by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. Copyright ©
Another important insight from Welty’s exposition on craft focuses on 2009 by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot. Published by arrangement with
the subtle but critical distinction between “listening to a story” and “listen- Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, LLC. All rights reserved. Ed.

26 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 27
As Luck
How one student’s family
misfortune turned into

Would
a second chance and a
focus on helping others
in higher education

Have It
By lory hough photography by frank curran
Winning the lottery. It was, in a way,
another example of the American
Dream come true for doctoral
candidate Hanna Rodriguez-Farrar’s
parents. Immigrants from the Philip-
pines who came to the United States
with one-way tickets and $5 in their
She says she always knew she was going to do higher
education, “but when you’re 21, you have no idea what the
machine is in the background. I was doing 17th century art
history — it doesn’t get more obscure.”
Her initial plan was to go to grad school for art, get a job
teaching, and then become a department head. “There was
a ladder,” she says. But while studying Charles I and English
needlepoint at Brown, in order to makes ends meet she was

Erik Farrar, Rodriguez-Farrar’s husband, says it’s obvious
to anyone who has ever met her family that his wife’s interest
in education actually started with her parents. (He also jokes
that his wife is in her 38th year of school.)
“It’s entirely in character and speaks to the powerful ser-
vice bent in the Rodriguez family,” he says. “Both her parents,
Mom especially, have always performed what in a different age
would be called ‘good works.’”
What drives a lot of people
at GSE is knowing that
same story and knowing
that education gets you
also doing some adjunct teaching and dabbling in alumni and Back in the Philippines, Alfeo and Aida were both college
pockets, Alfeo and Aida Rodriguez had
managed over the years to save money,
fundraising work. That’s when the “curtain got pulled,” she
says, and these “extracurriculars” suddenly became her main
educated. Her father was an agricultural engineer; her mother
a chemistry major who came first to the United States, by
to the other side. Some
buy a house in the suburbs of Philadel-
phia, and raise three smart daughters.
interest. “Wow. Doing a discipline seemed small in a way. Art
history is interesting, but the machine of higher education is
herself, to attend a one-year medical technician program in
Minnesota. (One of her earliest memories of America is sitting people start on third base.
And then they went broke.
more interesting.”
It also seemed full of possibilities.
on the airplane during her trip over, surrounded by members
of the Minnesota Vikings football team.) When Rodriguez- I was in the dugout. It’s
And so that winning ticket — not a
huge amount, just enough to get them
“I read that the provost’s job is cool. And institutional
advancement, what is that? I cleaned dishes at Brown. How
Farrar’s father later got accepted to a graduate program at the
University of Fargo in North Dakota, her mother sent him a humbling to recognize
does that impact other students and the university?” she plane ticket and $5 — exactly what she had when she moved to
over the hump — allowed their eldest
daughter to pursue her American
says, recalling how her mind started thinking of all the ways
she could make a difference. As she talks, her hands are in
the States. “That’s all he had coming here to Fargo. Eventually
they get married and, being good Catholics, they got pregnant
your capital.”
Dream: Hanna re-enrolled at Brown, constant motion. with me,” Rodriguez-Farrar says. Her father dropped out of
the Ivy League university she had She ended up leaving Brown after her master’s and got a school and the fledgling family moved to a new city, Philadel- “They overinvested in a business that failed. They had to
job at Harvard Business School as a research associate. There phia, where he took an entry-level job at an engineering firm. liquidate, sell the house in the ’burbs, and file for bankruptcy,”
dropped out of her sophomore year, in
she wrote case studies and hoped to learn about general Rodriguez-Farrar says. “We ended up moving into a smaller
part because of the bankruptcy. management. apartment in the city that they owned.”
“That’s where things really started. My mind was thinking They also tried another business: a pizza shop.
about managing the business of higher education. There are “They never did a restaurant before, and it’s not easy,”
lessons to be learned everywhere and my time at the Busi- Rodriguez-Farrar says, remembering long days and long nights
ness School allowed me to see lessons everywhere,” she says. with the whole family pitching in.
“Studying Burger King, for example, allows you to see the con- At the time, Rodriguez-Farrar’s sister Gracie was a senior
nection to how you manage food services at a college. It made in high school, Antoinette a freshman at nearby Drexel Uni-
me wonder how do you lead a beast, an institution like Brown versity. Rodriguez-Farrar was going through her own struggles
or Harvard?” at Brown, what she calls the “sophomore slump.” “Sopho-
This led to her fascination with what she calls “the presiden- The more year is always hard,” she says, mentioning the number

The
cy thing.” (Something she still toys with for herself someday.)
“It was just after Ruth Simmons became president of
Middle of young women, including herself, who battle with eating
disorders during that year of college. She decided she needed a
Beginning Brown. I was like, are you kidding me? An African American break from college. She also wanted to make sure her two sis-

I
at an Ivy league?” she says. “I started thinking about the presi- t started out well — very well. In his spare time, Alfeo ters didn’t have to suffer because of the family’s financial woes,
dent as a public intellectual, someone who sticks a stake in the liked to tinker and fix things around the house. He and so she took a leave of absence, moved back home, and started

T
alking to Rodriguez-Farrar today, some 25 years later, ground and says this is what an institution should be.” Aida, now raising two more daughters, decided to invest in working four different jobs: at a doctor’s office at night doing
it’s clear that this second chance had a big impact on In truth, university life fascinated Rodriguez-Farrar long be- rental properties in West Philadelphia that he would renovate. medical billing, an ice cream shop, Urban Outfitters, and the
the person she has become. It is also why, despite fo- fore she ever went to Brown or Harvard. Growing up near the “He’d do the plumbing, the masonry, all of it,” Rodriguez- family’s pizza shop.
cusing on art history at Brown University (bachelor’s, master’s, University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, she walked around Farrar says. Eventually they moved to the suburbs and started “I was always running around. I was doing 15 hours a day. If
and, as of 2009, a doctorate), she is now devoted to higher campus all the time and saw college students everywhere. buying properties in Center City. And then — and here’s where you talk to people now, they’d say I haven’t changed,” she says,
education and making sure that others have the same oppor- “College campuses are beautiful. They’re always about the the trouble started — they decided to venture into businesses, laughing a full laugh that comes out often during the interview.
tunities that she has had. mind. That caught on me,” she says. “My parents say they had which was different from what they had been doing, which was Despite the bleak situation, Rodriguez-Farrar was eventually
“I had to give back to ‘it,’” she says, “this institution called no idea where that came from. They’re appreciative of it, but fixing up apartments. At the time, her mom was working at a able to see a silver lining: the experience of losing it all made
higher education that has given me and my family so much.” they just thought, ‘Well, you’re American. That’s what you do.’” jewelry store. They tried to open their own shop. It went bust. her realize what she was missing — school. That summer she

30 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 31

took classes at nearby Temple University. “By the end of July, Miller says, “She takes all these jobs not out of a drive
toward overcommitment for its own sake, but because she gets
The thing with my
my mom said, ‘I’m sending you back to Brown,’” she says. She
went, moving into an off-campus apartment. It was then that energized about making a difference — keeping Brown world-
she decided to switch majors from pre-med to art history. class, doing what she can to promote high-quality training for
“My parents were really good about it,” she says, remember-
ing the conversation. “All they said was, ‘You need to find your
parents is that it’s her fellow doctoral students, and so on.”
Farrar again points to the influence of his wife’s parents.
own way. That must be the American way.’” about faith. Things “Imagine going from 50 miles north of the equator to Fargo,
This ability to see silver linings and move beyond one’s own
The North Dakota,” he says. “Through initiative and very hard
troubles is something Rodriguez-Farrar says she learned from
them. Even after they filed for bankruptcy, her parents dusted
will work out, but work, Hanna’s parents built a successful life here. It took me
two years after I met them to finally convince them that they
themselves off and moved on.
“The thing with my parents is that it’s about faith. Things sometimes you just should take one day off per week.”
A few years ago, after living with Rodriguez-Farrar and her

need a little help.


will work out, but sometimes you just need a little help. They husband as they renovated their 1864 Italianate in Providence,
really believe in that. Plus, they came from nothing so they R.I., her parents moved to Orlando to be near her sister An-
toinette, who works at Disney and is in an eMBA program at
They really believe in
thought, fine, we’ll start over,” she says. “My father had never
failed before, but they had no time to wallow in it. These were Kellogg. While in Florida, they both became students again.
two people who went through World War II in the Philippines. “At 60, my mom went back to school and became a massage
My dad was effectively an orphan, raised by siblings. My mom
lived in the mountains, raised by an aunt. So losing the busi-
that. Plus, they came therapist and my dad became an elder care specialist,” Rodri-
guez-Farrar says. “At one point, when he was in his 50s, when
ness, losing the house — it sucks, but we need to just not fail
anymore. You have to move forward.”
from nothing so they I was in grad school at Brown, he talked about going to law
school. I told him he should do Kaplan to help with the LSAT.
She says she sees a similar ethos in others at the Ed School.
“What drives a lot of people at GSE is knowing that same
thought, fine, we’ll He signed up, near the University of Pennsylvania. One of the
kids in his class said to him, ‘Oh, the trash can is over there.’
story and knowing that education gets you to the other side,”
she says. “Some people start on third base. I was in the dugout.
start over.” Aida and Alfeo on
their wedding day,
“I was outraged for him. I wanted to go down there and
kick their you-know-whats, but he joked and said, ‘No, I’m
It’s humbling to recognize your capital.” August 1963 here to take the test.’ My dad, by the end of the class, was
tutoring the kids.”
Eventually her parents moved to San Francisco (where Gra-
cie runs patemm, a successful infant changing pad company) to
Rodriguez-Farrar first started working with Miller when she for monks.’ That’s Hanna,” he says, “100 percent on the reactor be closer to their grandchildren. Her father works in elder care
became a doctoral research assistant. “She shared an interest in at all times. Always something going on.” (She doesn’t disagree. and her mother uses massage on people with dementia and
working on some survey research on doctoral student advising Last summer, she admits, she even had seven different jobs at Alzheimer’s disease. Both have taken up guitar lessons.
that a group of faculty and administrators had decided to com- the Ed School.) “Their belief that it’s never too late to go back to school,”
mission,” Miller says. “It seems to me this is typical of Hanna — But as Miller says, this constant motion isn’t just about she says, “has given them a new lease on life. I’m so proud of
following her passions, her many, varied interests and pas- keeping busy: Rodriguez-Farrar really does want to make to them and like to think that I’ll do the same thing. It takes a lot
sions, and taking on new projects to satiate her seemingly make a difference in higher education. of courage.”
unbounded curiosity and to keep her at just the right level of “One of the things that I think I have come to understand As for her own next move, Rodriguez-Farrar says that’s
The frenetic ‘flow.’” (Her friend and fellow doctoral student Angela about Hanna is that she gets passionate about ways that her still up in the air. In the spring, just as her Brown doctorate
Now Boatman, Ed.M.’08, says she was initially surprised to hear that
Rodriguez-Farrar had studied art history. “But after knowing
work can actually change real conditions in settings she cares
about,” he says. Since 2005 she has been a trustee on the Brown
was approved, she turned in her final qualifying paper at the
Ed School, which looks at higher education fundraising. In
her and her unending curiosity for the world,” she says, “I am University Corporation and served as president of the alumni an ideal world, she says she will graduate in 2010. “If the stars

R
egardless of where she started, or the path she took to not surprised in the least.”) association. While a student at the Ed School, she served as align and my mom does enough rosaries.”
get here, now as a doctoral student, Rodriguez-Farrar Her husband, whom she met at Brown when he was the as- a student representative during the last Harvard president “People ask me, ‘And then what?’ Honestly, I don’t know.
is always moving at warped speed, or as Matt Miller, sistant water polo coach and she was checking IDs at the pool — search and as an editor on the Harvard Educational Review, Something will present itself,” she says. “I went into this think-
Ed.M.’01, Ed.D.’06, assistant dean for academic affairs at the Ed he’s now the Harvard women’s and men’s water polo coach — not to mention the seven part-time jobs, including her current ing I was going to be a college president. I don’t know if that’s
School, says, “Hanna’s steady state is most people’s overdrive.” says her high level of energy is pretty much 24/7. ones: as a research assistant and “go-to person” for Professor still true, but I do know that there are other ways to make a
He adds, “I think we need a special 70-hour workweek to ac- “I think it was [science fiction writer Robert] Heinlein who Tom Kane and his Center for Education Policy Research and as difference in higher education.”
commodate Hanna.” said that in living life, one should ‘take big bites. Moderation is a project manager for Professor Bridget Terry Long. And no lottery ticket is needed. Ed.

32 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 33
REFLECTIONS of a
wife
with his

out fishin
g RETIRING MISFIT
By Jerry Murphy, Ed.D.’73

jo sh ua la
vine

In the time that I’ve been privileg ed to know


Jerry as his teachin g fellow, researc h assista nt,
and advisee , he was a mentor , an inspira tion,
and, most importa nt, a friend. Wheth er we were
debatin g the conten tious points of 12 O’Cloc k
High or choosin g which of his stuffed toys would
best convey a particu lar idea to the studen ts, Jerry
was brillian t yet down to earth, fun and funny, kind
and compa ssiona te. When some of my closest
family were afflicte d with illness, Jerry was always
there for me with astute advice , a genero us heart,
and the most reassu ring bear hugs around !
— Robert Sunta y, Ed.M.’0 1, Ed.D.’ 10 in class
martha stewart reading to
students
34 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 35
out candy canes
The first time I met Jerry, while he was still dean, he was spreadin g holiday cheer handing
fellow for his leadersh ip class, I saw him set students at
on ca mpus — in a Santa suit! Later, as a teaching
Elvis songs, stuffed animals , role playing, and a genius
ease with his upbeat, playful accessibility by using
key points “stick.” After each class, we’d debrief what had
for acronym s and pithy encapsu lations to make Then
seemed to be in their engagem ent and learning.
worked well and not-so-well, and where each student

F
how he could support learning and improve the course.
he would take the initiative to check in, asking
­— Metta McGarvey, Ed.D.’09
orty years ago, shortly after Richard Nixon had when a Harvard For example, I started writing about: the implementation of them and many others — you know
been elected president, I was fired from a fabulous professor friend educational policy, when research at the time focused almost who you are — believed in me and
job. With gleeful enthusiasm, one of Nixon’s apparat- called out of the exclusively on the development of policy; the importance of made it possible for me to believe in
with
chiks dismissed me as associate director of the White blue and urged me President qualitative methods, as a complement to quantitative methods myself. I am eternally grateful.
House Fellows Program, with my position filled by a Republi- to come to Cam- Johnson that at the time ruled at the Ed School; the unheroic dimensions I’ve always thought of the Ed
can loyalist. Jobless and broke, and certain that the ivory tower bridge. Filled with of leadership, when the focus was on the bigger-than-life hero School as one of the best places
was not my calling, I applied late — and as a last resort — for trepidation about being a misfit again, I who, like the Lone Ranger, rode into town with silver bullets. in the world to get rich — not the
a Harvard Graduate School of Education doctorate. I’ve been became an Ed School student. As dean, I headed an institution that often thought other- richness that comes from making a
here ever since and am retiring this June. To my surprise, I discovered at Harvard a whole new side of wise. We started a new degree program in the arts at the very banker-level bundle of bonuses, but
Santa Jerry
I was uncertain about graduate school because of my his- myself — I was a halfway decent researcher. I also discovered time that the public schools were slashing their budgets in the the true richness of spirit that comes
tory as a misfit with formal schooling, which began when I was that I knew a lot about practice and really liked writing about arts. We bucked the feasibility experts who said the Ed School from being an educator in service to
five years old. I dropped out of the first grade for six months the everyday reality of how things actually worked. For the could raise at most $30 million in a capital campaign. We set others. (As dean, I used to give this get-rich-here speech to stu-
because I loved to learn, but hated school. “It’s the law,” I first time in my life, I was fully a goal of $60 million and, with the incredible leadership of dents, and I knew I was “getting through” when a student with
explained to my parents. “Compulsory schooling begins at age engaged as a student, and without generous friends, the Ed School raised $111 million, and we a wry smile told me, “I’ve now heard your pitch three times.”)
six.” My parents were not exactly amused by my legal précis. knowing it, I had found a perma- even urged our students to be troublemakers. To stir things up. Now, for sure it’s easy to identify the flaws of this complex
In high school, I was passionate about fishing but bored by nent home at Harvard. To fight for their beliefs. To be troublemakers for education institution driven to make its mark. And it’s easy for me to
the curriculum, and slid by academically. I was bright and curi- Now, you might ask how these reform and social justice, like Nelson Mandela, whose given recall my disappointments and mistakes — and times when, to
ous but certainly not aware and ambitious. Indeed, I planned to musings relate to my Harvard name in his native language is “troublemaker.” paraphrase Lincoln, the better angels of my nature were not in
join the Marine career. Well, I believe that my For sure, one of the things I’ve loved most about the Ed full sway. But it’s hard to imagine a more exhilarating place to
Corps, until my experiences helped prepare me to School is that it has been a place where you can stretch your have spent a fulfilling career.
father insisted be a professor. I’ve tried to teach wings, challenge conventional wisdom, and think otherwise. “To whom much is given,” says Luke 12:48, “much is expect-
that I apply in a way that I wasn’t regularly But there are many things to love here, and for me the Ed ed.” And in that spirit, about four years ago, I volunteered to
to Columbia taught — with a soft spot for School has been an unexpected gift of a lifetime. relinquish tenure when I turned 70. I wanted to give back to the
University. smart students who don’t quite I think of our marvelous students, impressive colleagues, Ed School community, which has given so much to me, by mak-
Surprisingly, fit, and a belief that all students and the school’s unsung heroes, our dedicated administrative ing some room at the top for the next generation of younger
I was admit- need to be heard and cared for. staff. I think of the opportunity to engage in a treasured activ- scholars. In these perilous economic times, I sometimes think
ted but wasn’t “Nobody cares how much you ity — teaching the next generation of educators. I think of the I had a screw loose when I decided to surrender a job for life.
ready for seri- know,” John Wooden, the legend- freedom faculty have to pursue their ideas and use Harvard’s But I take solace — and pride — in doing what still seems to me
ous academic ary University of California, Los unparalleled bully pulpit to publicize their findings. I think of to be a matter of duty. And who knows what opportunities lay
work and Angeles basketball coach, reminded us, “until they know how the rare privilege to have been dean and work my heart out for ahead. After 40 years at Harvard, I’ve come to more fully appre-
continued much you care.” To this day, I carry his words in my wallet. an institution that aspires to make a better world. And dare I ciate E. B. White’s familiar words: “I arise in the morning torn
to slide by My experiences also helped prepare me to be dean. From add, where else could a dean play Santa Claus each December, between a desire to improve (or save) the world and a desire to
until a dean threatened to expel me from the marching band. my government role models, I learned about the nuances of visiting every office handing out candy canes? enjoy (or savor) the world. That makes it hard to plan the day.”
I improved my grades but never got in gear at this challenging administrative leadership and about its importance. I learned I also think of the many special people who have brightened I arise similarly torn, and I’m not yet sure what I’ll do next.
college far removed from my high school friends. the need to be forthright and honest, and to welcome the heat my life. Among them, my academic advisor as a student, David (I’ve been told that I’m a “late bloomer,” but this is getting
Because of this mismatch with formal schooling, I was while not seeking the limelight; to be both bold and humble, Cohen; my friend and mentor, [Professor] Pat Graham; my ridiculous!) I’m exploring several possibilities — teaching, writ-
eager to join the work force — and it turned out I loved and wary of experts who profess a lock on the answers; and to coauthor and sage advisor, [Adjunct Lecturer] Barry Jentz; and ing, administering, international work, and even going back
working. I spent two wonderful years as a public school math engage wholeheartedly in principled politics in the pursuit of my incomparable assistant and confidante, Rose Downer. All of to school for another degree. My continuing zest for learning
teacher and then unexpectedly got the job of a lifetime — noble ends. As dean, I aspired to put these lessons into action. certainly precludes fulltime retirement.
working for the federal government as part of the War on I even think that my lifelong passion for fishing — and af- Whatever I do, I will be guided, as I’ve always been guided
Poverty. During these heady days in Washington, my eyes fection for those who ply the sea — have been helpful. They in my work life, by these words from Ecclesiastes: “Whatsoever
were opened wide as I played a bit role in developing the have made me deeply respectful of hard workers regardless of thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.” Whatever I do, I
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and as I their jobs and more aware of the sophisticated craft knowledge will also try to remember White’s wise words and make time to
observed up close the remarkable work of several courageous required to make seemingly simple things happen. savor the world. And whatever I do, I leave Harvard as I came:
leaders, among them, Frank Keppel and Harold Howe, iconic Throughout my Harvard career, I have tried to live up to a with some trepidation, but most of all, anticipating my next
figures in the Ed School’s pantheon. definition of a professor I once heard — namely, someone who adventure — fired with enthusiasm!
After a promotion, I was riding as high as a kite, naively “thinks otherwise,” a perfect motto, it turns out, for a maturing
unaware that my job was at risk with a new political party in misfit. Indeed, much of my research and administrative work — Professor Jerry Murphy served as associate dean of the Ed
power. I was devastated when I became roadkill — and clueless has challenged the prevailing views of what was important, and School from 1982 to 1991 before becoming dean in 1992. He
about what to do next. Returning to a university was not an op- what was possible. Sometimes, I’ve been ahead of the curve; stepped down from that position in 2001 and has since been
tion, but my job search was floundering. So I listened carefully often, behind the eight ball! teaching. This retiring misfit will officially be leaving this year. Ed.

36 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 37
in the media

Do you ever miss the classroom? answers. To that end, writing a book for change the ending, even though I lob- escort takes me to
I miss parts of it! The kids in particular. me is a way of finding answers — it’s bied very hard against that. My solace is interviews on radio
I really get a kick out of teenagers and very therapeutic. It also helps to have in knowing that if people read the book and TV and print,
the feelings they have and the questions a healthy bunch of kids and a great after they see the movie, they’ll still be and then to my
they raise. I still remember diagram- husband I can go to at the end of the getting the story I hoped for. events, which are
ming sentences by hanging signs for workday. one hour of talking
parts of speech around the neck of kids Did you get to keep the direc- and Q&A, followed
and making them do acrobatics (i.e., the Does it ever surprise you to observe strang- tor’s chair with your name on by signing books. I
adjective piggy-backed on the subject, ers reading your books? it shown on your website? get to a hotel around 10 p.m., eat dinner,
the adverbial clause hanging off the I rarely see anyone reading my books. If I Not from The Tenth Circle, crash, and wake up at 6 a.m. to get to
predicate). I loved the assignments I do, I go up and ask if the person likes the but I did get my own chair another city and do it again. I’m on tour
designed, too. book. If they say yes, I tell them I wrote for My Sister’s Keeper and in the United States for 25 straight days
it and sign the book. If they say no, I sort that’s in my office now. and then come home, go into a three-
Such as? of slink away quietly. … My mother told week coma, and emerge to tour the U.K.
The last assignment I gave was me she would know I’d “made” it when Are you tempted to cast the potential for another three weeks.
a 10-year letter that kids had to she saw my book stacked in Costco. I film adaptations in your head as you
write to themselves. I carted think [the day she did] might have been write the novels? You recently wrote several issues of Wonder
those letters around for a de- the happiest day of her life. It’s pretty rare that I cast in my head Woman. Were you a fan of comic books prior

oneonone
cade and then mailed them. I because the characters are so real to to this?

oneonone
heard back from so many of them, now Do you feel you’re identified as a novelist me and unique when they arrive on the When I was a little girl, I used to go with
with

adults. Every now and then one will pop for women? page. But every now and then, I’ll think, my dad every Sunday to buy The New
with up at one of my book events! No, because 49 percent of my fan mail ooh, wouldn’t Johnny Depp make a York Times at the newsstand. I was al-
By Mary Tamer comes from men. They take away very great Ross in Second Glance? Wouldn’t lowed to pick out a Charms lollipop and

Jodi Picoult Do you pull from your teaching or your par-


enting experience when writing adolescent
characters, like those in Nineteen Minutes, a
different concepts from my books. I’d
argue that a book like The Tenth Circle or
Change of Heart is actually male-centric,
Nicole Kidman be terrific as Charlotte
in Handle with Care? (So, um, if Johnny
and Nicole happen to be reading, call
a comic book. I was a big fan of X-Men
at the time. Wonder Woman, in the ’70s,
wasn’t doing it for me. She needed me to
novel about school violence and bullying? too, since it explores fatherhood, prison, me!) There have been a few casting deci- revamp her.
For Jodi Picoult, Ed.M.’90, becoming a professional novelist was always Plan A. It Both. Although Nineteen Minutes had death row — things not commonly sions for my books in the past that have
was one of her reality-dictated Plan Bs, though — teaching — that led her to the its genesis in bullying that I experi- associated with chick lit. left me scratching my head, but often If you were a superhero, what
Ed School to pursue her master’s in teaching and curriculum. But starting a family, enced as a kid and that my children ex- they turned out better than I expected would your superpower be?
coupled with layoffs in the school system where she taught, gave her the time to go perienced, I taught plenty of kids who How involved are you when I saw the adaptation. The ability to change
back to Plan A and complete her first novel, Songs of the Humpback Whale. “They hired fell into that marginalized category. The in the films made of people’s minds without
Pact, which is about teen suicide, came your books? You have a book tour coming up for them even realizing it was
six new teachers that year and pink-slipped us on the third day of school because they directly from my classroom experi- Not very. For the Handle with Care. What will your typical being done. Oh wait, that’s
lost the money they had in the budget to pay our salaries,” Picoult remembers. “Three ence, when a young suicidal girl was TV movies, I have day be like? what a writer does, isn’t it?
of us wound up getting pregnant that year — including me. I knew I was going to dealing with her depression by writing been very lucky — I’ve been invited Caviar, jets, fine wine — oh, wait, I’ve
stay home with my newborn, so I spent time that summer finishing the book I’d been in a journal, and meeting with me to to the sets, and each time the director confused myself with a real celebrity.
discuss it. I’m happy to report that she has asked me to rewrite a pivotal scene Book tours are grueling. Usually I get
writing on the side, and it became my first published novel a year later.” does research in neurology and is doing that isn’t quite working from the script, up at about 6 a.m. in order to get to an — Marin Jorgensen
Picoult hasn’t looked back. She has published 16 novels, the most recent in very well! which is great fun. But ultimately, I airport, where I strip down to my skiv-
March, all of which have landed on The New York Times’ bestsellers list and several don’t have any say in the script. On vies to get through security, juggling my
of which have been turned into feature films and made-for-television movies. Still, How do you prepare yourself emotionally June 26, My Sister’s Keeper will screen laptop, coffee, and whatever edible item

images: Istockphoto.com
despite her success, Picoult stays grounded thanks to her husband and three kids. to deal with some of the sensitive and in movie theatres with Cameron Diaz I’ve found for breakfast. I fly to a city
controversial issues? and Abigail Breslin. It’s beautifully shot and meet a media escort at the airport.
“They are amused by fans who treat me like a celebrity,” she says. “To my kids, I’m I write about the things that are keeping and the acting is fantastic. However, I (It sounds much sexier than it is —
just the lady who yells at them to pick up their bedrooms.” me up at night because I don’t have the know that the director felt the need to usually a woman in her 60s or 70s.) The

38 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 39
in the media
Books Boys Should Be Boys: to wander in quite some time. Featuring
A Headmaster’s travel stories that discuss the sociopoliti-
1000 Steps: An ESL Reflections cal situations that surround them, as well
Teaching Adventure Brian Walsh as Neelon’s large-scale gallery installations
in Taiwan TMC Books, 2008 from venues such as the Boston Center for
Claudia Carroll Boys not only learn the Arts, Caleb Neelon’s Book of Awesome
Lulu.com, 2008 differently than girls provides an overview of his work. Caleb
In July 2007, Carroll of the same age, but, Neelon, Ed.M.’04, is an artist, writer, and
completed one year with according to the author, they make friends educator. He is an editor at the culture
the Taiwan Ministry differently, have entirely different issues hardbound bimonthly Swindle and has
of Education, teaching of self-esteem and motivation, react to been a contributing writer to many other
at four progressive, rural schools in the their parents and teachers differently, and magazines and journals.
mountains south of Taipei. This book rep- process just about everything differently.
resents a conversation the author had with What is particularly challenging to boys The Case for Character Education: A
herself via her yearlong blog, intended to during the formative years of elementary Developmental Approach
offer insight into one American’s experi- school is that they are almost univer- Alan Lockwood
ence in Taiwan and encourage others to sally under the guidance and care of Teachers College Press, 2008
reach out and teach. The author also in- women — mothers and teachers — who In this look at the current state of
cludes information about teaching English innately gauge their behavior, learning, character education, Lockwood assesses
as a second language as a foreign guest, as and interpersonal relationships on the its strengths and weaknesses and finds
well as the script from her presentation model of girls because that is what they fault with leading advocates for failing to
at the Taiwan ESL Teacher Conference. relate to most naturally, Walsh writes. In respond to sound critiques of their work.
Claudia Carroll, Ed.M.’02, has published 11 Boys Should Be Boys, the author reflects The author argues that contemporary
books since returning from Taiwan in 2007. on 30 years of running two independent character education can be significantly
schools, one coeducational and the other improved by using key principles from es-
Beyond Tracking: all boys. His observations are presented tablished theories and research on devel-
Multiple Pathways to through anecdotes of actual situations opmental psychology. He offers examples
College, Career, and and through the actions and voices of the to support his recommendations while
Civic Participation boys themselves. Brian Walsh, Ed.M.’66, inviting character education theorists
Edited by Jeannie Oakes lives in Katonah, N.Y., where he serves as and practitioners to generate their own
and Marisa Saunders an educational consultant, specializing in implications from his presentation. Alan
Harvard Education independent school placement. Lockwood, M.A.T.’64, C.A.S.’67, Ed.D.’70, is ON MY BOOKSHELF: Professor Nancy Hill
Press, 2008 professor of curriculum and instruction at
Nancy Hill has been a visiting associate professor since 2007. She will assume
This book assesses American high schools, Caleb Neelon’s Book of Awesome: the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
her role as professor of education on July 1, 2009.
responding to the dilemmas of high Murals, Gallery Installations & Street
dropout rates, educational gaps, and wide- Paintings from All Over the Place Creating Extra-Ordinary Teachers: Currently reading: I currently have Last great read(s): Inkheart by Carolyn
spread student disengagement. The editors Caleb Neelon Multiple Intelligences in the Class- about four books in various stages Funke [and] Barack Obama’s Dreams
present a notion of multiple pathways as Ginko Press, 2008 room and Beyond of “partially read.” I am most actively from My Father.
an alternative to current practices. All Artist and author Neelon began his graffiti Branton Shearer and Mike Fleetham trying to finish New England White, a
multiple pathways schools would include career like anyone else, but the Cam- Network Continuum Education, 2008 mystery by Stephen Carter. Book you’ve read over and over: There
a college-preparatory core, a professional bridge, Mass., native took a hard right This is a guide to understanding multiple are too many books that I want to
core, field-based learning and workplace and caught a flight out of town. Deliber- intelligences (MI) and how they can be First impressions: That it would be a read to allow for repeats!
simulations, and support services to meet ately ignoring the obvious global centers implemented to create inspired leaders quick, fast-paced book that would be
the particular needs of students and com- of New York, Los Angeles, and London, and motivated students, and a guide to entertaining. I also thought it would be Favorite spot to curl up with a good
munities. In its consideration of multiple Neelon painted subject matter close to the creation of a personalized path to the intriguing because it takes place on the book: In our family room, on the
pathways, Beyond Tracking contributes to his heart while making a street presence development of leadership potential. It has campus of an elite private university in couch, sitting in the afternoon sun.
current discussions about high school re- in places like Kathmandu, Sao Paulo, five main aims: to increase understand- New England ( … hmm … ).
form and the educational challenges of the and Tegucigalpa. Across five continents, ing of the skills utilized by highly effective Next up: I will revisit the four partially
21st century. Marisa Saunders, Ed.M.’93, indoors and out, Neelon has created color- teachers; to inspire readers to recognize Noneducation genre of choice: read books to see if one is worthy. I
Ed.D.’00, is a senior research associate at ful work both alongside collaborators like and appreciate their own or others’ poten- Biographies and autobiographies. I am tempted to skip ahead and read

tanit sakakini
the Institute for Democracy, Education, Os Gemeos and Andrew Schoultz, as well tial; to increase readers’ insight into their love to hear the stories of people’s The Third Chapter by our very own
and Access at UCLA. as in streets where he is the first foreigner MI strengths and the relationship of these lives and the events that shaped them. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot!

40 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 41
in the media
to effective leadership; to guide readers leaders, and artists. The book combines how our individual beliefs — along with FACULTY IN THE NEWS
in the creation of realistic, personalized case studies with diverse groups across the the collective mindsets in our organiza-
leadership development plans to maximize country that are using different media — tions — combine to create a natural but
strengths and manage limitations; and to including mural arts, dance, and video — powerful immunity to change. Through “It’s a situation that’s foisted upon young persons who are “They are causing a shift in the kinds of knowl-
help readers learn how to use their mul- with an introduction to the theory and hands-on diagnostics and case studies, not ready for it.” edge and skills the world values; driving the
tiple intelligences to contribute something history of community-based art. It is a they reveal how this mechanism holds us Professor Howard Gardner on how some new digital media, development of new methods of teaching and
of value to their community in a leader- handbook for those looking to transform back and how we can pinpoint and uproot including social networking sites, are causing unique ethical learning; and changing the basic characteristics
ship role. The book includes self-assess- their communities through art. Beth Kren- our own immunities to change, bringing challenges for students. of learners of every age.”
ment and interactive leadership develop- sky, Ed.M.’91, is an assistant professor of art our organizations forward with us. Robert — Education Week, 1/16/09 Professor Chris Dede on the range of new
ment planning materials. Branton Shearer, education and the area head of art teaching Kegan is a professor in adult learning and media available to both students and teach-
Ed.M.’86, is a developmental psychologist at the University of Utah. professional development at the Ed School. “Schools and colleges around the world are not ers today, and how they need to be integrated into education
and instructor at Kent State University. Lisa Laskow Lahey, Ed.M.’80, Ed.D.’86, is adequately preparing their students and other in order to make classrooms as technologically advanced as
How to Change 5000 associate director of the Change Leadership citizens to understand the nature of shared the outside world.
Dignity for All: How to Create a World Schools: A Practical Group at the Ed School. planetary challenges like international terrorism, — T.H.E. Journal, 1/09
Without Rankism and Positive Ap- regional and global conflicts, and global warming.”
Robert Fuller and Pamela Gerloff proach for Leading Initiation Professor Fernando Reimers, Ed.M.’84, Ed.D.’88, “Why don’t we face the reality that a large
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008 Change at Every Level Susan Fine writing about increasing global competency. percentage of our youth neither want nor need
Dignity for All demonstrates how to Ben Levin Flux, 2009 — The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/30/09 a college education in the traditional sense?”
identify, challenge, and prevent “rank- Harvard Education The author’s first young adult novel tells Senior Lecturer Katherine Merseth,
ism” — the abuse that happens within Press, 2008 the story of Mauricio Londoño — Latino, “What’s distinctive about it is that it truly integrates cutting-edge M.A.T.’69, Ed.D.’82, responding to an op-
hierarchies, whether it’s the corporate Not long ago, public middle class, and new to the brutality thinking in early literacy, child and parent mental health, and ed by New York City Schools Chancellor
structure, the educational system, or the education in Ontario, Canada, was in deep of prep school life — who just wants to economic security for low-income families.” Joel Klein and Rev. Al Sharpton that called
family. The authors focus on individuals — trouble, writes Levin. Student achievement survive ninth grade at St. Stephen’s, a Professor Jack Shonkoff discussing the program being for national standards and assessments for
how they can recognize rankism in their was stagnating, labor disruptions were private school in Manhattan. Apartments launched by the Center on the Developing Child in Tulsa, student achievement, and emphasized charter schools as a
own experiences, even in themselves, and rampant, and public satisfaction with the the size of a city block, vacations in the Okla., that will address school readiness, health, workforce potential solution to the achievement gap.
how, on a day-to-day basis, individuals can schools was low. In 2003, a new provincial Hamptons — being near all this extrava- development for parents, and behavioral economics. — The Wall Street Journal, 1/20/09
help others see its influence and prevent government initiated a series of reforms gance, intellect, and beauty is a thrill, but — Harvard Magazine, 3/09–4/09
it from taking root in the first place. The that embodied a positive, outcome-focused navigating this world is another story.
book includes examples of rankism in agenda for public education that resulted When two warring freshmen use the web
action as well as advice on the best ways to in improved student outcomes and high as a weapon, Mauricio gets burned in the
forcefully but compassionately bring such teacher morale. In this book, Levin, former online crossfire and learns firsthand how
behavior to light. Pamela Gerloff, Ed.D.’88, deputy minister of education for Ontario, the privileged don’t always play by the
is a writer, educator, and consultant special- draws on his experience overseeing these rules. Susan Fine, Ed.M.’92, was an English out portraits of daily life in these schools. Wynne, Ed.M.’05, is a doctoral student and ments on what research tells us and they
izing in transformational change. and other major systemwide education re- teacher in New York City and is now work- Using an analytic framework grounded an editorial board member of the Harvard dismiss a great number of time-honored
forms in Canada and England. Ben Levin, ing on her second novel. in the research literature on nonprofit Educational Review. “truths,” proposing five major strategies
Engaging Classrooms and Ed.M.’75, holds a Canada research chair management and effective schools, the for a radical improvement in the quality of
Communities through Art: in education leadership and policy at the Inside Urban Charter authors show that these schools excel along Learning to Educate: Proposals for teaching and learning in Latin America:
A Guide to Designing and University of Toronto. Schools: Promising Practices the organizational dimensions of struc- the Reconstruction of Education in greater emphasis on learning how to learn;
Implementing Community- and Strategies in Five High- ture, systems, human-resource strategies, Latin America converting teachers from producers of
Based Art Education Immunity to Change: How to Over- Performing Schools culture, and clarity of mission — func- Noel McGinn and Ernesto Schiefelbein learning to managers of learning; funda-
Beth Krensky and come It and Unlock the Potential in Katherine Merseth with Kristy tions executed with remarkable coherence. UNESCO/IBE, 2008 mental improvements in teacher training;
Seana Lowe Steffen Yourself and Your Organization Cooper, John Roberts, Mara Katherine Merseth, M.A.T.’69, Ed.D.’82, is Schiefelbein and McGinn suggest that, if shifting the emphasis for change from
AltaMira, 2008 Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey Casey Tieken, Jon Valent, and a senior lecturer and the director of the Latin America is to catch up with the rest the central to the local level; emphasizing
At the same time that arts funding and Harvard Business Press, 2009 Chris Wynne Teacher Education Program at the Ed of the world, a broader view of education, learning that will lead to increased free-
programming in schools are declining, ex- A recent study showed that when doctors Harvard Education Press, 2009 School. Kristy Cooper, Ed.M.’07, is a doc- and particularly teaching, is required. This dom for all. Ernesto Schiefelbein, Ed.D.’69,
citing community-based art programs have tell heart patients they will die if they don’t This book offers a glimpse into the world toral student and editorial board member book includes a close examination of learn- has been director of the Regional Office
successfully been able to build community, change their habits, only one in seven will of charter schools by profiling five high- of the Harvard Educational Review. John ing and teaching in the classroom, the ad- of UNESCO for Latin America and the
foster change, and enrich children’s lives. be able to follow through successfully. performing urban charter schools serving Roberts, Ed.M.’03, is a doctoral student and ministration of schools and school districts, Caribbean, minister of education in Chile,
Engaging Classrooms and Communities Desire and motivation aren’t enough: predominantly low-income, minority a consultant for a charter school in Lowell, the management of systems of education in rector of the Universidad Santo Tomas in
through Art provides a guide to the design Even when it is a matter of life and death, youth in Massachusetts. Interviews, focus Mass. Mara Casey Tieken, Ed.M.’06, is a ministries, and the political processes that Santiago, Chile, and a visiting professor in
and implementation of community-based the ability to change remains elusive. In groups, and classroom observations con- doctoral student and cochair of the Harvard generate educational policy and law — and several universities. Noel McGinn is profes-
art programs for educators, community Immunity to Change, the authors show ducted over the course of two years flesh Educational Review editorial board. Chris consensus. The authors base their argu- sor emeritus at the Ed School.

42 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 43
in the media
Making Learning Whole: One Family’s Response to Terrorism: The Parents We Mean Spanish-Language Narration room. In this revised edition of Failing Read related stories on
How Seven Principles of A Daughter’s Memoir to Be: How Well- and Literacy: Culture, Cognition, at Fairness: How Schools Cheat Girls, the some of the featured books
Teaching Can Transform Susan Kerr Van de Ven Intentioned Adults and Emotion book he wrote with his late wife, Myra, online at www.gse.harvard.edu/
Education Syracuse University Press, 2008 Undermine Children’s Allyssa McCabe, Alison Bailey, and the authors examine test scores, athletics, news_events/features. There you will
David Perkins On January 18, 1984, Malcolm Kerr, Moral and Emotional Gigliana Melzi and college matriculation as indicators of find “Inside Urban Charter Schools,” an
Jossey-Bass, 2009 president of the American University of Development Cambridge University Press, 2008 this continuing bias. In addition to educa- interview with Senior Lecturer Katherine
In Making Learning Beirut and a respected scholar of Middle Richard Weissbourd This book examines how diverse groups of tors, the book is intended for parents, Merseth, and “The Parents We Mean
Whole, Perkins intro- East politics, was shot in the back of the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Spanish-speaking children in the Ameri- coaches, and other mentors that stand to to Be,” a Q&A with Lecturer
duces a new research-based head on his way to work, but the chaos of 2009 cas learn to express memories and stories, learn so much about gender equality. Still Richard Weissbourd.
framework for teaching. Using learning Lebanon’s civil war made it impossible to The author argues that parents — not as well as ways in which their mothers and Failing at Fairness is not about blame, but
the game of baseball as a metaphor, he investigate the killing. Seventeen years peers, not television — are the primary fathers assist them in this acquisition. The about finding solutions that work. David
illustrates how teaching any subject at any later, armed with new information and shapers of their children’s moral lives. And current project includes diverse nation- Sadker, M.A.T.’65, is professor emeritus
grade level can be made more effective supported by the Anti-Terrorism Act, his yet it is parents’ lack of self-awareness and alities, socioeconomic backgrounds, and at American University and teaches part
Blogs and More
if students are introduced to the “whole family came to a consensus that nonvio- confused priorities that are dangerously genres of narrative. The authors seek to time at the University of Arizona.
game” rather than isolated pieces of a lent justice through the rule of law was a undermining children’s development. deepen our understanding of narration in
binoarealuyo.com
discipline. With real-world examples, this duty they could not ignore. This book is a Through original field research, he demon- Latino cultures, children’s ways of think- Stop the Screaming: How to Turn
Bino Realuyo
book describes how learning can be orga- portrait of the way in which violence pulls strates how parents’ intense focus on their ing and expressing emotion in stories, Angry Conflict With Your Child Into
Author Bino Realuyo developed
nized for deep and lasting impact by using lives apart, of an American family caught children’s happiness is turning many chil- and implications for school achievement. Positive Communication
binoarealuyo.com to provide informa-
seven principles: play the whole game, on the stage of Middle East politics, and of dren into self-involved, fragile conform- Allison Bailey, Ed.M.’91, Ed.D.’95, is associ- Carl Pickhardt
tion about his books and his life as a
make the game worth playing, work on the moral choices required in seeking jus- ists. The suddenly widespread desire of ate professor in the Division of Psychological Palgrave Macmillan, 2009
writer, Filipino American, and student.
the hard parts, play out of town, uncover tice. Susan Kerr Van de Ven, Ed.D.’90, lives parents to be closer to their children often Studies in Education in the Department of In Stop the Screaming, Pickhardt offers
The website includes a bio, a link to his
the hidden game, learn from the team, and in Cambridge, England, where she runs a undercuts kids’ morality. Our fixation Education, UCLA. a practical guide for parents on how to
personal blog, and summaries and reviews
learn the game of learning. David Perkins creative writing program for primary school with being great parents, and our need for tackle the most pervasive and difficult
of his novels and poetry. Realuyo hopes
is a professor at the Ed School and senior children and serves as a Liberal Democrat our children to reflect that greatness, can Speaking and Listening for Preschool problems they face in childrearing, from
that with this website he will “debunk the
codirector of Project Zero. councilor on the South Cambridgeshire actually make them feel ashamed for fail- Through Third Grade the early toddler years through college. He
stereotypical image of writers as being
District Council. ing to measure up. Weissbourd’s ultimate Catherine Snow and Lauren Resnick empowers parents to turn conflict into an
standoffish, dogmatic, or unapproachable.”
Oh, Dolly! Leader- message is that the intense, crisis-filled, International Reading Association, 2008 opportunity to engage with their children
Bino Realuyo is a master’s student in the
ship Lessons from a Outside Time: My and profoundly joyous process of raising a This guidebook, complete with a supple- on a deeper level. He teaches parents
Technology, Innovation, and Education
Female CEO Friendship with child can be a powerful force for our own mentary DVD of videos, outlines the oral to manage emotion during a fight; give
Program and a Catherine D. Reynolds Fel-
Angela Walz Wilbur moral development. Richard Weissbourd, language and listening skills that young criticism to children in a way that focuses
low in Social Entrepreneurship.
Kokopelli Publishing Stephen Rich Merriman Ed.D.’87, is a child and family psychologist children should have as they progress on the behavior and not the person; find
Company, 2008 Four Rivers Press, 2009 and a lecturer at the Ed School. from preschool to the early elementary a hook inside silent tension that will let
In her first book, Walz This book gives the grades. The book includes concrete advice them connect with your children’s feel-
reveals the mindset account of a friendship and examples that teachers can use in the ings and show them a way to empathize
and winning strategies of Dolly Oberoi, forged, over the course Is Paper Getting You Down? classroom. Catherine Snow is a professor of with yours; and consider their children’s
one of the United States’ most success- of many winters, on river ice between education at the Ed School. Lauren Resnick, points of view during disagreements and
We don’t want to lose you as a reader,
ful female and foreign-born leaders, and a much younger, questing man and an Ed.D.’62, is a professor and director of the teach them to voice their grievances with
but we understand the need to whittle
shares the leadership lessons she learned older, atheistic “river wizard.” In the full- Learning Research and Development Center respect. With a distinctive emphasis on Ed. magazine provides notice, on a space-
down your mail pile and do good for available basis, of recently published books,
while an employee of Oberoi. This book is ness of time this unlikely association led, at the University of Pittsburgh. how to distinguish types of conflict depen-
the environment, so we’re giving you blogs, podcasts, and websites by HGSE fac-
intended to help managers, novices, men, inexorably, to a post-death pact that was dent on age and gender, Pickhardt shows ulty, alumni, and students. Send your name,
the option of opting out of the hard-
and women evaluate their leadership tac- most wonderfully honored. The narra- Still Failing at Fairness: How Gender parents how to turn the daily battles into degree, and year of graduation, along with
copy version of the magazine that you
tics, develop guidelines for more effective tive is written as both a paean to a special Bias Cheats Girls and Boys in School opportunities for growth. Carl Pickhardt, the title of the book, the publisher, and date
receive and instead letting you read it of publication, or a URL link to your blog,
leadership, and reach their full leadership kind of friendship and a discriminating and What We Can Do About It Ed.M.’66, is a psychologist in private practice
online. To do this, send us an e-mail at podcast, or website.
potentials by challenging society’s norm. inquiry into the whole question regard- David Sadker and Karen Zittleman in Austin, Texas. He is a contributing editor
letters@gse.harvard.edu with the words
Dolly Oberoi, Ed.M.’86, is founder and chief ing the possible continuation of per- Scribner, 2009 to Only Child magazine. Ed. magazine, In the Media
OPT OUT in the subject line. We will
technology officer of C2 Technologies Inc., an sonal consciousness beyond what we call This book argues that gender bias makes it Harvard Graduate School of Education
send you an e-mail alert once a new
e-learning company that develops virtual “death.” Stephen Rich Merriman, Ed.M.’80, impossible for girls to receive an educa- Office of Communications
issue comes out and is available for you 44R Brattle Street
environments for training. lives in San Francisco, where he works as a tion equal to that of boys. Sadker has
to read online. Cambridge, MA 02138
corporate consultant, psychotherapist, and spent decades studying the relationship E-mail: medianotes@gse.harvard.edu
jazz pianist. www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/ed between gender and success in the class- Fax: 617-495-7629

44 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 45
alumni news and notes
1947 1967 tional publishers to conduct grandchildren: Cory, Ryan, PROFILE
market research and create Brian, and Jenna. He continues
John Sheard, M.A.T., has Ann Collins, M.A.T., has preK–8 reading and language to do volunteer work related to
been retired for 23 years after moved from Boston to Port- arts materials. substance abuse.
working 34 years at DuPont. land, Ore., and is greatly enjoy-
He writes that, although he ing retirement. Patricia McKinley, Ed.M., Rafael Martinez, Ed.M.’05
spent his career in the business 1975 continues her nonprofit work
world, his M.A.T. helped in
dealing with his customers. 1969 Peter Cooper, Ed.M., is inter-
im headmaster of Hilton Head
for educational and community
organizations in Connecticut
A Question of Education By Lory Hough
Rhoda Morss Trooboff, including the University of
[S.C.]Preparatory School.
1953 M.A.T., had her latest picture
book, A Book for Elie, published
Hartford, Women’s Hall of
Fame, Community Founda-
Question everything. That is one of the lasting les-
sons that Rafael Martinez, Ed.M.’05, took away from
Warren Kimbro, Ed.M.,
George Pappas, M.A.T., by Tenley Circle Press. It is for tion Women’s Initiative Fund, Professor Fernando Reimers, Ed.M.’84, Ed.D.’88, while
passed away in February. An
retired in 1993 as professor and children ages three to eight and Waterbury Hospital Health he was a student at the Harvard Graduate School of
obituary in The New York Times
chair of art (emeritus) after 40 is about how books are made. Center, and Mercy Housing Education. And it has served him well in his native
profiled his life as a Black Pan-
years of university teaching and and Shelter.
ther who eventually became a Brazil, where he returned after graduation to work
administration. He is now a
1970 community leader and founder on improving the country’s education system.
full-time exhibiting artist.
Wayne Beyer, M.A.T, is an
of Project MORE, an organiza-
tion the provides job training
1984 “We should especially question data,” Martinez
told a group of students last fall while at Harvard to
1957 administrative appeals judge at
the U.S. Department of Labor.
and drug rehab to ex-convicts. Irene Goodman, Ed.D., is
the founder and president of
give a series of talks. Martinez, who at the time was
Goodman Research Group, serving as undersecretary of education for the state
Joseph Cronin, M.A.T., a
former HGSE faculty member, Barbara Powell, M.A.T.’65, 1979 Inc., a research firm in Cam- of Rio de Janeiro, talked at length about the coun-
recently gave the Burton and Ed.D., works as an educational bridge, Mass., that specializes try’s controversial Education for All campaign, fueled
Terrence Cheeseman, Ed.M.,

Laura Guaraná
Inglis Lecture at the Ed School consultant. Her recent projects in program evaluation. The in part several years ago by businesses demand-
is happily retired and enjoys
on his new book, Reforming include Exploring Humanities firm celebrated its 20th an- ing a more educated population. The goal of the
volunteering in the Writing Lab
Boston Schools, 1930–2006. Law, a curriculum about the at Walnut Hills High School in niversary in January. campaign was to dramatically increase the number
rules of law taught in more of students in school. Martinez said that despite an Program. When he returned to Brazil, he became superintendent
Cincinnati, Ohio.
David Lukens, M.A.T., teaches
1985
than 60 countries; and evaluat-
increase, the numbers are not telling the whole story. of a school district of 15,000 students and 54 schools. A few years
a math course at the School of ing the Along the Silk Road
the Art Institute of Chicago.
He is a professor emeritus at
curriculum as part of Yo-Yo
Ma’s Silk Road Project.
1981 Wayne Dudley, Ed.M., was
“The official discourse says we’ve already achieved universal
enrollment in Brazil, but in reality, that’s not true,” he said. “We
later he became undersecretary of education for the state of Rio
de Janeiro, where he was responsible for developing policy, creat-
involved with the Obama
Shimer College in Chicago. Louise Taylor Gilliland, cannot consider our goal done if 94 percent enter but only 54 ing new curriculum, and evaluating practices. He also created an
campaign in Florida during the
Allen Parker, Ed.D., retired Ed.M, is a nursing home resi- percent complete school. That’s a big fat lie, and it’s my goal to ombudsperson to listen to outside complaints and a resource
2008 election. He has also been
last year as CFO of the Con- dent, aged 82, and still mobile!
1964 cord Consortium, which he
working on the Civil Rights
Commission for the state of
wake people up.”
Martinez also questioned the quality of schooling in Brazil,
database for teachers.
His ideas were well received, he said, but he had to move slowly
cofounded in 1994. The consor- Wilai Panurach, Ed.M., has
Howard Greene, Ed.M., Georgia and maintains his which historically has not been good. “A national evaluation in at first with his “Harvard ideas.” “People think you’re trying to
tium conducts research and retired from all professional
continues his career as an status as emeritus professor of 2005 found that 30 percent of fourth-graders had grades below force foreign ideas,” he said, “but in truth, most of the ideas that I
development in science, math, vocations. She is now living
educational consultant to insti- history at Salem State College 150 out of 500. They were functionally illiterate,” he said. brought back were my own.”
and computer-related educa- a “simple life” in a suburb of
tutions and families. His new in Massachusetts. In December, Martinez moved back to the private sector but
tion. He is now writing a book Bangkok and visiting her son in In order to turn things around, Martinez said the country first
book about educational and life
about his quest and its findings Chicago from time to time. needs to acknowledge the problem and then to “research it with a public service twist. Under his guidance, BR Investments,
planning will be published in
September 2009.
for integrations of technology,
society, and spirituality for David Sortino, Ed.M., recently
1987 relentlessly.” He also suggested heavily monitoring students that
repeat grades and drop out, increase professional development
a Brazilian equity fund, will invest $400 million in education
projects in its first year. Before leaving government, however, he
well-being. sold his screenplay, a true Margo Okazawa-Rey, Ed.D.,
for principals, and help some teachers find new careers. turned back to his Ed School roots. “I was pleased to see that as
1965 account of his three years as a
teacher/principal at a residen-
recently had a fellowship
created in her name by the “The bottom 10 percent of the sector in Brazil tends to go into he left the position of undersecretary of education,” says Reimers,
Phyllis Snyder, M.A.T., spent 1974 tial school for at-risk teens in Intercollegiate Department teaching,” he said, shaking his head.
Martinez didn’t start out in education. An engineering under-
“he was succeeded by Teresa Pontual, Ed.M.’08, whom he had
encouraged to apply to the program and hired to work with him
the last 15 years at the Center the inner cities of Oakland and of Asian American Studies at
for Adult and Experiential Martha Keller, Ed.M., is San Francisco, Calif. in the ministry.”
the Claremont Colleges. The graduate who went on to study business, he initially worked for
Learning in Philadelphia as “delighted” to be a part of the
Margo Okazawa-Rey Social Shell Brazil before moving onto a string of sales and marketing This is a clear example of Martinez’s commitment to education,
education her five grandchil-
1982
vice president. Her current Justice Fellowship is designed jobs in smaller companies. Although he liked his work, he felt he says Reimers. “As a student, Rafael displayed clear leadership qual-
focus is developing encore dren are getting both in and
to encourage outstanding stu- ities, a strong intellect, drive, and passion to improve education in
out of formal settings. should be making a more meaningful contribution to society.
careers — a career that starts dents to implement communi-
Ray Kelley, Ed.M., retired “I decided I was going to work in education,” he said in a subse- the two courses he took with me,” he says. “There was no ques-
after one’s primary career has ty-based projects that integrate
Sherry Forman Litwack, as program director of the quent interview. It took a few years to make the transition, which tion in my mind that he had all the qualities to make a significant
ended and often includes a social justice, multiracial
Ed.M., is a publishing consul- Supreme Court Substance impact in the field of education in Brazil.”
public service focus. solidarity, and feminism. included a year in the Ed School’s International Education Policy
tant who works with educa- Abuse Program. He has four

46 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 47
alumni news and notes
1988 policy studies in education
PROFILE
at the University of Illinois at
Guru Kistnasamy, Ed.M., Chicago. Her dissertation was ED’S LIST
is a psychologist in private on the relationship of work-life
practice and would like to hear balance and success for female Ed’s List is designed for alums who want to reach out to their for-
from friends, especially the college presidents. Mangels is mer classmates and other members of the Ed School community
1987–1988 Ed School group. the president of Lexington Col-
He would be happy to be a to share their interests, their time, and even — possibly — job
lege in Chicago.
resource person for anyone opportunities. This is not a classifieds section — no used cars for
wishing to visit South Africa. sale, please! — but an area in which alums can cultivate, or re-

Antonia Kaull, Ed.M., has


1994 cultivate, Ed School relationships for either work or play.

been the owner of Living Linda Greyser, Ed.M.’90,


E-mail us at classnotes@gse.harvard.edu and we’ll print your
Rooms, a home décor and Ed.D., works as a consultant
in school improvement and request in the next issue. and private foundations. The company provides clients with
interior design service in the
Georgetown section of Wash- accountability with the Massa- teams of consultants who assess their strengths and areas for
ington, D.C., since 2003. chusetts Office of Educational improvement.
Quality and Accountability and
several projects abroad, most
this award, presented to organi- 2003 “We focus on helping them assess their current practices, plan

1990 recently with the Supreme Edu-


zations or individuals deemed
to have made extraordinary Brooke DiGiovanni Evans,
for improvement, and really achieve that improvement through
leadership coaching and intensive workshops,” McFadden says.
cation Council in Qatar and an Ed.M., was promoted to head
Ana Garcia Blanco, Ed.M.’79, contributions to the commu- The company has grown significantly from its initial focus on
ongoing project with the Dubai of gallery learning at the Mu-
Ed.D., is currently working with nity quality of life. charter schools and accountability to a much wider client base.
Schools Inspection Bureau. seum of Fine Arts, Boston.
the New School Movement,
For example, SchoolWorks has placed a greater emphasis on

courtesy of ledyard mcfadden


an education reform project in
Puerto Rico.
Denise Juneau, Ed.M., was
elected superintendent of
1999 2006
leadership and school coaching as a way to sustain client rela-
tionships and increase their ongoing impact on student achieve-
public instruction in Montana, Jo Forman, Ed.M., is develop-
Jon Price, Ed.M., recently com- Janey Pearl, Ed.M., is the ment. In addition, as a result of its reputation within the educa-
becoming the first Native ing educational materials for
pleted his Ph.D. in education Discovering Justice, a nonprofit public information officer and tional consulting sector, the organization has also developed
American woman to hold an
from Texas A&M University, civic education organization Latino outreach coordinator a relationship with the prestigious Broad Prize, which annually
executive office in the state.
College Station. He is now the headquartered in the Moakley for the Arizona Department awards one million dollars to the top performing urban school
specialist for Applied Educa- U.S. Courthouse in Boston. of Health Services. She was Ledyard McFadden, Ed.M.’93 districts in the United States. SchoolWorks is responsible for con-
tion Research and Program 1995 recently accepted into the Anti-

Helping Schools Work


ducting the qualitative analysis of the finalist districts, and then a
Evaluation with Intel Corpora- Defamation League’s GLASS
tion, where he is responsible for
managing evaluation efforts for
Erik Gregory, Ed.M., was
named director of continu-
2000 Leadership fellowship. national panel determines the recipients based on that analysis.
McFadden credits the Ed School and its individualized master’s
the company’s global education ing education at New England Rose DiSanto, Ed.M., was program (now Special Studies) with helping him determine what
2007
By Amanda Dagg
technology programs. Conservatory in Boston. appointed to the board of aspect of education he ultimately wanted to pursue.
Next Step, a Cambridge-based “I taught in Costa Rica for a few years after college and knew
Carol Baldwin, Ed.M., is cur- In the mid-1990s, Ledyard McFadden, Ed.M.’93, left the classroom
Gerard Robinson, Ed.M., and nonprofit organization that
1992 his wife, Kimberly, celebrated provides life-changing support rently teaching ninth-grade
biology and sixth-grade science
as an ESL teacher in Chelsea, Mass., to serve as the director of op-
erations at City on a Hill Charter School during its startup and first
that I wanted to continue in education, but I wanted to be in
a program that would allow me to be flexible and try different
the first birthday of their programs to teens and young
Tom Carter, Ed.M., and his adults impacted by cancer and at Boston Preparatory Charter few years of operation. The experience, he says, helped him realize things,” he says. “The Ed School program really fit with where I
daughter, Sienna Simone Rob-
wife and just had their sixth life-threatening blood diseases. Public School in the Hyde Park was in my career, and it gave me a very good sense of education-
inson, on February 20, 2009. his love for new projects and inspired him to eventually work
child (a girl), and he has a section of Boston.
for Beacon Education Management, one of the first educational al theory.” Furthermore, he says the connections he made while
whole new appreciation for
educational needs across the
spectrum! One of their children
1997 2002 Katie Heim, Ed.M., was en-
gaged to Jared Feinman on De-
management organizations in the country.
“While working at Beacon, my friends and family kept telling
studying there have been invaluable in making SchoolWorks
successful and effective.
has autism, and they run an in- Meg Campbell, C.A.S, is Meria Carstarphen, Ed.M.’99, cember 29, 2008, at New York’s me that I should start my own business, that I loved the variety of Having just celebrated SchoolWorks’ 10th anniversary, McFad-
tensive program for him out of founder and executive director Ed.D., was named finalist for Rockefeller Center and plans to project-based work and should follow that passion,” he says. den and his colleagues are now reflecting on their overall suc-
their home in New York City. of Codman Academy Charter the position of superintendent marry in January 2010. cess. “Our focus right now is on asking the question, What is our
In 1998, McFadden followed their advice and started School-
He runs a consulting firm that Public School in Boston, which of the Austin [Texas] Indepen-
Works, an educational consulting firm in Beverly, Mass. “It was impact on student achievement, on educator practice, and on
he founded four years ago after has been chosen by the Mas- dent School District. Felisa Tibbitts, Ed.M.’91,
the beginning of a lot of charter school law and charter school policy?” This self-assessment is essential to McFadden’s vision for
leaving the diplomatic corps. sachusetts Cultural Council C.A.S., Ed.D., is a fellow at the
to receive the Commonwealth Jocelyn Pascoe, Ed.M.’02, is openings across the country, and at that time there was an op- his company and to SchoolWorks’ sustained influence. “We are
Carr Center for Human Rights
Award for its partnership with now working as a high school Policy at the Harvard Kennedy portunity to be a part of starting the accountability system,” he striving to be an organization that can understand and measure
1993 the Huntington Theatre Com- guidance counselor in South School this academic year. She says of the inspiration behind the company. our impact in those areas,” he says.
pany. Codman Academy is the San Francisco. welcomes contact from class- SchoolWorks provides support to educators at all levels, from
Susan Mangels, Ed.M.,
first public school to receive mates at ftibbitts@hrea.org. individual schools to districts, state departments of education, — Amanda Dagg is an undergraduate at Harvard College.
recently earned her Ph.D. in

48 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 49
alumni news and notes
PROFILE In Memory
Mosheng Stone Lu, Ed.M.’23 Inez Woodberry, Ed.M.’57 Linda Miles, M.A.T.’67
Ethelind Elbert Austin, GSE’34 Charles Alcorn, Ed.M.’58 Woodward Wickham, M.A.T.’69
Althea Arnold Dyer, M.A.T.’43 Ernest Walston, Ed.M.’38, Ed.D.’58 Warren Kimbro, Ed.M.’75
Erle Witty, GSE’44 Mary MacMillan, Ed.M.’59 Barbara Burrage, Ed.M.’82
Edward Wieber Kahler, M.A.T.’46 Benjamin Peterson, Ed.M.’59 Paula Sossen Lawson, Ed.M.’84
Patricia Hill Collins, M.A.T.’70
Wilbur Alexander Millard, Ed.M.’47 Renee Reagan, Ed.M.’59 Kathrne Howell, Ed.M.’85

Out in Front Andrew Baggaley, Ed.M.’49


Malcolm Upshur Pitt Jr., Ed.M.’49
Virginia Lewis, C.A.S.’58, Ed.D.’60
Enn Tatar, Ed.M.’60
Rosalia Chow, Ed.M.’86
Terrance Whitright, Ed.M.’86
By Amy Magin Wong
Norton Allan Levy, M.A.T.’50 Robert Eugene Herriott, M.A.T.’55, Ed.D.’61 Karen Walker, Ed.M.’91
Mildred Jarvis, Ed.M.’51 Claire Cecile McDonough, Ed.M.’61 Thomas Downey, Ed.M.’01
Taking the helm of the American Sociological Association (ASA) to
Curtis Nash, Ed.M.’46, Ed.D.’52 Robert Lemer, M.A.T.’63
become its 100th president, Patricia Hill Collins, M.A.T.’70, says that
John Buffinton, M.A.T.’54 Bennett Taylor, Ed.M.’63
her leadership motto is to make herself “expendable.”
Earl McGovern, Ed.M.’55 Rebecca Conrad Young, M.A.T.’63
Collins, who is the first African American woman to head the
Elaine Paradise Muise, M.A.T.’56 Brooks Wheeler, M.A.T.’65
ASA, explains that her goal is not to be “the type of leader that
Raymond Murphy, M.A.T.’56 Florence Hunter Russell, C.A.S.’66
people can’t imagine what they are going to do without,” but
Abraham Yanover, Ed.M.’56 Edward French, Ed.M.’67
one that empowers others to a point where they can take over
Robert Joseph Goff, M.A.T.’57 Christine Rotermund Kuhn, M.A.T.’67
— maybe doing things a little differently — yet well equipped to
Edward Victor, Ed.D.’57 Frank Manchester, C.A.S.’64, Ed.D.’67

courtesy of Patricia hill collins


deal with the challenges they will confront.
This attitude has evolved out of a career in which Collins has
smashed through racial and gender barriers to create her own
professional opportunities, and one in which she has also worked
diligently for those who have come after her in pursuing their
professional goals. CLASSNOTES/ADDRESS UPDATE
“I’m often the first person to get there,” says Collins, “so I have NAME: YEAR(S)/DEGREE(S):
to look behind me and say, ‘Now, what opportunities are in my upon someone else’s subordination? Can you have a definition of
wake that people can take advantage of and take this further masculinity that doesn’t require women’s subordination?” ADDRESS:
than I have?’” Her commitment to these issues raised in her research is re- CITY: STATE: ZIP:
In her current position as distinguished university professor flected in her involvement with the ASA’s minority fellowship pro-
of sociology at the University of Maryland, Collins works with gram. As president, Collins stresses the importance of providing E-MAIL:
graduate students in examining race, feminist scholarship, and students of color with the support and opportunities necessary
NOTES FOR PUBLICATION IN ED. OR ON THE ALUMNI RELATIONS WEBSITE:
sociological theory. She traces many of the questions and issues for them to excel. She also sees and respects an interconnected-
of her present research — especially about education and its role ness with those who came before her and contributed to laying
Ed. and the Office of Alumni Relations
in democracy — back to her time as a student at Harvard. “It was the foundations for her own success. However, she believes that
welcome news from HGSE alumni about
a time of so much political activity,” she says. “And the school eventually the role model has to step aside, and the next wave of employment, activities, or publications.
really tried to be responsive to those issues of urban education in scholars must step up and take the lead. Classnotes will appear either in Ed. or on
terms of equality and democracy.” She cites the presidential campaign of Barack Obama as a fas- the Alumni Relations website.
For example, Collins says that the Ed School reached out to lo- cinating example of the participation and willingness of youth to
cal communities, and her placements in Roxbury and other areas assume responsibility and leadership roles, and perhaps see new Please e-mail your classnote to classnotes@
gse.harvard.edu or submit online at
of Boston encouraged her to think more broadly about education possibilities that they hadn’t seen before.
www.gse.harvard.edu/alumni_friends/
than just classroom instruction, to its significance in civic partici- “I tell my students, who always want me to be in front of the
classnotes/submit_note.
pation. “Many of the larger theoretical issues that I am interested line, at some point you have to be in front,” says Collins. “I hold
in now — structural issues, and of social change, equity — are re- myself, and my students, to very high standards. And what is Classnotes can also be mailed to:
fracted through the lens of my time at Harvard,” says Collins. “The surprising to them is what they can actually do, that they didn’t Ed. magazine, Classnotes
questions of social justice: How do we actually construct just, fair imagine they could do.” Harvard Graduate School of Education
communities for people that protect individual freedoms, and yet Office of Communications
do not construct individual freedoms at the expense of others? — Amy Magin Wong is a frequent contributor to Ed. whose last piece 44R Brattle Street
r I do not want MY classnote on the web. r this is a new address.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Is it possible to have an idea of freedom that is not predicated was on Academic Dean Robert Schwartz and the Bloomberg Chair. r I want MY classnote only on the web.

2 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 3
recess We value this, too.
Which is why we’ve made it easy to get involved with the Ed School
again and to reconnect with former classmates and current students.

To find out how, go to www.gse.harvard.edu/alumni_friends/getinvolved.

mark morelli
Father Bob by Amanda Dagg
They call him the unofficial dean. His title is desk supervisor at has known Rogers since his first year at the school. “Whether
Gutman Library, but to many Ed School students, Bob Rogers it’s a friendly smile, a boost of confidence, or a caring voice,
is much more; he is a friend, a mentor, and in some cases, a Bob is there and goes the extra mile for the students.”
father figure. Students often express their gratitude by mentioning him
Rogers has been an employee at Gutman for more than in their dissertations, and many of them keep in touch with
28 years and has befriended many students along the way. It Rogers after graduation through e-mail, phone calls, and
usually starts when someone comes to the desk asking for cards. Around the holidays, he says, he reserves a section of
help, but his reputation has grown so that now people ask for a wall in his home to cover with the cards and baby pictures
him specifically. “Students from all over will come and say, ‘I’m he receives.
looking for Bob Rogers, someone told me to look you up,’” he Rogers’ friendship and support has made him a very
says. From there, he just strikes up a conversation. popular figure both on and off campus. He has traveled across
No matter how the introduction is made, once it is, the the country to visit former students and attend weddings and
relationship is permanent. “They keep it in their heads that I’m christenings. In addition to the travel opportunities, he says
here,” he says. “If someone’s having a bad day, they’ll come to the number of free lunches he gets when alumni visit campus
the desk and ask what they should do. I try to give them advice is a definite perk. “But best of all I like the friendship,” he says.
and tell them not to worry about it.” “It’s an everlasting friendship.”
istockphoto.com/slacroix

Rogers’ caring nature is a welcome presence for those who Even though Rogers says he should probably be retired by
know him and does not go unappreciated. “Of course he’s a now, it’s the students that keep him around. “I really like work-
great help in anything library-related, but Bob is there for us in ing with students and interacting with them,” he says. “I’ve
every way,” says doctoral student Jay Huguley, Ed.M.’04, who always loved kids, and now I have lots of big kids.”

4 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 Ed. • Harvard Graduate School of Education • summer 2009 5
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“After 40 years at Harvard,


I’ve come to more fully
appreciate E. B. White’s
familiar words: ‘I arise in
the morning torn between
a desire to improve (or
save) the world and a
desire to enjoy (or savor)
the world. That makes it
hard to plan the day.’”
Courtesy of Jerry Murphy

— Professor Jerry Murphy,


former dean of the school,
in “Reflections of a Retiring
Former Misfit,” page 34

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