Asmaa Elsayed, Ph.D. student EPOL, has been named recipient of the prestigious American Doctoral Fellowship from the American Association of University Women. More:

Ph.D. Student Elsayed Receives AAUW Fellowship

blogs.illinois.edu

From @illinoishealth.bsky.social: Mykah Jackson, Ed.M. ’10, Ph.D. '18 EPOL, and her husband Jonathan Jackson, launched an after-school program in 2025 aimed at building confidence in reading and math and helping students see a brighter future as healthy, successful adults.

Investing in hope

Investing in hope

healthinstitute.illinois.edu

In this house, Halloween is a BIG DEAL. Our staff loved dressing up to welcome students from University Primary School for trick-or-treating on Wednesday.

Thank you to @aeraedresearch.bsky.social President Jerome Morris for joining us today for his Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series talk on how people and communities can flourish with and through education.

Audrey Armour, a sophomore Elementary Education student, has been chosen to participate in the Undergraduate Research Showcase at the Illini Union on November 6. She will present her research titled "Literacy Education and Initiatives: A Case Study of Two Illinois Schools"

Armour Invited to Present at the Undergraduate Research Showcase

blogs.illinois.edu

We're proud to welcome the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative to the College of Education. Since its founding in 2020, the group has undertaken vital research on education in Illinois from early childhood through workforce training.

IWERC Joins the College of Education

As the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative transitions to the College of Education, a relationship is strengthened with promise in both directions. Education at Illinois’ research ...

education.illinois.edu

Check out this excellent write-up from the Social & Behavioral Science Institute on how Gayithri Jayathirtha developed her NSF CAREER proposal and went from first steps to funded.

From CAREER Club to CAREER Award: Celebrating Gayithri Jayathirtha

Learn how Gayithri Jayathirtha’s experience in SBSI’s CAREER Club supported her journey to an NSF CAREER Award for research and education on artificial intelligence.

csbs.research.illinois.edu

Alum Justin Seno, Ed.M. '17 EPOL, has been named assistant dean for advancement for the College of Applied Health Sciences. He returns to AHS, where he started his Illinois career, from the University of Illinois System.

Alum named AHS Assistant Dean for Advancement

blogs.illinois.edu

EPOL Assistant Professor Adeoye Adeyemo has been named an Emerging Innovator by the Office of Technology Management. Adeyemo is producing a documentary on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the East St. Louis community and youth in sports.

Adeyemo Named Emerging Innovator by OTM

blogs.illinois.edu

Drawing on her beginnings as a middle and high school math teacher, Gloriana González is using Human-Centered Design to make learning geometry easier. More on her research in this profile from the Siebel Center for Design:

SCD Spotlight: Affiliate Gloriana González

SCD Spotlight: Affiliate Gloriana González

designcenter.illinois.edu

The deadline to apply to Illinois via early-action is coming up on November 1. If you want top consideration or early admission notification for the class of 2031, fill out your application today.

The Alma Project is proud to announce it's first cohort of Senior Faculty Fellows: -Annie Abbott, Department of Spanish and Portuguese -Alexandra Chronopoulou, Department of Statistics -Andrew Moss, Department of English More on these scholars and the work they'll undertake:

Alma Project Announces Senior Faculty Fellows

blogs.illinois.edu

Congrats to Megan Best, Ph.D. '25 SPED, on receiving the Early Career Teacher Educator Award from TASH. Best is an assistant professor of Special Education at the University of Kentucky.

Alumna Best Named TASH Award Winner

blogs.illinois.edu

Mirelsie Velázquez, associate professor EPOL, published a piece for the Latino News Network examining the challenges facing her native Puerto Rico amid crises in education and migration brought on by Hurricane Maria in 2017.

The Future Of Puerto Rico: Consider Needs of The Children - Latino News Network

How historical, economic, and environmental factors impact the educational experiences of children.

latinonewsnetwork.com

Siebel Center for Design's Saad Shehab, Ph.D. '19 C&I, has been named a fellow for the International Society for Design and Development in Education. Fellows represent excellence in design and development in education from the designer, design group leader, or funder perspectives.

Shehab Named International Society for Design and Development in Education Fellow

blogs.illinois.edu

Congratulations to Special Education’s Emily Harrington and Matt Lambert on their NIH-funded study from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The pair will explore strategies caregivers use with children age 30-45 months with spoken language delays.

Harrington, Lambert Collaborate on NIH Funded Study

blogs.illinois.edu

University Primary School will host their annual open house tomorrow starting at 9 a.m. Prospective families, researchers, and community members are welcome to tour our Reggio Emilia-inspired Lab School. More Info: https://bit.ly/3TDFM46

Hyun-Sook Kang, associate professor, and graduate student Martin Lehrer of EPOL were part of the panel “Demystifying Peer Review” at the Universitas 21 Graduate Researchers in Education Community of Practice webinar.

Kang, Lehrer Represent Illinois at U21 International Webinar

blogs.illinois.edu

Congratulations to elementary education major Morgan Cloman on being named to the 2026 Homecoming Court! Morgan serves as vice president of Delta Sigma sorority, board member of NAACP, and is president of Strengthening and Empowering Educators of Diverse Status (SEEDS).

EPOL Ed.M. Alum Le’Passion Darby has published a chapter in a new book. Her chapter, “Why Katherine Johnson? Why Now? The Shifting Symbolism in Black Women Statuary at HBCUs,” focuses on West Virginia State University's decision to honor the NASA mathematician with a campus statue.

Alum Publishes Chapter in New Book on Commemorations of Women's Achievement

blogs.illinois.edu

Congratulations to Sarah Zehr Gantz, Ph.D. '16 EPOL, on receiving the Athena Award from the Executive Club of Champaign County. Gantz, who is an adjunct faculty member in the College, currently serves as associate vice president of academic affairs for the University of Illinois system.

Alumna Zehr Gantz Wins 2026 Athena Award

blogs.illinois.edu

Ok, NOW we're in the homecoming spirit 🧡💙

Congrats to @ciatillinois.bsky.social's Gayithri Jayathirtha on receiving the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. It recognizes early-career faculty with the potential to serve as role models in research and education and advance their department’s or institution’s mission.

Jayathirtha Receives NSF CAREER Award

blogs.illinois.edu

Sometimes it feels like you need a science degree to comprehend all the medical data that comes your way when managing type 1 diabetes. Cynthia D’Angelo wants to change that by investigating ways to make the data more digestible and easier to learn through her new NSF-backed study.

Creating Learning Tools for Confident Choices

Creating Learning Tools for Confident Choices by Ashley Lawrence / Sep 24, 2026 Learning to enjoy life to the fullest is a process for everyone. Two College of Education researchers are designing solutions to make this learning process a bit simpler fo...

education.illinois.edu

Youth Literature Festival Community day is Saturday! Join us at the I Hotel and Conference Center to meet some of your favorite children's and young adult authors, enjoy performances, book signings, activities, and more! More Info: https://youthlitfest.education.illinois.edu/community/index.html

How do we keep more science and math teachers in the classroom? A new study from the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative explores why these teachers stay in their jobs and what contributes to their job satisfaction.

IWERC and NORC release two reports on rural science and mathematics teacher retention

blogs.illinois.edu

While the demand for education in Illinois prisons is higher than ever, access to those classes still lags according to state data. Education Justice Project's Ashton Klekamp talked with OpenCampus and WBEZ about the data, and the need to expand access for incarcerated students.

EJP: Education Access Needs Expansion in Illinois Prisons

blogs.illinois.edu

Fall enrollment numbers showed growth in a number of areas for us this year: - 30% total enrollment growth since 2016 - Huge growth in CS+Ed. and Secondary Ed. Math majors - New programs like Trauma-Informed Education and Instructional Design, Technology, & Organization are seeing massive gains

Education at Illinois Maintains Strong Enrollment for Fall 2026

It's another record-breaking enrollment year for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with growth for the College of Education included. The College's overall student enrollment continues to t...

education.illinois.edu

The Alma Project, a new character education project at the University of Illinois, aims to cultivate the qualities of neighborliness and purpose in Illinois undergraduate students and enhance campus culture. @educationillinois.bsky.social Read more here: news.illinois.edu/illinois-new...

Our NSF-funded FRACTAL group has been busy this summer! Their work explores how teachers learn to integrate human-centered design into geometry instruction. From designing culturally relevant challenges to tracing student learning during authentic design experiences. More: https://bit.ly/4xvPWSg

NSF-Funded FRACTAL Group Shares Research on Human Centered Design

blogs.illinois.edu