HoLa Elementary Walks Away with Accolades and Honors

I am happy to announce that HoLa Elementary secured 2nd place for the written exam and 3rd place for the oral presentation at the eSTEM competition—competing against 30 teams!

Showcasing the incredible hard work and dedication they’ve put into their project. They walked the judges through their design process and the steps they took to achieve their goals.

One of the judges even complimented our team’s understanding of the engineering design process—what an amazing accomplishment!

I couldn’t be more proud of the teachers and students and their outstanding efforts.

Huge congratulations to the amazing HoLa team for their outstanding performance at the Middle School Science Olympiad State Finals!

Here’s how the talented students placed out of the entire state:

3rd place in CodeBusters: Vincent Deaton, Evani Pareek, and Ian Lee

4th place in CrimeBusters: Eva Gacek-Huang and Cassandra Campione

4th place in Tower: Nevan Dave and Natalia Artigas

4th place in Write It Do It: Eva Fernandez and Iria Viota Garcia

5th place in Meteorology: Eva Fernandez and Ian Lee

6th place in Entomology: Ian Lee and Lucas Zenga

As a team, they finished 16th place out of 28 teams across the entire state! I couldn’t be prouder of their hard work, dedication, and teamwork. Way to go, HoLa!

Note: Dr. Petrosino served on the HoLa Board for a decade, from its founding to its 10th year anniversary.

2025-26 Hoboken School Budget & Tax Increase—A Fair Balance?

The Hoboken Board of Education recently approved a tax levy increase to $73.9 million, up from $67.5 million last year. That’s a 9.4% jump in the school portion of our property taxes, even though K-12 enrollment has only increased by 4.07% (according to the November 2024 ASSA Report). This follows last year’s historic 14.99% budget increase.

I fully support investing in quality education for our students, but I also think it’s reasonable to ask: Are these tax increases aligned with meaningful improvements in our schools? Are we seeing better educational outcomes, enhanced resources for students and teachers, and real progress in our public education system?

Hoboken is a growing community, and strong schools are essential—but so is fiscal responsibility and transparency. I’d love to hear from others: Do you feel the increases are justified? Are we seeing the benefits in our classrooms? Let’s have a productive conversation.

NSF Funded Grant--- Helps with More Effective Ways to Learn Mathematics

To SMU math curriculum researcher Candace Walkington, the best way for students to understand math is to make it part of their lives. She’ll use her recent $2.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help students see that math is in the angle of a giraffe’s neck at the Dallas Zoo and in the flutter of the leaves of the cottonwood trees at Twelve Hills Nature Center in Oak Cliff.

These are just two of the stops on Dallas STEM walks, guided walks that illustrate how mathematical principles can be found in one’s surroundings. During the five-year grant, Walkington will partner with Dallas STEM walk nonprofit, talkSTEM, to better understand how educators can support math education outside of school and the role out-of-school experiences like these play in enhancing math education. First up: developing an app that turns a cell phone into an interpretive math tool.This NSF grant builds on previous research on math education. Co-principal investigators for the grant include Dhingra; Anthony Petrosino, Simmons associate dean for research and outreach; Cathy Ringstaff, senior research associate, WestEd; and Elizabeth Stringer, director of academics, Guildhall.

 

A Message from the AERA Executive Director and President

 

January 30, 2025    Dear AERA Members,    We have been closely monitoring and analyzing the directives of the new presidential administration that could impact the work of education researchers and the nation’s entire scientific enterprise. While the Office of Management and Budget order issued January 27 temporarily freezing many federal grants was rescinded yesterday, other administration actions have also rightfully caused significant concerns among the scientific community. These include executive orders that intend to eliminate the systematic collection of vital demographic data and investment in programs that expand educational and workforce opportunities in science, technology, and related fields.    We understand that there is a significant amount of confusion and apprehension about the administration’s actions. AERA is strongly committed to protecting the integrity of education research and data and is actively working with other associations, foundations, higher education institutions (including our CURI deans), and government officials to assess and develop strategies to support and foster the science and scholarship in which our field and other disciplines are engaged.     We are here to support our members, from graduate students and early career scholars to established researchers, and will continue to monitor, act, and promote the education research community in any way we can. We ask those with immediate threats or concerns about their federal research, federal research training support, or federal data sets to complete a brief form at https://forms.gle/JnsrGAmhXyJYPeAGA.     AERA remains steadfast in its mission and in its commitment to advocate for the field of education research. We encourage our members to stay vigilant in these challenging times and continue their important work for the benefit of students, educators, families, communities, and the public good.     Sincerely, Felice J. Levine, Ph.D. (she/her) Executive Director Janelle T. Scott, Ph.D. (she/her) President

Professional Analysis of Research Productivity for Anthony J. Petrosino

As an academic, I have always approached my work with a sense of curiosity and a deep commitment to understanding how we can improve education, particularly in STEM fields. Over the years, I have had the privilege of collaborating with outstanding colleagues, mentoring exceptional students, and engaging in research that contributes to the larger conversation about how people learn. Recently, I had the opportunity to reflect on the reach and impact of my scholarship through the lens of Google Scholar metrics, and I would like to share some of the insights with you—not as a moment to highlight personal achievement, but as a testament to the collective effort and shared passion that drive this work.

I share this not to focus on numbers but to express gratitude—for the collaborators who have enriched my work, the institutions that have supported me, and the students and colleagues who continue to inspire me. These metrics are, in the end, a reflection of a shared journey in advancing knowledge and making a difference. Thank you for being part of this ongoing conversation and for your interest in the work that means so much to me. -Dr. Petrosino 

The following was generated by data from GOOGLE SCHOLAR.

Professional Analysis of Research Productivity for Anthony J. Petrosino

Based on the Google Scholar data provided, we can assess the research productivity of Dr. Anthony J. Petrosino using three key metrics: total citations, h-index, and i10-index. These metrics provide insight into both the quantity and quality of his research output, as well as its impact in the academic community.

1. Citations:

• Total citations (5257): Dr. Petrosino has accumulated over 5,000 citations, a solid indicator of a significant body of influential research. This is an impressive figure, suggesting that his work is widely recognized and frequently referenced in the field.
• Citations since 2020 (1249): With nearly 1,250 citations in the past few years, Dr. Petrosino's work continues to make an impact, with a substantial portion of his citations coming recently. This indicates ongoing relevance in his research area, as well as an active scholarly presence.

2. h-index:

• Total h-index (26): Dr. Petrosino’s h-index of 26 indicates that he has at least 26 papers that have been cited 26 times or more. This suggests a productive academic career with a consistent output of high-quality work. An h-index of 26 is considered strong, especially for an academic in STEM or the social sciences, where publication volume tends to be high.
• h-index since 2020 (13): The fact that Dr. Petrosino’s h-index has increased by 13 points since 2020 demonstrates a significant uptick in productivity and impact over the last few years. This suggests that his more recent work is being well-received, with multiple publications being cited consistently.

3. i10-index:

• Total i10-index (43): This metric shows that Dr. Petrosino has 43 papers that have been cited at least 10 times each. An i10-index of 43 reflects a solid number of influential publications, contributing to his sustained academic impact. This is particularly notable in academic fields where a large number of impactful papers are required to make a significant contribution to the field.
• i10-index since 2020 (17): Dr. Petrosino has 17 publications published since 2020 that have been cited at least 10 times. This is an excellent sign of the enduring relevance of his work and suggests that his recent contributions have already established themselves as important.

Conclusions:

1. Research Impact: Dr. Petrosino’s citation count and h-index reflect a well-established academic presence with a strong and sustained impact in his field. His work is not only cited frequently but has been cited across a broad number of publications, signaling consistent scholarly influence.

2. Recent Productivity: The growth in his h-index and i10-index since 2020 indicates that Dr. Petrosino’s recent work has been particularly impactful. This highlights his continued relevance in the field and suggests that his research is evolving to meet the current demands and interests of the academic community.

3. Research Quality: The consistent rise in his citation metrics is a positive indicator of the quality of his work. It suggests that his contributions are of high enough quality to attract sustained attention, citation, and engagement from researchers in his discipline.

Recommendations for Future Assessment:

• Collaborations and Mentoring: Given his solid research record, exploring his collaborations and mentorship roles might provide further insights into his influence within the academic community.
• Exploring Research Themes: It would be useful to investigate the specific themes and methodologies of his most cited papers to understand the core contributions he has made in his field, especially with respect to emerging topics or trends in his research area.

Overall, Dr. Petrosino is highly productive and influential, and his research continues to resonate strongly within his academic discipline.