Last modified: Monday, August 1, 2005
Issues in Education
Agenda
Aug. 4, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Room 4095 Business/SPEA building IUPUI
8:30 a.m. Registration
9 a.m. Welcome: Khaula Murtadha
Dr. Murtadha is executive associate dean of the School of Education, overseeing school operations at IUPUI. She is an associate professor in educational leadership and policy studies. Her academic and professional work has focused extensively on multicultural issues in urban settings.
9:15 a.m. The Health & Economic Impact of Obesity in Indiana: What Can We Do about It?
Lloyd J. Kolbe, professor, Department of Applied Health Science, Catherine Sherwood-Puzzello, clinical assistant professor, Department of Applied Health Science and Michelle Miller, lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology, will discuss this topic. As part of his research involving adolescent health, Kolbe works with the nation's 120,000 schools to find ways to improve student and employee health. His federal, private-sector, and academic appointments during the past 30 years have focused on designing and implementing public health research, policies, and systems in the United States and in 23 other nations. Sherwood-Puzzello and Miller, a former physical education teacher, are members of a community coalition that is working to address childhood obesity at three middle schools in Bloomington.
10 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. An Ecological Assessment of Sexuality Education in Indiana's Public Schools
This study by the Sexual Health Research Working Group in the Department of Applied Health Science sought to understand, from an ecological perspective, the nature of sexuality education being provided in Indiana's public schools. Data were collected from 400 teachers, counselors and nurses in Indiana's schools. Maresa J. Murray, an assistant professor in the Human Development and Family Studies Program in the Department of Applied Health Science, and Amanda Tanner, who is earning her doctorate in Health Behavior, focusing on sexual and reproductive health, will discuss the study.
11 a.m. Immigrants and Transnationals as Newcomers in Indiana Schools
This presentation will focus specifically on extensive research being done in one Indiana school district. The research examines the daily issues and promises that students, teachers and administrators encounter when educating new immigrant, migrant, and transnational students. Little research exists on this recent immigration and transnationalism in Midwest contexts. Barbara Korth is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the departments of Curriculum and Instruction and Counseling and Educational Psychology. She is deeply concerned about inequalities in schooling and has gathered data in urban classrooms to more thoroughly understand gender and ethnic diversity.
12 p.m. Lunch
1 p.m. The Center for Evaluation and Education Policy: Expertise on the Issues of the Day, from the Schoolhouse to the State House
Terry Spradlin will discuss the expertise housed at CEEP as well as important education policy issues, such as the federal No Child Left Behind Act, challenging educators, state officials and policymakers in Indiana. Mr. Spradlin is the Associate Director for Education Policy at the IU School of Education's Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. He serves as a manager for the Center's policy-related projects, with an emphasis on P-16 projects. He regularly interacts with legislators and other educational leaders on behalf of the Center.
1:45 p.m. Religion in Public Schools and the Rise of Homeschooling
The intersection of religion, education, and politics continues to generate a range of public controversies. Robert Kunzman will discuss how some of these issues are currently playing out in public schools, and then turn his focus to how a growing number of homeschooling families are bypassing the public schools altogether, often for religious reasons. Dr. Kunzman, a former high school teacher, coach, and administrator, is an Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction. His research focuses on moral and civic education, and the intersection of religion, education, and democracy. He is currently in the midst of a multi-year research project exploring homeschooling practices and philosophies across the United States.
2:30 p.m. Unresolved Issues in School Finance in Indiana
In this presentation, Robert Toutkoushian will discuss the impacts of recent changes in Indiana's school funding formula, and highlight some work that he and his colleagues are doing on unresolved issues in school finance. Dr. Toutkoushian is an Associate Professor of Education, specializing in educational leadership and policy studies. He teaches classes on school finance and the economics of education in the leadership training programs at IU. Dr. Toutkoushian also works with the Indiana legislature since 2003 examining the equity of school funding at the K-12 level across the state.
