David Liu & Bryant Hopkins
To help increase the exposure of the UC Santa Barbara student body to the latest research in a variety of disciplines that concern educational issues, the Gevirtz School, with support from UCSB Associated Students, has begun the new lecture series “ExpandED: Broadening the Understanding of Today’s Educational Issues.” The series features graduate students from across the country discussing their ongoing research, much of which is dedicated to improving diversity and equity in education. The second event of the series—“Helping Special Populations Succeed in K-12”—will take place on April 18 from 12 pm to 1 pm in 4108 Education Building, UCSB. The event is free and open to the public; refreshments will be provided.
Speaker 1: David Liu, University of California, Irvine
Dominant discourses have unfairly framed Latinas and their communities as not being able to successfully in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). These discourses overlook the fact that Latinas carry incredibly rich cultural resources and practices that policymakers, researchers, and educators may leverage to create opportunities for their deep and meaningful engagement in STEM. The first part of this talk will report an investigation of the cultural resources and practices that six fifth grade Latinas leverage to engage in STEM learning activities across settings. The second part of the talk will discuss a design experiment that David is currently implementing as an outreach program in a research practice partnership. Finally, David will discuss preliminary findings of how to support Latinas’ STEM engagement, discuss forming a research practice partnership, and how design based research can be used for educational research.
Speaker 2: Bryant Hopkins, New York University
This talk gives an introduction to federal special education policy in the United States. The audience will learn about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975 and its reauthorizations over the last 40 years. Between 1976 and 2015, the special education population has grown from 3.7 million to 6.6 million students and educational costs for this group have become increasingly expensive. Past studies analyzing the impact of special education services are mostly descriptive. Bryant’s research team is examining academic and attendance outcomes for students diagnosed with a learning disability in the nation's largest school district: New York City. Findings will be discussed, and implications for researchers and practitioners will be geared towards improving K-12 education for students with disabilities across the country.