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This page is part of of our 2025 Mizzou Academy Year-in-Review report. Return to the main page here.
Mizzou Academy expanded its contribution to the field through professional learning, action research, and scholarship.
Organizational Partnerships. We are proud to continue our work to expand access to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Certified Medical Technician (CMT) training through our partnership with the Missouri Health Care Association (MHCA). Special thanks to Technology Resource Coordinator Lisa Bax for her leadership on this impactful project.
Grants. With funding from the Boone County Children’s Fund and partnership with Heart of Missouri CASA and Empat Speech, Mizzou Academy is proud to launch an innovative telehealth speech-language program for infants, children, and youth in Boone County who are navigating foster care services.
Publications and Creative Projects.
- Kathryn Fishman-Weaver (Executive Director) released her latest book, Wholehearted School Leadership. With support from Routledge Eye on Education, we held a book event and workshop with partner coordinators in Sao Paulo, SP.
- Jill Peterfeso (Instructional Specialist) also released her latest book, Why the Magic Matters: Discovering Disney as a Laboratory for Learning. She partnered with Alexis Franzese on this edited volume.
- Greg Soden (Assistant Professor) published Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi (2020-2025), a book on the Canadian punk rock and metal band.
- Gina Prosch (Instructional Specialist) released Love: It’s SHOW and Tell, the latest title in her children’s series, Holly’s Choice.
Action Research. December 5, 2025, marked the second annual action research poster showcase hosted by Mizzou Academy at Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM) in São Paulo, SP. Approximately 30 student researchers from 8 partner schools across Brazil participated in the event. The theme for the 2025 Action Research Challenge came from the United Nations “Declaration for Future Generations.”
Higher Education Connections. In 2025, Ericca Thornhill, Jason Williamson, Kimberly Kester, Brian Stuhlman, Ta Boonseng, Stephanie Walter, David Prats, and Kathryn Fishman-Weaver all taught higher education courses at the University of Missouri. The majority of these courses were within our academic home department, Learning, Teaching, and Curriculum (LTC). Further, in the spring of 2025, Lisa DeCastro and Kathryn Fishman-Weaver organized a collaborative read aloud between teacher education candidates in LTC and a Mizzou Academy partner school in Brazil.