CLS: Jen Newton

On Monday, July 10 at 10:30 a.m., join early-childhood educator and Ohio University Associate Professor Dr. Jen Newton for “Inclusion and Belonging in School.”

The push for inclusion in education systems can get derailed by funding streams, systemic barriers and siloed training/licensure. The systemic racism and ableism that has shaped our educational model harms so many students despite the equity and inclusion efforts underway. But, at the center, is the human and civil right for children to belong: to belong in families, to belong in community, and to belong in schools and classrooms. In this lecture, Newton will share ways we as the adults who cultivate the environment and facilitate the community can build belonging in all our spaces.

Dr. Jen Newton is an associate professor at Ohio University.  Newton’s research interests include anti-racist, anti-ableist education, early childhood inclusion and inclusive teacher preparation. She regularly presents locally, regionally and nationally on a range of inclusive educational topics.

She served as an early interventionist and an inclusive pre-kindergarten teacher prior to pursuing doctoral studies. Newton earned her doctorate in special education from the University of Kansas and spent four years as an assistant professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., then three years at Saint Louis University before finding her home at Ohio University.