Collaboration is the core of building for the future. Preparing the next generation for success starts with a strong community working together.

That’s exactly what you’ll find on display from 1:00 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Friday, May 2, as the new School of Education and Counseling (SEC) in the Cleveland State University (CSU) Levin College of Public Affairs and Education presents The Power of Partnerships: Anchoring Hope Through Research and Innovation conference in the Julka Hall Atrium (2485 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115).

“We’re excited to showcase and celebrate all the opportunities that are available to our students and community partners,” said Master of Urban Secondary Teaching (MUST) Program Coordinator Dr. Marketa Fuller-President, whose initiative brought this partnership conference to fruition. “Levin leadership was fully supportive of this inaugural launch of the SEC. We’ve received phenomenal guidance and support from Levin Dean Dr. Jill Gordon, SEC Director Dr. Joanne Goodell, and SEC Associate Director Dr. Tawanda Greer-Medley to ensure this initiative became reality.” 

The Power of Partnerships conference is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served, but attendees will find a buffet of SEC presentations highlighting innovative research, clinical collaborations, and community-based projects. 

Campus International School (CIS), an International Baccalaureate (IB) school developed by CSU and Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), will highlight its K-8 partnership with Visiting Professor of Practice, P-5 Education, and CIS Faculty in Residence Sharon Swan presenting with CIS fifth-grade teacher Cindy Berkland an art exhibit celebrating Spanish language and culture with an all-day display. Director for the Center of Urban Education and Associate Professor Dr. Adam Voight, and Associate Professor Dr. Molly Buckley-Marudas will present Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) with high school students. 

Associate Professor Dr. Katie Clonan-Roy will be presenting the YPAR research from her work with the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland. Director of the Community Learning Center for Children and Youth and Associate Professor Dr. Amanda Yurick will host an open session at the Community Learning Center Verizon Community Forward Classroom. Dr. Claire Hughes, Professor and Coordinator of Special Education, Gifted Education and Twice-Exceptional Programs, will host a virtual panel of partners in gifted and twice-exceptional education and share insights and strategies for teacher preparation, service improvement, and collaboration through online instruction and in-person engagement. 

The Power of Partnerships conference will also see multiple group poster presentations from the MUST and the Urban Education Ph.D. programs. 

“We hope this event will generate excitement and shared learning in methodologies, theories, and practices employed in our partnerships with schools, community organizations and other agencies,” said SEC Interim Associate Director and Professor Dr. Anne Galletta, who also noted the instrumental role MUST graduate assistant Tatianna Nikitina played in planning the conference. 

2025 Ohio Teacher of the Year Daneé Pinckney will be the keynote speaker. Pinckney, an English Language Arts teacher at Twinsburg High School, will address the power of partnerships in the K-12 learning space as well as her experience as an educator and how partnerships enriched her work. 

“We hope this conference highlights the significance of partnerships to connect and impact students and spaces locally and globally," added Dr. Marketa Fuller-President.