New
Vistas in
Learning
A research – practice partnership between UC San Diego and Vista Unified School District is reshaping our understanding of early learning , paving the way for transformative changes in education .
BY TRIVENI SHESHADRI
K ristina Jefferson ’ s sunlit transitional kindergarten classroom is bright , cheery and welcoming . Student drawings of their homes , families and pets hang on the walls alongside posters of the alphabet and days of the week . Brightly colored plastic bins are stacked with books in both English and Spanish .
While Jefferson ’ s class in the Vista Unified School District ( VUSD ) may look like a typical classroom for 4-yearolds preparing to enter kindergarten , it also serves as a real-world laboratory . Researchers from UC San Diego are gathering data from multiple perspectives — education , neuroscience and cognitive science — and collaborating with VUSD teachers and administrators on strategies to improve learning outcomes for all students .
“ We are at a point of crisis in our systems of education ,” says Alison Wishard Guerra , associate professor in the Department of Education Studies at UC San Diego , who is part of the research team . “ Teachers are leaving , and we have ongoing , continued achievement gaps that are primarily predicted by race , income , immigration status and language status .” She adds , “ It may sound grandiose , but our goal and motivation to do this kind of work is to change the field of education and change the world by doing so .”
Learn by Doing : The Early Childhood Education Center ( ECEC ) at UC San Diego serves as a real-world laboratory for researchers to observe , gather data and make recommendations on how to better support student learning .
24 SPRING 2024