Morgridge College of Education offers Denver Public Schools (DPS) high school students a pathway to teaching careers through a new Grow-Your-Own (GYO) teacher initiative for first-generation and students of color in DPS Title 1 schools.

William Anderson, director of teacher education and clinical assistant professor at Morgridge, directs the program, made possible by a $150,000 grant from IA O’Shaughnessy Foundation.

“Most Grow-Your-Own programs take high school students directly to universities or colleges that offer teaching licensure and an undergraduate degree,” says Anderson, noting that Morgridge offers a teacher training program higher level. “While we can’t allow students to participate directly in our teacher education program, we want to create experiences that inspire them to consider teaching. »

DU’s program includes partnerships with four DPS high schools and a three-pronged approach – or three pathways – for students to experience education.

The first path is to provide students with strong teaching practices for tutoring elementary school students. “It’s not just one child reading to another child. It’s about equipping students with the educational skills needed to achieve meaningful results,” says Anderson.

The second path is through EdConnect and TREP, which are growth efforts across the district and state. EdConnect is a district-wide educational journey that aims to develop current DPS students into the educators of tomorrow. Teacher Recruitment Education and Preparation (TREP) is a Colorado Department of Education program that creates the opportunity for qualified students in an educator career pathway to simultaneously enroll in postsecondary courses and earn credit universities, without tuition fees.

Participating students are invited to UD on days when the district hosts professional development for their teachers, Anderson says. “We do professional development for these future teachers and give them teaching practices, which really elevates the work they do so they can see what it means to be a teacher.”

The third path is to inspire students to become STEM educators by providing them with experiences or field trips where they can learn about the STEM field. For example, the first outing is to the Downtown Aquarium where students will dissect a squid and learn marine biology from shark experts. When students return to their schools, they will take on the role of teacher and share their experience with their classmates.

Anderson hopes that up to 100 students will participate in the three different courses. In December, all students will come to DU for an educational justice symposium, where they will explore how student stories and research can address educational injustices.

Morgridge faculty and graduate students will lead sessions on a variety of topics, including gentrification, school models and standardized testing. At the end of the day, students will choose the topic they wish to cover during a second session, which will be held in February or March.

“When they come back for the second session, they will speak directly to this professor and to the graduate students who have already prepared literature reviews on their topic so that they can start working on a design thinking protocol,” says Anderson .

For example, if the topic is school models, students will talk about their own school model, reveal what is good and not so good about that model, and explain what their ideal school model would look like and how it would align with that model. what the research says. best.

During the final session in May, students will develop a “disruptive showcase” in which they explain how their idea is a potential disruptor of educational injustice. They will present their solutions to an audience including family, Morgridge faculty and representatives from the O’Shaughnessy Foundation. Anderson hopes the foundation will continue to fund the program while Morgridge seeks additional funds to keep it going for years to come.

“We want the foundation to be aware of the meaningful work the students are doing and to be excited to continue their support,” Anderson says. “Our goal is to establish sustainable resources to maintain the growth of this program. »