Northern Colorado has some exciting news: the Center for Urban Education at the University of Northern Colorado in Denver just won a cool award for all the great things they’ve done to make teachers more diverse. Let’s figure out how to give this honor its due!
The UNC Center for Urban Education won.
Don’t move yet. This is what the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education wants: the UNC Center for Urban Education to be the center of attention. It won the Increasing Educator Diversity: Promising Practice Award for 2024. It’s a nice name, right? But it’s more than just words; it’s a vote of confidence in the great work the center is doing to keep everyone in school.
Why the Award Is Great: Behind the Scenes
For what reasons is this honor significant? The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education established it to honor institutions and groups that make extraordinary efforts to diversify their faculty. As a way to thank everyone on the ground for their hard work, which includes fun activities and programs as well as rules that make sure our teachers come from all walks of life.
There has been a lot of different kinds of people at UNC’s Center for Urban Education since 2000.
This is not the first time that the Center for Urban Education at UNC has done a victory dance. They have been working toward this goal since 2000. What do they do? To teach teachers who can do more than just teach lessons and connect with their students on a racial, cultural, and language level. It’s all about putting together a group of teachers that looks like a bright patchwork quilt of Denver students.
More than a number: 70% of people applying for teacher jobs rock diversity.
Numbers can be like superheroes sometimes! Here’s a new one: The people who want to become teachers at the Center for Urban Education at UNC come from a lot of different places. It’s not just a boring number; it shows they want to make the teaching club friendlier and more open to everyone.
Grow Your Own: How to Get a Job as a Teacher!
It’s time to talk about Grow Your Own. Everything changes! In the morning, people who want to become teachers can work as paraeducators in nearby schools as part of this plan. When it’s afternoon and night? Time set aside to start courses that prepare people to become teachers. To become a teacher, it’s like having a secret sauce that lets people through.
Why is the provost so proud? Because impact is the star.
Think of yourself as UNC Provost and Executive VP for Academic Affairs Kirsten Fleming. It would be awesome if your graduates did great things. She says, “We are proud of the diverse pool of urban school teachers that includes graduates from the Center for Urban Education; we also know that these educators are capable and self-assured in the classroom.” That’s pretty strong, right?
Save the date for the award party in February.
It’s time to party, not just high-five! Dr. Jared Stallones, who is the Dean of UNC’s College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, is getting ready for a fancy award show in February. Roseanne Fulton, who is the director of the Center for Urban Education, and Joanna Ross, who is the assistant director, are also. We’re ready to cheer when they get the praise they deserve now that everyone is looking at them.
Thanks to UNC’s Center for Urban Education, learning has become a lot of fun. As a teaching gang, let’s break down barriers and make sure everyone feels welcome. Let’s also enjoy the beautiful differences that make our communities unique!