Aid for teachers’ aides

Metropolitan State University of Denver is launching a new effort to grow and diversify Denver’s teacher workforce with the help of a $1.5 million federal grant.

MSU Denver’s School of Education is one of 12 institutions nationwide to receive funding from the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program, which aims to support more teachers from historically underrepresented populations by expanding teacher-preparation programs at Minority-Serving Institutions.

The University will use the grant, managed by the U.S. Department of Education, to provide 15 scholarships per semester to paraprofessionals already working in Denver Public Schools high-needs schools, especially those in underserved and Spanish-speaking communities. Paraprofessionals provide instructional support under the supervision of licensed teachers.

“MSU Denver wants to help paraprofessionals become licensed teachers themselves,” said Christine Muldoon, Ed.D., executive director of the University’s Office of Education Solutions. “They’re already working in the school district, so there’s a huge opportunity here. But what we know is that it’s not enough just to bring students here. We need to support them while they’re here.”

LaNier sees MSU Denver as a bright spot in the Colorado educational landscape, noting the Board of Trustees’ commitment to diversity. With her speech at the University, she reconnected with the spirit of her great-great-grandfather’s words.

“It takes all of us to learn what brought us to become the best country in the world in the first place, and education plays a central role,” she said.

The four-year grant will bolster those support services, including more in-class and out-of-class faculty support and the creation of support groups that foster a sense of belonging. The University also plans to expand its Bilingual Education Specialist certificate program with the help of Hawkins grant funding.

“Today, more than half of our learners nationwide are students of color, and yet fewer than one in five educators come from communities of color,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Ph.D., in a statement. “I’ll never forget the impact that my first teacher of color had on me as a student, and my experience tracks closely with years of research suggesting the profound, positive influence that educators of color have on students of all backgrounds.”