{"id":218492,"date":"2022-06-20T13:57:57","date_gmt":"2022-06-20T17:57:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=218492"},"modified":"2022-06-20T14:33:49","modified_gmt":"2022-06-20T18:33:49","slug":"us-department-of-education-features-red-hawks-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2022\/06\/20\/us-department-of-education-features-red-hawks-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"US Department of Education Features Red Hawks Rising"},"content":{"rendered":"

Montclair State University\u2019s Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy has been featured on #InnovatED, an online video series<\/a> produced by the United States Department of Education (USDOE).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

#InnovatED provides an in-depth look at how schools are evolving their curriculums to match the needs of students. The series is distributed via the USDOE\u2019s social media platforms, including <\/span>Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona\u2019s personal accounts<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In partnership with the Newark <\/span>Board of Education and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy is a groundbreaking collaboration that allows students enrolled in East Side or University High School to take college-level courses, at no cost, that will apply toward a degree at Montclair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Students in the program will also receive stipends of $3,700 from AFT to help offset education-related costs and ensure their progression in the program. When they graduate from high school, Red Hawks Rising students will receive a preliminary contract to return to Newark to teach upon completion of their Montclair degree.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The goal is to create a pipeline of diverse teachers that will return to their hometowns to teach in the schools in which they learned \u2013 the epitome of serving the public good. And now, the innovative initiative has received well-deserved national recognition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\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

\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 said Montclair Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning and Co-Leader of the Academy Mayida Zaal. Zaal leads the program with Danielle Epps, the director of Teacher Education Admissions, Recruitment and Diversity at Montclair’s Center of Pedagogy.<\/span><\/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 said Melissa De Almeida, a senior at East Side and a member of the program, told <\/span>Montclair <\/span><\/i>magazine. \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\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Hosted by USDOE Office of Communications and Outreach Senior Advisor Lynda Lopez, the #InnovatED story showcases the Academy and features interviews with Zaal, De Almeida, Newark Superintendent Roger Le\u00f3<\/span>n \u201996 MA, <\/span>East Side High School Principal Mario Santos and East Side High School teacher Erika Plumey.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving students of color assuming teaching roles in our schools is extremely important,\u201d said Le\u00f3n. \u201cWhat better way of growing our own than actually <\/span>growing<\/span><\/i> our own<\/span><\/i>?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the idea of helping teachers become the teachers I needed as a kid,\u201d Plumey said in the piece. \u201cTeaching our kids to think for themselves, that they have a seat at the table, and that they can come back and teach the next generation, it\u2019s important. It\u2019s part of the conversation that needs to take place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

To read more about the Red Hawks Rising Teacher Academy, see<\/span> our story<\/span><\/a>, which appears in the Spring\/Summer 2022 issue of <\/span>Montclair<\/span><\/i> magazine.<\/span><\/p>\n