Faculty News

Our Best Wishes to Retiring Faculty

Tyler Caldwell — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 19:48:57 +0000

Our Best Wishes to Retiring Faculty Tyler Caldwell Tue, 01/20/2026 - 12:48

Please join us in recognizing our faculty who retired recently and learning more about their next steps.

In the past year, Johanna Maes, associate teaching professor and director of the master’s in higher education, also retired, and Kevin Welner, professor of educational foundations, policy and practice, retired from that position and continues to serve as research professor and director of the National Education Policy Center.

Sue Hopewell
Associate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy

What are you excited about in retirement?

“Retirement is the best! I’m volunteering at the elementary school across the street from my home. I’ve enjoyed some cooking classes— French pastries and croissants. One thing I’ve started that was not on my list is golfing classes. I took it up because my husband and I closed on a condo at the coast in Delaware where I have family. Our development has a nine-hole course that I want to be able to play. It also has a kayak launch directly into the bay and wooded hiking trails. We are in heaven!”

What are you grateful for in your time at the School of Education?

“I appreciated working at a school that had a shared mission to social justice. We didn’t always get it right, but we were willing to step back, self-critique and think hard about how to move forward. That said, without a doubt, the thing that brought me the most joy while I was in the School of Education was my colleagues in EBB, my Literacy Squared team and my students— particularly the doctoral students. They were thoughtful, kind, generous and fun! I miss them terribly. At the end of the day, it’s all about the people, isn’t it?”

Vicki Hand
Associate Professor of STEM

What are you excited about in retirement?

“After 17 years at CU, I decided it was time for a new adventure focused on my interest in reparations work. I’m excited to get involved with community-based organizing dedicated to developing a model for reparations. I’m also coediting a book for Harvard Education Press about mathematics teacher noticing for equity. On a more personal note, I’ve joined a gravel bike club called the Petunia Mafia, am co-organizing the Fairview [High School] mountain bike team and have been making quilts.”

What are you grateful for in your time at the School of Education?

“I miss the School of Education—the wonderful colleagues, the fantastic staff and, of course, the students! I cherish the close friendships I built there and am grateful for the support I felt pursuing my research interests. For so many years, the School of Education felt like home, especially when it came to STEM Education. Plus, I believe the School of Education faculty are some of the humblest and most dedicated people in the field of educational research—their excellence truly shines in the work! This goes for our students as well.”

Discover more from Voices, vol. 8:

Supporting Rural Teachers & Leaders

The Bob and Judy Charles Endowed Chair of Education is deepening work in rural Colorado

The Transformative Power of Community

Meet several College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) & Patitos alumni whose important careers were first cultivated in CAMP, and are now utilized to support their community

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the CU �ֲ��ý School of Education

As the new Dean of the School of Education, Amanda Haertling Thein recently returned to the CU �ֲ��ý campus — a homecoming for the alumna

Return to Voices Volume 8

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The Arc of a Scholar

Tyler Caldwell — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 22:41:14 +0000

The Arc of a Scholar Tyler Caldwell Wed, 01/14/2026 - 15:41 Hannah Fletcher

How Liz Meyer’s Research and Teaching Paves the Way for LGBTQ+ Affirming Teachers, Researchers and Change-Makers

It was standing room only at the South �ֲ��ý Library, where all ages gathered for a joyful drag show organized entirely by students from Fairview High School’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance.

Student organizers were inspired by a book from the Title IX book club, co-led by School Librarian Rebecca Kaplan (PhDEdu’16) and School of Education faculty member Liz Meyer (MEdu’97) as part of an outreach project designed to promote public understanding of the value of education.

Denver’s professional drag performers jumped at the chance to work with the students. The show was a testament to the power of youth-led activism and the educators and allies in their corners.

“The show was full of the imagination, audacity and vision of the young people,” said Meyer, professor in educational foundations, policy and practice.

“It’s a delicate balance because we don’t want to put all the weight on the kids to make change. I think about this idea of a snowplow—we make the path for them and clear the way for their work.”

What most parents want for their kids is a world that will love them back.”

Meyer’s teaching and research have embodied that motto. From her early scholarship on anti-LGBTQ+ harassment and bullying to her recent book, Meyer centers policies and practices that build safer, more inclusive schools for LGBTQ+ students and educators.

Her journey is deeply personal. In her first year working at a small winter sports school in upstate New York, Meyer discovered she loved teaching and had found her calling.

However, despite her contract renewal and celebrated teaching, Meyer was abruptly asked to leave at year’s end. She had written an article about supporting gay and lesbian students in a national newsletter for teachers. When the headmaster saw the article, he asked her to resign quietly. She refused and was fired.

That difficult start to her career launched Meyer’s loud, proud and purposeful academic path. She sought her master’s degree at CU �ֲ��ý. In 2003, she began her doctorate at McGill University, focusing on educational equity, queer theory and learning from teachers’ voices.

At the time, alarming studies documented high suicide rates among gay and lesbian youth, but little was known about what Meyer calls “gendered harassment” in schools. Her dissertation explored how teachers understood their responsibility to interrupt bullying and violence related to gender and sexuality.

The work was groundbreaking, though not always easy. She recalls broadening her research foci at mentors’ urging and even “dequeering” her CV when applying for faculty positions.

When she was invited to apply for the associate dean of teacher education role—the job that brought her back to CU �ֲ��ý in 2015—Meyer says it was the first time she felt hired for her expertise in LGBTQ+ equity in education rather than in spite of it.

Today, Meyer’s scholarship meets urgent needs to legally and ethically support marginalized students amid resurgent anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

Meyer and faculty colleagues Bethy Leonardi (PhDEdu’14) and Sara Staley (PhDEdu’14) are launching a new mutual aid network to support queer and trans educators in Colorado. Combined with her new book and other efforts, Meyer hopes to connect and uplift educators and allies who unabashedly affirm LGBTQ+ youth.

“Research shows that by supporting our kids for who they are—not harming or shaming them—we can create humans who are more kind, empathetic and loving,” Meyer said. “What most parents want for their kids is a world that will love them back.”

Learn more about Meyer’s work in her new book, Queer Justice at School: A Guide for Youth Activists, Allies, and Their Teachers.

Queer Justice at School: A Guide for Youth Activists, Allies, and Their Teachers

by Elizabeth J. Meyer

Get your copy now!

Discover more from Voices, vol. 8:

Cross-Cultural Connections

Associate Professor David Webb's Fulbright Specialist Award took him to the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Czech Republic last year to enhance his math education work, grounded in the real-world experiences of students

The Heart of Public Education: Redefining our Roots

Nelia Peña began her journey as a public school teacher where she grew up: in Denver

Now & Then

When Christie Rolph opened her classroom to a student teacher last fall, she wasn't expecting to see her former student

Return to Voices Volume 8

How Liz Meyer’s Research and Teaching Paves the Way for LGBTQ+ Affirming Teachers, Researchers and Change-Makers

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Get to know our newest faculty members

Hannah Fletcher — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 01:33:57 +0000

Get to know our newest faculty members Hannah Fletcher Sun, 12/28/2025 - 18:33

This year, the CU �ֲ��ý School of Education welcomed our newest faculty members, who bring a variety of experiences and enhance our community of educators and learners. Learn more about them below, and please join us in continuing to welcome them to our school and community.

Adria Padilla-Chávez is an assistant teaching professor in equity, bilingualism and biliteracy and elementary education.

She grew up in various neighborhoods throughout and around Denver, eventually graduating from Denver Public Schools. She received her BS in bilingual elementary education from the University of New Mexico in 2002, and an MA in culturally and linguistically diverse education from the BUENO Center in 2005. Padilla-Chávez has taught in public schools situated in immigrant, Latinx and Chicanx communities for more than 20 years, from Pre-K to 12th grade. She has dedicated her career to advocating for the cultural, linguistic and educational rights of her students. This advocacy led her to the PhD program at CU �ֲ��ý in learning sciences and human development. Her dissertation, “Buscando la Luz: Children’s Expressions of Dignity in a Co-designed Workshop,” explored a social design-based experiment co-designed with child-partners, her former kindergarten students. Through ethnographic observation and micro-interactional analysis, her study revealed the children’s collaborations, brilliance and critiques of schooling. Addressing the intentionally blurred line between researcher and participant, she reflected on her role as designer and teacher, navigating her own learning and unlearning in the workshop. Padilla-Chávez’s work emphasizes how affirming dignity in learning environments fosters new forms of worldmaking, highlighting children's capacities for coordination and care.

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

“I chose CU �ֲ��ý and the School of Education because I have worked 30 years for this opportunity. When graduating from high school from Denver Public Schools, I did not have the merit to apply to CU �ֲ��ý for my undergraduate degree. Feelings of intellectual incapability engulfed me throughout my childhood and teens. Consequently, my merit reflected those feelings. Fortunately, in my undergraduate studies, I had professors that guided me in finding the light—feelings of intellectual capability. Since then, it has been my life’s work to provide the same for my students.

Along the way, I met (CU �ֲ��ý professor emerita) Kathy Escamilla at La Cosecha, a bilingual education conference in New Mexico. When I heard her speak, I knew I wanted to study with her. The experience in the master's program through the BUENO Center with Dr. Escamilla as my advisor was one of the most transformational experiences of my life, so much so that I wanted to continue with my doctorate. Fifteen years later, I returned to CU �ֲ��ý in the School of Education to pursue a PhD in Learning Science and Human Development, yet another transformational experience where I grew in ways I did not know was possible. You see, choosing CU �ֲ��ý has always been my choice. I am grateful to all my professors, mentors and advisors who believed in me, and I am grateful to myself for never giving up on me. It is where I belong, and now I can remind that 18-year-old girl back in 1997 that she does, too.”

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

“I am excited to live my dream as a college professor. I am excited to connect with those who have had a similar journey as me and who come from similar backgrounds and remind them that they too belong here. I am excited to help prepare future teachers to see and recognize the brilliance of their students, affirm their dignity and provide opportunities for the actualization of their potential in trusted communities of love and care.”

What’s a fun fact about you?

“I have been a dancer since the movie Breakin' came out in 1984. I was poppin' and lockin' with my older brother, Jojo, before I could tie my shoes. I danced Mexican Folklórico and flamenco as a teen and young adult. Now I dance anything Latin (Zumba, salsa, bachata, etc.) and hip-hop. Dancing is when I feel most free. It is important to find those things in life that enable you to feel free.”

What do you like to do on a day off?

“I cannot think of a better day than spending it with my family—my husband, Joe, and our two sons, José and Vicente, who are usually schooling us on life as they are both so wise, so insightful and so smart. They have been my greatest teachers.”

Lindsay Romano is an assistant professor in equity, bilingualism and biliteracy.

Her research examines how systemic oppressions, such as racism, ableism and linguicism, impact the educational trajectories and outcomes of secondary students experiencing multiple marginalizations. She is particularly interested in how teachers play a role in perpetuating and disrupting inequities in their instruction and how critical and contemplative pedagogies may be used as tools for social justice in the classroom.

Why did you choose CU �ֲ��ý and the School of Education?

“I love the interdisciplinary nature of the school and its commitment to social justice and equity. In my own program, equity, bilingualism and biliteracy, I was particularly excited to work alongside colleagues who are not only researching issues of inequities for multilingual learners and learners with disabilities but also engaging in activism to enact change in partnership with local school communities.”

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

I am excited to embark on a new research project here in Colorado as well as to get to know students and faculty in the School of Education. I am excited to begin collaborating within and across programs in the school and to deepen my knowledge of the Colorado education context.

What do you like to do on a day off?

On my days off, you can find me with my family spending time outdoors, whether it be going to a park, exploring a new neighborhood, or going on a hike. I also love meditating, painting and writing!

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am really excited to be here and excited to meet students and faculty in the School of Education this year.

Blanca Trejo is an assistant teaching professor for the Leadership and Community Engagement major and the Multicultural Leadership Scholars program.

She was born and raised on the traditional homelands of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, hinono’eino’ biito’owu’, Tséstho’e and Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ Nations, aka Denver, Colorado. Her ancestral lineage is Mexica, Totonaca and Spaniard, and she identifies as Mexican American, Latina and Xicana. She is among the first generation of her family to hold U.S. birthright citizenship and to earn a BA, an MA and a PhD. Trejo is intimately aware of societal systems that marginalize and oppress BIPOC communities in the U.S. At age 15, she became involved in youth organizing, working on issues of educational justice and immigrant rights. She has been a community organizer, nonprofit leader and a state employee charged with implementing state law won by grassroots campaigns. As an academic and organizer, her research centers on a reconnection to Indigenous knowledge and medicines that helps all people heal from the generational traumas inflicted by white supremacy. She seeks to decolonize and re-indigenize the field of youth organizing and engage BIPOC youth in healing, power building and collective action. She believes in the power of intergenerational imagination to usher us toward a future of abundance, liberation and relationships of balance with human and more-than-human relations.

Why did you choose CU �ֲ��ý and the School of Education?

My U.S. passport has stamps from over 24 different countries from five continents (I have yet to visit Australia or New Zealand, and I do not plan to visit Antarctica for environmental justice reasons). I have had the honor and the privilege to visit numerous towns and cities across the U.S. and the world. Ultimately, I have made choices to stay in Colorado because this is my home. I have lived, attended public schools and college and worked my whole life in Colorado. Like the yucca (indigenous to Colorado and the U.S. Southwest), I have a taproot that goes deep into these rocky, sandy soils. Attending graduate school and now working at the CU �ֲ��ý School of Education has allowed me the space and time to deepen my community relationships and extend my reach to the wonderful undergraduates who have enrolled in my courses over the past five years. I chose CU �ֲ��ý because of the relationships and community that exist on and off campus.

What are you excited about this upcoming year?

So many elements of my life are shifting and changing at this time. My “doctora” title is still fresh, and I am still assessing what this PhD means for me, my family and my community. While I am unsure how long I will hold the title of “Assistant Teaching Professor” with the School of Education, one thing is certain: I am not going to work very far from home. I’ll be in Denver, in the historic Baker neighborhood, with my kids (human and furry) and my partner (Anthony) and our garden. Whatever the winds of change bring this coming year, I feel rooted, centered and confident that we (a collective WE) will weather these social, political and economic storms together and come out the other side ready to rebuild a world of abundance and balance for generations to come.

What do you like to do on a day off?

On my days of rest, you will find me getting my hands full of soil and leaves and worms. Fall is my favorite season. I adore the changes that arrive with the fall winds: leaves changing color, flower petals changing to seeds, and temperature changing from sunny mid-day to brisk in the evening. I tend to carry small paper envelopes during this time of year to collect seeds from the generous plants that grow all around me: on the side of a building; through the cracks in the concrete sidewalks; tucked clandestinely in an alley way. I love how the plants around us are a constant reminder of the beauty and abundance that exist in our world.

Anything else you’d like to add?

I am not an ardent social media savant. However, should anyone wish to stay in touch, please feel free to find me at LinkedIn: Dr. Blanca E. Trejo Aguilera; Instagram and Threads @dr_blancaelena; Blue Sky @DrBlancaElena.bsky.social; and my website BlancaElena.PhD.

This year, the CU �ֲ��ý School of Education welcomed our newest faculty members, who bring a variety of experiences and enhance our community of educators and learners. Learn more about them and what they are looking forward to most as we continue to welcome them to our school and community.

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Turning trauma into learning in the classroom

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 18:11:50 +0000

Turning trauma into learning in the classroom Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/05/2019 - 12:11

In a new book, School of Education professor Elizabeth Dutro lays out a road map for how educators can begin to incorporate the difficult life experiences of their students into day-to-day school activities—from essay prompts to lessons on poetry.

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Nine schools join CU �ֲ��ý in push for active learning in undergraduate math education

Anonymous — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 22:36:39 +0000

Nine schools join CU �ֲ��ý in push for active learning in undergraduate math education Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 03/09/2018 - 15:36

David Webb, associate professor at the School of Education

In an effort to help undergraduate students pursuing STEM degrees succeed in introductory mathematics courses, �ֲ��ý and 11 other universities joined the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in a five-year grant aimed to support the adoption of active learning for undergraduate pre-calculus and calculus instruction.

School of Education Associate Professor David Webb, along with Robert Tubbs and David Grant from the CU �ֲ��ý Department of Mathematics, worked on this grant as co-principal investigators.

Over the past year, CU �ֲ��ý has worked with APLU alongside San Diego State University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln in championing the use of active learning in introductory mathematics instruction with great success.

As defined by the APLU, active learning in mathematics involves teaching methods that promote students’ deep engagement in mathematical reasoning, peer-to-peer interaction and instructor interest in and use of student thinking.

“This work at University of Colorado began years ago largely due to the vision and leadership of the mathematics faculty and department leaders who initiated and supported several changes in the instruction of calculus courses,” said Webb.

Due to the success of the three initial universities, APLU invited nine universities to join in on the grant. CU �ֲ��ý will act as a partner to the new universities across the country in supporting and studying the changes within the math departments. School of Education PhD student Nancy Kress will support CU faculty in this process to identify which methods for implementing active learning for mathematics work best at different types of schools.

Introductory math courses are foundational to success in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) majors and fields and active learning has proven highly effective in helping more students succeed in such courses. The largest study of undergraduate STEM education literature to date – a meta-analysis of 225 studies published by the National Academies in 2014 – found that undergraduate students in classes using active learning methods had higher course grades by half a letter grade, and students in classes with traditional lectures were 1.5 times more likely to fail.

In a study in 2015 led by Sandra Laursen, the co-director of the Ethnography and Evaluation Research group at CU �ֲ��ý, results showed that pre-service teachers taking mathematics courses benefited from active learning concepts.

“It's less structured,” said one student involved in the study. “It's definitely thinking outside of the box, working with others – and, like, why things are the way they are, rather than, ‘They are the way they are. Just accept it.’”

At CU �ֲ��ý in the last year, Webb said that he has noticed a decrease in the drop/fail/withdraw rate and an increase in persistence among students in the calculus sequence.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is supporting the project, known as SEMINAL: Student Engagement in Mathematics through an Institutional Network for Active Learning, with a $3 million, five-year grant. The initiative will place a particular emphasis on helping underrepresented minority students succeed in introductory math courses that are foundational in STEM fields.

The nine other institutions joining the effort are: California State University - East Bay, California State University - Fullerton, Kennesaw State University, Loyola University, Morgan State University, The Ohio State University, University of Maryland, University of Oklahoma, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Led by CU �ֲ��ý's School of Education and Department of Mathematics, universities have joined a five-year grant aimed to help undergraduates pursuing STEM degrees succeed in introductory mathematics.

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Faculty News

Our Best Wishes to Retiring Faculty

Sue HopewellAssociate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy

Vicki HandAssociate Professor of STEM

Discover more from Voices, vol. 8:

Supporting Rural Teachers & Leaders

The Transformative Power of Community

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the CU �ֲ���ý School of Education

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The Arc of a Scholar

Discover more from Voices, vol. 8:

Cross-Cultural Connections

The Heart of Public Education: Redefining our Roots

Now & Then

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Get to know our newest faculty members

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Turning trauma into learning in the classroom

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Nine schools join CU �ֲ���ý in push for active learning in undergraduate math education

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Sue Hopewell
Associate Professor of Equity, Bilingualism and Biliteracy

Vicki Hand
Associate Professor of STEM

Get to know Dean Amanda Haertling Thein and her full-circle journey to becoming dean of the CU �ֲ��ý School of Education

Nine schools join CU �ֲ��ý in push for active learning in undergraduate math education