July 31, 2023
BATON ROUGE, LA – This summer, Jennifer Baumgartner, PhD, presented Fred’s Authenticity and Deep Understanding of Self at the Fred Rogers Institute Educators’ Symposium. The Educators’ Symposium is an annual 2-day conference open to all formal and informal educators filled with keynotes, panel discussions, and interactive mingling around topics like supporting mental health in classrooms, music and disability, and Fred Rogers’ legacy in practice today. The Fred Rogers Institute advances the legacy of Fred Rogers by investing in the strengths of families and caring adults to support the healthy development of children.
Baumgartner said, “Fred Rogers’s work in child development, early childhood education, educational technology, music, and spirituality have inspired my own work and research for decades. This past year I was privileged to have the opportunity to expand and deepen my study of his work as an Inquiry Educator Fellow with the Fred Rogers Institute. As an Inquiry Educator, I worked with the Institute Archivist to study Fred Rogers’ work on wellness and well-being, focusing on the role of personal story. On June 19, I presented some of my findings at the Educators’ Symposium. This presentation explored how teachers might build on Fred Rogers’s six essentials for learning to practice and promote authenticity and well-being."
"The greatest gift you ever give is your honest self." - Fred Rogers
"I feel so strongly that deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex." - Fred RogersPhoto Credit: Jennifer Baumgartner, PhD
Baumgartner is an associate professor in the LSU School of Education. She teaches in the PK-3 teacher certification program and early childhood education
graduate program. Her research centers around two major issues: 1.) how philosophies
and/or knowledge are translated into practices in children’s developmental contexts
and, 2.) stress among teachers and children in early care settings. Her work is published
in several journals, including Journal of Health Psychology, Early Child Development
and Care, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education and Young Children. She has
experience directing early child development laboratory schools and teaches critical
perspectives in early childhood education, child development and stress in education
courses. She serves as co-faculty advisor to the LSU student chapter of the Association for the Education of Young Children.
About Lutrill and Pearl Payne LSU School of Education (SOE)
A school of the College of Human Sciences & Education, SOE is comprised of a diverse
array of 3 undergraduate programs (early childhood, elementary, and dually certified
special education/elementary education), 3 graduate certificates, 17 master’s degree
program areas, 9 EdS certificate areas, and 11 PhD specialization areas. We focus
not only on preparing highly qualified Birth-Grade 12 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. In other words, we offer scholarly expertise regarding pressing
educational and wellness issues across the entire lifespan. Visit the LSU Lutrill and Pearl Payne School of Education.
About LSU College of Human Sciences & Education (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 Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development,
the School of Library & Information Science, the School of Social Work, and the University
Laboratory School. These combined schools offer 8 undergraduate degree programs, 18
graduate programs, and 7 online graduate degree and/or certificate programs, enrolling
more than 1,900 undergraduate and 1,120 graduate students. 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.
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.
