Cohort #02 2012-2016 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warley Williams III | Lisa Whelan |
Soraya deBarros | Chad Argotsinger | David Chandler | Melissa Hammond | Oksana Jackim | Elizabeth Janson | Paulo Leite |
| Christine McClure | Isaya Odiembo | Greg Sethares | Carmelia Silva |
Joel Singer |
Halley Zanconato | Eva dos Santos | ||
Cohort #01 2011-2015 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amy Darling | Benjamin Parsons | Dominique Branco | Gary Marden | Jennifer Pacheco | Joseph daSilva | Kate Warren | M. Teresa Mascarenhas | Thad LaVallee |
Melissa Hammond
Both my BS and MS degrees are in the field of biology. I have been working as the laboratory coordinator for the sciences at a local community college for the past six years. Working at a community college and being involved with various college committees has exposed me to the many problems facing students, instructors, staff and administrators. After listening and taking part in many conversations outlining the issues, I realized that I wanted a more active role in education. This led me to the graduate program in educational leadership and public policy at UMASS Dartmouth. This program allows me to earn a PhD while working full time and involves face-to-face interactions with faculty and students in my cohort. My research interests are continually changing but I believe that this program will help me become a transformative leader so that I can do more than discuss the current issues in education, I can be part of the solutions.
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Halley Zanconato
I have always loved to read and write. I earned my bachelors degree in English and Creative Writing from Mount Holyoke College, and I taught 10th and 11th grade English for a couple of years in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. During that time, I pursued my Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) with a specialization in Digital Libraries through Rutgers University. I became a Library Media Specialist at Egremont Elementary School, the largest elementary school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, while also working for the Reference Department of the Berkshire Athenaeum. My husband and I have recently relocated to the South Coast, and I am excited to begin my new position as Library Media Specialist at Dartmouth High School. I am honored to be a part of the second cohort in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at UMass Dartmouth. When I originally discovered the program, I knew that it would be an ideal fit with immense possibilities for broadening my knowledge and experiences in this important and ever-changing field. I am specifically looking to consider the interplay between libraries and the larger landscape of education in terms of impact, effectiveness, and growth.
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David Chandler
My name is David Chandler. I received my Masters of Public Policy from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2009, and I am a graduate of the Leadership South Coast Program in 2008. I have been employed with the Department of Youth Services since 1998, and have been actively involved in initiatives to improve positive outcomes for court involved youth and other vulnerable populations. My research interests involve social justice in the juvenile justice system including; Positive Youth Development, Disproportionate Minority Confinement, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, Workforce Issues for juvenile corrections employees, and use of Social Impact Bonds.
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Elizabeth Janson
Since I was a child, I have had the opportunity to simultaneously view the educational system from the eyes of a student and also through the voices of the many teachers within my family. I attempted to break from the family tradition of teaching and explored psychology and criminal justice as an undergraduate. However, the stories of the youth that I worked with pulled me back to teaching as I realized the need to help them within high school, not just afterwards. As a teacher, I continue to reflect on this system of which I am now a part, as well as the hegemonic power relations authenticated through the accepted curriculum and pedagogy. Education is changing, drifting even further from a democratic vision of participation and critique and towards a culture of standardization, which disempowers youth from surpassing expectations and creating a society linked with humanity. Through this program, I hope to analyze how schools play a role in the development of identities, discourses, and hegemony within a globalizing and technologically advancing society.
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Carmelia P Silva
I am currently a Spanish language and culture teacher. As a secondary public school educator for the past twelve years, I have seen many policies trickle-down from the top that seem to have little to do with the growth and development of every child. My own personal experience as a second-generation Azorean immigrant student, attending one of the largest school districts in Rhode Island, I feel that there was a lack of connection and understanding to appropriately serve the diverse student’s individual needs. My personal experiences have made me sensitive to the complex effects of assimilation into mainstreamed American culture, as well as, the detriment associated with the loss of the minority culture. In this program, I would like to further investigate the affects of hegemonic cultural views and the deficient integration of culture in the formation of the adolescent’s development and academic attainment.
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Isaya Odiembo
I am currently serving as an Assistant Manager at Justice Resource Institute. Worked at Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (Canton) for 8 years in various capacities - residential coordinator, teacher assistant, Monitor, Quality assurance among others. An Alumnus of Salve Regina University (Newport) and University of Nairobi (Kenya). Learnt about Educational Leadership program when I was at cross roads - and managed to turn to SEPPCE - UMass Dartmouth, where I saw my dream. I embrace social justice and the fight for equality and equal opportunities. My research interest is in education systems in developing countries with special interest in Kenyan education system.
Eva C. dos Santos
I am currently the founder and President of Hemingway English Institute in Fall River. At the institute, we teach English as a Second Language, Portuguese, Mandarin-Chinese, and Spanish. I first taught English at local community colleges and then worked as an ESL coordinator for Catholic Social Services, designing and coordinating a number of programs for the local immigrant community. My research will focus on psychosocial issues that are associated with achievement disparities among second language learners.
Greg Sethares
I have been a math teacher since graduating with my bachelor’s degree 27 years ago, both in high school and at a community college. Over the years I have found myself involved in a variety of organizations and activities, union, faculty senate, creating and directing academic programs and departments, and advocating for student opportunities and faculty rights. These experiences have frequently caused me to look at my schools and their policies with a critical eye. So when I first read about this program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, it almost seemed as if the program had been created for me. It would allow me to engage in study of issues related to education, leadership, and policy, which would hopefully help make me better able to transform the lives of students in my classes, colleagues at my institution, and even the institution itself. In the future, whether as a faculty leader or as an administrator, I believe the contemplation associated with this program will help me become a better educator and leader.
Christine L. McClure
The social institution of education and family swept me into applying for this program. My background as assistant professor at a local community college and seven years an adjunct professor pronounced “the marketization of education” and the lack of attention to children’s, teachers, and educators primary needs to optimize the educational learning experience. As a sociologist I embrace critical theory, social justice theory, Marxist ideology, and multiculturalism in American culture of education. I am interested in doing research on transformational leadership using Caroline Shield’s literature to create fairness and equality in education from early childhood at home in the families and schools to public institutions of higher education. One area of research I continue to pursue is resiliency in children, families, and teachers in a globalized society. I would like to look into educational policies such as free breakfast and lunch for each American child in every institution of education and quality emphasis on reading in families before the age of five through community. I am planning a new social justice degree program with an emphasis on family and education at the local community college where I teach.
C. Chad Argotsinger
I currently serve as Director of Alumni Relations at UMass Dartmouth where I celebrate and engage alumni and friends with the University and each other through lifelong connections. I was drawn to the Educational Leadership and Public Policy doctoral program for its blend of theory and practice, the combination of higher education and public policy, and the strong connection to the local educational community. In terms of research interests, I am particularly drawn to the distinctions and similarities between public and private institutions of higher education and college retention/transition including the inequalities of persistence by various minority populations.
Lisa Whelan
My name is Lisa Whelan and I am a student in Cohort II of the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program at UMass Dartmouth. I have been involved in education and working with children for the past 21 years. This has included preschool, teaching Grade 3, as well as Principal and Curriculum Coordinator. I plan to continue my research in Educational Leadership around student attendance and learning, and how socioeconomic factors play a part in this. As we know, when students are not in school, they are not learning. It is my goal to determine significant factors that play a role in this critical issue, and how school leadership can be a primary role model in improving attendance in school.
Warley J. Williams, III
I was born and raised in New Bedford and I am passionate about increasing the strength of my community through educating its youth. Before becoming the principal of New Bedford’s Alternative school, Whaling City Jr/Sr High School, I taught social studies for over three years, and as a lifelong resident of an urban city that deals with high levels of poverty, pollution, homelessness and substance abuse; in the classroom, as well as in the community, I became a delegate for social justice and interwove my philosophy into everyday lessons in order to educate students in thinking critically about conditions surrounding them. I have entered the Educational Leadership Program for the specific reason of equipping myself with the tools necessary for being a transformative leader on New Bedford’s school committee, while serving New Bedford’s students as principal, with the intention of leading by example with cogent, modern, and tried methods through “critical” lenses. Ultimately, I would like to focus my research on compiling engaging, yet rigorous instructional planning and pedagogy that caters to urban teens that have been historically marginalized.
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Amy Darling
As an elementary school teacher I am interested in the educational policies and curricula that impact young students. My research interests include how we are preparing our teachers for their leadership role as they enter a classroom as well as the importance of humanities and character development in education. The courses I have taken so far have allowed me to learn more about the world that surrounds me, the impact it has on the educational system, and how I can affect change. Throughout this program I am developing skills critical to being a transformative leader.
Benjamin Parsons
I currently teach French and serve as Dean of Students at Falmouth Academy, a 7-12 grade independent school in Falmouth, MA. I was drawn to the program for its interdisciplinary curriculum, its commitment to social justice, and its outstanding faculty. In addition, I was interested in the bridge the program could create for me between private and public education. I could never have imagined how rich in interests and backgrounds our pioneering cohort would be, and how supportive they would be to an aspiring school leader like myself. My research interests include the small-schools movement and its impact on ideological transformation, democratic schools and school culture, and alternative forms of assessment.
Dominique Branco
Having worked in the public sectors of health care, justice system, and education; the issues in which society are faced with such as social, racial, and ethical disparities drove me to inquire and take on this journey towards critical transformative leadership. I am interested in researching the “zero tolerance” policy and the school-to-prison pipeline. Today’s education system is in crisis; as a new wave of administrators enter the field of education, the focus of human growth and need for social justices are essential.
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Gary Marden
I am the Civic Engagement Grant Coordinator for the Leduc Center for Civic Engagement at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. I manage numerous grants, including federal, state and foundation grants. My research interests include cultural capital theory, critical social theory and power theory, organizational behavior, and LGBT issues.
Jennifer Pacheco
I am enrolled in the Education Leadership & Policy Studies Doctoral Program because I am passionate about protecting and critically transforming public education, removing the social injustices and making it a more equitable and attainable public good for all. I believe that public education is the core of a democracy and with a distinctive doctoral program as this we can begin the plight to change public education in this region and beyond. My research interests are focused on public higher education in the areas of ethnic studies in curriculum, class issues, and critical race theory.
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Joseph daSilva
I am an award-winning registered school architect and a public servant for the Rhode Island Department of Education. I am responsible for the construction oversight of the State’s public school facilities. Under my leadership, the Department’s School Construction Program has been transformed into a nationally recognized “green schools” exemplar. I received myAssociate’s degree from Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA, and my Bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Following my Master’s degree in environmental science with a sustainability focus from the University of Rhode Island; I received an adjunct appointment at Bristol Community College in the Mathematics, Science and Engineering Division. My doctoral work explores hegemonic elements of school architecture and planning to promote student learning and improve educational attainment.
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Kate Warren
I first entered UMass Dartmouth’s Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program as a Massachusetts licensed administrator and teacher. While I had studied state and federal law, finance, personnel, and other administrative related topics, I was not quite ready to enter an administrative role. Though my prior education had prepared me for a career advance, my soul still struggled with several concepts. In fact, it was those notions that led me to the Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program. With the guidance UMass Dartmouth’s doctoral program provided, I started to address several contentious subjects. It became personal habit to complexify and research standardization, deprofessionalization of teachers, adolescent identity, integrated academics, and best practices in vocational education. Via online discussion, face-to-face interaction, in-depth text analysis, and written discourse, I navigated a path through many education-related positions, and, despite the conceptual strife doctoral all students face, narrowed my own thesis interests to include topics relating to the Common Core State Standards. With the help of my professors and colleagues, I hope to investigate this continuation of standardization and add merit to the field by proving the Common Core to be nothing more repetitive policy practice.
M. Teresa Mascarenhas
My interest and involvement in education date back to 1980 when I started teaching a combined second and third grade bilingual class in South Boston. The experience of helping disadvantaged students led me to pursue a Master’s of Education in School Counseling and Consulting, at UMASS Amherst, where I also worked as a Bilingual Academic Advisor, from 1982 to 1986. Due to an educational project established between the UMASS Amherst Institute of Governmental Services and General Motors, I became Educational Services Coordinator at the GM plant in Framingham, MA. I was responsible for the development and implementation of college classes for plant workers seeking an Associate’s degree as a way of helping them with their outplacement given the fact that the plant was slated to close in 1989. From there I moved to Portugal where I continued I continued my professional work in education but with more fortunate and elitist students by working at the American School in Lisbon from 1989 to 1992, as an Equivalency Advisor, and then at a private international university, first as an Academic Administrator and then as Assistant Dean. After returning from Portugal in 1999, I have been a guidance counselor at Brockton High School, a diverse, comprehensive high school of approximately 4,300 students and am very happy to be helping students in need. In 2011 I embarked on a lifelong goal of pursuing a doctorate. My entry into the UMASS Dartmouth Educational Leadership and Policy Studies doctoral program will further enhance my commitment and dedication to public school education simultaneously leading me to continuously refine my skills, philosophy, and outlook as a critical transformative leader. My interests lie in the areas of assisting disenfranchised students become motivated to pursue higher education and their specific goals, as well as utilizing community programs and agencies to create a triage between school, family, and community to help students overcome the barriers they face and become more resilient in school. This can only be done with alterations to current educational policies and buy in from pertinent entities.
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Thad LaVallee
The SEPPCE Educational Leadership and Policy doctoral program is the ideal venue to become critically engaged with current "reform" movements effecting everybody who has a stake in education. As an ardent defender of public institutions and democratic spaces, the program is equipping me with the analytic tools and complexificity to become a leader in the move to progressively transform and shape education policy on the local, state, and federal levels to help create learning environments that are more just, equitable, and authentic. Within the program, my lens is focused on "commonsense" - exploring such oft neglected questions as what is commonsense, why did it become commonsense, and how is commonsense maintained or altered at various cultural levels. Inquiry into commonsense is at the heart of understanding why things are the way they are in society and why the things we take for granted go critically unchallenged, namely, in reference to education, why data-driven accountability is now the commonsensical means by which to assess students, teachers, and school districts. My aim is to dissect commonsense so as to grasp how it effects the public's view of policy and then use that knowledge to help progressive initiatives become desired by the public and thus become politically mandated.
