College of Education and Human Development

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A champion for inclusion

When I was in kindergarten, my teacher asked me to work with one of my peers with autism, Vince. So, I left class during nap time to work on writing with Vince. He and I played games on dry erase boards and spent quality time together. Ever since...

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In support of equity and diversity

Recognizing the need to embed diversity and equality throughout its programming, the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) established a Race, Equity, and Justice Council (REJC) in 2019. The council was formed through the combination of...

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Lesa Clarkson

Addressing gaps in Minnesota’s seals of biliteracy program

Minnesota’s state seals of biliteracy program recognizes students who have achieved high levels of proficiency in a language other than English. About 2,000 graduating high school students receive a seal each year, but there are large gaps in what.

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Ayumi Stockman and Professor Kendall King

Speaking tradition

A group of six preschoolers chatter excitedly as they settle into a circle to begin their morning. The beat of a drum starts a series of songs, and the children join in, taking turns saying their names and sharing how they’re feeling today...

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Circle time

Connect Magazine Connect Magazine

CEHD Connect Magazine is published in print three times a year and online by the University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development for alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the college.

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CEHD Connect SpSu2025 magazine cover, including 6 U of M athletes performing in sports on a smoky blue background with stadium lights.

Giving matters: breathing room

Sarah Etheridge’s undergraduate career was anything but smooth. After bouncing from DePaul University to Iowa State, they weren’t feeling confident about their major or future prospects. “My grades reflected this too,” Etheridge says.

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Sarah Etheridge

The transformative power of education

Education can transform a life and the world. That statement drives Jenna Mitchler. She experienced it firsthand as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi several years ago and more recently in Tajikistan through the Fulbright Specialist Program....

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Jenna Mitchler

FSOS grad student leads international initiative in Liberia

Zamzam Dini, a Family Social Science (FSOS) doctoral student specializing in Couple and Family Therapy, flexed her clinical practitioner skills in Liberia last summer by leading workshops for parents and young women on healthy relationships....

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Zamzam Dini (second from right) with members of the Organization for Women Empowerment NGO.

Cross-continental collaboration

Zhanat Momynkulov says he had always dreamed about visiting and studying in the United States because of its strong academic and research traditions. From June to November 2022, he got his chance as part of the first CEHD Bolashaq Visiting Scholar...

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Kazakhstan scholars with flag of their homeland

Wakpa Tanka and Misi-Ziipi: Today’s …. Mississippi River

I grew up knowing that the Mississippi River was both “great” and with falls. From my earliest memories, I remember trying to spell M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I orally the fastest. Yet, I never knew the Dakota language for this precious, life-giving...

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Kristi Rudelius-Palmer