U-Michigan experts available on education topics

ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan has several experts available to discuss education-related back-to-school issues. They include:

Kids can e-mail and instant message, but can they write an essay?

• Anne Ruggles Gere, professor of education and English, is one of the nation’s foremost scholars on literacy and the art of writing and a recent author of a book on preparing students for essays. A recent study shows writing skills diminishing and argues that the amount of time spent on writing should double. She has also focused on the mismatch between populations in teacher education and those in public schools. She can be reached at (734) 647-1259 or argere@umich.edu

For more on Gere, visit: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/public/experts/ExpDisplay.php?ExpID=285

The cost of an education

• Edward P. St. John, Algo D. Henderson Professor of Education, is part of U-M’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education and focuses on the impact of public finance and educational policies on education opportunity in both K-12 and higher education. For example, a recent study offered a systematic analysis of the association between state finance strategies and college access outcomes. He can be reached at (734) 647-2013 or at edstjohn@umich.edu

For more on St. John, visit: http://sitemaker.soe.umich.edu/soe/faculty&mode=single&recordID=97778

How is the No Child Left Behind plan working?

• Susan Neuman is back at U-M after serving two years as U.S. assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education in charge of implementing No Child Left Behind. She is a professor of educational studies, directed the Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement and has done extensive research on early childhood policy and curriculum. She can be reached at (734) 647-6940 or (734) 615-4655 or sbneuman@umich.edu

For more on Neuman, visit: http://sitemaker.umich.edu/soe/faculty&mode=single&recordID=51090

Hand-held computers in K-12, technology in education

• Elliott Soloway, professor of electrical engineering and computer science with appointments in engineering and the School of Education, researches the use of technology in education and the development of software that better serves learners and is principal investigator for the Center for Learning Technologies in Urban Schools. He can be reached at (734) 936-1562 or soloway@umich.edu

For more on Soloway, visit: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/public/experts/ExpDisplay.php?ExpID=861

The achievement gap and education issues for urban students

• Percy Bates, professor in the U-M School of Education and director of Programs for Education Opportunity, is an expert in minority education issues and public school desegregation issues related to equity in the areas of race, gender and national origin. He has also done research on the recruitment of minorities and women in the workplace and effective retention plans. He can be reached at (734) 763-9910 or (734) 665-8341 or e-mail at pbates@umich.edu.

For more on Bates, visit: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs//public/experts/ExpDisplay.php?ExpID=48

How did we get here? The history of education reform

• Maris Vinovskis, the University’s Bentley Professor of History who advised the U.S. Education Department during three presidential administrations, has studied the history of federal involvement with education dating back to the 1960s. Vinovskis, who is also a professor in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and the Center for Political Studies, has worked on education issues for both Democratic and Republican administrations in Washington. He is available to speak with reporters on federal efforts to improve education and the history of education reform. He can be reached at (734) 763-3407 or e-mail at vinovski@umich.edu

For more on Vinovskis, visit: http://www.ns.umich.edu/htdocs/public/experts/ExpDisplay.php?ExpID=788

Academic red-shirting, factors predicting school readiness, early literacy

• Frederick Morrison, a professor in psychology and education at U-M, is one of the nation’s top experts on early childhood readiness for school including reading disabilities and early development issues. He is also a senior research scientist for U-M’s Center for Human Growth and Development. He can be reached at (734) 763-2214 or e-mail at fjmorris@umich.edu

For more about Morrison, visit: http://www.lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/directory/profiles/faculty/?uniquename=fjmorris