Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program
If you have any inquiries, please direct them to the Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program Manager at
[email protected]
[email protected]
Developed in 2022 with a planning grant from Oregon Serves and the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Coalition of Racial and Educational Justice’s (CoREJ’s) Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program is a groundbreaking initiative addressing the institutional and systemic barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) educators within the Oregon education system. The central objective of the Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program is to create and deliver essential modules and resources tailored for pre-service and in-service BIPoC educators. These materials are designed to seamlessly integrate into their curriculum and lessons across all subjects, with the goal of advancing racial and educational equity. The program is funded by generous support of Oregon Serves, Higher Education Coordinating Commission, Meyer Memorial Trust, AmeriCorps and the Black Student Success Network.
The Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program advocates for fair and equitable educational access to dismantle unconscious bias directed towards BIPoC students and educators. This is achieved through collaborative efforts with like-minded K-12 institutions, community colleges and universities, and community partners who share a vision of equity and inclusivity. In direct response to the findings outlined in the 2022 Educator Equity Report and Educator Equity goals in Oregon, the program is steadfast in its commitment to cultivating culturally responsive support to increase the diversification of teachers in Oregon schools.
The Program specifically supports BIPoC student-teachers enrolled in an Oregon Teacher Education Programs and actively pursuing their teacher certification. Our 23-24 Aspiring BIPoC Educators cohort received dedicated support, including participation in monthly reading group discussions on BIPoC identity, racism and anti-blackness, and cultural responsiveness in teaching, as well as in a Restorative Justice Workshop facilitated by an Assistant Professor at Portland State University, Shanté Stuart McQueen.
Some poignant takeaways from ABE Cohort this year:
“We also have seen an abundance of evidence which highlights the need for students to be able to express themselves safely in order to have a healthy state of mind, and in order to be able to self-regulate and develop essential social-emotional communication skills. We must be willing to ensure there are faculty who students can connect with, and trust.”
“I believe that teacher education programs generally should apply racial justice a lot more because both BIPoC and white American teachers need more opportunity to learn different perspectives.”
“Since these ‘other spaces’ can provide different opportunities and demand different types of thinking, identity development can and should be explored to discover how these affordances in both social and physical environments further identity development.”
Video Reflections are also available: Member1: Reflection and Member 2: Reflection.
These activities fostered the development of an anti-racist and anti-colonial teaching philosophy, and authentic relationships within the cohort. The 23-24 cohort successfully completed their service term on June 15th, 2024, and received the AmeriCorps Segal Education Award at the end of their service.
During this pilot period, the Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program has fostered meaningful relationships with K-12 institutions, Teacher Education Programs at various universities, and community partners. We are excited to continue developing relationships with these partners and beyond, and explore more ways to support teachers and staff of color to diversify our educational workforce.
ABE's work directly with students to integrate their program learnings into their classroom interactions.
During FY 23/24
Total Number of Students Served by ABEs:272
Black/African American/African: 25
Native/Indigenous: 4
Hispanic/Latiné: 153
Asian: 8
White: 75
Multiracial: 7
YEAR ONE ABE PROGRAM ALUM:
Kyoko Waltner
Teacher License: World language
Teacher Education Program: Portland State University
District Served: Portland Public School District (world language teacher at Jefferson High School)
Mykaela Gonzalez
Teacher License: English Language Art
Teacher Education Program: Pacific University
District Served: Valor Middle School
Christian Sicairos
Teacher License: Multiple subjects/ Bilingual-Spanish
Teacher Education Program: George Fox University
District Served: Phoenix-Talent School District (3rd grade teacher at Phoenix Elementary School)
Tiara Primus
Teacher License: Theatre & speech
Teacher Education Program: Pacific University
District Served: David Douglas School District- (Theatre teacher at David Douglas High School)
The Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program advocates for fair and equitable educational access to dismantle unconscious bias directed towards BIPoC students and educators. This is achieved through collaborative efforts with like-minded K-12 institutions, community colleges and universities, and community partners who share a vision of equity and inclusivity. In direct response to the findings outlined in the 2022 Educator Equity Report and Educator Equity goals in Oregon, the program is steadfast in its commitment to cultivating culturally responsive support to increase the diversification of teachers in Oregon schools.
The Program specifically supports BIPoC student-teachers enrolled in an Oregon Teacher Education Programs and actively pursuing their teacher certification. Our 23-24 Aspiring BIPoC Educators cohort received dedicated support, including participation in monthly reading group discussions on BIPoC identity, racism and anti-blackness, and cultural responsiveness in teaching, as well as in a Restorative Justice Workshop facilitated by an Assistant Professor at Portland State University, Shanté Stuart McQueen.
Some poignant takeaways from ABE Cohort this year:
“We also have seen an abundance of evidence which highlights the need for students to be able to express themselves safely in order to have a healthy state of mind, and in order to be able to self-regulate and develop essential social-emotional communication skills. We must be willing to ensure there are faculty who students can connect with, and trust.”
“I believe that teacher education programs generally should apply racial justice a lot more because both BIPoC and white American teachers need more opportunity to learn different perspectives.”
“Since these ‘other spaces’ can provide different opportunities and demand different types of thinking, identity development can and should be explored to discover how these affordances in both social and physical environments further identity development.”
Video Reflections are also available: Member1: Reflection and Member 2: Reflection.
These activities fostered the development of an anti-racist and anti-colonial teaching philosophy, and authentic relationships within the cohort. The 23-24 cohort successfully completed their service term on June 15th, 2024, and received the AmeriCorps Segal Education Award at the end of their service.
During this pilot period, the Aspiring BIPoC Educators Program has fostered meaningful relationships with K-12 institutions, Teacher Education Programs at various universities, and community partners. We are excited to continue developing relationships with these partners and beyond, and explore more ways to support teachers and staff of color to diversify our educational workforce.
ABE's work directly with students to integrate their program learnings into their classroom interactions.
During FY 23/24
Total Number of Students Served by ABEs:272
Black/African American/African: 25
Native/Indigenous: 4
Hispanic/Latiné: 153
Asian: 8
White: 75
Multiracial: 7
YEAR ONE ABE PROGRAM ALUM:
Kyoko Waltner
Teacher License: World language
Teacher Education Program: Portland State University
District Served: Portland Public School District (world language teacher at Jefferson High School)
Mykaela Gonzalez
Teacher License: English Language Art
Teacher Education Program: Pacific University
District Served: Valor Middle School
Christian Sicairos
Teacher License: Multiple subjects/ Bilingual-Spanish
Teacher Education Program: George Fox University
District Served: Phoenix-Talent School District (3rd grade teacher at Phoenix Elementary School)
Tiara Primus
Teacher License: Theatre & speech
Teacher Education Program: Pacific University
District Served: David Douglas School District- (Theatre teacher at David Douglas High School)