2024 Unwrapped: GSE leads the way in media, research and community engagement

PRNewswire published a study authored by Catherine Cook-Cottone, professor of counseling, school and educational psychology, that revealed that over 60 individuals with eating disorders had undergone assisted death in Belgium, the Netherlands and the U.S. The researchers found that in many cases, physicians erroneously claimed the patients had terminal and incurable conditions in order to grant access to lethal medications. “These rationales lack an empirical basis and perpetuate stigma,” Cook-Cottone said. “The idea that patients with eating disorders are untreatable, treatment-resistant, or unable to recover has no place in medicine.” The story was also picked up by dozens of news outlets, including the Associated Press and Yahoo Finance.

WKBW-TV’s “Voices” segment featured Katheryne T. Leigh-Osroosh, assistant professor of counseling, school and educational psychology, discussing proposed school cell phone bans. When discussing a ban, Leigh-Osroosh suggested considering the following questions: “Why are we needing the ban, and what are the outcomes we are looking for? And is this leading to the outcomes? And are you assessing for that and evaluating that?” Leigh-Osroosh was also quoted in stories about cell phone bans in WBFO and New York Now.

Forbes reported on a study from Amanda Nickerson, professor and director of the Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse Prevention, and colleagues. The study explores how lockdown drills affect the perception of school safety in children who have been exposed to violence. The authors conclude, “When lockdown drills are conducted correctly, they can offer unintended benefits, such as offsetting harmful effects of exposure to violence, in addition to helping to prepare students for emergencies.”

WIVB-TV interviewed Nathan Daun-Barnett, associate professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, about new recommendations in New York State to do away with high school Regents exam requirements to graduate. “How do we achieve equitable distribution of opportunity and outcome while also maintaining a high level of excellence? Trying to figure out how to do both of those equally well for our kids has been a challenge,” Daun-Barnett said.

A cover story in Buffalo Business First examining enrollment trends among the region’s public higher education institutes also quoted Daun-Barnett. “I think we’ve got institutions in the region that are working to try to redefine themselves and their mission in a very difficult time. Some may be more successful than others,” Daun-Barnett said. 

The Boston Globe interviewed Simone A. Fried, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy, for a story about a poorly performing school in Massachusetts being released from state receivership. The Holyoke school district had the lowest graduation rate in the state, and its dropout rate was among the highest. In her research, Fried found that parents of the primarily Latino school were disappointed with the school’s lack of translation services and other aspects of the school. “I think you could argue that Holyoke’s crisis of performance was such that it was violating the rights of their students,” Fried said.

Megan Iantosca, associate professor of educational leadership and policy, co-authored an article for Diverse Education on how the White House changed the way the U.S. will collect race and ethnicity data. The changes, though announced with little fanfare, are set to impact how higher education institutions collect data on, understand, and describe the racial and ethnic makeup of their student bodies, the article stated. 

Infodocket.com reported that Africa Hands, assistant professor of information science, and Ithaka S+R are collaborating on a research project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services to investigate the workplace experiences of first-generation BIPOC professionals in the library and information science field. This three-year study will focus on understanding the challenges these professionals face and the cultural assets they bring to navigate and succeed in the workplace.

The New Republic quoted Heidi Julien, professor of information science, in an article about how online misinformation is becoming the dangerous new normal for disaster response. “It is how life is now, and until somebody sees this as a serious issue that needs to be tackled, I think it’s going to remain the case, because the technologies that allow misinformation to spread are not going away. People are not turning away from them,” said Julien. “The only thing that’s going to change it is to start helping people to become more digitally literate.”

Tiffany Karalis Noel, clinical associate professor of learning and instruction, wrote a column for Insider Higher Ed titled “What if We Valued Teachers as Much as Athletes?” In the column, she wrote: “In this piece, I envision a hypothetical society where teachers are revered as highly as athletes, reassigning the respect and admiration usually bestowed upon physical prowess to intellectual capability and the art of teaching. I use some hyperbole to highlight the divergence between our present societal norms and an imaginary future in order to consider how transformative such a redirection would be. I don’t mean to belittle sports or athletes; rather, I seek to emphasize the potential benefits of funneling similar levels of passion, resources and attention into the field of education.”

A USA Today story about the Google Doodle honoring writer and civil rights activist James Baldwin for Black History Month quoted LaGarrett King, director of the Center for K-12 Black History and Racial Literacy Education, about how Black History Month came to be. King noted it has become “one of the most celebrated cultural heritage months on the calendar.” AOL News reposted this article.

NPR also quoted King in another article discussing what’s important to know about Black History Month. King notes there was an uptick in Black history courses due to the civil rights and Black consciousness movements of the 1960s. Across the country, public schools “created all these courses and mandates for Black history,” unofficially creating a Black History Month, King said.

Spectrum News 1 quoted Noemi Waight, associate professor of learning and instruction, in a story reporting educators and parents are encouraged to celebrate the curiosity that follows the eclipse. She suggested asking the following question. “Do our students understand what they’re going to see and experience,” Waight asked. “And how do they think about it?”