Welcome from Dean Sarah Irvine Belson, Ph.D.

As we put together this year's annual report, we reflected on what we accomplished over the past 12 months and where we are heading. Looking back on the achievements and events that made the year so successful for the School of Education, Teaching, and Health, we chose to highlight them here—in celebration.

In fact, we celebrated a lot this year. Perhaps most memorable for us were the rave reviews we received from NCATE, the organization that accredits teacher education programs, following their site visit in March.

Certainly, we celebrate the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and alumni. One student and three alums—a new teacher, a seasoned educator, and a health promotion professional—offer snapshots of their work and classrooms. We also hear from a group of ITEP students, who traveled to Bosnia and Herzegovina to evaluate a UNICEF project.

In this report, we introduce three new tenure-track faculty members, all assistant professors, at the School of Education, Teaching, and Health: Stacie Tate (literacy) and Adrea Lawrence (social studies) joined the program in curriculum and instruction; Elizabeth Anderson teaches in ITEP. They bring a wealth of knowledge and experience, and we are thrilled to have them. We also welcome our new temporary faculty: Erin O'Neill in health promotion and Tenisha Tevis as our evaluator in residence.

Our grant projects, both new and continuing, are going strong, as we report in the update. One exciting new initiative embodies our commitment to strengthen the connection between education and health promotion. Spearheaded by associate professor Stacey Snelling with the assistance of health promotion graduate students, the project looks at the impact of wellness policy on students' lunch choices in Virginia's Arlington County public schools.

We have added some exciting opportunities for teachers. Director Vivian Vasquez and I have collaborated to create strong, new options for individuals who want to go further in their education studies. We are working with our first of graduate students in the master's in education and the graduate certificate in curriculum and instruction programs, which is for teachers and education specialists. Thanks to a generous gift from the Ganek family, qualified student teachers will have grant money available to test new methodologies in partner classrooms. Finally, the Lab School of Washington turns 40 this year. We are so proud of Lab's continuing great work for children with learning disabilities.

SETH will celebrate its two-year birthday in January 2008. On reflection, we are proud that our new venture has grown and become strong and focused—just like most two-year-olds. In the year to come, we will continue to strengthen existing programs and create new ones that promote and support equity, excellence, community, and diversity.

All the best to you in the coming year—

Sarah Irvine Belson, Ph.D.
Dean, School of Education, Teaching, and Health