The Four Centers at the Warner School of Education
The Four Centers at the Warner School of Education
Pursuing Equity and Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Research
A Warner education changes lives.
Being a teacher, administrator, school counselor, or researcher requires flexibility to adapt to a rapidly changing world and evolving educational systems. It also requires the skills and attributes that can inspire others and improve lives—from children and teens to adult learners returning to the learning environment.
The Warner School provides students with opportunities to become exceptional leaders in education. Four centers are at the heart of Warner’s work. Rooted in a commitment to equity and excellence, these centers are pioneering new approaches to urban education, learning in the digital age, professional training and program evaluation, and supporting all students at every stage of their education.
Four centers are at the heart of our work.
Warner’s centers are focused on promoting change that significantly improves education and supports positive human development.
CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION SUCCESS (CUES)
Shaun Nelms, Superintendent of the East High Education Partnership Organization and the William & Sheila Konar Director of CUES
Grounded in the University’s partnership with East High School, CUES documents, researches, and broadly shares how it is successfully reimagining K-12 urban education, which serves as a model for school improvement nationwide.
CENTER FOR DISABILITY AND EDUCATION (CDE)
Martha Mock, Director
CDE helps people navigate the world of disability by providing expertise, guidance, and linkage to community members, students, families, school districts, non-profit agencies, and higher education institutions.
CENTER FOR LEARNING IN THE DIGITAL AGE (LiDA)
Raffaella Borasi, Director and the Frederica Warner Professor
The LiDA Center helps educators leverage digital technologies to enhance learning and development through a combination of research projects, program offerings, networking opportunities, and services.
CENTER FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION REFORM
Cynthia Callard, Executive Director
The center partners with organizations and institutions to improve educational practices and policies through professional learning, leadership development, and program evaluation.
Stories of impact.
Warner’s four centers are dedicated to community engagement, scholarship, advocacy, and leadership. The centers partner with schools and organizations to help make them—and the lives of those they serve—better.
A restorative approach to urban education is one key factor in East’s success—an approach documented and embraced by CUES that focuses on improving relationships by fostering a responsive and compassionate environment. “If we show kids we care, they learn better and they are happier,” says Michelle Garcia, a social worker in East’s Lower School. Glerizbeth “Beth” Sanchez, a senior scholar in East’s Upper School, agrees and underscores how it helps students like her learn.
The Transition Opportunities at the University of Rochester (TOUR) program started as a partnership between CDE, the College’s Rochester Center for Community Leadership, and Monroe #1 BOCES. TOUR makes inclusive college experiences possible for 18–21-year olds with intellectual disabilities. As an academic coach with the program, Shareef Alwarasneh ’19 has seen how valuable this experience can be for all involved. “Coaching teaches compassion and shows what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes.”
Nick Lind ’14W (MS) holds an advanced certificate in digitally-rich teaching from Warner and the LiDA Center. He incorporates technology into his lesson plans to help his students grasp concepts and get excited about learning. “With a technology-based lesson, I can put a student in an augmented or virtual reality setting where they could be in a historic place or on a battlefield. They experience learning in a new and very rich way.”
Gladys Cruz—the first Latina district superintendent for Questar III, an Albany-area BOCES program—credits the Center for Professional Development and Education Reform for helping her and her staff maximize their effectiveness as educational leaders. “For me and my teams, this coaching has been invaluable,” says Cruz. “The objective feedback we get helps us all thoughtfully address a variety of challenging situations and conversations.”
Will you join us?
Collectively, Warner’s four centers are creating new solutions to educational problems that—through research and professional preparation—can be applied nationally to help our young people, families, and communities thrive. With your support, Warner can make an even greater impact. Philanthropy helps us:
- Increase students’ success by providing scholarships to educators—including teachers, counselors, and school leaders—to engage in new experiences and gain new skills.
- Expand the scope and outcomes of Warner’s work by funding fellowships to enable faculty, doctoral students, and experienced educators to further their work.
- Ensure the continuity of key Warner initiatives by providing faculty and programmatic support, including the permanent funding of each center, directorships, and community engagement positions.
For more information
Preston Faulkner
Senior Director, Warner Advancement
(585) 276-3636 | pfaulkner@warner.rochester.edu