Ensuring a diverse teaching force for the future
2/28/08
Nationwide, more than 40 percent of K-12 students are non-white, but only about 15 percent of K-12 teachers are non-white. In more than one third of the nation's public schools there is not a single teacher of color.
Yet numerous studies show that racially and ethnically diverse teachers can be crucial in ensuring student success and closing achievement gaps.
So Miami University--thanks to funding from JP Morgan Chase and First Financial-- has launched a program aimed at increasing the number of students in the teacher pipeline who are racially diverse and/or who understand issues that impact the achievement of underserved students.
"Miami is working with 12 high schools to encourage students of all races to commit to a teaching career. Each of these school districts has a teacher academy and each has a diverse student population. Our schools need qualified teachers who are comfortable in such diverse settings and who can relate to all students," says Dr. Ray Terrell, assistant dean in the School of Education, Health and Society.
On Monday, March 10, about 150 high school seniors and teachers from 12 high schools will attend a Teacher Academy Symposium at Miami's Oxford campus. These prospective teachers will hear from professors and Miami students on such topics as school/teen violence, reading and literacy efforts, and social justice.
The one-day symposium will be followed by a week-long summer camp at Miami's Oxford campus, where the high schoolers will attend classes and live in residence halls. They'll receive advice on college readiness and financial aid and get a first-hand look at college life.
This is the second year for the program and its success can be demonstrated by the fact that 34 participants are now Miami students pursuing a teaching career. Other participants are enrolled at colleges and universities elsewhere.
Among those former participants is DaBrian Jones, a 2007 graduate of North College Hill and Miami freshman, who will be talking with this year's crop of prospective teachers.
After a semester in college, he is still excited about a teaching career. His advice to prospective students will be to "be prepared for a big transition—a huge transition—from high school to college."
For more information contact Terrell at terrelr@muohio.edu.