Laurier expert alert: Back to school

Aug. 28, 2019
For Immediate Release

Waterloo – Ontario elementary and secondary school students return to class on Tuesday, Sept. 3. University and college students also return to class next week. Classes at Wilfrid Laurier University begin on Thursday, Sept. 5.

Laurier has several experts available to speak about topics related to returning to school.

Maria Cantalini-Williams, dean of the Faculty of Education, is an expert on innovation in education, collaborative inquiry, early childhood education, international placements and work-integrated learning models. She has been involved in a Rideau Hall Foundation initiative designed to help Canadians develop innovative mindsets and skills. Outside her work in academia, she has also worked as a classroom teacher and as a program consultant with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. Contact: mcantaliniwilliams@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x2212.

Carolyn FitzGerald, assistant professor in Laurier’s Faculty of Education, is an expert in mental health in education. FitzGerald’s research focuses on ways educators can offer effective programs to support the development of inclusive classrooms for Ontario’s children and youth. FitzGerald is also the coordinator of Laurier’s Mental Health Issues in the Classroom certificate. She can be reached at cafitzgerald@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x4198. 

David Johnson is an economics professor in the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. He is an expert on the economics of education. He is available to comment on elementary school testing, the relationship between teacher pay and student performance, and whether middle schools are good for student academic achievement. Contact: djohnson@wlu.ca.

Danielle Law, associate professor in Laurier’s Youth and Children’s Studies and Psychology programs, is an expert on cyberbullying and responsible Internet use. Law’s research examines how children and adolescents develop cognitively and socio-emotionally as they interact and socialize using various technologies. Contact: dlaw@wlu.ca or 519.756.8228 x5552. Read more about her research.

Adam Lawrence, dean of students on the Brantford campus, is available to speak about Laurier’s early-alert program, designed to help faculty and staff identify students who are struggling academically, and the Care Report, where faculty, staff and students can report a concern about a student’s well-being or report if they believe a student may require elevated levels of coordinated support. Both programs are designed to facilitate the timely sharing of information and appropriate responses to situations that may impact students’ wellness, safety and experience at Laurier. Contact: alawrence@wlu.ca or 519.756.8228 x5644.

Kristiina Montero is an associate professor in the Faculty of Education and the acting associate vice-president of Teaching and Learning at Laurier. She is available to speak about some of the supports available to Laurier students, including its early-alert program and care report program, both designed to facilitate the timely sharing of information and appropriate responses to situations that may impact students’ wellness, safety and experience at Laurier. In her research, she studies the benefits of English language and literacy instruction development among adolescent refugee newcomers with low literacy. Contact: kmontero@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x3213.

Julie Mueller, associate professor and associate dean in the Faculty of Education, is an expert on digital technology and learning, as well as on physical activity and learning. She is available for comment on how technology and physical activity can enhance learning in the classroom and at home. She is also a former elementary school teacher. Contact: jmueller@wlu.ca, 519.884.0710 x2115 or 519.572.0092 (cell). Read more about her research.

Christine Neill is an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics. She is an expert on the economics of education and higher education policy in Canada, including university financing and student loan policies. She is also studying how parents’ education affects their children’s educational decisions, and how the switch to full-day kindergarten in Ontario's French language schools affected parents' work outside the home. Contact: cneill@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x2469.

Steve Sider, associate professor in the Faculty of Education, is an expert in school leadership and special education, as well as comparative and international education. He is currently studying how school principals support students with special education needs in Canada, as well as inclusive education practices in both Canada and Ghana. For the past few years, he has also been involved in the Educator and Leadership Institute, designed to build the teaching and leadership capacity in schools in Haiti. Read more about his research. Contact: ssider@wlu.ca or 519.884.0710 x2832.