COE student awarded LSU Dissertation Fellowship

Monique Friloux, Contributor

College of Education doctoral student Heather Olson Beal has been awarded the LSU Dissertation Fellowship Award for the 2007-2008 academic year.

Olson Beal’s dissertation, “Speaking the Language of Desegregation: A Case Study of South Boulevard Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet,” explores the impact of one of the longest-running desegregation lawsuits in the nation, Davis et al v. East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, on a public magnet school in Baton Rouge.  “This research explores the conditions under which the foreign language immersion magnet program at South Boulevard Elementary, located in

a historically-black neighborhood in downtown Baton Rouge, has succeeded both in achieving an integrated student body and delivering high quality education,” said Olson Beal.

To gather information about the role of magnet programs, such as the one at South Boulevard, in desegregating schools, Olson Beal observed classes, conducted interviews with stakeholders, including parents, school board members, the principal, students and teachers, and analyzed documents like newspaper and magazine articles, demographic data, report cards and newsletters.

“The magnet program at South Boulevard is unique because it is delivering on some of the promises of [desegregation laws] by achieving the social goal of diversity in education and providing an academically rigorous education that includes second language acquisition,” said Olson Beal.

The fellowship awards Beal with $18,000 and a tuition stipend. She must maintain full-time status with a 3.5 GPA and enroll in dissertation hours.

Olson Beal will be defending her dissertation in March 2008 and hopes to graduate in May 2008.

“Too many schools focus on intellectual development or just to have black and white kids in the same room,” said Olson Beal. “It is important to a child’s education to incorporate both in their schooling.”