School of Education’s Bean, Elman, Klein, and Lesgold Are Honored for Academic Achievements

Four faculty members in the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Education have been recognized for their academic achievements and expertise.

Rita M. Bean, professor emeritus in the Department of Instruction and Learning, received the International Reading Association (IRA) Special Service Award for distinguished service to the association.
Bean, who joined the University in 1971, also was inducted into the Reading Hall of Fame this year. Established in 1973, the Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have contributed to further improvement in reading instruction.
An IRA member for more than 40 years, Bean was a member of the IRA board of directors from 2002 to 2006. During that time, she served as a member of the Research on Teacher Education Committee.
Bean also chaired the Commission on the Role of the Reading Specialist, which conducted a national study on the role of reading specialists that resulted in an IRA position statement in 2000.

Nancy S. Elman, associate professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology in Education, was elected a fellow of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Society of Counseling Psychology Division 17. A member of Pitt’s faculty since 1965, Elman joined the University as an assistant professor in the Counselor Education Program. She has taught in Pitt’s doctoral program in counseling psychology and Department of Applied Developmental Psychology and was a faculty member in the School of Social Work’s Family Therapy Certificate Program. A licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, Elman has had a private practice in Pittsburgh since 1974.

Roger D. Klein, a professor in the Department of Psychology in Education, received the 2009 Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Media Psychology. The award was presented by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division of Media Psychology at the APA annual convention held in Toronto earlier this month. A member of the Division of Media Psychology since 1988, Klein joined the University in 1969. He has worked as a freelance health reporter for WPXI-TV, CNBC, and PBS. Since 1999, Klein has produced a twice-weekly radio series for KQV 1410 AM, originally called The Psychology Minute and, in 2007, renamed The Healthcare Quality Minute. The Jewish Healthcare Foundation has sponsored the segment since 2000. Among Klein’s honors are a 2001 Pitt Chancellor’s Distinguished Public Service Award and the annual media award from the Pennsylvania Psychological Association in 1982 and in 2007.

Alan Lesgold, School of Education dean and professor, was appointed chair of the National Academies’ Committee on the Learning Sciences: Foundations and Applications to Adolescent and Adult Literacy. A National Research Council (NRC) Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education committee, the group will produce a consensus summary of the state of research relevant to adult and adolescent literacy. It will meet at the NRC sites in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere over the next two years. The study is funded by the National Institute for Literacy in the U.S. Department of Education. Lesgold is a national associate of the National Academies. Prior to becoming the School of Education dean, Lesgold served as executive associate director of Pitt’s Learning Research and Development Center. He founded and directed Pitt’s interdisciplinary doctoral program in cognitive science and artificial intelligence.