The Weekly Recap
News and Updates from Across BU Wheelock SPACE This Week
Welcome to this week’s recap! This week we share community updates and provide details on recent faculty engagement, research, and academic conferences and share upcoming events.
Out and About
Council for Great City Schools (CGCS): Irene Dennison (Assoc. Director, BU/BPS Partnerships) attended the Council for Great City Schools (CGCS) annual conference in Philadelphia. The CGCS is a coalition of 75 of the nation’s largest urban public school systems dedicated to the improvement of education for children in the inner cities. Irene joined Boston Public Schools (BPS) leaders, including Superintendent Mary Skipper, Development Officer for Strategy, Partnerships, and Innovation Anne Clark, Senior Advisor of Specialized Services Christine Trevisone, and Boston School Committee Chair Jeri Robinson, representing BPS at the conference.
Boston PIC Employer Network Meeting: Mary Churchill (Assoc. Dean, BU Wheelock) and Cara Mattaliano (Asst. Director, SPACE) attended the Boston PIC (Private Industry Council) Employer Network Meeting. The event featured remarks from Neil Sullivan, who is stepping down as Executive Director after 33 years, and Michael O’Neill, Boston School Committee member and incoming Executive Director. Speakers also included Allison Vernerey from the City of Boston Youth Employment and Opportunity; Josh Bruno, Director of Employer Engagement at Boston PIC; Joseph McLaughlin, Director of Research, Strategy, and Operations at Boston PIC; Megan Reed, Erin Jacques, and Beverly Pierce from Boston Public Schools; and Jennifer Poulos from EdVestors.
Faculty Engagement
Trotter Students at BU: To kick off Massachusetts STEM week, BU Wheelock welcomed nearly 60 William Monroe Trotter School fifth and sixth graders for a full day of hands-on learning and exploration. The event—organized by TJ McKenna (Clinical Asst. Professor, BU Wheelock) in partnership with BU Government & Community Affairs and the Trotter School—immersed students in activities ranging from turning fruits into musical instruments to engaging conversations about AI and emotions with PhD students at the College of Engineering. They also toured BU’s innovation spaces, including the Boston University Engineering Product Innovation Center and the Center for Computing and Data Sciences, and received mentorship from undergraduate students at Warren Towers on college life.
Academic Conferences
Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Annual Conference: Nearly 20 faculty and students from BU’s Sport Psychology program attended the 2025 Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) Annual Conference in Montréal. AASP is the world’s largest annual gathering of sport psychology professionals, bringing together applied practitioners who work with professional and elite athletes, as well as collegiate, high school, and youth athletes, and individuals in tactical and other performance-based fields.
Research That Matters
Culturally Sustaining Family Engagement: Las Charlas: A case study of culturally sustaining family engagement (co-authored by Professor Yasko Kanno)
This article explores a year-long qualitative case study of a culturally sustaining family engagement initiative designed for Latino immigrant families of secondary school students. Led by four female educators of color, the study found that culturally sustaining approaches strengthened family participation and collaboration, while more traditional models often limited these opportunities. The authors highlight how contextual factors shaped efforts toward equitable family engagement, resulting in a “tough love” approach that blended culturally sustaining and traditional practices. The article ultimately calls for moving away from family engagement strategies that aim to “fix” Latino immigrant families, urging instead approaches that honor and build on families’ cultural strengths.
Upcoming Events
EdVestors School on the Move: Each fall, the EdVestors School on the Move Prize Ceremony honors the most notable school-wide improvement efforts within Boston Public Schools. The event awards a $100,000 prize to one BPS school that has demonstrated exceptional progress. This year’s 20th annual School on the Move Prize finalists are: Dante Alighieri Montessori School, Bradley Elementary School, and UP Academy Dorchester. Register here by 10/30.
📅 Date: Thursday, November 13, 2025
🕒 Time: 8:00 AM EST
📍 521 Overlook at Fenway Park, 4 Jersey Street Boston, MA 02215