Leaders of UD’s Urban Teacher Academy will ask their fellow educators to reflect on how they disrupt the practices in education that project a facade of inclusion while marginalizing students of color.

Novea McIntosh and Rochonda Nenonene will present at The American Educational Studies Association national conference about their efforts to dismantle structures, policies and curricula in teacher preparation that maintain institutional racism.

“BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) students deserve to see themselves in the curriculum in higher education classes if they are to do more than survive, but thrive,” McIntosh said. “Teacher preparation is valuable for all of our students when they see diverse intellectual traditions in the pedagogical canon. Teacher educators must actively engage in this work and collectively use their voices in spaces to learn from and empower each other. Our work is urgent to support our future teachers.” 

McIntosh and Nenonene also highlight their work in two new book chapters — “Disrupting and Transgressing the Canon: Including BIPOC Voices,” written with fellow UD faculty member R. Darden Bradshaw about their experiences as marginalized educators challenging racist practices in teacher education, and “The Teachers Our Students Need: Developing Culturally Responsive Antiracist Activists,” which is in press and highlights the work of the Urban Teacher Academy.

The Academy certificate program since 2002 has prepared graduates to work in Dayton Public Schools and offers ongoing support during their first three years of teaching.

“Teachers are leaving education at alarming rates, and this is especially true in urban schools,” Nenonene said. “But a good teacher can make all the difference in a student’s life. The kind of specialized coursework, experiential learning and targeted urban field experiences we offer in the Academy can lead to longer teacher retention and educators committed to being equity advocates for the students and families they serve.” 

More information on the Urban Teacher Academy is available on UD’s website.