1. January 31. 3016
Recommendation for Tess McNamara:
Tess McNamara was a student in two classes that I teach in the Boston University School of
Education, where I am an adjunct faculty member. I am also the Director of Research and
Curriculum for a national teacher training organization.
The classes in which I worked with Tess are “The Social Context of Education” and “The
Civic Context of Education.” These classes focus on the sociology of education and education
policy and require students to engage rigorous texts, participate in and sometimes lead
class discussions around those texts, and to complete two major papers each semester. The
first paper that students complete is a literature review on a relevant topic. The second
paper is a policy paper that makes research-based recommendations for solving a problem
of education policy.
Tess was a strong student in both classes, but especially in the Civic Context of Education,
where she flourished. Tess was always prepared, engaged with the readings and in the class
discussions, and notably able to connect coursework and themes to current events. The
final paper that Tess wrote for the Social Context of Education was a policy paper that was
both well written and analytically strong. In that paper Tess researched and provided
recommendations to ameliorate the “new” segregation in public schools. Her paper stood
out in comparison to others in the class for its depth and clarity. In the same class Tess
spearheaded a group presentation on different types of school choice options that are
available in the U.S. (and specifically Massachusetts) today. Like her final paper, the
presentation was very strong and Tess’s group attributed (via a peer evaluation rubric)
much of the success of the presentation to her work.
Having spent two semesters with Tess, I feel confident that she is an excellent candidate for
a teaching position, and not just because of her strong work and participation in class. Tess
is a very self-aware young woman, and she is also able to take and apply feedback in a
mature way, something that will benefit her in any career. In our first class together Tess
impressed me by coming to me to explain difficulties that she had encountered keeping up
with the pace of a very heavy semester. Unlike many students that I have met, Tess was not
making excuses; she was holding herself accountable and asking for help in navigating her
workload so that she could complete assignments that were high quality. While I know that
this was difficult for Tess, it has always struck me as a brave and important thing to do. This
kind of honesty and ability to advocate for herself in the interest of doing good work will
serve Tess well in any line of work.
I am happy to give Tess my very strong recommendation and urge you to contact me with
any questions.
Best,
Dr. Cara Stillings Candal
Director of Research and Curriculum, National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education
Adjunct Faculty, Policy Studies, Boston University School of Education