Message from Dean Harriet Fayne

Welcome to LUTE Update. Since we hope that LUTE Update will not only foreground the excellent work going on in the School of Education but also the positive impact that our graduates are having in their schools and communities, we welcome your contributions. So, don’t be surprised, Lehman alumni, if we contact you and ask you to submit an article for an upcoming issue.

As many of you already know, during the 2011-2012 academic year, the Division of Education became the School of Education. Faculty and staff in the School determined that the time was right to revise LUTE, the conceptual framework that had guided the work of the Division since 2002. The old LUTE (Lehman Urban Teacher Education) has become the new LUTE (Lehman Urban Transformative Education). The new LUTE represents the School of Education’s vision for educators and leaders who are or will be responsible for stimulating and supporting the development of knowledge, skills, practices, and dispositions that enrich individuals and, in turn, communities where they live and work.

The first theme in our new LUTE Framework is: Empower Our Community of Educators and Learners. We believe that professionals are empowered through participation in collaborative inquiry. Working on research teams, faculty and candidates can ask interesting and important questions, gather evidence to address them, and share their findings with the goal of promoting innovative practices in educational settings.

Dr. Danielle Magaldi-Dopman’s Faculty-Assisted Research Mentorship (FARM) project, showcased in this issue of LUTE Update, is a wonderful example of how we operationalize this theme and realize the goal of empowering our community of educators and learners. Please take a few minutes to read about the important work that she and her special education graduate students are doing at Lehman.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2013.

Harriet R. Fayne, Ph.D.

Dean, School of Education

Pre-service special education teachers’ multicultural competence

Janice Oakley, Special Education Graduate Student

My experience “joining the FARM” has been challenging yet rewarding and fulfilling. It has provided me with the opportunity to use grounded theory to conduct a full scale research study from beginning to end.  The study on novice special education teachers’ experiences building relationships with parents beyond the IEP process has been a really good one.  Read More

Novice Urban Educators’ Perceptions of Immigrant Students, Culture and Family

Timothy Conway, Special Education Graduate Student

Becoming a student-researcher in FARM, has been such a fulfilling experience for me.  Along with all the resources provided by Lehman College, Professor Magaldi-Dopman’s guidance has provided for a fully immersive research experience. I have inherited so much knowledge even beyond my teaching craft.  Read More

Urban FARMing in the School of Education: Faculty-Assisted Research Mentorship

Professor Magaldi-Dopman with her students

I started FARM (faculty-assisted research mentorship) my second semester at Lehman College, as a way to extend classroom discussion with students and also develop students in their research skills. Interested students work directly with me to develop their research ideas and conduct a study of importance to them and their teaching.  Read More