NCATE/BOT Institutional Report

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Standard 4: Diversity

The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) has a diverse faculty and student body. Candidates in professional education programs come from across the country and across the world. The demographics of the state are changing and there are now a significant number of new immigrants to the state. The current population in the state is 10% people of color and is expected to grow to 16% by 2030 (state demographic center). The college has been attending to the needs in schools for a diverse population of educators for more than 15 years. The unit now has continuing and new initiatives designed to address the curriculum and experiences for candidates in the initial and advanced programs. Faculty address issues of diversity in the coursework, plan experiences for candidates across the program, and evaluate candidates at the completion of the programs. The conceptual framework articulates the college commitment to honoring the diversity of our communities and learners. Candidates in professional education programs work with individuals from diverse backgrounds — faculty, staff, other candidates, and students in P-12 settings.

Candidates in all programs meet proficiencies in working with diverse students. The initial teacher candidates must meet the MN Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers (MNSEPT) Standard 3: Diverse learners.

The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to learners from diverse cultural backgrounds and with exceptionalities.

Each of the advanced programs also has expectations for candidates. The expectations emanate from the conceptual framework, program design, and standards for the profession evidenced in the requirements for completion of the advanced programs.

The college has implemented a unit-wide effort to promote a diverse candidate and faculty population and multicultural environment. The strategic plan specifically outlines goals for diversity including recruitment and retention of candidates and faculty. The representation of candidates and faculty from diverse populations has improved since the 2000 NCATE/BOT review. The population of students of color in the college has increased from 6.5% in 2000 to 10.1% in 2004 with an additional 6.7% international student population; and the faculty of color population increased from 9% in 2000 to 15% anticipated Fall 2005. (See Element 2 below.)

In 2002 the college reorganized its diversity initiatives, placing oversight of all diversity programs for candidate support in one position and hiring a new coordinator of multicultural programs and outreach to improve coordination among programs. This individual is working to extend diversity efforts through the Homegrown Teacher Partnership Project (HTPP — for middle and high school students and early college students), the Multicultural Teacher Development Project (MTDP — for licensure students), and the Common Ground Consortium (CGC — focused on graduate students from historically black colleges and universities). The coordinator is a member of the college committee on diversity which has included among its initiatives an emphasis on expanding the diversity of faculty pools, hiring diverse faculty, and strengthening the diversity of the student population. The work of this committee is supplemented by several diversity committees in departments and centers throughout the college.

Scholarship support for candidates of color is part of the programs and assists the college efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body. Examples of this support include The Rodney Wallace scholarship, for American Indian students with a strong academic background and leadership ability, and the Giddings Scholarship, for minority female students entering the M.Ed./initial licensure program. The college has committed over $500,000 annually for direct student support in the form of scholarships, graduate assistant support, and other programming (this does not include commitments such as early childhood, urban education, centers focusing on special needs populations and other related areas).

The diversity of the college faculty has improved since the 2000 NCATE/BOT review. Currently 15% of the faculty are persons of color. During each of the last five years at least 25% of new faculty members were faculty of color. The new faculty hires for 2005-06 total 14, with 36% being faculty of color. Recently, an additional faculty resource was initiated when a donor provided the college with funding for an urban chair position: the Carmen Starkson Campbell Endowed Chair in Urban Education. This position was initiated in response to diversity priorities in the college and the changing demographics of the Twin Cities area and greater Minnesota. The faculty member holding the Carmen Starkson Campbell Endowed Chair in Urban Education will support the on-going development of already existing activities and programs, as well as provide leadership for new initiatives. These new initiatives may include an urban teacher education program, a program of research on issues critical to teacher education for urban settings, summer institutes and professional development opportunities for P-12 teachers on urban issues, and the development of advanced graduate courses on urban education.

The demographics of Minnesota, particularly the Twin Cites, have changed markedly. The number of Hispanics in the state of Minnesota has increased 166% in the past decade. The Twin Cities has the largest urban Hmong population in the United States, the seventh largest urban American Indian population in the United States, and the largest Somali population outside of East Africa. Minneapolis Public Schools, where 43% of the students are African American, also have more than 10,000 students speaking more than 80 home languages. As stated in the Strategic Plan, the college’s goal is to become, within the next three to five years, a nationally recognized site for research and innovative teacher education in urban educational settings.

An important component of the unit’s diversity focus is partnerships with urban schools. Work with urban schools has increased through an expansion of the professional practice school concept to include another Minneapolis high school, and the groundwork is being laid for developing such a partnership with an urban middle school. A member of the Council on Teacher Education (CTE) served on both the CTE and the Committee on Diversity to facilitate communication between the two groups and foster collaboration on mutual goals and concerns. As explained below, diversity is a central theme of the conceptual framework for the professional education programs.

The college’s Committee on Diversity has among its goals supporting and advising college programs committed to increasing diversity, and fostering an institutional climate conducive to inviting and supporting diversity. The committee works to support the college’s programs for increasing student and faculty diversity and on projects and strategies that improve the climate in the college.

Element 1: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Curriculum and Experiences

Diversity is addressed as one of the three central themes of the conceptual framework for professional education programs: honoring the diversity of our communities and learners. Accordingly, diversity is addressed in program structure, coursework, and field experiences for all candidates in initial and advanced programs. The departments and academic programs in the college are responsible for the curriculum within the programs. The curriculum for the initial programs is the responsibility of the Council on Teacher Education and the individual program areas. The advanced programs content oversight lies within the program areas, departments, and in meeting the standards of the respective professional organizations. The college’s Committee on Academic Affairs (CAA) approved the syllabus template, required to be used by all instructors, that provides an outline for including how each course addresses the elements of the conceptual framework and, in a separate section, how the course addresses the concept of diversity.

Initial teacher preparation
Diversity is addressed in several ways for the professional education programs. For the initial programs it begins with admission to the licensure programs, continues through the coursework and experiences that address the Minnesota Standards of Effective Practice for Teachers (MNSEPT), and culminates in the placement of practicum and student teachers. Standard 3 of MNSEPT addresses Diverse Learners. 

Assessment of candidates’ ability to work with diverse populations begins at admission to the program. All applicants are assessed on the amount and quality of work in diverse settings prior to application to the program.

The initial programs have identified the knowledge and experiences needed for developing skills related to diversity and have placed these within courses. The standards table provides information on the placement in initial licensure courses of the 17 indicators associated with the diverse learners standard. Demonstration of meeting the standard was a part of the program approval process by the Minnesota Board of Teaching. Candidates are assessed on the standards within courses, in clinical experiences, and overall (as outlined in Standard 1 and 2). Syllabi outline how candidates are assessed on the standard. In addition, assessment instruments (Dispositions, Standards Rubric, and Evaluation of Student Teaching) demonstrate the assessment of this standard. Based on analysis of data from these assessments, over 98% of the candidates meet expectations for working with diverse students. Candidates unable to meet the standards are provided with additional developmental activities, including case conferences (see Standard 2).

Within courses and experiences the candidates have an opportunity to gain knowledge and practice and are assessed on their ability to work in diverse settings and with diverse students. Some examples of how the standards are met in selected initial programs are indicated below. (See also the table of courses and standards for additional evidence of how the standards are met.)

Art education

• Candidates observe in urban settings four hours per week during fall practicum and teach six weeks in the spring.
• Four hours of observation in a self-contained special education setting are required in addition to the content of EDHD 5003 Developmental and Individual Differences.
• Candidates examine teaching strategies that address varieties of learning styles, including those that are culturally based.
• One class session is devoted to a jigsaw-style book club in which candidates share key ideas from their chosen books, culminating in developing a list of key principles for working with students whose backgrounds are different from their own.
• Candidates develop a unit of study that must include artwork from Western and non-Western artists representing a theme that is universal in nature. This unit must address culturally relevant pedagogical issues as well.

Communication arts and literature education

• Candidates are placed during practicum and student teaching in two schools with highly diverse student populations.
• Candidates explore explanations for student performance related to students’ cultural backgrounds associated with differences in race, class, and gender.
• Candidates read articles on the influence of cultural difference on students’ language use, particularly dialect differences, as well as the importance of drawing on students’ cultural “funds of knowledge” in developing teaching activities.
• Candidates work with middle school students in studying issues facing urban neighborhoods, and issues associated with racism related to poverty, unemployment, and crime.
• Candidates examine diversity through discussions of various methods of including and teaching multicultural literature in ways that focus on analysis of cultural differences.
• In CI 5481 Developments in Teaching English and Speech, candidates read about the need to develop curriculum based on recognition of cultural differences operating in the candidates’ schools.

Business education

• Candidates observe and reflect on their experiences in schools in the Twin Cities to contrast the programs and teaching practices used with various groups of students.
• Guest speakers are asked to engage candidates in discussions about culturally diverse students, students with special needs, and responding to various teaching circumstances.
• Candidates interview persons employed in business and marketing programs and critique this work from a variety of perspectives — student aspirations, educational expectations, working environments, opportunities for further education and advancement, and implications for public school instruction.
• Candidates are asked to examine the stereotyping of particular jobs and occupations, and ways to encourage both non-traditional employment preparation and critique of current employment settings.

The course, CI 5644 Working with Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students in the Mainstream Classroom, focuses on strategies for working with English language learners. This course is required for art, elementary, math, communication arts/literature, science, and social studies candidates. Candidates in other programs incorporate activities to adjust lessons to meet the needs of all students.

Programs at the initial and advanced levels address the understanding of diversity in several ways. These include assessment of prior experience at the time of admission to the program and also include coursework. The programs include diversity at their core as indicated in Frameworks for Program Evidence. Candidates in all professional programs have experiences in which they work with diverse faculty, students, and candidates. In addition, all programs include diversity as a primary topic in courses, as a key part of their program structure, or through a culminating project.

In addition to the specific content pedagogy coursework, all initial licensure candidates take EDHD 5009 Human Relations: Applied Skills for School and Society and EDHD 5003 Developmental and Individual Differences in Educational Contexts. Each of these courses has as a major focus the specific aspects of diversity in student populations. In addition, each program area has designed experiences related to diversity within courses and field experiences. Candidates’ knowledge is assessed through evaluated coursework and through evidence obtained during practicum and student teaching experiences.

The Dispositions Assessment is completed for each candidate during the first term in the initial program by program faculty (see Standard 2). Table 4.1 identifies key dispositions related to diversity. These data demonstrate that over 88.6% of the candidates meet expectations in this area.

Table 4.1 Evaluation of candidate dispositions related to diversity by faculty

The Evaluation of Student Teaching is used during the full-time student teaching experience by the University supervisors and cooperating teachers to give feedback to the candidate. The final evaluation is submitted to the Teacher Education Data System (TEDS) by the University supervisor. Table 4.2 shows that in 2004-05 over 97% of the candidates performed satisfactorily or above on items related to diversity.

Table 4.2 Evaluation of candidate performance related to diversity by University supervisor

At the completion of their programs candidates are assessed by the program faculty against the Standards Rubric. This is an assessment by faculty taking into account a candidate’s coursework, clinical experiences, and performance overall. Table 4.3 shows that 97.8% of the candidates in 2004-05 were assessed at the “proficient” or “exemplary” level.

Table 4.3 Evaluation of candidate performance related to diversity by faculty

On the How Their Careers Began Survey (for completers in their first year of teaching) and the Second-Year Professional Survey, (for completers in their second year of teaching) specific items assess teacher beliefs about their preparation to address diversity issues. Below are the percentages of respondents who marked “well” or “very well” for each item. Completers were asked to respond based on the stem “How well did the program prepare you to…” The data in Table 4.4 show that completers assessed the program at a high level.

Table 4.4 Completers’ evaluation of diversity preparation

*2002-03 Second-Year Professional Survey data was not available at time of printing this document.

The Employer Survey (sent to principals or supervisors of recent completers) asks respondents to rate how well completers perform in several areas. Table 4.5 shows that completers performed well in the areas related to diversity, with over 92.4% of the teachers rated in the range of “fairly well” to “very well.”

Table 4.5 Evaluation of completer skills related to diversity by employer

Advanced teacher preparation
Each of the advanced programs is based on the philosophy outlined in the conceptual framework. The programs are designed to include concepts and research critical to effective performance in the schools.

In the M.Ed. program in curriculum and instruction, candidates consider how curriculum, instruction, and assessment must all be informed by a solid understanding of the role of diversity in schooling. In the required course, CI 5155 Contemporary Approaches to Instruction and Assessment, specific readings and course discussions emphasize how norms of schooling can serve to advantage certain groups of students over others. Throughout the program, in readings and discussion, coursework addresses how individual and cultural differences affect student learning. A specific student assessment related to dispositions – including diversity – was initiated in Spring 2005 to determine how faculty develop and assess advisees with whom they work.

The reading licensure program includes content related to individual and cultural differences in literacy development. Thus, questions of diversity are threaded throughout the licensure program. CI 5435 Professional Development and Evolving Practice in Reading K-12 specifically delves into questions of reading difficulties and develops candidates’ knowledge about sources of difficulties and appropriate instructional responses.

The M.Ed. program in music provides opportunities for candidates to address the diverse settings in which teachers work. The teachers bring to their coursework in the program the challenges and successes they have experienced, including such things as music selection, and planning based on student needs. One course, MUED 5750 Special Topics in Music Education, explores the connections between adolescents and music in school and society, thus demonstrating the importance of meeting the needs of diverse students.

In the M.Ed. program in agricultural education, the program structure is designed to include experiences in diversity. Required coursework addresses the variety of students in the P-12 schools. For example, candidates are often teachers from greater Minnesota where immigrant populations have settled. The increase in the number of LEP students requires attention to adapting lessons for those students.

The teacher leadership program strives to admit a broad range of candidates, with consideration of diversity factors such as gender, ethnicity (if known), teaching level, subject area, and school district location. Course content integrates reflective discussions of diversity-related issues, policies, and implications for teacher leaders. The culminating project selected by candidates often includes topics related to diversity, such as leadership, student performance, collaborative instructional models, parent satisfaction, and new teacher mentoring. Other projects include information on application to a variety of learning styles.

Other professional school personnel
The developmental and adaptive physical education (DAPE) program structure is focused on diversity: people with disabilities in physical activity. Practitioners in the community are licensed DAPE teachers. KIN 5103 Developmental and Adapted Physical Education addresses the assessment of individuals with disabilities and how diversity is accounted for in the ability to appropriately assess and design interventions if needed to successfully participate in physical activity. KIN 5104 Physical Activities for Persons with Disabilities includes all the major categorical disabilities as designated by federal special education law as well as federal civil rights law on disability. The focus is on understanding the disability, and then facilitating successful participation in physical activity whether in the school, home, or community. KIN 5196 Practicum: Developmental/Adaptive Physical Education is the practicum in DAPE where candidates work under supervision to obtain experience in physical education for special needs students. All of these academic programs are heavily focused on the diversity within the population at large and the diversity within a disability area.

Required Minnesota competencies for the administrative licensure area address diversity. It is discussed in courses and applied to authentic practice sets as well as the reflections required throughout the program. The standards that administrative licensure candidates must meet are specified by the Minnesota Board for School Administrators. Candidate enrollment represents a blend of multiple ethnic groups, beliefs, religions, cultural backgrounds, genders, etc. The same is true of the faculty and field experience mentors.

The intent to honor diversity is infused throughout the educational administration degree programs. During the reconfiguration of the degree programs, a decision was made to infuse attention to diversity and social justice in structures, curriculum, and in the programs, broadly speaking. By doing this, all areas of the curriculum have been reconsidered and changed.

School counseling includes attention to diversity in several areas. The admission process and program structure emphasize the diversity of candidates as well as diversity of the P-12 settings. Through coursework and field experiences the candidates’ experiences are focused on inclusion.

The school psychology program strives to select candidates who bring diverse backgrounds and experiences to the program. While in graduate school, all candidates have experience in urban education through the assessment sequence. In addition to the assessment sequence, many candidates select urban education settings, and/or settings that allow them to develop competency with diverse learners (e.g., working with autistic children).

Element 2: Experiences Working with Diverse Faculty

The college has worked toward and achieved diversity among the tenured and tenure-track faculty. Diversity of faculty in the college has been an important part of the college strategic plan and a focus for the Committee on Diversity as evidenced by the production of a video to assist departments in the recruitment of faculty members of color. The University has been proactive in the endeavor of increasing faculty of color. The University has a program for supporting colleges who hire faculty of color by offering financial support in the first years of employment, with colleges taking over that support after three years. To improve understanding of recruiting and hiring faculty of color, the University sponsored symposia to provide a forum for discussion and action. The three-day symposium titled Keeping our Faculties of Color involved teams of faculty and administrators from across the campus and provided multiple opportunities for the groups to both learn from success stories and plan together for positive actions in each college.

A college team participated in the Keeping our Faculties of Color symposium and has made a proposal to:

• Begin a pattern of strong messages to all college personnel about the importance of recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining persons of color in the college workforce.
• Strengthen our present mentoring systems in the college to optimize mentor/mentee activity and communicate across college units about successful best practices.
• Improve the climate for faculty of color by ensuring that attention is paid to hiring and supporting Professional and Administrative (P & A) and Civil Service employees of color who have substantial interaction with faculty in their college work.

The associate dean for academic affairs has committed professional development funds and promised additional funds as needed to support these activities:

• A presentation at the Fall 2005 college retreat by the state demographer related to the context in Minnesota.
• A college initiative to refine diversity goals for the unit.
• Associate deans meet with chairs and directors to set specific goals, actions, and timeframes for diversity goals.
• Departments and the dean’s office will develop and carry out new and junior faculty mentoring activities.
• The dean’s office will assess the complement of persons of color in P & A and Civil Service positions and appoint a committee to plan and deliver activities to enhance opportunities in these classifications.

These activities demonstrate renewed interest and commitment to the challenge of college climate and staffing. During the 2004-05 academic year the college posted 19 open faculty positions. An analysis of the applicants showed that, of the 538 applicants for the positions, 23% (124) were from applicants of color. As of June 24, 2005, the searches for new faculty for Fall 2005 have resulted in 14 new faculty hires, five of whom are faculty of color. Since the 2000 NCATE/BOT site review the college efforts to recruit and retain faculty of color have resulted in an increase in the number from 8.7% faculty of color in 2000 to 15% faculty of color in 2005.

Table 4.6 summarizes the number of applicants for the open faculty positions.

Table 4.6 CEHD applicants for faculty positions 2004-05

The faculty complement has an increase in the faculty of color due to the hiring of several new faculty members over the past five years. Increased efforts in recruitment have aided in this effort.

Table 4.7 CEHD faculty hires 2001-06

As a result of efforts over the past five years the college has 15% faculty of color for the 2005-06 academic year.

Table 4.8 CEHD tenured and tenure-track faculty by ethnic group and academic year

Faculty demographics Fall 2005

Faculty and professional staff who teach in the P-12 educator programs include both tenured and tenure-track faculty and P & A personnel. The faculty hold doctoral degrees in the fields in which they teach. Many of the P & A staff also hold doctoral degrees, or are working on their doctoral programs and/or have recent experience as teachers or administrators in P-12 settings. The percentage of faculty of color in the college is similar to that in the University.

Table 4.9 CEHD and University tenured/tenure-track faculty and CEHD professional faculty

The University is committed to a diverse population of students, faculty and staff. More broadly, the institutional commitment to a campus that embraces a multicultural philosophy is evident through the work of the Office for Multicultural and Academic Affairs which provides support, information, and programs to assist students, faculty, and colleges as they work to improve the climate for success at the University. The publication Friday Factoids provides a way to inform and keep diversity issues an active part of the community.

Faculty and staff in the college are committed to preparing candidates at all levels who are able to address the needs of students. In order to prepare candidates, faculty recognize their own responsibility to understand the issues and context, and to engage in their own professional development. The Committee on Diversity leads college-wide efforts to improve the climate and support for faculty and candidates.

Among the specific goals for the Committee on Diversity are to: provide leadership in the integration of the curriculum, to survey students regarding the current climate and compare to the survey conducted a few years ago, to promote understanding through experiences such as cultural competence workshops, and promote understanding through departmental and program activities, and produce a video to assist departments in the recruitment and hiring of faculty of color.

Along with supporting the Committee on Diversity, it is recognized by the deans and department chairs that the issue of diversity must be on the agenda for the college leadership and promoted as a key message. Examples of departmental and unit attention to extending the understanding of diversity include the work of the diversity committees in individual departments. Curriculum and Instruction has held meetings on-site with the Hmong and Somali communities. SPS has held a series of workshops that helped to create better understanding of diversity specifically related to delivery of service to students. Administrative support of diversity as outlined in an earlier section of this element will continue.

The International Education Committee in the college provides venues for students, faculty, and staff to discuss issues related to the global society. Through monthly Pizza and Talk (P & T) sessions students and faculty are introduced to activities from across the college and University. The P & T series is a good example of collaboration among diverse groups to develop a better understanding of international and intercultural education. Attendance in 2004-05 averaged 40-45 persons each session. The committee has a number of special additional sessions connected with International Week as well as special international visitors. A diversity of speakers and programs cover various countries and cultures of the world. During the period 2003-2005 the committee had speakers from the Hmong community, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and the Czech Republic.

In addition to these activities, the University’s Learning Abroad Center works with program areas to provide options for study abroad as a part of their programs. New options for candidates include student teaching in an international setting and study abroad for professional studies students.

Faculty members in the college are engaged in a variety of activities, research projects, and collaborations with schools that focus on issues of diversity. Collaborations with the public schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul include the Professional Practice School at Patrick Henry High School, where many secondary candidates have field experiences, Roosevelt High School, where many of the students are Somali immigrants, and new collaborations with Anishinabe Academy, a school with 95% American Indian students. Candidates who are not involved with these schools have experiences in schools where there is a large population of diverse students. (See Table 4.12 and Table 4.13 for summary data.)

Faculty are also involved with P-12 practitioners through joint grant projects. Providing options through literacy and mathematics institutes, the faculty have provided support for schools and for teacher development. A series of workshops through the college’s Continuing Professional Studies office provides learning opportunities focused on diverse populations for practitioners. The Urban Leadership Academy, now in its sixth year, is a collaboration among four urban districts for the professional development of administrators in the urban setting. Focusing on the theme, making schools that work, the 2004-05 academy had topics such as: The Art of School Leadership: Walking the Talk without Falling Off the Tight Rope, The New Knowledge Culture: Breaking Apartheid in our Schools, Improving Decision-making: Redefining Reality through Data, and Innovative Professional Development in a New Knowledge Culture.

Commitment on the part of the faculty and staff is evident in the types of professional development and other activities related to on-going understanding of multicultural efforts as evidenced in faculty vitae. Sixty-seven percent of CEHD faculty members reported activities involving collaborations with P-12 schools on the topic of diversity. Faculty are often contacted regarding their expertise related to diverse populations. A few examples include:

• Martha Bigelow, assistant professor of second languages and cultures education, is conducting intensive research to find out if and how literacy in a native language affects the acquisition of oral skills in a second language and working with the Somali student population in Minneapolis to explore those questions.
• Martha Thurlow, director of the National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO), a nationally-funded center housed in the college, has been following the issues surrounding the inclusion of students with disabilities in assessments since the standards-based reform movement began well over a decade ago. NCEO was established in 1990 to provide national leadership in designing and building educational assessments and accountability systems that appropriately monitor educational results for all students, including students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency.
• Sandra Christenson, professor of school psychology, and colleagues have been studying school completion for more than 12 years, using a model they developed called Check & Connect. It is an intervention program aimed at marginalized students who have been identified as at-risk for dropping out or school failure, including youth of all ages, with and without disabilities. Students most likely to drop out come from Hispanic, African American, American Indian, and low-income backgrounds, live in single-parents homes, and attend large urban schools, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (2002). Dropout rates are highest among students with emotional and behavioral disabilities; half of those students dropped out of school in 1998-99, according to the U.S. Department of Education (2001). The program is designed to improve student engagement at school and with learning through relationship building, problem solving, and persistence.

Element 3: Experience Working with Diverse Candidates

The CEHD has a diverse student population and has established many ways to recruit and retain a diverse student body through its admission process, outreach, and retention efforts. The number of students of color and international students together has increased from 9.6% in Fall 2000 to 16.8% in Fall 2004. In CEHD professional education programs, candidates represent a wide geographical area, a variety of ethnic and racial groups, and from a number of foreign countries.

The University has a diverse population of undergraduate students. Of the students of color enrolled in higher education across the state, 40% are at the Twin Cities campus of the University. The University has 16% students of color and the college recruits from among these undergraduate students for its initial teacher licensure and graduate-level programs.

The college has implemented a number of strategies to attract a diverse student body for its programs. From pre-admission through clinical experiences, diversity experience is emphasized. All applicants to the initial teacher licensure programs must have 100 hours of experience in schools and must provide evidence they have worked with populations of students from backgrounds other than their own before applying to the college. This requirement establishes early that the college places a priority on candidate dispositions and skills in working with diverse students.

In collaboration with other efforts from Student and Professional Services (SPS), the multicultural coordinator and professional advisers developed an outreach plan to aid faculty in recruitment efforts. The plan addresses short-term and long-term strategies for recruiting and retaining students of color in the initial licensure program and advanced programs for teachers and other professional school personnel. The goals focus on students in the larger University community, community colleges, high schools, and middle schools:

• To meet with campus diversity organizations and college offices to promote teacher education, the need for teachers of color, and careers in education;
• To reach into the community and ensure that the community college students are directed to the University for teacher education;
• To build relationships with community colleges to ensure that students are directed to the University for teacher education classes;
• To continue to develop relationships with a number of P-12 school districts by working with students and parents in those districts to see college and teacher education as an option.

The multicultural coordinator works with the director of communications and the directors of graduate study as well as others in the college to shape messages about the college that will reach diverse populations of students.

The initial licensure programs in the college are designed to provide candidates with experience in a variety of environments both on the college campus and in P-12 schools. All candidates are exposed to other candidates in various classroom experiences and field experience who are diverse in terms of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender. This experience allows the candidates to develop competencies working with a wide range of people and to observe diverse professionals at work.

Candidates from diverse ethnic, racial, gender, and socioeconomic groups work together on committees and education activities. As one example, the service fellowship program is an opportunity for initial candidates to provide service to the college, campus, and community through participation in activities, demonstrating leadership through professional development initiatives, community services, and related activities. Participants must perform at least 30 hours of service. Within this program candidates have the opportunity to interact and work with each other in program planning and implementation. Examples of service fellows projects are listed below:

• Staffed an international teaching opportunities booth at the annual initial licensure career expo. The booth featured a PowerPoint presentation explaining several teaching opportunities in foreign countries at both international and U.S. schools.
• Organized a presentation entitled “School Specialists: Helping You Work with Your Diverse Student Body” for the initial licensure annual 2005 career expo. The panel discussion featured four school specialists. Discussion topics included the specialists’ specific roles within the school, how mainstream teachers can more effectively tap into the resources of specialists, responsibilities of mainstream teachers in working with students who receive specialist support, and a question/answer time.
• Participated in the Aliveness Project to fill holiday gift baskets for homeless and low-income families and people living with HIV/AIDS during the holiday months.
• Hosted a Hmong Culture and Educational Workshop for Teachers that provided practical tips for working with Hmong students in the classroom. The workshop featured information on improving parent/teacher communication, gaining knowledge about cultural perspectives, and improving teacher preparation.

The affirmation of the value of diversity is shown through good faith efforts to increase or maintain candidate diversity.

• Through its Common Ground Consortium (CGC) program the college developed an endeavor that focuses on increasing the diversity of the student population. The college is currently partnering with several historically black colleges and universities to recruit students who are interested in pursuing an advanced degree in education. The program provides financial, academic, mentoring, and professional development support to 16 student participants.
• The Multicultural Teacher Development Program is a program for culturally diverse students enrolled full-time in the initial licensure program. This program provides financial support and offers candidates of color a supportive environment in their academic pursuits. Information about academic career opportunities is provided to candidates at the group’s monthly meetings. This information helps candidates navigate through their degree program and make the transition to professional positions. In addition, the coordinator of multicultural programs is available to students to encourage and support their personal and academic needs.
• The Homegrown Teacher Partnership Project recruits potential undergraduate students and nurtures their interest in teaching. Students gain hands-on tutoring experience in an urban after-school program. Students are provided with financial assistance in the form of a scholarship and an opportunity to acquire skills for working in an urban setting.
• Partnership with Academic Commitment to Excellence (ACE) is an after-school tutorial program. The ACE institute provides tutoring in math and reading to students from the Minneapolis public schools (6th-11th grade). Candidates in the Homegrown Teacher Partnership Project provide four hours of tutoring in reading/language arts and math.
• The CGC partners with the Bloomington School District. CGC students serve as mentor/role models to African American students through in-class instructional assistance while providing positive role models for students at the district’s Valley View Elementary School. The goal is to form a bond with a targeted group of Valley View students identified by teachers and staff as needing extra academic and social-emotional support for learning.

The college also has reached out to two-year colleges to promote teacher education and to encourage a diverse group of students to consider teaching in P-12 schools. The coordinator attends community college information sessions, interest groups programs, and makes personal contact with community college counselors.

Within the University, outreach is being conducted with the Multicultural Academic Center of Excellence through a teacher education interest group. This group is made up of undergraduates who are provided information on education, various careers in teacher education, and an opportunity to network with various faculty and administrators in teacher education.

Financial assistance is important to the retention of all candidates, but particularly candidates of color. The college has made additional efforts in providing financial support as follows:

• Rodney Wallace scholarships are provided to American Indian students who have demonstrated academic achievement and leadership ability in education.
• The Isabelle Graham Giddings scholarship is provided to two female students entering M.Ed./initial licensure programs. The donor preference is that one scholarship be awarded to an African American pre-service female student, and one will be awarded to any pre-service female student (preferably a minority student).
• The Service Fellows Scholarship provides support to students who demonstrate a commitment to community service and serving diverse populations.

The result of these efforts has been an increase in the number of candidates of color in college programs. The charts below outline admission and registration of students across the professional education programs. The percentage of candidates of color in initial programs increased since 2000-01, and in the advanced programs the percentage remained steady.

Table 4.10 Five-year admission data on candidates of color (SOC)

The diversity of candidates who matriculate into CEHD programs is similar to numbers for the University overall.

Table 4.11 Comparison of Fall 2004 ethnicity and gender of CEHD candidates and University students with MN demographics

Element 4: Candidate Experiences with Diverse Students in P-12 Schools

All candidates in the CEHD have experiences working with a diverse population of students. Initial licensure candidates obtain these experiences prior to admission and continue throughout the program as part of practicum and clinical experiences. Advanced program candidates have experiences through their own practice (for advanced teachers) and other professional school personnel have these experiences in their clinical practice.

In the CEHD, consistent with the conceptual framework value of honoring the diversity of our communities and learners, it is important for candidates to have experience with students unlike themselves. The professional education programs appeal to candidates from an extensive range of backgrounds who intend to teach and work in a wide range of educational programs. Because of the unit’s unique position as a land-grant institution preparing educators for the state, and being based on an urban campus operating interdependent programs with the largest school districts in the state, the programs ensure that students have experiences that reflect the diversity of the many communities in Minnesota.

Admission materials for initial programs are described in CEHD literature. The candidate must submit a resume highlighting classroom experience, diversity experience, and other experiences relevant to teaching. The scoring system for diversity experience used by admissions advisers includes a rubric that provides for both amount of time and type of experience:

To receive a score of 4 on this criterion [diverse experiences] the applicant must have:

• Extensive experience with people(s) different than themselves. This experience should include a variety of experiences in which the applicant has not been the person of the majority population. These experiences may include, but are not limited to, immersion in a culture different than their own either by studying and living abroad, interacting with diverse people in a volunteer or workplace environment. The applicant must have had experience with more than one type of person.

To receive a score of 3 on this criterion the applicant must have:

• A variety of more than two experiences with people(s) different than themselves. These experiences should be with varied individual or group types.

To receive a score of 2 on this criterion the applicant must have:

• Had one or two experiences with people(s) different than themselves that are outside of their own cultural experience. That is, an applicant who has had limited interaction with young people different than themselves. These experiences should be with varied individual or group types.

To receive a score of 1 on this criterion the applicant must have:

• Has had a very limited amount of experience with people(s) different than themselves.

To receive a score of 0 on this criterion the applicant must have:

• Has had less than 30 hours of experience, in either formal or informal settings, with school-age children from diverse backgrounds.

The college’s urban location offers a prime opportunity for candidates to gain experience working with students from many backgrounds. Fall practicum experiences, and fall and spring student teaching experiences occur in varied locations, most in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. These experiences are selected and sequenced so that all candidates work with a variety of students in a variety of school settings. (See Standard 3.)

One challenge in identifying settings with representative and diverse student populations for student teaching placements in large school districts is that schools can vary dramatically in the make-up of their students. The unit has analyzed the schools where candidates are placed to ensure that these schools have a representative and diverse student body. See Table 3.3 for a summary by program of the characteristics of the schools where student teachers have been placed.

Candidates in the initial programs take coursework and have experiences in schools related to exceptional children. The college has a nationally ranked program in special education and the expertise of this faculty group is integrated into the licensure programs. Candidates do their practicum and student teaching in classrooms where they work with special needs students. The schools where candidates have been placed have diversity in these areas as well. Table 3.4 provides information on the placement of candidates by program and student characteristics.

The placement of initial candidates in urban school districts ensures that all candidates have experiences with diverse populations of students. (See Table 3.1.)

Candidates are assessed through the dispositions assessment, standards rubric, and student teaching evaluation in terms of meeting the standards for working with diverse populations of students. Candidates who have not developed the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to demonstrate competence in these areas will be asked, via the case conference, to develop additional competence through coursework or additional clinical experiences.

The college’s commitment to prepare candidates for diverse classrooms is evident through the conceptual framework, program structures, coursework, assessments of candidates, and programs supporting both initial and advanced educators. The faculty and staff are committed to a multicultural agenda as evidenced by grants, research, improvement of the climate for all individuals, and recruitment and support of faculty and students of color.

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