{"id":123974,"date":"2022-02-16T15:19:18","date_gmt":"2022-02-16T20:19:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/?p=123974"},"modified":"2022-02-16T15:19:18","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T20:19:18","slug":"growing-future-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/2022\/02\/16\/growing-future-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Future Teachers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melissa De Almeida loves Newark\u2019s Ironbound district, a four-square mile, largely working-class and restaurant destination near downtown where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken daily. She lives there, attends high school in the heart of it and appreciates the diversity of its residents. When she graduates from Montclair State University, which she\u2019ll attend full time next fall as part of a program to diversify the ranks of teachers in Newark, she\u2019ll be able to return to teach in the neighborhood she loves.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to be in an environment where there\u2019s so many different cultures. You learn things from other cultures that you didn\u2019t know,\u201d says De Almeida, the 17-year-old daughter of Brazilian immigrants, who says she counts people of various ethnicities among her friends. \u201cI would like to come back and teach at my old middle school. Oliver Street School is a very important place to me. My cousins and older sister went there. I have history there. So going back would be like giving back to the teachers that taught me so much. Going back has always been in my plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy \u2013 a partnership between Montclair State University\u2019s College of Education and Human Services, Newark Board of Education and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), was designed for students like De Almeida, a senior at East Side High School.<\/p>\n

The partnership was announced in February 2019 and the Red Hawks Rising program launched in September of that year when two Teacher Academies were created at East Side and University high schools to help build a locally grown, diverse teacher workforce.<\/p>\n

On Monday, February 14, AFT President Randi Weingarten was joined by Montclair State University President Jonathan Koppell and Newark Board of Education Superintendent Roger Le\u00f3n at East Side High, where she announced that AFT will award each of the 21 students in the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy stipends of $3,700 to help offset education costs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure that you can dream your dreams and achieve them,\u201d Weingarten told the students, adding that the stipends are meant to make the goal of returning to teach in Newark \u201cdoable and workable for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AFT
AFT President Randi Weingarten talks with Teacher Academy students after announcing stipends that will help them offset the costs of college.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Koppell shared with students that Montclair started as a normal school to prepare teachers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s truly nothing more important. We\u2019re excited to be working with the AFT on this project and excited that we have a long history with East Side of training and preparing teachers who come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to the students directly, he said: \u201cI\u2019m excited on your behalf, that you will get to see how much influence you truly can have on other human beings\u2019 lives. So thank you for your commitment to a lifetime of service. Congratulations on embarking on a path that I think you\u2019re going to find to be enormously gratifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Superintendent Le\u00f3n promised all of the Teacher Academy students contracts to teach in Newark upon completion of their degrees and teacher certifications. \u201cWe need great teachers to return here,\u201d he said. \u201cIn 2027, I hope to see all of you back here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Montclair
Montclair President Jonathan Koppell addresses Teacher Academy students at East Side High School.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"President
President Jonathan Koppell speaks with Teacher Academy students (seated, L to R) Aniya Mahfood Shockness, 15, Melissa De Almeida, 17, and Liz Guman, 17, who said the stipends will come in handy and expressed gratitude for the support and confidence of their teachers and all of the education officials.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nationally and statewide, those in education are focused on the demographic disparities between student populations and the teachers entrusted with their learning. Despite New Jersey being among the most diverse states in the country, its teachers are largely white and female, according to state reports. Only 16% of New Jersey\u2019s almost 130,000 teachers are people of color, while 56%, or 1.4 million, students are. Research has shown it is beneficial for students to have teachers who are of the same race or ethnic group and have similar cultural experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis significant cultural and linguistic mismatch has led to high suspension, expulsion and dropout rates as well as evidence of low academic expectations. Research shows that if a Black student has at least one Black teacher during their academic career, they are more likely to pursue post-secondary education,\u201d says AFT Associate Director for Educational Issues Dyan Smiley, who works with Montclair State and Newark program officials. \u201cWe would eradicate the school to prison pipeline. Black and brown teachers are more apt to provide counseling and seek resources for students of color before calling law enforcement. To be clear, the goal is not to remove all white teachers, but to provide ongoing professional development and support to all teachers, so they become and further develop as culturally sustaining practitioners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\nThat\u2019s where the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy comes in. While discussions about the Academy were taking place, Jennifer Robinson, executive director of the Center of Pedagogy, had received a grant from the State of New Jersey to diversify the teacher education pipeline.\u201cSo, all of these things came together in a really serendipitous moment and Red Hawks Rising became an integral part of that pipeline,\u201d says Mayida Zaal, associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, who co-leads the program with Danielle Epps, director of Teacher Education Admissions, Recruitment and Diversity at the Center of Pedagogy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a \u2018grow your own\u2019 program that is focused around the dynamic of a community trying to develop a future pipeline of teachers for their district,\u201d says Epps. \u201cThis program helps to expose them to the education field, with emphasis on teacher education.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Mayida
Mayida Zaal, associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, who co-leads the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, was instrumental in developing the Teacher Academy curriculum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Superintendent Le\u00f3n, a Newark Public Schools and Montclair State alumnus (\u201996 MA) chose the two high schools as designated Teacher Academies. Currently, there are 35 student participants in the dual-enrollment classes: 21 at East Side High School and 14 at University High School.<\/p>\n

Zaal helped Newark develop the Teacher Academy curriculum. She notes that if students meet all of the requirements of the dual enrollment program, they can graduate high school with up to 30 credits and if they maintain a 3.0 GPA, they are guaranteed admission into Montclair State University.<\/p>\n

\n
\nThe Teacher Academies have three cohorts of students \u2013 Teacher I, II and III \u2013 and are built around social justice and community activities, according to East Side High Vice Principal Michael West. East Side or University High School students can choose to explore a teaching pathway as early as ninth grade. As juniors and seniors, they can take college-level courses that will apply toward a degree at Montclair. Those courses are taught by University faculty at each of the two high schools. To help students along the way, two success coaches from Montclair\u2019s Center for Academic Success and Tutoring \u201cprovide academic, emotional, any type of support that the student may need throughout the course,\u201d West says.<\/div>\n
\n
\"Vice
East Side High Vice Principal Michael West says those working on the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy are a \u201ctrue team.\u201d<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Zaal adds that in addition to academic support, the coaches help students with the more practical side of college life: \u201cThey unpack what students need, like how do you read a college syllabus? How do you upload an assignment? How do you ask your professor for feedback? All of those kinds of skills that they need in order to make them successful in college and make them feel confident that \u2018Yes, there are resources out there and I know where to find them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amir
The program helps address many concerns, including providing after-school snacks to students, says Amir Billups, Newark Public Schools\u2019 department chair of Social Studies and Career Technical Education. \u201cEven little things like that help maintain interest, focus and success,\u201d he says.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dual enrollment courses are college basics, such as introduction to sociology, that will transfer to Montclair and count toward any major as general electives. Not all students may want to go into teaching but Epps says the program is designed to expose them to the wide range of careers needed in the field of education, noting that a student who may want to study nursing could become a school nurse, for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cIdeally, if they complete all the courses by their senior year, they will earn up to 30 college credits from Montclair State University,\u201d West says. Once students have 30 college credits, they can participate in\u00a0SubIN<\/a>, seek substitute teacher certification and work part time as subs regardless of their major.<\/p>\n

AFT\u2019s Smiley has high praise for the work being done in Newark.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe commitment to the program, students and each other is unlike anything I have witnessed,\u201d she says.\u201cEach week members from each of the partner groups assemble on Zoom to plan programmatic outcomes and learning experiences for the students. We problem-solve together and hold high expectations for our work. This team is the magic sauce!\u201d<\/p>\n

West agrees: \u201cThe cooperation and the partnership have been just excellent. I can\u2019t say enough about our partners AFT, as well as Montclair State and University High School. It really has been a collaborative effort from all of us to get to where we are right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"Danielle
Danielle Epps, director of Teacher Education Admissions, Recruitment and Diversity at the Center of Pedagogy, and co-leader of the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, says the program is designed to grow local teachers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\nEpps adds that growing your own students into teachers is about locals who get the nuances and subcultures of communities, so \u201cthat educators can build relationships and rapport with students.\u201dZaal, who has been doing work in Newark on behalf of Montclair for years, says, \u201cHaving this opportunity to support young teachers into the profession and then bringing back their knowledge is such a powerful testament to the kind of justice work that I\u2019m committed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a first-generation Arab Latina, who did not always know where she belonged, Zaal says, \u201cCreating space for students from non-dominant groups in the teaching profession means they can be a part of transforming education in their own communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smiley commends the students participating in the program.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI am impressed with student engagement and commitment to the academy,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile all may not go on to become teachers, they are learning valuable lessons that will carry with them through post-secondary and beyond. They are unpacking their own understanding of what it means to \u2018learn\u2019 and gain knowledge for different purposes. They are also learning that they have talents and gifts to share. That message is not often relayed to students from marginalized communities. I am so proud of the students for trusting us to shepherd them through this new experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dual-enrollment program also saves students and their parents money; students do not have to pay for the dual-enrollment courses or textbooks and get a jump-start on their college careers. This is a potential savings of up to a full year of college tuition and fees, which is significant, given the student debt crisis, says Zaal. Costs are covered by the Newark Board of Education.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s helpful to De Almeida\u2019s family as she goes from a Rising Red Hawk to a full-time undergraduate student next fall; she\u2019s been accepted to Montclair, where she will major in Teacher Education.<\/p>\n

\"Melissa
East Side High School senior Melissa De Almeida and fellow Teacher Academy students learn they will receive stipends from the AFT, offsetting the costs of the dual-enrollment program.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

De Almeida says it was her teachers, many Montclair alumni, who inspired her to want to attend her \u201cdream school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had such great teachers when I was younger, and they influenced me so much. I strive to be like them and be able to do that for other kids,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019ve been looking into it [Montclair] for a while now, and not just because of the education program, but I know so many people that went there: my coaches, my teachers. It\u2019s a great school.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earning college credits while still in high school means it will save her parents money. \u201cMy parents are grateful that I can start early on my college courses.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the first two students (the other is Rosalie Rodriguez from University High School) to get accepted into Montclair from the Teacher Academy, De Almeida is an ambassador for the program, telling other students and their parents during an information session about the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy last semester: \u201cAs someone who wants to become a teacher and loves kids, this program is such a great opportunity. I\u2019ve always dreamed of coming back to teach in Newark because to me, Newark is home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story by Staff Writer\u00a0Sylvia A. Martinez<\/a>, Photos by University Photographer\u00a0Mike Peters<\/a><\/p>\n

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University, Newark and AFT team up on Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy to diversify teacher pipeline<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":123975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-23_college-news-and-events"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123974"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123976,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123974\/revisions\/123976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/cehs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}