麻豆社区 Pembroke hosts BranchEd Alliance Board of Directors
Through a three-year grant opportunity, the School of Education at 麻豆社区 Pembroke has partnered with a national professional services organization 鈥� Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity (BranchED) 鈥� and with local school districts to prepare highly effective and diverse future educators.
BranchED鈥檚 board of directors and leadership team recently visited 麻豆社区P and spent the day engaging with students, faculty and public school partners to understand the impact and how their efforts transform the communities it serves.
鈥淲e have an incredibly engaged board that not only wants to support the work from a fiduciary and oversight capacity, but they want to see the work on the ground,鈥� said BranchED CEO Dr. Cassandra Herring.
鈥淲e wanted to show (the board) exemplary programs that we have been working with, and certainly, the School of Education here at 麻豆社区P is one of those,鈥� Herring said.
BranchED is a collective of university faculty and leaders advancing educational equity and excellence. It was founded in 2017 as the only non-profit organization in the country dedicated to strengthening the impact of educator preparation at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).
鈥淚 am pleased to know that this transformative work has the potential to create a meaningful impact in my community,鈥� said Dr. Tiffany Locklear, grant co-lead and assistant professor in the Inclusive Education Program at 麻豆社区P. 鈥淭he project provides a space for learning, exploring and growing.鈥�
Dr. Loury Floyd, dean of the School of Education added, 鈥淲e are proud to have Branch Alliance as our partner.鈥�
During the day-long visit, the leadership team engaged with students and district partners, including the Public Schools of Robeson County and Scotland County Schools.
In 2021, 麻豆社区P received a $400,000 grant through BranchED to restructure and renew its teacher preparation programs to recruit and prepare highly effective diverse teacher candidates.
鈥淲e are excited that they have taken seriously our work together and have expanded it, using it as a catalyst to the transformation here,鈥� Herring said.
Dr. Frank Gettridge, BranchED鈥檚 board chair, said the visit provided insight into how BranchED and the School of Education have partnered to support students.
鈥淚t felt good to hear that you don鈥檛 bring culture into education 鈥� you bring education into the culture. This staff shared all those successes with us, and what started as a small grant has now turned into something impactful.鈥�