The Weekly Recap

News and Updates from Across BU Wheelock SPACE This Week

Welcome to this week’s recap! This week we provide details on faculty engagement, highlight news mentions, and share recently published research and upcoming events.

Community Updates

• Statewide Graduation Survey: Help shape the future of high school graduation in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts K-12 Statewide Graduation Council, convened by Governor Healey, is exploring what it means for students to graduate ready for college, careers, and civic life, and they want to hear from you. Take this quick 7–10 minute survey by June 30 to share your input and help shape statewide graduation requirements.

Out and About

• Greater Boston Chamber: Irene Dennison (Assoc. Director, SPACE), Cara Mattaliano (Asst. Director, SPACE), and eight additional members of the BU team attended the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Network Fireside Chat featuring BU President Melissa Gilliam. In conversation with Rachel Felix, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Boston Medical Center Health System, President Gilliam reflected on her path to medicine and higher education leadership, and shared her vision and priorities for the future of Boston University.

In the News

• Head Start Alum Says Parents of Young Children Should Ask for Help, Black Press USA, (Assoc. Professor Anthony Jack featured), June 16, 2025.

New Books

• Case Studies of Effective Teaching: Elevating Clinical Practice in Mathematics Education: Cases That Showcase Teaching Practices in Action (two cases authored by Asst. Professor Meghan Shaughnessy)

  • Elevating clinical practice in mathematics education can play a major role in preparing effective math teachers. Today, clinical practice includes three main groups: (1) traditional undergraduates in teacher preparation programs, (2) post-baccalaureate individuals earning their first teaching license after earning a degree in another field, and (3) teacher residents who are working full-time in classrooms while earning their license. This book shares case studies from all three groups, highlighting how a combination of hands-on teaching experience and coursework can successfully prepare future math teachers. BU Wheelock Asst. Professor Meghan Shaughnessy authored the following chapters:

    • Chapter 4: Facilitate Meaningful Mathematical Discourse; Case 1: Using Student Contributions to Build Collective Understanding: A Case of Using Coached Rehearsals to Learn to Conclude Mathematics Discussions

    • Chapter 8: Elicit and Use Evidence of Student Learning; Case 7: Using Teaching Simulations to Launch Work on Eliciting and Interpreting Student Thinking

Research That Matters

• Global Religious Development in Childhood: Working across religions, cultures, settings, and development: Protocol for Wave 2 data collection with children and parents by the Developing Belief Network (co-authored by Professor Kathleen Corriveau)

  • The Developing Belief Network is a global research collaboration examining how children develop religious beliefs across diverse cultural settings. This manuscript outlines the study protocol for the network’s second wave of data collection, which uses a multi-time point design to explore the development of religious cognition and behavior in children aged 5–13. The study includes eight tasks for children and a caregiver survey, addressing three key questions: (1) How do children understand and reason about religious and supernatural agents? (2) How do they view religion as part of social identity? (3) How are religious beliefs transmitted across generations? Data is being collected across 41 cultural-religious settings in 16 countries and 12 languages. The manuscript details how protocols were adapted for different communities, including Arabic- and English-language materials for children in Lebanon raised in the Druze, Maronite, Orthodox Christian, Shia, or Sunni traditions. The authors conclude with reflections on the complexities of large-scale, cross-cultural research and offer guidance for future studies.

Important Updates in US Higher Education

• US resumes visas for foreign students but demands access to social media accounts

• Judge rules some NIH grant cuts illegal, saying he’s never seen such discrimination in 40 years.

Upcoming Events

• Summer 2025 Soccer Unity Cup – The Soccer Unity Project is seeking volunteers for this summer’s tournament, July 19–August 9 at Carter Playground. Support community, sport, and connection—sign up today and learn more here.

  📅 Date: July 19th- August 9th, 2025
  📍Carter Playground, Northeastern University