Diversity
“Miami’s School of Education, Health and Society has an abiding commitment to the belief that embracing diversity and inclusion benefits each of us.” –Dean Carine M. Feyten
Diversity is more than just talk at Miami’s School of Education, Health and Society. We believe that all students need the kinds of training, exposure, and experiences that will allow them to function effectively in an increasingly diverse society. It is an ambitious goal, but real progress is being made.
Our programs, curriculum, and research reflect this commitment. Here is a sampling:
Encouraging a diverse pool of prospective teachers
Minorities make up 40 percent of students in elementary and secondary schools, but only 16 percent of teachers. Thanks to grants from Chase Bank, Miami has created partnerships with 12 local high schools with diverse populations in an effort to encourage students already considering a teaching career to pursue this major at Miami. Besides campus visits, which include a full day symposium and a week-long summer residential program on the Oxford campus, the 160 high schoolers can chat with current teacher ed majors via email.
Helping all students succeed
Miami faculty are in the forefront of preparing schools to address the challenge of teaching the growing number of students from families who may not speak English at home.
A $1.5 million five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition is being used to enhance the preparation of teachers who work with English language learners in mainstream classrooms throughout Ohio.
Starting with introductory courses, all teacher education majors at Miami will receive instruction on how to integrate English for speakers of other languages into their classrooms. In the past, only language teachers have received training in working with such students.
Making a difference in the classroom
Doors on the Oxford campus—about 400 in all—feature information that make the university more welcoming to the disabled thanks to students in the disability studies minor and special education major. Entrances that are accessible are clearly marked and those that are not direct visitors to the nearest building entrance that is accessible. The educational psychology class project was done in cooperation with Miami administrators.
Supporting teacher education majors who want to teach in 
inner cities
Because at least a third of our teacher education majors want to work in urban settings, Miami has developed a new Urban Cohort Initiative.
"Forget 'No Child Left Behind.' We want every child to absolutely thrive," says Dr. Tammy Schwartz, director of the initiative and a faculty member in the teacher education department. Her goal is to convince smart, talented Miami students to not only teach in urban classrooms, but to bring their high expectations for academic performance with them.
Conducting research
Many School of Education, Health, and Society faculty members are involved in scholarly efforts that look at how poverty and race affect learning, health, families and communities. The quality of that research is reflected not only in publications and national recognition for faculty members, but also in the success of Miami graduate students.
In 2007, G. Nathan Carnes was named the Outstanding Science Teacher Educator of the Year (Level One) by the Association for Science Teacher Education. Carnes earned his undergraduate degree in elementary education from Miami and taught science in Troy City Schools for more than a decade before returning to earn a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from Miami.
Promoting racial equity in K-12
The Consortium on Racial Equity in K-12 at Miami University provides a forum for area superintendents and their leadership teams to candidly discuss the achievement gap and racial equity. About six southwest Ohio school districts are involved. Officials from Miami, the districts, and the Ohio Department of Education meet monthly to share strategies for enhancing educational efforts.
More:
Alexandria Espy, a health studies major at Miami University, received the Legacy Award at the Black Student Leadership Development Conference held in Washington, D.C. in January of 2009. The award, which includes a $500 prize, recognizes the accomplishments of a sophomore college student who has demonstrated leadership potential, academic excellence, community service and a commitment to continuing the legacy of building on unfurnished dreams.
Tamara Long, who was pursuing an educational specialist degree in school psychology at Miami, was one of only five students nationwide who received a $5,000 minority scholarship from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) in 2007. Go here to read the article.
Miami is a partner in a $3.5 million initiative by the Ohio Board of Regents to create two regional academies for high school students—one will recruit future math teachers from underrepresented groups and the second will develop Chinese language teachers. Go here to read the article.
In recent years, three EHS faculty and three EHS alumni have received Miami’s Women of Color award That trend continued with 2007 honoree Professor Paula Saine of the Teacher Education Department.