At Trevecca Nazarene University, the School of Education is dedicated to the mission of providing a framework for faculty and staff to develop and support professional educators who are culturally aware of themselves, local, national, and global societies; and who can work effectively to serve diverse individuals and communities. The Master of Arts in Teaching for K-5 candidates illustrates this mission.
Our Core Values establish our belief:
- In continuous review and development of practices that promote diversity and inclusion
- In practical opportunities for development of culturally competent educators
- That both diversity and inclusion are at the core of our teaching, research and service
- In a safe and accessible environment for all faculty, staff and candidates
- In assessment to improve our culture, practices and educational outcomes
In addressing our goal for maintaining and improving a climate where difference and diversity are respected and embraced, our steps are:
- Participate in recruiting events in public schools, community colleges and business that target diverse P12 students
- Seek applicants from TNU Admissions Department that represent diversity
To retain diverse candidates, we strive to:
- Collaborate with and refer candidates to Student Support Services in the areas of writing, test preparation, and study skills
- Provide additional faculty advising with diverse candidates
- Enhance our website and social media to include diversity events, opportunities, and highlights
Further, we assess School of Education (SOE) needs and provide recommendations on diversity, equity and inclusion for curriculum development and SOE climate improvement:
- SOE, with school partners, will assess the curriculum needs for diversity and inclusion integration in courses, programs and degree programs
- SOE will annually distribute faculty, staff and candidate surveys which include feedback on perceptions of satisfaction for meeting needs of diverse candidates
- SOE will create opportunities for faculty, staff and candidates to serve, support, and collaborate with school partner's administration, teachers and students in field experiences which enhance diverse candidate opportunities
- Provide SOE faculty and staff with professional development opportunities at partner schools to promote defined relationships focusing on the needs of diverse candidates in school settings.
Statement by:
Dr. Suzann B. Harris, Dean, School of Education
More Programs Leading the Way
New York
Alfred University
We work closely with the members of our Higher Education Opportunity Program office to identify or refer minority students who are considering a career in teaching. Once we have gained diverse candidates to our Educator Preparation Program, we work to provide them the various supports they need to succeed both at Alfred and in the teaching major and profession.
New York
CUNY - Brooklyn College
We believe it is particularly important that the teacher candidates we are preparing mirror the students they will be teaching. Our initiatives focus on the continuum of recruitment, retention, graduation, and certification of a diverse teaching workforce prepared to face the challenges of educating students in the highest needs schools in our Brooklyn community.
