July 10, 2012

Professor emerita awarded for civic service

Carol Smith Witherell, professor emerita of education, was recently awarded for outstanding service to the Portland City Club, the city’s premier civics organization.

Carol Smith Witherell, professor emerita of education, was recently awarded for outstanding service to the Portland City Club, the city’s premier civics organization. The award was given in recognition of her work as co-chair of a series of forums titled “Schools Making a Difference: Portraits of Excellence, Engagement, and Equity.” The series included portraits of successful, innovative schools and classrooms from around the world, including the greater Portland region, Finland, China, and India. The thread that connects the different education models found in these countries is student excitement about learning and active engagement in team-based, real-world projects—which are often extended into the broader community, with frequent use of technology and the arts across the curriculum. The forum included discussions with local educators and students about how their schools might serve as models that could be “scaled up” in educational reform efforts.