UC-Davis Pauses Teacher Education Program to Include Social Justice

Home schooling became more popular during the COVID lockdowns out of necessity. Things like this are going to make it even more popular.

Campus Reform reports:

UC-Davis pauses teacher education program to incorporate social justiceAfter administrators at the University of California-Davis considered pausing their teacher’s education master’s degree for the purpose of revamping the curriculum with a social justice lens, the university faced backlash from local teachers.In a statement, UC Davis School of Education Dean Lauren Lindstrom explained that the school is “proud of our program as it exists now, but at the same time, educational priorities are constantly evolving and teacher preparation programs need to be responsive.”The university “received input from alumni, students and faculty that we need to do more to prepare our students to address institutional racism, meet the needs of LGBTQ students, bilingual students and students with disabilities, and use digital tools to promote learning.”However, local teachers expressed concern about the low supply of new teachers that would result from the program’s suspension.A petition signed by over 4,000 educators stated that the losses associated with a teacher shortage would be “devastating as our schools reel from a pandemic-induced recession.”“We agree that the values of research-informed practice, technology-infused classrooms, and social justice are vital to the wellbeing of strong classrooms; dismissing lecturers is socially unjust and undermines the instruction of best classroom practice,” continued the petition, which also noted the university’s “inexplicable timing and opaque communication.”Educators were notified of the program’s pause on October 9. UC Davis reversed the pause on October 16.UC Davis will “engage in a deliberative and collaborative process for deciding if admissions need to be suspended during the redesign process, or if there are satisfactory alternative approaches.”

Tags: California, College Insurrection, Education, Social Justice

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