LSU Education Students Honored
Senior Collin Crousillac and junior Lily Wolverton were recently named winners of the 2024 Exceptional Educator Awards from the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education’s Special Education Programs.
Crousillac, from Plaquemine, is the son of Lucas and Laurie Crousillac. He was named
the 2024 recipient of the Accomplished Resident in Exceptional Education Award. This
is the second year in a row in which Crousillac has been honored, as he was named
the junior award winner in 2023. Collin has accepted a special education teaching
position in the West Baton Rouge Parish Schools and will be pursuing a master’s degree
at LSU, beginning in the fall semester. He said he was drawn to the dual degree program
because he knew that in his future classrooms that he would be teaching students with
diverse learning needs and that he wanted to be effective at differentiating instruction.
He indicated that he stuck with the degree because of the relationships he forged
in it. “DUALC is more than just a program. It is a family,” he said. “I could not
have made it through without the support of both my peers and the amazing faculty.”
Wolverton is from Philadelphia, PA, and the daughter of Will and Lisa Wolverton. She was named the 2024 recipient of the Outstanding First Year Exceptional Education Student Award. She will be a senior resident in the 2024-2025 school year, assigned to a West Baton Rouge Parish school. Her love of teaching all students, including students with disabilities, was spawned by a “best” friendship with a child with Down Syndrome. “I’ve stayed in [the dual degree program] because I just have a passion for teaching and want to be as qualified as possible to teach all students.”
This is the ninth year that dual degree students have received these awards. The dual degree certification program allows students to earn grades 1-5 teaching certifications in elementary education and mild-moderate disabilities/special education. Its 100th graduate will cross the stage in the May 2024 graduation celebration.
About CHSE
The College of Human Sciences & Education (CHSE) is a nationally accredited division
of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education,
the School of Information Studies, the School of Kinesiology the School of Leadership
& Human Resource Development, and the School of Social Work. CHSE has two model demonstration
schools, the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool, enrolling birth to age
four and the University Laboratory School enrolling Kindergarten through grade 12.
The college also has four centers and institutes: the Early Childhood Education Institute,
the Healthy Aging Research Center, the Leadership Development Institute, and Social
Research & Evaluation Center. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards
in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across
the lifespan.
Visit the College of Human Sciences & Education website.
About the LSU Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education (SOE)
A school of the College of Human Sciences & Education, the SOE offers undergraduate
programs for students who want to pursue a career as a pre-kindergarten through 12th
grade teacher or acquire dual certification in both traditional elementary and special
education classrooms. In addition, SOE offers 3 graduate certificates, 17 master’s
degree program areas, 9 EdS certificate programs, and 2 PhD degrees in 11 areas of
focus. SOE’s focus is not only on preparing highly qualified teachers but
also in preparing educational leaders, curriculum studies scholars, educational technology
experts, applied researchers, higher education professionals, school counselors, and
clinical mental health counselors. SOE specializes scholarly expertise regarding pressing
educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan.
Visit the LSU Lutrill and Pearl Payne School of Education.
Latest College of Education News
- Louisiana A+ Schools Now Accepting Applications for the Fall 2025/2026 School YearLAA+ at LSU enables schools to integrate arts education into their curriculum. Learn more about this innovative arts education program and the 2025/2026 application.
- School of Education Faculty Host the Mandela Washington Fellows in New OrleansLSU was selected as an Institute Partner for the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders. The Fellows engaged with Louisianians to establish meaningful professional networks in the state. During their recent trip to New Orleans, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, a professor at the School of Education, hosted them at her home for a fish fry
- LSU Writing Project Participates in Place-Based Writing RetreatThe LSU Writing Project held its first place-based Invitational Summer Institute on Mallard Island in the Rainy Lake Watershed, north of International Falls, Minnesota. Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, director of the LSU Writing Project, received a grant from the Ernest Oberholtzer Foundation to host the week-long writing institute.
- Ellis Puts Scholarship First- $1.2M NSF Grant to Recruit and Prepare Future STEM TeachersAt the center of the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education is the desire to prepare LSU students to educate the young minds of Louisiana to ensure their future successes.Joshua Ellis, PhD, Associate Professor of Science/STEM Education in the Lutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education, is a member of an LSU faculty team that has been awarded a $1,187,387 grant from the National Science Foundation for the preparation of future STEM teachers.
- School of Education Professor Presents Research at Inaugural Joint National Council Teacher of English-National Council Teachers of Mathematics ConferenceLutrill & Pearl Payne School of Education Professor, Margaret-Mary Sulentic Dowell, PhD, recently presented cutting-edge research on writing assessment at the Inaugural Joint National Council Teacher of English (NCTE)-National Council Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Conference held in New Orleans in late June, 2024. Both professional organizations collaborated to provide the opportunity for members from both associations to come together and share research and recommend practices in both disciplines, a first for these two premier professional entities.
- Louisiana A+ Schools at LSU and Arkansas A+ Schools Receive Grant from National Park Service to fund: Bridging the Blues! Connecting Music Heritage in Arkansas and Louisiana through A+.Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) at Louisiana State University (LSU), a program of the College of Human Sciences and Education, in partnership with Arkansas A+ Schools (ARA+) at University of Arkansas, a program of the College of Education and Health Professions, are proud to announce they have received a grant from the National Park Service (NPS). This grant is part of the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiative (LMDI), aimed at supporting cultural heritage and educational projects in the Delta region.
