News and Media

The Pitt School of Education has selected 13 noteworthy educators for its 2021 Distinguished Alumni Awards.

Pitt School of Education faculty member Lindsay Page has been named to  Education Week’s 2021 RHSU 200 Edu-Scholar Public Influence Ranking, which recognizes U.S. scholars who did the most to shape educational practice and policy in the last year. 

Pitt School of Education faculty member Tom Akiva has received the 2021 University of Pittsburgh Provost’s Award for Diversity in the Curriculum in honor of his work to transform the Pitt School of Education Doctor of Education (EdD) program to center its coursework and experiences around anti-racism and equity.

Tiffany Tamika Karma Robinson, a student in the MEd in Early Childhood Education program, works as a head teacher in the two-year-old classroom at the University Childhood Development Center (UCDC). In this Q&A, she discusses the racial education gap, how she connects book knowledge to practical knowledge, and her favorite class at Pitt Education. 

Abby Hughes, a first-year student in the MEd in Early Childhood Education program at Pitt Education, teaches preschool at Tender Care Learning Center in the Shadyside area of Pittsburgh.

Gina Garcia, an associate professor of higher education in the Pitt School of Education, will receive the University of Pittsburgh’s 2020-2021 Iris Marion Young Award for Political Engagement for Pitt Faculty in recognition of her work to promote justice. 

Kristin Davin, a 2011 alumna of the PhD in Foreign Language Education program at the Pitt School of Education, has received the 2020 Anthony Papalia Award for Excellence in Teacher Education from the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). 

Former Pitt Football player and current student in the Social and Comparative Analysis EdD program, Branden Ballard shares his experiences in Pitt Education and goals for the future. 

Simeon McCray, from Norristown, Pennsylvania, is a fifth-year student in the Combined Accelerated Studies in Education (CASE) program. In this Q&A, he discusses his student teaching experience, the connection he feels with students, and how he avoids teacher burnout. His quotes have been edited for length and clarity.

The 2020-21 cohort of the Shifting Power Initiative includes 20 Black and Latinx PreK-12 classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, out-of-school providers and teaching artists, as well as 20 university-based, non-profit, and independent researchers and learning scientists.

Pitt EdD graduate Ashlie Prioleau is changing the lives of community college transfer students. She is the executive director of the nationally known ADVANCE program at George Mason University and the Northern Virginia Community College.