Professional Preparation Board

April 14, 2026
7:30-9:00 a.m.

Following are summary notes and presentations from the April 14th PPB meeting.

The Building Blocks of Learner Agency (Pam Betten, Chief Academic Officer, Sunnyside Unified School District, and 5 student ambassadors)

During April's meeting, the PPB was treated to a 30-minute conversation with an inspiring panel of past and present students from Desert View High School in the Sunnyside Unified School District.  Students spoke about the impact on their learning of a concerted effort from their teachers to develop learner agency through voice and choice.  When students were invited into the structure of their own education, content became more relevant and motivation to learn increased significantly.  One high-achieving student commented that it wasn't her intellect that benefitted as much as her self-confidence as a learner that grew and allowed her to master the challenging AP material.  Other panelists who have been enrolled in the UA for the past two years noted that they  struggle now, sometimes, with the hierarchical nature of post-secondary education. After learning how to become agentic in their learning, they sometimes feel the old frustration returning when they are required to sit through lectures with no clear relevance to their academic goals.

Lastly, the students encouraged their audience  to always remember that students have answers already inside them and they greatly appreciate teachers who draw those answers out rather than simply providing their own, solitary answer in isolation.  For that, they received a round of applause!

Youth Participatory Action Research (Dr. Melanie Bertrand, Associate Professor, and Dr. Julio Cammarota, Professor, College of Education, University of Arizona)

These professors shared their work with students using YPAR, which invites students to identify problems and challenges, develop their own research questions, and lead a community-centered research project that might focus on their neighborhood, school, family, region, etc. Students need to be engaged in what is happening that impacts their own lives, and this facilitaties engagement in learning and improves learning outcomes. Following are some remarks from the table discussion on an instance you felt disempowered in school or an instance you felt empowered in school.

• From the student panel earlier, there was a connection that a teacher will not remember a student's name, but that student will remember a teacher for the rest of their lives.
• Parents advocate for students when schools or teachers ask them to do something that is uncomfortable.

Center for the Recruitment and Retention of Math Teachers-Student Agency (Agi Post, Elementary Programming Coordinator)

• The group was led in an effective mathematics learning exercise that took into account techniques to reduce math anxiety and engage ALL students in the exploration and learning process.
• We learned how student agency in mathematics is affected by:
  • the type of tasks we choose
  • the classroom culture and lesson structure
  • the opportunity for student goal setting and reflection
• Every Kindergarten through 12th grade math class has the potential to provide a math journey full of joy for students the way you experienced it during our time together.
• Teachers need support and specific training on how to accomplish this goal. Please use your circle of influence to promote and incentivize teacher participation in our many programs that transform math education one classroom at a time: https://crr.math.arizona.edu/

February 10, 2026
7:30 - 9:00 a.m. 
PPB SY26 Agenda - 2.10.26

• Dr. Jessica Summers, Department Head;  Dr. Kat Cheng, Assistant Professor; Dr. Adriana Cimetta, Associate Research Professor; and Dr. Brandy Perkyl, Professor of Practice, from the UA COE Department of Educational Psychology presented on Data Literacy in Education
• Dr. Melissa Hernandez, Associate Vice President, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona; Amber Schlak, Program Director, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona; and Kristin Reidy, Assistant Superintendent, Marana Unified School District, presented on Cradle to Career Partnerships

January 13, 2026
7:30 - 9 :00 a.m. 
PPB SY26 Agenda - 1.13.26

• Sean Ross, Executive Director, Arizona State Board of Education, presented on accountability and state assessments
• Jamie Wilbur, Deputy Associate Superintendent, Arizona Department of Education, presented on how to use the Arizona Teacher Attrition and Retention dashboard

December 9, 2025 
7:30 - 9:00 a.m. 
PPB SY26 Agenda – 12.9.25

• Rebecca Beebe, Director of Governmental Affairs, Arizona School Administrators, presented legislative updates
• Anthony Mollaneda, CEO and Co-Founder, Global Ed Solutions, presented changes to the H1B visa program and the global recruitment of teachers

November 4, 2025
7:30 - 9:00 a.m. 
PPB SY26 Agenda - 11.4.25

• Jay Johnson, President, Arizona Council for Exceptional Children, presented on Teacher Workforce Development
• Marcy Wood, Professor, and Maria Orozco, Assistant Professor of Practice, Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies, presented on Pathways to Teaching Program
• Raul Gonzalez, Director, Tucson Regional Educator Collaborative, presented on TREC partnerships between UA COE, school districts, and community organizations 

September 9, 2025
7:30 - 9:00 a.m.
PPB SY26 Agenda – 9.2.25

• Digital Innovation and Learning Lab (DIALL), Room 104
  • DIALL Handout
• Center for Recruitment & Retention of Mathematics Teachers (CRR)
  • Center for Recruitment & Retention of Mathematics Teachers Presentation
  • CRR Services and Free Tutoring Flyer
  • CRR Game Night Flyer
  • Math Tutoring Services Flyer
• Educational Leadership and Policy (EDLP) Degrees
  • EDLP Presentation
  • 3x5 Department Info Cards EDL ED.D.
  • 3x5 Department Info Cards EDLP PhD
  • M.Ed. Distance Campus Informational Meeting Flyer
  • EDL M.Ed. Distance Campus Brochure
  • M.Ed. Distance Only Flyer