NEWS

Bloomington, IN— Dr. Christopher Emdin, an assistant professor of science education at Teachers College, Columbia University, is the winner of the 2008 PDK International Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award for his in-depth research on approaches to increase student motivation, involvement and achievement in science education within urban schools. PDK International is a global association of education professionals. An esteemed panel of education researchers reviewed the 40 submissions from around the world and judged Dr. Emdin’s dissertation to be the clear winner.

Seeking to break the link between low achievement and students of color in urban schools, Dr. Emdin enlisted students in a Bronx high school science class in researching how the school experience of students in their class affected how well they learned and in developing strategies to improve teaching and learning in the class. The students did this through careful observation and discussion. The study demonstrated that the students who were engaged in the process increased their class participation and improved their scores on class exams and on state-mandated exams. Dr. Emdin’s research also found that the students in the study went beyond the walls of their science classroom to look for ways to improve the entire school.

Dr. Emdin will receive $5,000, and a summary of his dissertation will be published in the June 2008 issue of Kappan, the nation’s leading journal on education policy and practice.

“I am absolutely humbled by it all,” says Dr. Emdin. “In the years to come, I will continue to pursue research that impacts the lives of those who have been marginalized from achievement in science and education. PDK is an arena that people who are interested in making a difference in the lives of teachers, students, and researchers can truly call home.”

The PDK Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award is designed to further research on education as part of the organization’s work to ensure high-quality schooling for all. The award is given for the dissertation written by a PDK member in the previous year that best meets the criteria of sound scholarship that holds promise for the improvement of education. The panel of reviewers comprised Vernon C. Polite, dean of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University; Julie Underwood, dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Lynne Weisenbach, dean of the School of Education at the University of Indianapolis; and Casey Graham Brown, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at Texas A&M University-Commerce.

“Research—discovering new and better ways for teachers to teach and students to learn—is central to PDK’s longstanding mission,” says PDK Executive Director William Bushaw. “This year, we are honored to highlight the important research accomplished by Dr. Emdin. In a marvelously creative approach, Dr. Emdin’s study identifies strategies for improving the level of engagement and achievement of students within urban schools, and I can't think of a more compelling topic.”

On Thursday, April 17th, from 3-5 p.m., Teachers College will host a special ceremony for Dr. Emdin at which he will be officially recognized and receive a $5,000 check from PDK Educational Foundation Board of Governors member Frank Nappi, Jr. Following opening remarks by Susan Fuhrman and Tom James, president and provost of Teachers College, Dr. Emdin will give a talk based on his dissertation, with help from a group of his former students at New York City's Marie Curie High School who participated in the project. The focus will be on using co-teaching and dialogue to make urban high school science classrooms more "cosmopolitan" places that use student diversity as a strength. Two invited respondents, Janice Koch, professor of science education at Hofstra University, and Kenneth Tobin, Presidential Professor at The Graduate Center CUNY, will then speak. 

 The event at Teachers College will take place in Milbank Chapel, located in the College's Zankel Hall, at 525 West 120th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.