Steve Mertens, Department of Curriculum & Instruction
Project explores challenges of middle school teaching.
The work of Steve Mertens within the Department of Curriculum and Instruction has been recognized by the University. He was chosen as the recipient of the 2010 Outstanding Research Initiative Award, which recognizes faculty who have demonstrated excellence in research early on in their careers.
Mertens is engaged in research that probes a growing problem for middle level teachers in the wake of financial cutbacks: the diminishing opportunities for common planning time. Mertens and his colleagues explicate the inherent need for, and the positive impact of, consistent common planning time among coeducators.
“In many school districts across the country common planning time is perceived as a privilege or luxury and not as a necessary component of middle grades education,” Mertens said.
The full article is titled “Common Planning Time” and is available in the Middle School Journal.
