Challenges emerge in the internationalisation of higher ed
Professor Emeritus Philip G. Altbach and Hans de Wit, emeritus professor of the practice, discussed the nation’s impact on international students and higher education institutions in the Boston Globe, Inside Higher Ed, and University World News.
Lynch School welcomes two dynamic new assistant professors
This semester, the Lynch School of Education and Human Development welcomes two new assistant professors, each committed to transforming lives through teaching, research, and service. Eliana Castro joins the Department of Teaching, Curriculum, and Society as an assistant professor of History/Social Studies Education, while interdisciplinary researcher studying cognitive mechanisms of thinking and reasoning, Gabe Avakian Orona, becomes part of the Department of Formative Education.
The most powerful teaching tool
Collecting students’ perspectives proves to be easy and valuable, revealing inaccurate assumptions that teachers may hold. Assistant Research Professor Damian Bebell shares more about his findings and its impact in a conversation with Education Week.
Charles River Collaboratory summer program spreads a love of STEM
Professor Mike Barnett led a summer program at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation that gave high school students the opportunity to dive into the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The Waltham Times reported that, through projects like smart-automated greenhouses and AI-powered farmbots, students explored how physical design and digital technology come together.
Palette of virtues
DevTech Research Group, founded by August Long Professor Marina Bers, hosted an international symposium focused on reframing computer science education to include a character-building focus.
New survey shows improvements in opinions on higher education
In University World News, Associate Professor Gerardo Blanco commented on a Lumina Foundation study, saying that the findings are encouraging for U.S. higher education. He says that colleges and universities are still seen as valuable to society and as a crucial way to gain entry to the workforce.
A potential decline in college enrollment this fall
Associate Professor Angela Boatman commented on the Trump administration’s changes to the student visa process in the Boston Globe, which warned that international student enrollment could drop by 40 percent.
Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Jaylen Brown visits the Campus School
Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown visited the Lynch School’s Campus School to spend time with students and staff members. The Campus School educates students ages 3 to 22 with extensive support needs, including complex medical needs.
Study tracks trends in adolescent health risks over two decades
Professor Rebekah Levine Coley led a longitudinal study on adolescent health trends, which highlighted the need for targeted mental health interventions. The study was published in the National Library of Medicine’s Pediatrics.
Faith Drescher receives Fulbright Scholar award
Faith Drescher ’25 (Elementary Education, Applied Psychology and Human Development) was selected as a Fulbright Scholar for the 2025–26 academic year. As a Fulbright Program English Teaching Assistant, she is in Lithuania for 10 months, serving as a classroom resource to help students learn to read and write in English.
Lynch School welcomes new Cawthorne Millennium Professor
Stella M. Flores was named the John E. Cawthorne Millennium Chair and professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education. Her research focuses on college access and success across the K–20 pathway. Read more in BC News and The EDU Ledger.
Challenges arise for international students
Professor of the Practice Chris R. Glass weighed in on mounting challenges for international students in or planning to come to the United States in Inside Higher Ed and BBC News.
Meaningful Work
At the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Social Concerns, Chris Higgins, associate professor and chair of the Department of Formative Education, participated in a discussion on Meaningful Work in Conversations on Character and the Common Good series. Higgins also contributed to the Institute’s August issue of Virtues & Vocations magazine, which also focused on meaningful work.
Jackson advocates for a Newburyport Teen's Fight for Free Public Education
The Boston Globe interviewed retired Associate Professor Richard Jackson in a story about a Newburyport teen, whose public school has denied her access for more than three years. Jackson advocates for students with disabilities, emphasizing their needs within the classroom and the importance of accessibility.
The job market for new grads
Professor Emerita Maureen Kenny shared insights on how city policymakers and corporations can attract and retain recent graduates in a WalletHub Q&A.
Lynch School to introduce Transformative Education Lab
The Transformative Ed Lab is a hub for research on holistic, formative human development, and the curation of educational approaches that both support young people’s development as whole persons and prepare them to pursue purposeful lives. Deoksoon Kim will lead the lab, supported by a postdoctoral student. The steering committee includes faculty with relevant expertise from the Lynch School and the broader University.
Dancing with the Students
In 2005, University Trustee Susan Martinelli Shea ’76 founded the community-based dance education program Dancing with the Students (DWTS). This April, Professor Deoksoon Kim presented research at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting, demonstrating that DWTS supports whole-person learning and development in immediate and long-term ways.
Kim launches organization to protect adoptee records
Oh Myo Kim, associate professor of the practice, launched Emergency Action for Records Storage (EARS), a community-based group dedicated to ensuring the safe and fair transfer of adoptee records from adoption agencies to the NCRC in South Korea. She discusses her research that led to the launch with News1, Pressian, and SBS News.
Addressing at-risk youth
One in every eight young adults (18-24) in America is unemployed and not enrolled in school, placing them at higher risk of poverty, early pregnancy, and violence. Professor Jacqueline V. Lerner explained the crisis and explored the multifaceted strategies she developed to reengage at-risk youth in WalletHub.
The fight over federal funding
In July, Associate Professor Raquel Muñiz commented on Harvard University’s legal battle with the Trump administration on CBS News Boston.
Loper Bright ruling reshapes balance of power in education
Associate Professor Raquel Muñiz analyzed the Supreme Court’s ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, highlighting how it bolsters the Court’s authority over legal interpretation and curtails federal agencies’ executive power in shaping education policy, in a Brookings article.
Importance of college access
As college costs rise, more students choose community colleges as a starting point. Associate Professor Raquel Muñiz emphasized in a WalletHub article that access to academic support and career readiness is crucial for student success and urged policymakers to expand local resources to support this trend.
National organizations partner to promote literacy
Museum educator Ashley Naranjo ’07 (Human Development) co-authored an article in Smithsonian magazine on the collaboration of national organizations, such as Amazon, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, NFL Inspire Change, and the Smithsonian, as they came together to encourage excitement around reading. An event in Seattle provided more than 1,250 books to youth and libraries.
Initiative cultivates Catholic education leaders across Ireland
The Lynch School’s Roche Center for Catholic Education and Boston College Ireland partnered on a new program aimed to cultivate a new generation of mission-driven leaders for Catholic primary and post-primary schools across the Emerald Isle.
2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award
Kyle Shachmut, Ph.D. ’25, received the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Association of Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD). The AHEAD Outstanding Dissertation Award recognizes exemplary doctoral research connected to disability in higher education.
Innovation and AI, the challenge of putting humans at the center
Brian Smith, David S. Nelson Chair and associate dean for research, shared his insights at the Business Ethics Summit and discussed the need for ethics and a system of universal principles. The Summit was held at Vatican City in June.
Alum receives two awards for research in survey methodology
Red Paulin, M.S. ’25 (Applied Stats and Psychometrics) is shaping the future of data collection through exploring critical issues in survey design and data integrity. At the Eastern Evaluation Research Society conference, Paulin received a Student Award for his critical evaluation of survey data biases. At the American Association for Public Opinion Research conference, Paulin received the Burns “Bud” Roper Fellow Award, which recognizes early-career researchers in survey or public opinion.
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Institute on AI, pedagogy, and curriculum
Nelson Chair and Associate Dean for Research Brian Smith was part of an interdisciplinary team from Boston College that participated in the American Association of Colleges and Universities’ Institute on AI, Pedagogy, and the Curriculum. Read more in EdTech Innovation Hub.
Joseph White Distinguished Alumni Award
Professor Usha Tummala-Narra received the Joseph White Distinguished Alumni Award from Michigan State University’s College of Social Science. The award celebrates alumni whose outstanding accomplishments and contributions set them apart in their field.
Understanding narcissistic personality disorder
The New York Times highlighted Professor Usha Tummala-Narra for her expertise on understanding narcissism.
Helping people live mindfully and intentionally
Erin Waxenbaum ’16 (Elementary Education), who cofounded Prep and Reflect, a company that develops mindful journals and planners, discussed finding a sense of purpose in Bold Journey.com.
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CPED elects Stanton Wortham as new chair
Dean Stanton Wortham was elected as the new Chair of the Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate (CPED) Board of Directors. CPED is a network of more than 150 schools and colleges of education that examines the degree to ensure that graduates have the skills and knowledge to drive meaningful improvements in the field of education and beyond.
Research on Edtech post-COVID by scholars, includes Lun
“A New Era in EdTech: Emerging Challenges and Opportunities,” is an editorial in ECNU Review of Education by Professor Deoksoon Kim; Katrina Borowiec, M.A. ’10 (Higher Education), Ph.D. ’25 (Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment); and Dean Stanton Wortham. They highlight how educational technology has rapidly evolved in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and underscored the new roles it has played in modern classrooms across the globe.
Supporting students with Down syndrome in Saudi Arabia
Zaina Zedan ’03 (Elementary Education and Human Development) is CEO of Saut, an early intervention and educational program in Saudi Arabia focused on supporting students with Down syndrome so they can live their full potential.
Global metacognition research
At Boston College, Nord Anglia Education teachers shared initial findings, practical strategies, and the real-world impact of classroom-based metacognition projects in a June conference. The studies were conducted as part of Nord Anglia’s two-year Metacognition Research Project, in collaboration with the Lynch School.