School/University Partnerships
Improving Teacher Preparation and School Leadership
The College of Education (COE) faculty is involved with
several projects surrounding the preparation of teacher
candidates and school leaders. One project underway is with
community schools, which is funded by the ECMC
Foundation, an organization that is interested in supporting
high-need schools with quality teachers and improving the lives
of children and families.
This effort involves four community schools in the Albuquerque
School District: George I. Sanchez (K-8), Rio Grande High School,
Highland High School, and Atrisco Heritage High School.
COE elementary and secondary student teaching candidates
are placed for clinical field experiences at these school
sites. The placement of future novice teachers in high-need
communities for clinical field experiences allows them to
better understand the various cultures in these schools, plus
the challenges students and families face in high poverty
neighborhood communities.
The school/university partnership provides a mechanism of
support for teacher preparation programs and establishes
collaborative relationships to better prepare future teachers
for community schools. We currently place a cohort of 8-10
teacher candidates in classrooms with master teachers for
fieldbased experiences; embed a college clinical educator at each
school for direct supervision and mentoring; teach methods
courses at each school-site; and provide direct professional
development to each master teacher as determined by
teachers and school leaders.
This type of partnership nurtures the talent that exists within
the schools and the university to best prepare the next
generation of teachers. Another teacher preparation project
that we are involved with in the College is the interdisciplinary
teacher preparation project Supporting Transformative Action
in Reciprocity Together (START), funded by the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation. This project has developed partnerships with
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIE) Tribal school in San Felipe
Pueblo; Bernalillo Public Schools (middle and high school), and
Albuquerque Public Schools at Pajarito Elementary School.
This project has multiple goals:
1) transforming teacher education and revisiting teacher
education curriculum and professional courses,
2) assisting high-need schools to improve instruction and
3) designing integrated clinical field experiences to
support cultural competency.
This project involves faculty from across disciplines who work
collaboratively as Transformational Action Groups (TAGS). The
areas of focus are early childhood, elementary, secondary,
and leadership.
This project provides experiences to students in rural/tribal schools
and community settings. The project strengthens the quality of the
teacher preparation program by integrating cultural field
experiences and building strong partnerships with rural/tribal
schools and communities. Teacher candidates get involved with
activities that build community relationships, and revisit curricula to
address diversity, health, wellness, and poverty as well as the learning,
social, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs of students in an
integrated approach.
The field-based preparation in rural/tribal communities for teacher
candidates provides hands-on experiences with diverse teaching
strategies that address the needs of vulnerable populations.
Examples of some school activities are shared in the newsletter.
Another project addresses the need for Native American school
leaders to work in communities that serve Native American students.
The Pollen (Promoting Our Leadership, Learning & Empowering our
Nations) program is designed to increase the number of licensed
school administrators serving Native American students throughout
the state of New Mexico. This leadership project currently has a
cohort of 13 teachers aspiring to be principals who will complete
their program in the summer of 2017. A second cohort of teachers
will finish in the summer of 2018. All courses are delivered through a
blended online/face-to-face format to insure access to communities
throughout the state.
This TAG work is critical to the education of future Native American
students. This newsletter addresses efforts related to the school/university
partnerships established to support teacher and principal preparation for
schools and communities. We hope you enjoy reading about the many
initiatives we have to improve education for New Mexico schools and
communities.
