A new initiative between a Connecticut university and a public school system has been established to help diversify teaching and the shortage of special education professionals.
The partnership between Sacred Heart University’s Farrington College of Education & Human Development and Stamford Public Schools will be laser-focused on identifying and recruiting local talent to ensure that classrooms are led by teachers who better represent the families and the children they serve. The partnership will also focus on removing barriers that may be keeping qualified and committed candidates from pursuing a career in education.
“This is all about building a pipeline of talent and preparing future special educators to be resilient and empowered in their work so they enjoy a long and productive career in special education,” said Dr. Sally Drew, an associate professor of teacher education and director of special education programs at SHU. “By the time they have completed the program, they will be well prepared, have a master’s degree from Sacred Heart University and their teaching credentials, and they will be eligible for employment. This is about streamlining barriers and about growing your own.”
SHU joins other institutions and national initiatives aimed at diversifying the teaching profession. One of the most heralded programs—Call Me MISTER—at Clemson University, has yielded positive results in increasing the number of Black male teachers.
“This collaboration is a model for the state,” said Charmaine Tourse-Davis, director of talent recruitment and retention at Stamford Public Schools. “We asked Sacred Heart, ‘What can you do for us in special education training to fill the classrooms that really need teachers?’ As we talked, we realized that not only do we need more special education teachers in the practice, but we also need to increase educator diversity in the workforce. We asked, and Sacred Heart delivered.”
SHU plans to roll out the program to other school districts, said Dr. Mel Horton, dean of the Farrington College of Education & Human Development.
“We are not stopping with Stamford. We want to expand it, particularly in Sacred Heart’s surrounding communities,” she said.
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