Pipeline
On April 25th and 26th, Towson University hosted the Maryland Educators Rising Conference, an event that brought in over 400 high school students! This pipeline- modeled conference provides passionate young people with hands-on teaching experience, sustains their interest in the profession, and helps them cultivate the skills they need to be successful educators. Representatives from colleges and universities across Maryland were in attendance, providing students with amazing networking opportunities.
Our pipeline model inspires interest in teaching as a profession and provides early support for high school students who are considering this career path. We achieve this by offering programs such as Educators Rising and Maryland Teacher Academy in Maryland high schools, through which students can enroll in education courses at local community colleges and be placed in internships in Maryland schools.
The pipeline model also includes the TU Scholars Summer Institute, a 4-day summer program hosted by Towson University. At the Summer Institute, students have the opportunity to observe classes, take tours of the campus, and participate in informational sessions on teacher prep programs. Each participant is also assigned a Towson University student as a mentor to follow up with them in the subsequent year. Grant money pays for overnight stays, transportation, registration, and pays students and chaperones a stipend to attend. These grants are in collaboration with Howard County Public Schools, Anne Arundel County Public Schools and Montgomery County Public Schools.
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)
In the spring of 2024, four Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) were implemented. These PLCs were co-facilitated by a local school district National Board Certified teacher and a Towson University professor, and participants represented a diverse combination of local district teachers, Towson University staff and interns.
The LEAP grant, collaboration with Howard County Public Schools, supported one PLC focused on Equitable Classroom Instruction for Multilingual Learners and another focused on Social Emotional Learning in K-12 Classrooms. The LIFT grant supported two PLCs with Anne Arundel County Schools, both titled: Fresh Takes: Conversations with Colleagues about Instruction that Matters. These PLCs were divided into elementary and secondary audiences to provide specialized attention on the topics presented. Overall, we had 56 local district teachers and 13 Towson affiliates participate in the PLCs this spring! The strength of these professional learning experiences lies in the collective expertise of the facilitators and PLC members and their active involvement in PLC activities to teach, network, and collaborate with other educators. Additional LIFT grant PLCs will be offered in the 2024-25 school year. The resources created for the PLC experiences will be shared to support professional learning across MD LEAs.
Equity in Instructional Practice (EQUIP)
With a commitment to advancing equity and increasing diversity in teacher leadership, the Teacher Collaborative projects include initiatives aimed at recruiting and retaining diverse candidates pursuing National Board Certification. The LEAP EQUIP Taskforce worked in the summer of 2023 to collect and analyze data to better understand the barriers to participation in the National Board Certification process for diverse candidates. The taskforce, comprised of NBCTs and NBCs with a commitment to accessibility to the National Board process, was convened during the 2023 LEAP Teacher Leader Learning Lab and Summer Academy. During the 2023-2024 school year, members met monthly to identify priorities and implement a plan of action.
Two priorities that emerged during the year were mentorship opportunities for diverse candidates and involving administrators in recruitment efforts. In January, the group launched an affinity group space for National Board candidates of color to meet with NBCTs for mentorship and support. Individual members of the taskforce also worked to meet one-on-one with principals to share recruitment resources. The taskforce will continue their planning for next year during the 2024 LEAP Leadership Summer Academy planned for July.