A cohort of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) is looking to transform the preparation and recruitment of teachers of color through a new initiative from the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED).
Over a three-year period, the Transformation Center Coaching Cohort will establish communities of practice involving university faculty, PreK-12 partners and community members who share a collective goal to redesign teacher preparation programs at MSIs that significantly increase the number of diverse, high-quality educators entering the profession. California State University – Fresno, North Carolina A&T State University, South Carolina State University and the University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley make up the initiative’s inaugural cohort.
“These universities stand out as innovators who are committed to changing the way providers have traditionally approached teacher prep by implementing research-based practices and developing modern approaches to improve teacher quality and diversity,” said Dr. Cassandra Herring, president and CEO of BranchED.
Using BranchED’s differentiated support model, each institution’s faculty and PreK-12 partners will receive intensive and personalized coaching that examines their teacher preparation program’s strengths and identifies areas to improve.
The non-profit organization — dedicated to strengthening, growing and amplifying the impact of educator preparation at MSIs — will work with the four institutions to develop and implement a detailed plan for systemic and sustainable enhancement of their educator preparation programs.
“It’s really their vision for where they take their program,” Herring said. “Our role is to support them.”
Current demographic data shows that White educators make up nearly 80 percent of the teacher workforce, meaning that students of color in the K-12 system are not receiving the benefits gained by having an educator who looks like them, experts said.
