Gift Boosts Teacher Reform Project, Diversity Initiatives
A generous endowed gift of $100,000 from the Hearst Foundations is boosting scholarships and the University of Connecticut’s Teachers for a New Era (TNE) program. The William Randolph Hearst Scholarship Fund will provide awards to students studying to become teachers, and support diversity initiatives at UConn.
UConn is one of only 11 institutions nationwide selected to participate in TNE. The Carnegie Corporation of New York established the initiative to invest in exemplary institutions and assist them in creating best practices for K–12 teacher preparation.
“With that charge, we set out to strengthen UConn’s teacher preparation program in ways that would not only distinguish strong aspects of our program but would also inquire into why and how our processes produce talented, effective teachers,” says Marijke Kehrhahn ’76 ’80 ’95, associate professor and director of the TNE program at UConn.
“The Neag School of Education at UConn is one of the premier institutions of its type in the nation,” says Mason Granger, director of grants for the Hearst Foundations. “We admire the vision of the leadership and the inspired, inclusive approach of the faculty and curriculum. Together they reflect a dynamic commitment to teachers and students, which, we believe, will produce substantive improvement in children's education and performance in the years to come.”
TNE seeks to reform teacher preparation through the integration of liberal arts and education curricula so that students receive thorough instruction in pedagogy and the subjects they intend to teach. At UConn, 30 faculty and staff members from the Neag School of Education work closely with more than 30 faculty and staff members from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, who teach and advise in content areas associated with teacher certification. Faculty members at the School of Fine Arts and the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources collaborate as well.
“The TNE committees have accomplished much, but, more importantly, have built bridges between schools to the benefit of students,” says Kehrhahn. “I am deeply indebted to the many faculty and staff members who have become part of the Teachers for a New Era project. These folks are inspired by the impact that K–12 teachers have on their students, and ultimately on future university students.”
Kehrhahn reports that, since the initiative’s inception at UConn in 2003, a number of goals have been accomplished. A new modification to UConn’s five-year integrated bachelor’s/master’s degree program enables students to earn bachelor’s degrees in both education and a subject area as well as a master’s degree in education.
TNE staff have started conducting surveys of CLAS students to assess their interest in becoming teachers, in addition to developing a database to analyze data about education students and graduates. Numerous projects have been implemented to foster cross-college collaborations and grant writing. Lastly, UConn has launched a groundbreaking study to compare the academic achievement of K–12 students taught by alumni of UConn versus other institutions.
In the coming years, UConn’s TNE program will focus on addressing pressing and emerging needs, including recruiting and preparing a diverse and culturally competent educator workforce. Kehrhahn explains that, while minority student enrollment is projected to increase, minorities represent less than 10 percent of the teacher workforce.
“The Hearst Foundations’ endowment will provide financial support, an important aspect of any minority teacher recruitment effort, to young people of color pursuing a degree in teaching,” says Kehrhahn.
“Students at schools across America are increasingly representative of a myriad of ethnic and social backgrounds,” says Granger. “We must have teachers who can relate to those youngsters and can provide them with the support and counsel they need to dream big and achieve their ambitions.”
Kehrhahn adds that the commitment from the Hearst Foundations may strengthen UConn’s grant proposals to other foundations, helping attract additional support. UConn’s TNE program has been largely supported by private gifts. In addition to the original $5-million grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, UConn has received $250,000 from the McLeod Blue Skye Foundation and $141,000 from the estate of Dorothy C. Goodwin ’57 ’88H.
“Private gifts to the TNE Endowment have funded a number of important scholarships for students entering the teaching profession, and I hope this trend will continue. Simply put, the support of a single teacher early in his or her career has the potential to impact thousands of lives,” says Kehrhahn. “One math teacher times 25 students per class times 5 classes per year times 30 years equals 3,750 students. If you want to change the future, support a teacher!”
For more information about supporting the Neag School of Education, please contact the UConn Foundation's development department.
RELATED LINKS
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Goodwin Legacy Benefits Future Teachers
From the winter 2008 issue of UConn Momentum -
Gifts Help Support ‘Teachers for a New Era’ at UConn
From the fall 2006 issue of UConn Momentum
