UConn professor, administrator to become dean of Neag School

Thomas DeFranco, associate dean of the Neag School of Education, has been named dean for a five-year term, starting in summer 2009.

DeFranco will replace Richard Schwab, who is stepping down after 12 years as dean. At the end of DeFranco’s five-year term, there will be a national search for a new dean.

Schwab will return to teaching. He will continue as director of the Institute for Urban School Improvement and will provide leadership to the Compact Schools Initiative.

Named a Teaching Fellow in 2001, one of UConn’s highest honors, DeFranco, a professor of curriculum and instruction, also holds a joint appointment in the mathematics department in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

His research focuses on mathematical problem-solving, as well as on the teaching and learning of mathematics at the K-16 level.

De Franco is a founder and co-director of the University’s Center for Research in Mathematics Education, an interdisciplinary center that blends the math department’s emphasis on content and the Neag School’s interest in pedagogy and performance.

He was also one of two people responsible for developing the proposal that resulted in the University being selected as one of the Carnegie Foundation’s Teachers for a New Era partner.

“Dr. DeFranco is nationally known for his work in teacher preparation and for his leadership abilities,” says Provost Peter J. Nicholls.

“He has led numerous collaborations between the Neag school and K-12 districts in the state. He has also pioneered joint ventures between schools and colleges on the UConn campus. He will be a great asset to the Neag School as it continues its many excellent programs, its involvement with Connecticut schools, and its continued rise in the national rankings.”