by Kelcey Buck | Education and Human Sciences
Diversifying and increasing the number of individuals becoming and remaining teachers in Nebraska and Kansas is the focus of a new three-year project.
The project leverages the strengths of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s College of Education and Human Sciences and Kansas State University’s Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy.
Project RAÍCES — Re-envisioning Action and Innovation through Community Collaborations for Equity across Systems — will provide 16 full scholarships to students coming to Nebraska’s teacher preparation programs from Youth Participatory Action Research programs at Lincoln High School, Columbus High School, Schuyler Central High School, South Sioux City High School and Wakefield High School.
“One key goal of this comprehensive project is to more intentionally invest in, nurture and mentor students from a broad range of backgrounds in teacher education here at UNL,” said Amanda Morales, associate professor. “If we do a high-quality job of supporting, engaging and learning from our scholarship students in the process, we will be better equipped to retain and graduate them as powerful new teachers for Nebraska schools. This learning will benefit our entire college as we become an even more effective teacher preparation program for students like them in the future. With tailored mentorship and leadership development afforded them by this project, the sky is the limit and I think they’ll stay in teaching.”
Morales is a principal investigator on Project RAÍCES, along with co-PIs professor Ted Hamann and associate professor Lauren Gatti, both at Nebraska. Socorro Herrera, professor and executive director of Kansas State’s Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy, is the lead PI on the project and Melissa Holmes is the project director.
The project name, RAÍCES, is derived from a Spanish word that means ‘roots’ as a metaphor to reference both the idea that participants’ cultural backgrounds and ways of knowing their roots are part of what they can rely on to be successful educators in a number of Nebraska’s most diverse districts.
“We also use the metaphor to point out that we’re trying to favorably impact the professional ecology of these partner school districts so that new teachers can arrive, thrive and take root starting careers that will keep them as successful, beloved and inspiring teachers in these communities for much or all of their careers,” Hamann said.
The 16 students recruited to Nebraska’s undergraduate teacher preparation programs through Project RAÍCES will participate in a summer bridge program prior to their first fall semester by taking a credit-bearing summer class. Beginning next fall, the Project RAÍCES cohort will engage in a learning community and receive comprehensive advising and mentoring support throughout their time at the university.
A speaker addresses students during the 2023 YPAR SummitThe YPAR programs were established as part of consecutive pilot projects with the Nebraska Department of Education, with the current $250,000 NDE initiative, “From Diversity Strength,” intentionally intertwining with Project RAÍCES.
“The NDE-funded efforts have allowed us to connect with students and teachers at the project sites for the last two years and to build relationships and operating procedures, such as hosting an annual YPAR Summit at UNL,” Hamann said.
Read more:
https://news.unl.edu/newsrooms/today/article/project-to-train-support-teachers-of-diverse-backgrounds/