CU Denver to Be Honored With AACTE Award for Multicultural Education
Congratulations to the University of Colorado Denver School of Education and Human Development (SEHD) on its selection to receive the 2018 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity! The award will be presented March 1 at the Opening Keynote of the AACTE 70th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, Maryland.
The university, known as CU Denver, offers multiple pathways for teacher preparation to fit the needs of candidates from a variety of backgrounds and contexts, succeeding in attracting a diverse range of students. The program aims to prepare teacher candidates who believe all PK-20 learners deserve access to an excellent education by building upon the strengths of their individual culturally diverse backgrounds.
The program is rooted in collaboration and inquiry, equity and social justice, inclusive and culturally and linguistically responsive practices, discipline-specific pedagogical practice, and the sociocultural nature of learning. All pathways share the same framework, have extensive clinical experience tightly connected with course work, and meet Colorado teacher performance expectations. Such inclusivity and excellence builds the foundation for all teacher candidates to act with a sense of urgency to advocate for the educational equity for all children.
“Diversity, social justice, and inclusion are key values held by CU Denver and our School of Education and Human Development,” said Rebecca Kantor, dean of SEHD. “Our innovative and differentiated teacher preparation pathways exemplify these values by providing individuals from diverse communities and backgrounds, and in various stages of life, opportunities to pursue teaching careers in ways that fit their needs. These multiple pathways into teaching rest upon a shared foundation of social justice and excellence and are designed to develop forward-thinking educators who have a deep understanding of teaching, a concern for pressing social issues, and the cultural competence needed to serve diverse, urban, and rural populations.”
Offered annually, the Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity recognizes a member institution for the infusion of multicultural education and diversity concepts throughout all components of educator preparation in a school, college, or department of education. This means the institution addresses issues related to culture, language, demographics, ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, exceptionalities, and other factors throughout their curriculum, personnel, policies, and programs.
“This program has been selected because it prepares teacher candidates from diverse, multicultural backgrounds to gain the foundational knowledge and experiences necessary to advocate for the educational equity for all children,” said Janine Allen, chair of the AACTE Committee on Global Diversity, which oversees the award.
AACTE issued a press release today announcing all of its 2018 award winners. For more information on AACTE’s awards program, visit http://aacte.org/professional-development-and-events/awards. Applications for next year’s awards open in June.
Tags: Annual Meeting, diversity, equity
