EDUCATIONAL POLICY & LEADERSHIP STUDIES

• Bartlett Verdict - Education an Important Profession
• Sanders Named Book Review Editor

Bartlett Verdict - Education an Important Profession

Barlett will continue advocating for students after his retirement.

After more than two decades of service, Professor Larry Bartlett is retiring. Bartlett joined the faculty in 1985. His research has focused on legal aspects of student discipline, students’ rights and responsibilities, and special education law. He regularly teaches “Legal Aspects of School Personnel” and “Administration of Students with Special Needs.”

Prior to coming to the UI, Bartlett worked for the Omaha public schools as a social studies teacher and department chair. He left his teaching post to attend law school at the University of Nebraska and earned his juris doctorate. He then worked as a legal consultant to the Iowa Department of Public Instruction. But he was called back to the classroom.

“When I went to law school, I actually missed teaching my high school students,” he said.

So Bartlett earned his Ph.D. in Education Administration at Iowa State University for a new career in academia. 

Bartlett said his time at the UI has been “even more fun” than he imagined and he still enjoys working with students.

“When I see a student, who has struggled with a concept, show that they understand by the look on their face or in their eyes—that’s always a good feeling for me,” he said.

In addition to his work in the College, Bartlett also serves as an administrative law judge for special education disputes in Iowa as well as for the Bureau of Indian Education in the western part of the United States.

Associate Dean Susan Lagos Lavenz said working with Bartlett has been “enlightening” and “rewarding.”

“Larry brings a wealth of information from the field of law with his passion for students with special needs,” she said. “He has a talent for recognizing the strengths others can bring. He’s quick to engage practitioners into the work he does. He also has the ability to incorporate research with practice.”

Bartlett will officially retire in June. He plans to continue his administrative law judge work and working for student rights as a volunteer lobbyist on issues related to education.
                He said he’s proud to have spent his career in education, which he describes as an “important and good profession.”

Sanders Named Book Review Editor Sanders (R) and her graduate assistants consider educ. history books for review. The University of Iowa College of Education is now the hub of book reviews in the field of the history of education. Associate Professor Katrina Sanders and two graduate assistants, Michael Hevel and DeeAnn Grove took over this summer as editor of book reviews and editorial assistants for the History of Education Quarterly, a publication of the History of Education Society and the premier publication in the field. Sanders said she’s pleased her team can take on the important role of choosing books to be reviewed and finding reviewers for each book. Since August, the team has selected and sent out 60 books for review. “I believe this speaks to the success Iowa is having in producing historians. We’re growing a solid program,” Sanders said. Sanders said she’s also pleased that the position allows Hevel and Grove to make important connections in their field. “It highlights our students,” Sanders said. Hevel, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education and is interested in the history of college student life, said he and Grove are gaining a lot through their assistantships. “Being an editorial assistant provides us with editing experience, both improving our writing skills and making us familiar with the editorial roles within academic journals,” he said. “It also helps us to network with fellow historians of education and makes us aware of the most recent history of education scholarship.” Grove is working toward her Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education is interested in the history of equity issues in K-12 education. She said the work is inspiring. “As a graduate student, it is a great experience to be able to work directly in my field with people who share my passion for it,” she said. Sanders will serve as book reviews editor for the journal until 2013.