DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Feb. 2012: Listening for the Echo in Mediation (Mediate.com). SMU lecturer John Potter, OD, MA contributes to Mediate.com with an article stressing the importance of listening for the "echo" of word groups in mediation and the impact close listening and artful skills application can have on parties in conflict.   

Oct. 18, 2008: Director of the Center for Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management to Highlight Annual Missouri Conference. Dr. Using the latest research on the negotiation process, Professor Colatrella will lead sessions on engaging in an efficient negotiation process, rational decision-making concerning settlement, and dealing with power imbalances in mediation including the ethical implications of mediator attempts to balance power while maintaining impartiality and party self-determination. 

Aug. 12, 2008: Embracing Conflict is All About Perspective and Skill (Public Sector Digest). The process of developing a Conflict Management System (CMS) is discussed in this article by Dr. Anthony Picchioni, Chairperson of the School's Department of Dispute Resolution and Counseling, and LaShon Ross, Director of Human Resources with the City of Plano.

Feb. 20, 2008: Dispute Resolution Professor is a Guest Speaker in the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decision Series, Tyler Chapter. Foreign Policy Association's Great Decision Series on Wednesday, February, 20, 2008, in Tyler, Texas. Immediately preceding the talk, Dr. Colatrella will give a 'live' interview with KETK 56, the local NBC affiliate (news page PDF).

Fall 2007: Department Chair of Conflict Resolution and Counseling is Part of Winning Team. Dr. Tony Picchioni, Chairman of the Department of Dispute Resolution and Counseling, and LaShon Ross, Director of Human Resources for the City of Plano, Texas, won an award from the National League of Cities in November 2007 for their development of a succession model that identifies emergent talent within a city's employment ranks.  Dr. Picchioni serves as Director of Plano's Management Preparation Program that was charged with development of the model. 

Fall 2007 / Spring 2008: Department Chair and City HR Director Collaborate to Publish a Series of "Conflict" Articles. Dr. Tony Picchioni, Chairman of the Department of Dispute Resolution and Counseling, and LaShon Ross, Director of Human Resources for the City of Plano, Texas, have co-authored a three-part series titled "Embracing Conflict: It's all about Perspective and Skill."   Article One.   Article Two.

Dec. 2007: Dispute Resolution Program Graduate Wins International Award. Susan Hunter, a recent graduate of the School of Education and Human Development's Dispute Resolution program, won first place in the United Nations Forum for Online Dispute Resolution.  She competed in a field of more than 200 students, most from US law schools.  Her presentation was a critique of the current legal model taught in American universities and law schools and practiced by the legal profession; she argued that the model must be replaced in the 21st century with a collaborative paradigm.  Her paper will be published in the Law and Business Review Journal in February 2008.

COUNSELING

Jan. 13, 2012: Parents must set strict rules for pellet guns (The Dallas Morning News). Dr. Sarah Feuerbacher, director of SMU's Family Counseling Center, provided expertise for this story.

Sept. 7, 2011: Good Morning Texas (WFAA) features the SMU Center for Family Counseling at SMU-in-Plano. The feature includes a tour of the facilities and a description of the center's services.

Aug. 22, 2011: Back-to-school blues: How do parents handle a child’s first day of school? (Pegasus News). Article contains tips for parents to deal with the first day of school, with advice from the director of the SMU Center for Family Counseling, Dr. Sarah Feuerbacher.

May 6, 2011: Cedric Wood: Can we stop psychopathic murders? (The Dallas Morning News). Cedric Wood is a graduate of the SMU Counseling program and is a psychotherapist and volunteer columnist for Community Voices. His article discusses psychopaths, civic responsibility and the teachings of John Bradshaw.

Jan. 27, 2011: Ross handed interim reins for city (Plano Star Courier). Deputy City Manager LaShon D. Ross, graduate of the SMU Master's in Counseling program, has been named interim city manager in Plano.

Oct. 6, 2010: VIDEO: Expert Counselor John Bradshaw Talks About Recent Teen Suicides (Daily Mustang). John Bradshaw visits SMU and discusses recent suicides in the gay teen community and how college students can balance their emotional health.

Oct. 2008: SMU's Center for Family Counseling. Grand Opening! Low-cost counseling services become available to residents of Colin County through SMU's new Center for Family Counseling.

Sept. 2008: Latinos Have Somewhere to Turn as their Mental Health Needs Grow.

Sept. 2008: Children Adjusting to Military Deployment of a Caregiver (Play Therapy). Dr. Misty Solt, Director of the School's Family Counseling Center, discusses how parents returning from war-time military duty  should communicate with their children in order to reestablish former trusting familial bonds.

March 2008: M.S. in Counseling Student is Selected as Maguire Internship Recipient Lindsay Wilson, a student in the School's M.S. in Counseling program, was recently selected as one of eight recipients of SMU's Maguire Public Service Internship.

EDUCATION POLICY & LEADERSHIP

June 2011: Jeanie Greenidge's AVID program in Garland won national recognition and is a demonstration site this year for AVID. She was a member of the first cohort of the Simmons School's M.Ed. Principal program. Click here for YouTube video.

Jan. 4, 2011: RHSU Exclusive: RHSU's 2010 Edu-Scholar Public Presence Rankings (Education Week). Dr. Jim Guthrie, who holds appointments with the Bush Institute and SMU Simmons, has been rated no. 29 as a scholar who has had influence on discussions about education in the public sphere.

Sept. 29, 2010: 'Waiting for Superman' to reform education? He's already here (Christian Science Monitor). James Guthrie, SMU Professor of Education Policy and Leadership/Senior Fellow & Director of  Education Policy Studies at the George W. Bush Institute, writes an opinion piece about the real possibility for education reform in America.

July 27, 2010: Faith Davis Johnson: Expanding horizons in the classroom (The Dallas Morning News). Faith Johnson, a member of our first EPL cohort, writes about her experiences as a teacher.

ED-ENTREPRENEUR CENTER

Aug. 19, 2011. Yes, big urban school districts can succeed (The Dallas Morning News). This article discusses SMU's Ed-Entrepreneur Center and its partnership with the Teaching Trust, which aim to prepare principals and aspiring principals for effective leadership, especially in large urban school settings.

GEORGE W. BUSH INSTITUTE

Jan. 30, 2011: Former President George W. Bush discusses the joint venture between the George W. Bush Institute and the Annette Caldwell Simmons School (excerpt from C-SPAN interview).

Sept. 29, 2010: Bush Institute launches initiative for principals (The Washington Post). Dean David Chard and James Guthrie, SMU Professor of Education Policy and Leadership/Senior Fellow & Director of  Education Policy Studies at the George W. Bush Institute, are quoted.

"Educating and Empowering Women and Girls of Afghanistan," a Bush Institute conference done in partnership with the US-Afghan Women's Council and the Simmons School of Education and Human Development. 

MASTER OF LIBERAL STUDIES

May 15, 2012: Beachum delivers commencement address (Steelers.com). MLS graduate Kelvin Beachum was picked in the seventh-round of the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and just days later delivered the commencement address for his class at the Simmons School graduation.

Aug. 2011: The Texas Association of Creative Writing Teachers (TACWT) awarded MLS student Amanda Barbour 2nd place in the Graduate Poetry competition.

2008-09: Master of Liberal Studies Faculty Member Receives Prestigious Award. The National Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs has named Professor Rick Halperin, faculty member in the MLS program and director of SMU's Human Rights Program, as this year's recipient of its National Faculty Award.

GIFTED EDUCATION

March 3, 2012: CALATRAVA AND SMU: A DECADE IN MOTION (SMU News & Communications). Twelve Dallas gifted and talented students constructed a model of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge at an SMU workshop sponsored by the Trinity Trust and the Gifted and Talented Program of the Simmons School of Education and Human Development in May 2011. Students joined the bridge builders on March 3, 2012, for the Parade of Builders marking the bridge's opening. 

March 1, 2012: What Do I Do With This (Gifted) Kid? (Dallas Child). Marilyn Swanson, director of programming for SMU's Gifted Students Institute, and Dr. Benny Hickerson, adjunct professor at SMU, are quoted in this article on gifted children and gifted education. 

July 2011: Marilyn Swanson, Director of Programming for the School of Education and Human Development's Gifted Students Institute and Pre-College Programs, has been named to the 2012 Executive Board as President-Elect of the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. She takes office as President in December 2012. 

Nov. 2008: Kathy Hargrove, Education and Human Development, will receive the 2008 President's Award from the Texas Association for the Talented and Gifted during its annual conference Nov. 13-14 in Dallas. The award is given to recognize "an individual of influence who has made positive contributions to gifted and talented education."

Dec. 2004: Korean Educators on Quest for Creativity (The Dallas Morning News). The Korean government sends 28 teachers to a number of U.S. schools, including SMU's Gifted Students Institute, to learn how American schools address the special needs of gifted and talented students.

Nov. 2004: SMU's Gifted Students Institute and Bilingual Program Professors Speak at the 2004 TAGT Conference. The directors of SMU's Gifted Students Institute and Bilingual Education Program deliver a presentation in November 2004 at the annual Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) conference regarding the issue of under representation of bilingual students in G/T programs.

Summer 2003: Images of Teaching: Who Should Teach the Gifted? (Gifted Child Today). The bottom line seems to be that the gifted benefit most from being in classrooms with teachers who know and understand their learning characteristics and needs--teachers with strong academic preparation and highly developed pedagogical skills.

Dec. 2000: Smart Children are Challenging (The Dallas Morning News). Sometimes the smartest children can be the most difficult to deal with. They ask a lot of questions and want complex answers.

Nov. 2000: SMU Administrator Kathy Hargrove Wins Award (The Turtle Creek News). Dr. Kathy Hargrove, director of Teacher Education at SMU, is named the 2000 Outstanding Administrator in Gifted Education by the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science.

Nov. 2000: SMU Administrator Kathy Hargrove Wins Award (SMU News). Dr. Hargrove is named the 2000 Outstanding Administrator in Gifted Education by TAMS.

1992-93: Gifted Children Have Advocate in Group's Chief (The Dallas Morning News). The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) exists to support the special educational needs of gifted learners.

DOCTORAL PROGRAM

Aug. 31, 2011: The Council for Learning Disabilities presented its 2011 Outstanding Researcher Award to Dr. Beverly Weiser. She will be honored at a conference in Austin this October, and her research will be published in Learning Disabilities Quarterly.

2010-11: SMU Doctoral Student Diane Gifford was selected through a national competition to participate in the 2010-2011 cohort of Doctoral Student Scholars in Special Education Research.

INSTITUTE FOR EVIDENCE-BASED EDUCATION

Feb. 28, 2012: Early Intervention Can Prevent Reading Problems in Children (CW33). CW33 features the Mustang Learning Center for Youth, led by Melinda McGrath, which implements the research of Dr. Patricia Mathes to assist young students with reading difficulties.

Nov. 21, 2011: Fixing Education Starts with Respect (The Huffington Post). Dr. Patricia Mathes, Texas Instruments Chair of Evidence-Based Education and Director of the Institute for Evidence-Based Education at SMU, stresses the importance of respecting teachers and providing them the tools and resources necessary to have a more profound impact in schools.

Jan. 21, 2011: Dr. Patricia Mathes, TI Endowed Chair in Evidence-Based Education, was selected by Baylor University as a recipient of its 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award. Click here for feature story (p. 32).

COLLEGE ACCESS

March 1, 2008: SMU's Upward Bound Program Offers College Access Conference. The Upward Bound program of  the Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development welcomes 400 Dallas County students and their parents on Saturday, March 1, to participate in the Early College Access Conference, a full-day campus workshop focusing on the “how-to’s” of getting to college.

SPECIAL EDUCATION

Oct. 2007: Great Expectations: Some Parents Say a Texas Special Olympics Coach Pushed Kids Too Hard (Sports Illustrated). In a article concerning a Special Olympics team coach, Dean David Chard comments on child-rearing practices of parents of children with special educational needs.

Sept. 2007: Off the Short Bus (Dallas Observer). In a article concerning a Special Olympics team coach, Dean David Chard comments on child-rearing practices of parents of children with special educational needs.

PRESCHOOL TEACHER EDUCATION

Oct. 2003: Leaping Ahead: Program Preps Preschoolers for Success (Fiscal Notes). A project developed in the early 1990s to help prepare under-privileged Dallas children for elementary school has become a model for schools across Texas and the nation.

May 2003: Leap Cited as Bright Spot in Head Start Concerns (The Dallas Morning News). When Oscar Fuentes enrolled at the Jerry Junkins Head Start Center in West Dallas, he never spoke. "All he would do is point at things," said his mom, Rosa. It turned out he had a speech impediment. But with hard work and therapy, he has overcome his difficulty.

2003: Nell Carvell Testifies in Support of head Start Before House Subcommittee on Education Reform (News from the Committee on Education and the Workforce) Washington, D.C. - The House Subcommittee on Education Reform, chaired by Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE), hears testimony on the impact of the Head Start program in preparing disadvantaged children for school.

Dec. 2002: New Approach: Learn, Don't Just Play, in PreSchool (Orlando Sentinel). Florida Governor Jeb Bush wants to focus state educational efforts on literacy development.

Sept. 2002: School Defies Labels (The Dallas Morning News). It's the personal bond between teacher and student that has helped Frazier become one of the state's greatest education success stories.

May 2002: No Child Left Behind (D Magazine). A South Dallas elementary school shows that poor kids can compete with the best.

Oct. 2001: Texas Instruments Foundation Funds SMU Institute for Reading Research (The Dallas Morning News). The Texas Instruments Foundation is so pleased with Southern Methodist University's language program for Head Start 4-year-olds that it gives $1.5 million to endow a faculty chair for a nationally renowned reading specialist.

July 2001: At the White House Summit, First Lady Laura Bush Remarks on Early Childhood Cognitive Development (White House Summit).

2001: The Teaching of Laura Bush (Reader's Digest). The President wants Head Start to have an academic goal along with social and nutritional and health-related goals. There is a Head Start center in Dallas called the Margaret Cone Center that the Texas Instruments Foundation adopted about 15 years ago.

Feb. 2001: President Bush's Plan to Push Reading in Headstart (New York Times). In seeking to broaden the menu of Head Start beyond the provision of care, meals, play and limited learning, President Bush is relying on researchers who argue that waiting too long to expose poor children to the basic elements of reading leaves them hopelessly behind peers.

LEAP in Tuscualoosa, Alabama (Tuscualoosa News). Educators involved with HeadStart and county and city schools meet to plan spring and summer lessons for their "Success by 6" pre-kindergarten classes.

DYSLEXIA

May 3, 2012: International Dyslexia Association Recognizes Nine Universities for Meeting Teacher Training Standards in Reading, including SMU Simmons.

Oct. 2008: IMSLEC Innovator Award. Karen Vickery, Director of the Learning Therapy Program at SMU, will receive an IMSLEC Innovator Award as an Outstanding Educator in a University at the annual meeting of the IMSLEC in Seattle on Wednesday, October 29, 2008.

April 2008: Dyslexia Center Educator Receives Prestigious Award. Margaret T. Smith, instructor in the School's Learning Therapy certification program, received this year's Aylett R. Cox ALTA (Academic Language Therapy Association) Educator Award, which is given to educators who have made significant impacts in the lives of individuals with dyslexia. 

Jan. 2008: Learning Therapy Instructor receives Excellence in Education Award. Jana Jones, an instructor in the School's Learning Therapy program, receives the Excellence in Education Award from the Dallas Branch of the International Dyslexia Association.

Nov. 2007: Dean Speaks-Out on the Importance of Student Services for Dyslexic Students (The Dallas Morning News).

Jan. 2004: Dyslexia Over the Years (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Jan. 2004: Breaking Through (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Jan. 2004: Parents Key to Improving School Dyslexia Programs (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Jan. 2004: Left Behind (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

Jan. 2004: War of Words (Fort Worth Star-Telegram).

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: TESTING, ACADEMIC MOTIVATION

Jan. 2003: Taking Testing to Task (Park Cities Morning News). Texans for Quality Assessment, an organization comprised of teachers and parents, protests the use of a single test to determine the grade promotion of students.

Nov. 2001: Whose Homework is it Anyway?? (Working Mother). More assignments plus less time equals lots of arguments between parents and their kids.

Aug. 2001: Motivating Your Child (Dallas Child). Learning what to say, when to say it, and when to keep your mouth shut can be a challenge for parents.