Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education

Four new majors will be offered to Elon University students starting in the fall. Early childhood education is an addition to the School of Education’s programs; information science replaces the current computer information systems major in the Department of Computing Sciences; and public health studies, and arts administration, are both interdisciplinary majors within Elon College, the College of Arts and Sciences.

A husband-and-wife research team discussed with an Elon University audience Wednesday night their work on a type of education reform that shows promise for elementary school students who need more help with reading and math concepts than is typically offered in the traditional classroom.

Janice Richardson, an associate professor of mathematics, served on the Campbell University Teaching Fellows Evaluation Team from April 6-8, 2011, in Buies Creek, N.C.

Rebecca Johnson Mastin '93, principal of Mulberry Elementary School in Wilkes County, N.C., received the county's principal of the year award on March 28. Mastin will now compete with principals of the year from more than 20 school systems in northwestern North Carolina for regional principal of the year.

Iris Versmissen '10 was recently awarded the North Carolina Science Teachers Association Outstanding Elementary School Student Teacher of the Year Award. Versmissen was an elementary education Teaching Fellow with a Spanish minor.

Mike Berenstain is not “Brother Bear,” a character from the Berenstain Bears children’s book series created by his parents. As Berenstain likes to joke, having an older sibling makes him “Sister Bear.” It was that kind of humor that marked Berenstain’s visit this week to Elon University, where he told stories of his parents, Stan and Jan, while sharing with his audiences what the future holds for the furry family from Bear Country.

Author and illustrator Mike Berenstain, whose parents, Stan and Jan, created the iconic children's literature series The Berenstain Bears, visits Elon this week for a public lecture that will explore the importance of early literacy and the art of writing and editing for children.

Elon University’s Teaching Fellows hosted a panel discussion on March 10 where past students shared their professional pathways and explained how they had achieved their places of leadership.

Assistant professor Jean Rattigan-Rohr made a trip this month to Portland, Ore., to observe Concordia University’s replication of a research project she developed at Elon University.