Change Created

• Invested in inclusive scholarship and faculty retention through National Science Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grants. SOE scholars are examining undergraduate Black students’ postsecondary STEM experiences, equity-based teaching at the college level, and how curiosity affects learning. They are also developing strategies to retain and nurture women and underrepresented STEM faculty at AU.

• 

  Advanced opportunities for future educators through increased scholarships for students pursuing degrees in early childhood education as well as for the Teacher Pipeline Project, which aims to solve America’s teacher shortage by offering pathways to teaching careers for high school students.

• Developed new opportunities for students dedicated to early childhood and elementary special education through the US Department of Education’s Residency for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and in partnership with AU’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Friendship Public Charter Schools. SOE students will receive enhanced firsthand classroom experiences and mentoring by practitioners in the field.

• Improved teacher development abroad through Panama Teach, a program that incorporates evidence-based, professional development for Panamanian educators and leaders. It includes a research component to inform legislative policy in support of advancing teacher training and well-being.