Old Dominion University to Receive 2022 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity
The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) today announced that Old Dominion University (ODU) is the recipient of the 2022 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity. This award, sponsored by AACTE’s Committee on Global Diversity, recognizes the infusion of diversity throughout all components of a school, college, or department of education as fundamental to quality teacher preparation and development. Kala N. Burrell-Craft, Ph.D., director of teacher residencies, Darden College of Education & Professional Studies, will accept the award on behalf of ODU at the AACTE 74th Annual Meeting in New Orleans, La, on March 4.
There is a national shortage of teachers, and urban school districts, in particular, often experience extraordinary difficulty in hiring and retaining teachers. ODU has a significant history of implementing residency programs that prepare diverse teachers to fill these critical shortages, utilizing a culturally relevant framework. In 2015, ODU partnered with local school systems to prepare teachers through the Teacher in Residence (TIR) program, a master’s level teacher licensure program.
In its seventh year, the TIR program promotes the development of participants as culturally responsive, antiracist professional educators, leaders, and critically engaged citizens. The program also helps eliminate financial obstacles for talented teachers of color. With the support of district, state, and other grant funding, the program fully funds tuition and associated fees for a master’s degree and license, licensure exam costs, a stipend, and emergency funds to cover childcare and other unexpected challenges that often create barriers to program completion. ODU’s TIR Program offers a year-long residency while utilizing mentors to prepare teachers that meet high-need, urban schools’ STEM and special education demands. Graduates of the TIR Program gain fundamentals through their experience and receive exemplary training that includes hands-on experiences in diverse urban classroom.
“We are fortunate to have the leadership of Dr. Kala Burrell-Craft at ODU to ensure we provide top-notch, culturally alert, and equitable education to our students,” said Dr. Tammi Dice, interim dean of the Darden College at Old Dominion University.
The 26th annual AACTE Awards Program honors member institutions and individuals who have made bold, extraordinary, and innovative contributions to the profession of teacher education.
“The Teacher in Residence Program at Old Dominion University is a fine example of the 2022 AACTE Best Practice Award in Support of Multicultural Education and Diversity,” said Lynn M. Gangone, AACTE president and chief executive officer. “The TIR Program provides an invaluable service to feeding the pipeline of multicultural and diverse teachers while removing barriers, which creates candidates that can fill the gap of cultural diversity in our schools.”
Tags: Annual Meeting, Awards
