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As we move ahead to 2023, we are grateful for and proud of the accomplishments and milestones from the year 2022. Here are four highlights from the CU �鶹ӰԺ School of Education’s past year from taking a public stance on issues that matter to coming together as a community in our new building.

The annual School of Education Scholarship Awards Ceremony united and honored scholarship and fellowship recipients and supporters on Thursday, Oct. 13. The ceremony celebrated student accomplishments and recognized the generosity of supporters.

As book bans rise across the country, Wendy Glenn, a CU �鶹ӰԺ professor and former English teacher, argues that reading books––even ones that make adults uncomfortable––is critical for the education of young people.

States around the country are moving to limit how teachers can talk about issues like race and racism in the classroom. Noreen Naseem Rodríguez urges educators not to shrink away from having these “difficult conversations.”

At the CU �鶹ӰԺ School of Education, we are excited to welcome and announce new faculty members who bring a variety of experiences and enhance our community of educators and learners. Meet them here, and please join us in welcoming them to our school and community.

20-year-old Enihs Medrano never envisioned herself serving in local government until a program for young people opened her eyes to the power of civic engagement. As a high schooler in Lafayette, Medrano connected with JD Mangat, a fellow Lafayette resident who became Medrano’s coach and mentor in Public Achievement, a youth-led civic engagement program within CU Engage.

CU �鶹ӰԺ researchers have been working with state partners to understand and address the financial strain new teachers face when trying to enter the educator workforce and elevate teacher candidates’ voices. Their work paid off when Gov. Jared Polis signed first-of-its-kind legislation for Colorado that will support new teachers and create student-educator stipends.

Elizabeth Meyer has spent her career working with teachers and students to study how school policies can help or harm LGBTQ+ youth. In this Q&A, she weighs in on the wave of legislation around the country targeting the rights of transgender and nonbinary kids.

With help from CU �鶹ӰԺ’s Public Achievement (PA) program students and staff and support from �鶹ӰԺ Valley School District administrators, several high school juniors' dream of creating an ethnic studies course at Lafayette’s Centaurus High School is becoming a reality. PA leaders developed curriculum for the first-of-its-kind social studies elective class exploring culture, identity, race and ethnicity, and they hope it will be offered districtwide in 2023.

On April 14, the School of Education at CU �鶹ӰԺ hosted a virtual gathering of Ed Talks. Inspired by TED Talks, these short talks explored political courage during this time when so many aspects of public education and even one’s own identity, humanity, and dignity are under fire. Videos are now available.