Lorna Maxwell ’06, who earned an M.S. in Education, had a story published in Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Soul.
Dr. Steven Van Hook ’06, who earned a Ph.D. in Education, had an article, “Global Access to Learning: A Matter of Will,” published in the Journal of Education for International Development. Van Hook is the founder of Worldwide Media Relations and teaches M.B.A. courses online for Ellis College of the New York Institute of Technology.
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“15+ Make Time to Listen, Take Time to Talk … About Bullying,” a multimedia project designed and implemented by Dr. Louise Peloquin, a 1996 Ph.D. in Education graduate, was awarded the 2004–2005 Community Service Emmy. 
Peloquin is a senior public health advisor for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Refugee Mental Health Program.
The project was sponsored and produced by WJLA-TV, ABC Channel 7 in Arlington, Va., and includes a prime-time television special, five public service announcements, and print materials.
The initiative provides parents and caregivers with information about bullying and methods for communicating with children about the climate of fear created by it. The SAMHSA Web site notes that messages exchanged between children and their caregivers in just 15 minutes a day can be instrumental in building a healthier and safer environment for children.
One Community Service Emmy is presented annually by the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences to a local television station and its community organization for a campaign that is an excellent example of social messaging.
View the public service announcements  |
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Sally Lutz ’05, who earned an M.S. in Education, was named Charlotte County [Florida] Teacher of the Year. In her first year as a classroom teacher, Lutz was recognized out of a field of 1,400 teachers. She was a school speech-language pathologist for 17 years before changing careers.
Dr. Deborah W. Proctor ’05, who earned a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology, was appointed chair of a MERLOT National Workforce Development Initiative steering committee. Through this initiative, MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) and its partners from seven states will develop a digital library of quality online resources to meet regional and national workforce development demands. Proctor is the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities’ e-curriculum director for academic innovations and Minnesota Online.
Dr. Andrea Edmundson ’04, who earned a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Educational Technology, presented “Using the Cultural Adaptation Process (CAP) Model: Adapting e-Learning for Use by Non-Western Cultures,” at the 2005 Open Education Conference. The CAP model is a product of Edmundson’s dissertation study, The Cross-Cultural Dimensions of Globalized e-Learning.
Jennifer Koontz ’04, who earned an M.S. in Education with a specialization in Integrating Technology in the Classroom, received a teacher fellowship from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. She and two colleagues traveled to Peru this summer to study culture. They plan to create an educational Web site.
Amanda McCall ’04, who earned an M.S. in Education, was named Anderson School District [South Carolina] Teacher of the Year for 2006–07. She teaches first grade at Starr Elementary School.
Dr. Timothy C. Noxel ’03, who earned a Ph.D. in Education, was promoted to the position of elementary school principal in Dundalk, Ontario, Canada.
Dr. George C. Hogan ’01, who earned a Ph.D. in Education, spoke about “Remembering Those Who Have Made a Difference in United States Military Voluntary Education” at the Department of Defense Worldwide Education Symposium.
Bryan MacDonald ’99, who earned an M.S. in Education, was promoted to vice president of the education systems division of MAXIMUS, Inc. MacDonald leads the team that defines, builds, and documents the company’s educational software offerings, including the SchoolMAX Student Information System, which is used by more than 60,000 educational professionals to manage more than 2 million students.
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 Dr. Michaela Cole ’05, who earned a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Early Childhood Education in 2005, was awarded the Merrill/Prentice Hall and NAECTE Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award last fall. NAECTE is the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators.
Cole directs the early childhood education program at Our Lady of the Lake University, a Hispanic-serving higher education institution in San Antonio.
Her dissertation, Mexican-Origin Mothers’ Views of Preschoolers’ Transition to Prekindergarten, is an ethnographic case study of families’ expectations, concerns, and fears about sending their children to prekindergarten. It also explores how these mothers serve as their children’s first teacher at home and want to continue being involved in their children’s education.
“While there are studies on the transition to kindergarten, many of them focus on teachers’ perspectives—and less on the views of parents. I found few studies that focused on the transition process to pre-kindergarten programs,” Cole says.
Cole says that while writing Knowledge Area Modules (KAMs) at Walden, she discovered that the research and literature on the school-readiness construct were being viewed narrowly by scholars, who mostly focus on the skills and characteristics that children possess upon entry into school.
Cole became interested in another construct—one that encompasses the transition to school. This approach, she says, takes into account the spheres of influence and context in which a child’s development is affected over time and through various relationships. “The purpose of focusing on the transition process is to provide continuity for the child and family as they navigate new territory, new expectations, and new relationships,” Cole says. The goal, she adds, is to smooth that process by connecting children, families, and school personnel in meaningful and effective ways that take into consideration cultural appropriateness.
“This award recognizes Michaela as an accomplished scholar among her peers in early childhood education,” says Dr. Karen Kelly, associate dean in the College of Education, who attended Cole’s award presentation. “Even more significant is that her research was initiated, designed, and refined through Walden’s KAM-based approach, which allows candidates to build a foundation of inquiry and then continuously develop scholarly expertise as they investigate issues they are passionate about, and that ultimately contribute to social change. It was a proud moment for Michaela and also for Walden University.”
Cole presented at the research poster session and received the award at the National Association for Early Childhood Teacher Educators fall conference, a pre-conference to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) conference. Dr. Amie Beckett, program coordinator for Walden’s Early Childhood Education specialization, introduced Cole at the award ceremony.
“The data collected from this study will fill a gap in the literature and serve as a springboard for future studies focused on this topic and population,” Cole says. Her goals include expanding her dissertation study to include more mothers from the same barrio, and examining differences in views and expectations between Mexican-born mothers and those born in the United States.
Cole’s dissertation committee was chaired by faculty member Dr. Darragh Callahan. |
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School of Health Sciences
