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Programs of Special Interest
CU Engage
The mission of CU Engage is to leverage the resources of the Boulder campus to work collaboratively with community groups to address complex public challenges. The Center, housed in the School of Education, develops and sustains equity-oriented partnerships, organizes opportunities for students to learn alongside community members and supports participatory research methods focused on the public good.
CU Engage provides support for two focal activities: 1) community-based learning pathways and 2) community-based research. These activities are linked through the formation of community partnerships that support both learning and research. Community-based learning pathways—including INVST Community Studies, Public Achievement, CU Dialogues and the Leadership Studies Minor—prioritize experience (learning by doing), reciprocity (work with rather than for communities) and intellectual rigor rooted in academic disciplines. Community-based research refers to projects that bring people together with varied training and expertise, working collectively in mutually beneficial ways, on research studies that matter to the public.
Equity & Diversity Initiatives
As an important part of its mission, the CU-Boulder School of Education has a strong commitment to democracy, diversity and social justice. Given that education is a cornerstone of individuals’ life chances and opportunities as well as an informed and engaged public, the unwavering evidence of inequality in American education demands the sustained and dedicated attention of researchers, educators and policymakers.
Educational Diversity Scholars Program
The Education Diversity Scholars (EDS) program works with the University of Colorado’s LEAD Alliance Neighborhood to provide students of color and first-generation college students with social and academic support, as well as advising on financial support and career preparation. The goal of the program is to offer students a welcoming environment and a strong support network in order to help them excel in their chosen fields. By participating in the Diversity Scholars neighborhood, students have access to the personal contact and support of a small community while still being able to take advantage of the benefits of a large university.
Graduate Students of Color Collaborative
The Graduate Students of Color Collaborative (GSCC) is a collective that strives to create and promote safe spaces for graduate students of color in the School of Education and across campus. In recognizing the unique challenges and isolation students of color often face in graduate programs at CU, GSCC aims to regularly offer social gatherings, opportunities to critically reflect and engage in discussions of race as it pertains to campus climate, as well as a formal presence representing graduate students in diversity initiatives across campus. In addition GSCC members seek to collaborate with other cultural, equity and diversity based organizations on campus and graduate student support structures ranging from first-year student community support to dissertation writing groups.
Teachers of Color & Allies Summit
Since 2004, the school has hosted the Teachers of Colors and Allies Summit each fall. The conference brings together practicing and pre-service educators of color and allies to share innovative and evidence-informed approaches to supporting students and families of color. The conference provides a unique venue where educators of color and allies meet with one another to network, provide collegial support and mentor new teachers and emerging leaders. For participants, the conference is a special opportunity to recruit and retain teachers who represent the diversity of our K-12 students.
STEM Initiatives
CU is a leader in Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) education. The School of Education in collaboration with the College of Arts & Sciences developed and is a national leader in the Learning Assistant model. Additional, CU was one of the original 13 institutions selected to replicate the U Teach Model. Both the LA and CU Teach programs help us prepare outstanding secondary math and science teachers.
The Learning Assistant (LA) Model at the University of Colorado-Boulder uses the transformation of large-enrollment science courses as a mechanism for achieving four goals:
- to recruit and prepare talented science majors for careers in teaching;
- to engage science faculty in the recruitment and preparation of future teachers;
- to improve the quality of science education for all undergraduates; and
- to transform departmental cultures to value research-based teaching for ourselves and for our students
The transformation of large-enrollment courses involves creating environments in which students can interact with one another, engage in collaborative problem solving and articulate and defend their ideas. To accomplish this, undergraduate LAs are hired to facilitate small-group interaction in our large-enrollment courses.
CU Teach is a four-year degree/licensure program that allows students to complete a rigorous education in a mathematics, science or engineering major and fulfill requirements for a Colorado initial teaching license in secondary mathematics or secondary science. It is a unique collaborative program between the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Applied Science and the School of Education. CU Teach students get immediate hands-on K-12 teaching experience by enrolling in the first course in the program, STEP 1 (EDUC 2020). Students can enroll in Step 1 as early as their freshman year at CU. In addition to taking courses from research faculty in the School of Education, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and Applied Science, CU Teach students get support from Mentor Teachers (current K-12 teachers) and Master Teachers (CU faculty who are veteran classroom teachers). The student organization hosts activities and events that are social as well as service-oriented, and that help students develop career networks.
