Alumni Spotlight

Ronald S. Feingold College of Education Class of 1966

As you must know by now, UA College of Education graduates end up with some of the most amazing careers. Check out our health and physical education authority…

A world-renowned expert on physical education, Ronald S. Feingold — College of Education Class of 1966 (M.Ed. in P.E.) — has spearheaded leading national and international professional organizations and was a lead writer for the New York State Education Department’s current standards in health and physical education. He was appointed dean for Adelphi University School of Education last spring and continues to serve as chair of the Department of Health Studies, Physical Education, and Human Performance Science, a position he has held since 1974.

As president of the Association Internationale des Ecoles Superieures d’Education Physique and executive board member of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education, he helped establish a World Summit on Physical Activity for children held in Berlin in 1999 and was on the organizing committee for the Pre-Olympic Congress in Greece. In 2003, he met with representatives from more than 100 countries in Paris at the UNESCO headquarters as a participant in the World Summit on The Value of Sport for Children.

Feingold continues to be active at the national level, as well. He is a principal investigator assessing the effectiveness of Physical Best, a national fitness education curriculum, and is spearheading a national recognition program connecting schools to the community.

Often sought after for his expertise, Feingold has given more 70 presentations across the globe and has produced over 30 publications and six monographs. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico, an M.Ed. from the University of Arizona, and a B.S. from the University of Illinois.

Leveling the Reading Field

Imagine that you’re a seventh-grader, interested in soccer, video games, and movies. You’re having trouble with reading, so you’re directed to a part of the library that has books you understand. The problem is, these books are not at the seventh-grade reading level — books like “If You Give a Pig a Pancake,” “Miss Spider’s Tea Party,” and “Clifford the Big Red Dog.” There’s not much of a chance that those will get you interested in reading.

The Reading Seed Center (RSC) Literacy Library helps bridge the gap that keeps many of our children from learning to read. Books called “leveled readers” or “low-level, high-interest” books are written specifically for children reading below grade level. They are about topics that interest older kids, but written in words and language that slow readers can understand. Few local school libraries have these books because they are expensive and not typically mass-produced.

A partnership between the University of Arizona College of Education, Qwest Foundation, and Rotary Club of Tucson is providing significant support for technical development and staffing of the Reading Seed Literacy Library’s first-year operations.

“The goal of the RSC Literacy Library is to help bridge the gap that keeps many of our children from learning to read,” said Roger Harwell, president of the Rotary Club of Tucson.

The Reading Seed Center, located in space donated by Goodwill Industries at 1920 E. Silverlake, Suite 207, houses the Reading Seed Coaching program and the Reading Seed Literacy Library, filled with leveled reading books, available to area teachers, mentors, parents, and librarians. A searchable online database allows teachers and mentors to search for books that might appeal to children they’re working with.

Since August 2004, more than 800 new reading coaches have been trained and assigned to 102 elementary schools in nine school districts throughout Pima County. The goal is to add an additional 2,000 coaches in the next four years.

“When statistics show us that 50 percent of Pima County high school students read below grade level, we must take steps before they reach the college level,” said College of Education Dean Ronald W. Marx. “This is a worthwhile step in changing that statistic.”

The college has provided an array of services to the program including techniques for tutor development, preparation of training materials, advice on the selection and ordering of books, database management and cataloging of books, library administration, and a pilot assessment of program effectiveness and student progress.

For more information on the Reading Seed Center, please visit www.readingseed.org.

And Opening on Valentine's Day...

The College of Education, Qwest Foundation, and Rotary Club of Tucson hosted the opening of The Literacy Library on Valentine’s Day at the Reading Seed Center, 1920 E. Silverlake, Suite 207.

Acclaimed Arizona author and illustrator, Joan Sandin, was on hand for a book signing. Sandin is best known for her book, "Coyote School News,” which Governor Janet Napolitano gave to 84,000 fourth-graders. You might recall that she was one our featured guests during the College of Education Homecoming festivities in November.

Alumnus of the Year

Vicki Balentine, our Alumna of the Year (shining brightly in the blue), is flanked by Dean Ron Marx, UA Alumni Association President Kay Brown, and UA President Peter Likins

The UA Alumni Association held its biennial recognition program, The Alumnus of the Year Awards Ceremony, which honors an alumnus or alumna from each UA college on Saturday, February 11. We are thrilled to announce that Vicki Balentine is our Alumna of the Year.

A powerful advocate for K-12 education, Balentine is a trusted partner in advancing the mission of the University of Arizona and the UA College of Education, where she is an adjunct professor in the educational leadership program.

Balentine holds three degrees from the College of Education, including a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s degree in reading, and a doctorate degree in education, with an emphasis in reading and educational administration.

She has worked in education her entire career, encompassing all facets, and her work in the community makes her a leader in decision-making for Arizona’s children.

Before she was named superintendent of the Amphitheater School District in 2000, Vicki worked for Tucson Unified School District as a curriculum specialist and reading resource teacher and a community services liaison, and she was the principal of Sam Hughes and Davidson elementary schools.

According to Balentine, “My relationship with the University of Arizona and the College of Education has served me well both as a catalyst and a guiding force in my chosen profession. The knowledge that the University continues to positively impact our collective future as it prepares a new generation of public school teachers and administrators is deeply gratifying to all of us who are dedicated to the lofty mission of educating our youth.”

More Alumni News

William A. “Bill” Estes Jr. and Carl “Scooter” Lopez were recently inducted into the Tucson High School Badger Foundation Hall of Fame. (The Badger Foundation promotes the educational and cultural activities of the students and alumni and encourages and supports Tucson High School students to graduate.) Lopez is a College of Education alum and served on the college’s Advisory Board from 2003 to 2004. Estes joined the Advisory Board in September.

Sad News

A longtime friend of the College of Education passed away February 1. Esther Beato Cuesta was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1918. She received her doctorate of education from the University of Havana in 1949. Along with her five brothers and sisters, she opened a college preparatory school, where she taught until she immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 with her husband and children. She taught herself how to speak English and, in 1970, she became a U.S. citizen and also received a bachelor’s degree from the UA College of Education. She taught Spanish at Treehaven and Whitmore Elementary Schools and Pima Community College, and she gave private Spanish lessons to countless professionals. In 1965, she founded the Sociedad Cubana de Tucson and, in 1981, she was ordained as a minister at United Fellowship Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Regulo Cuesta Memorial Scholarship, established by Esther and her late husband for Hispanic students studying at the College of Education. For more information, please contact Nina Daldrup at 621-7143 or ekd@u.arizona.edu.

Award Program for Teachers

An award program offered through ING DIRECT will recognize teachers committed to financial education in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Arizona. Winning teachers will receive $1,500 to further their professional development, while the schools where the winners teach will be awarded $1,000 for financial literacy programming.

The self-nomination process includes completing an online application, including a 1,000-word essay explaining why the applicant and his/her school are deserving of the award. Nominations will be accepted between February 1, 2006, and May 31, 2006, on the Planet Orange Financial Literacy Awards Web site, orangekids.com/awards.

A panel of independent judges will review all applications and select the top five candidates from each state. The ING DIRECT Financial Literacy Committee, consisting of teachers, education administrators, local officials and/or representatives of financial literacy organizations, will then determine the six winners, to be announced in September 2006.

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