The Power of Partnerships: Conference Agenda

2:30-4:30 PM 

2:30-4:30 PM 

CSU’s Community Learning Center GRAND OPENING - Verizon Wireless Lab 

Recruiting and Program Information (Atrium) 

1. The CLC perfectly reflects CSU’s new Mission statement, “Cleveland’s University. Infinite Opportunity.” We are in and of the city of Cleveland. We leverage our unique location and strategic partnerships to equip learners with knowledge and future-ready skills. Through innovative research, dedicated service, and exceptional talent, we address the evolving needs of our community. We offer training, classes, and multiple opportunities including FREE Access to the community – there are no costs associated with use of this lab. Entrepreneurs, students, and community members learn about. 

   a. 3D Printing Station
   b. Laser Cut Station
   c. Merchandising R&D
   d. Illustration & Animation
   e. Content Creation 

• Dr. Claire Hughes, Twice Exceptional
• Dr. Fuller-President, MUST Program
• Dr. Becky Odom-Bartel, CS
• Crystal M Franklin,
• CSUteach
• Dr. Schaefer, Special Education
• Dr. Purcell, Literacy Education
• Dr. Hamlen-Mansour, Technology

Room JH 112

Roundtable: “Community Engaged Scholarship Through a Trauma-Informed Lens”   

Presenters: Dr. Dakota King-White (CSU), Dr. Megan Holmes (CWRU), Dr. Jennifer King (CWRU), Michelle Princeton (City of Cleveland Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers), and Neurosequential Network 

This roundtable discussion will be held in collaboration with community partners who are actively engaged in trauma-informed initiatives. The conversation will explore how academic scholarship can align with and support community healing, resilience, and empowerment. Community partners will share strategies for fostering meaningful partnerships and integrating trauma-informed practices into research and outreach.

Room JH 191

Presentation: “Action Research through the Eyes of Graduate Resident Educators” - Poster Presentations with the MUST Program 

Hear from graduate educators engaged in action-research inquiry regarding quantitative research projects that explore 'real-world' issues affecting urban schools in our communities.

Room JH 195

Presentation: The Cleveland Teaching Collaborative 

Presenters: Molly Buckley, PhD. and Shelly Rose, PhD. – The Cleveland Teaching Collaborative 

Chalk Talk with CLE Teaching, launched in 2024, builds on the Cleveland Teaching Collaborative’s four years of fostering a vibrant PK-16 educator community in Northeast Ohio. The team has created over 80 case studies, curated thousands of educational resources, and expanded conversations through the Chalk Talk podcast. This session will explore the podcast’s creation, its production at CSU, and collaboration with institutions like Hawken School and Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Additionally, it will highlight how guests have applied their podcasting skills in their own classrooms.

Room JH 338

Presentation: The role of the Teacher's Voice in Quantitative Research during Research-Practice Partnerships 

Presenters: Karla Hamlen Mansour, PhD. and Amy DeRodes 

Description: Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) create a new dynamic in research methods with the practitioner as the driver of the research questions. In such partnerships, the voice of the teacher can play an important role in adapting traditional quantitative research methods and perspectives to allow for richer data collection and interpretation and strengthening validity. This will be discussed through our own experiences with an RPP related to music participation and student belongingness and well-being.

Room JH 395

Presentation:  Gallery Walk: CIS and CSU Celebrating the Hispanic Heritage in an Interactive Art Exhibit 

Host: Sharon Swan 

In this Interactive Art Exhibit, visitors will view Campus International’s 5th grader’s collaborative art project that focuses on famous Latino/Latina people through art media and interactive recordings of 5th graders sharing what they learned. and recordings are proudly displayed in the community. Through this exhibit, Sharon Swan, CSU Professor and Cindy Berkland, CIS (K-5) Spanish teacher formed a collaborative partnership between the school community and university community to demonstrate the importance of partnership and how it can have a positive effect on student learning. 

Campus International School (CIS) – K-8

Room JH 340

Presentation: Panel Diversity Institute 

Awardees of Traction Grants will share insights on their research and outreach efforts 

Presenters: Katie Clonan-Roy, PhD, Xiongyi Liu, PhD, and Vickie Gallagher, PhD 

This panel will present on the Teaching, Research, and Action (TRACTION) grants, which are research funded opportunities designed to enhance the scholarly programs of faculty research associates affiliated with The Diversity Institute at Cleveland State University.  Research funds were provided by The Lubrizol Foundation and were awarded to help advance evidence-based knowledge in the area of social justice and to assist with forging new efforts and approaches to social justice-related goals within the university and/or the larger community.  Three TRACTION grantees will present on their research. Moderator: Tawanda Greer-Medley, Ph.D

Room JH 112

Presentation:  Building a Virtual Village: Partnering Online for Impact in Gifted and Twice-Exceptional Education 

Presenters: Claire Hughes, Wendy Behrens, Sarah Jackson, Jessica Esway 

This session features a virtual panel of national and state leaders collaborating to strengthen gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) education through innovative, cross-sector partnerships. Their focus is on expanding access to rigorous, inclusive, and flexible teacher preparation courses in gifted and 2e education, offered online nationwide. Panelists will highlight the 2e Advisory Council, a growing group of educators and schools exchanging strategies and co-designing solutions based on lived experiences. They also lead the Twice-Exceptional Teacher Education Conference, a hybrid event fostering professional development and relationship-building in its third year. Attendees will learn how virtual collaboration drives real-world change by enhancing teacher preparation, student services, and lasting partnerships.

Room  JH 195

Presentation: Aspirational Spaces: Youth-Generated Knowledge within and Beyond the Classroom 

Presenters:  Molly Buckley-Marudas, PhD, & Katherine Clonan-Roy, PhD  

The panel features aspirational spaces within and outside of the classroom that provide opportunities for youth to generate knowledge through research and action. Dr. Clonan-Roy will present on the THRiVE Research Collaborative at CSU (an interdisciplinary team of faculty and students in Education, Psychology, and Social Work), which partners with the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland, and facilitates a youth participatory action research (YPAR) where queer youth conduct original research and leverage their findings to promote social change. Dr. Buckley-Marudas will present on how YPAR can be used in schools to make learning more engaging, authentic, and supportive of school improvement. Based on years of SchYPAR co-design work involving K-12 educators, students, and administrators and university researchers, this presentation will discuss project work and outcomes. Moderator: Anne Galletta

Student Presentations and Panel – Dr. Adam Voight with Abigail Peck, Breanna Kern, Cora Barcelona, Maya Trempe, Ryan Hilcu, Dr. Keith Bell 

This youth-led study examines Ohio high school students’ attitudes toward teaching, revealing limited interest due to concerns about pay, working conditions, and job stress. Findings also highlight gaps in knowledge about the profession that may deter students. The session will present key insights, student recommendations from a survey sample of approximately 2,000 students for strengthening the teacher pipeline, and how the First Ring Student Leadership Institute (FRSLI) engages youth in action research. Moderator: Joanne Goodell, Ph.D.

JH 3^rd Floor

Poster Presentations   

Presenter: Wenjun Wang  
Title: Bridging Barriers with Social Capital: Institutional Agents Shaping Career Trajectories of Chinese Doctoral Students in Transnational Contexts 

Presenter: Huaying Wang, PhD 
Title: How AI Supports Workforce Development: Ensuring Educators are Comfortable with Emerging Technology 

Presenter: Shunqin Li 
Title: Navigating Cell Phone Policies and Second Language Learning: A Multilevel Policy Analysis of U.S. Educational Systems and Instructional Equity

JH 2^nd Floor Corridor 

JH 192 

Doctoral Student Poster Presentations 

CSU Teach Induction Ceremony 

Dr. Molly Buckley 

Gallery Style 

The Doctoral Studies Research Session will highlight the exceptional work of our doctoral students, showcasing a variety of research projects and dissertation updates from the past year. This annual event, now part of our Partnership Conference, provides an opportunity to connect, learn, and celebrate the academic achievements of our vibrant scholarly community. 

Let’s congratulate and induct the students who have completed the requirements to receive licensure as teacher educators! In this award ceremony, we will honor the graduates who will soon enter the teaching profession and positively impact secondary education.