2017 Ada Beth Cutler Faculty Fellows Making an Impact on Communities through Public Scholarship

The Ada Beth Cutler Faculty Fellows Program is an opportunity for faculty members in the College of Education and Human Services to receive support for projects that seek to improve the quality of teacher education and teacher development in public school settings. The program is named for Dr. Ada Beth Cutler, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services from 2001 through 2012.

The vision that guided Dr. Cutler’s tenure as Dean was to build a better educated, healthier, more just society. This fellowship program will support faculty as they seek innovative, research-based strategies and programs that will ensure that children, adolescents, and families can have successful, productive lives in our democratic society. Cutler Fellows will receive funding to support research and projects on a variety of issues.

The 2017 Ada Beth Cutler Faculty Fellows are:

Dr. Susan Baglieri

Secondary and Special Education

Assistive Technologies for Students with Disabilities

Dr. Baglieri has a background teaching students with disabilities and has researched and written several publications about learning disabilities and inclusive education. Her project focuses on engaging in professional development to enhance her knowledge and application of assistive technologies (AT) for students with disabilities. This will directly contribute to introducing a newly revised graduate course in teacher education focusing on AT. Equipment and training potentially secured through the program will also benefit the development and capacity of the AT Lab that opened in the Center for Clinical Services in January 2016.

Dr. Kathy Gainor, Dr. Michael Hannon, and Dr. Angela Sheely-Moore

Counseling and Educational Leadership

A Qualitative Study to Better Understand the Experiences of the First Generation of New Jersey School Anti-Bullying Specialists

This project includes supporting a qualitative study to better understand the experiences of the first generation of New Jersey school anti-bullying specialists, with particular attention to emotional challenges faced by this cohort of professionals. The insights gained from this study can serve as the blueprint for designing anti-bullying programs and training materials for school anti-bullying personnel at the local, district, and state level. The study’s research design can serve as a teaching tool and model, as outlined in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA, 2012) National Model, for students enrolled in the Counseling Program’s school counseling concentration.