STANDARD 4.  DIVERSITY

Element 1: Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Curriculum and Experiences

The Unit believes that effective educators understand the essential roles of diversity and culturally responsive pedagogies in supporting positive development of all students and school reform. Diversity is defined as inclusive of race/ethnicity, language, gender, sexual orientation, family composition, home environment, religious background, economic status, and exceptionality. Culturally responsive pedagogies require educators’ understanding of classroom contexts and individual student needs and experiences. The Unit is committed to ensuring that all candidates are able to create instructional opportunities that are adaptive to students from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds and with exceptionalities. These beliefs and commitments are reflected in its conceptual framework, program curriculum, candidates’ field placements, and assessment system.

In the conceptual framework, the Unit clearly delineates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions concerning diversity that are expected from the candidates:

The Unit incorporates diversity into all of its courses and experiences, and takes a developmental approach to support candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions discussed in the conceptual framework. To begin with, the first two education courses in Block I are designed particularly to help candidates understand how race/ethnicity, class, gender, and other socio-cultural factors influence teaching and learning. EDCI 205 Exploring Teaching as a Career includes field observations and other learning activities focused on fostering candidates’ understandings of how to create an equitable learning environment for socio-economic and culturally diverse students. EDCI 285 Multiculturalism and Education includes a cross-cultural experience project and other instructional activities designed to help students understand the complex dynamics between self and culture as well as the role of culturally responsive teaching in multicultural education. Candidates become aware of the different teaching and learning styles shaped by cultural influences and possible cultural, racial/ethnic and gender biases and stereotypes depicted in instructional materials. They learn how to develop a lesson plan that incorporates diversity and promote a classroom climate that values diversity during the early stage of their teacher preparation program. (Exhibit 4.1.1: course syllabi and assignment guidelines for EDCI 205 and 285)

In Block II, candidates are required to enroll in EDPS The Inclusive Classroom. This course discusses the characteristics of students with exceptional needs/talents and strategies for helping these students learn and develop in general education settings.  Emphasis is placed on research evidence, case studies, problem-based learning, and the development of a plan for an inclusive classroom. The inclusive classroom plan is a semester-long project where small groups develop adaptations for two students, one who is gifted and talented and one who is learning disabled. This course also requires a service-learning project in which the candidates work, in collaboration with a teacher, with individuals or small groups of children who have special needs in elementary schools. Candidates are required to develop and adapt instruction that meets the needs of all students, including those with exceptionalities, in every lesson plan they develop after Block II. (Exhibit 4.1.2: course syllabi and assignment guidelines for EDPS 265)

As candidates progress through the program in Blocks III, IV, and V, they continue to be involved in a variety of instructional activities relative to diversity knowledge, performances, and dispositions. In Block III and IV, candidates take method courses and complete field experiences in diverse settings. These method courses provide candidates with a variety of learning opportunities to apply what they have learned about diversity issues in Blocks I and II. For example, in EDCI 361 Social Studies in the Elementary School, a Block III course, candidates are to develop an integrated unit that includes a sequence of developmentally appropriate lessons that support diverse students’ continuous learning and growth and connects to students’ real life experiences. In EDCI 363 Literacy in the Elementary School II, a Block IV course, candidates are to develop several culturally responsive tutorial plans for two students in a low-income, predominantly African American setting. Candidates are required to reflect on how their understandings of school culture, and students’ backgrounds and experiences (e.g., families, cultures, communities, learning styles, interests, strengths, needs, and prior knowledge) affect the development of their tutorial plans. Whereas one emphasis of EDCI 365 Teaching Science in the Elementary School is to help candidates develop sensitivity to the needs of diverse learners in science, EDCI 362 Methods of Teaching Literacy in the Elementary School I aims to foster candidates’ abilities to critically examine and evaluate the literacy curricula, instructional programs and practices, and uses of technology in public schools. All of these courses require candidates to explain how they develop and adapt instruction for students with exceptionalities in the Adaptation/Differentiated Instruction Section in their lesson plans. In Block V, candidates’ diversity learning experiences include case study discussions on how to evaluate and create a learning environment that is conducive to all students’ learning, and how to develop lesson plans that can build a community of learners.  During student teaching, candidates create a Teacher Work Sample in which they must create learning goals for a series of lessons they will teach.  They must connect these goals to national and state standards, and design an assessment plan which includes pre-, formative and summative assessments.  Lesson plans are created that will meet the needs of the diverse learners in their classroom.  They then analyze the student learning data and reflect on an evaluation of success and/or lack of success and a description of possible reasons for those outcomes.  They also reflect on their own teaching and what areas they need to improve on in future lessons to ensure that learning occurs for all students. 

To ensure that all candidates have ample opportunity to demonstrate and develop their knowledge, performances and dispositions related to diversity throughout their coursework, Dr. Chan, a faculty member who teaches multicultural education, was granted a quarter-time release for two consecutive semesters to conduct several workshops and meetings regarding the infusion approach to teacher preparation for culturally responsive pedagogy.  In these workshops and meetings, both full- and part-time faculty members involved in the program were introduced to the current research studies on the infusion approach to teacher preparation, and were provided with a variety of resources of culturally responsive teaching relevant to their particular fields. (Exhibit 4.1.3: Diversity Workshop Agendas and PowerPoint Presentation Notes)

The faculty also collaborated to design and implement diversity tasks that are the key assignments or required artifacts in the PNC Professional Portfolio.  These tasks are aligned with the PNC Diversity outcome and are evaluated by faculty with rubrics that are aligned with the same outcomes.  (Exhibit 4.1.4: Diversity Key Assignments and Rubrics) These tasks include:

• A Materials Analysis in EDCI 285 - Multiculturalism and Education (Block I).  This assignment requires an analysis of classroom materials for possible cultural, racial/ethnic and gender biases and stereotypes.

• Culturally Responsive Lesson Plans in EDCI 363 – Literacy in the Elementary School II (Block IV).  Candidates are tutoring children in a predominately African American setting and must develop culturally responsive lesson plans that will meet the individual needs of their students.

• Teacher Work Sample in EDCI 496- Student Teaching. 

In addition to the program courses, a variety of field experiences foster candidates’ development of diversity knowledge, skills, and dispositions. Candidates are provided a variety of opportunities to adapt instruction to diverse populations during their field experiences. The Director of Field Experiences and other faculty members who are responsible for the placement of candidates in field experiences frequently monitor placements, through the use of a database, to ensure candidates have plenty of experiences to work with diverse populations. Table 4.7 Demographics of Field Sites in Element 4 of this Standard summarizes the cultural and economic characteristics of the placement settings.

Along with the diversity course assignments and key assignments, candidates are also required to demonstrate performance and appropriate disposition while working with diverse groups of students during field experiences and student teaching. Assessments of performance and disposition are included in field experience and student teaching evaluation forms completed by course instructors, university supervisors and classroom teachers depending on the purpose of the field experience. Tables 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3 provide information on how candidates are able to meet performance and disposition indicators related to the diversity outcomes during field experiences and student teaching.  The rating scale used in 2003-2005 was a 1-4 rating and in 2005 it changed to a 1-5 scale. These forms were used for the first time in fall 2004 and were developed to reflect the PNC conceptual framework.  Before that time, the student teaching evaluation form was aligned with the Purdue West Lafayette conceptual as we were a non-autonomous campus.  There were no uniform field experience evaluation forms before fall 2004. (Exhibit 4.1.5:  Field Experience and Student Teaching Evaluation Forms)   

Table 4.1:  Early Field Experience Evaluations - Diversity

Table 4.2: Late Field Experience Evaluations - Diversity

   *Indicator Met (4) Developing at Appropriate Level (3) Not Met (2) No Performance Opportunity (1)

   **Indicator Consistently Met (5) Usually Met (4) Rarely Met (3) Never Met (2) No Performance Opportunity (1)

Table 4.3: Student Teaching Evaluations – Diversity*

* Exceeds Expectations (4) Independent (3) Learning (2) Needs to Learn (1)

When school administrators who have hired our graduates were surveyed on how well our graduates understand the complexity of diversity issues and on being able to provide students of diverse backgrounds with equal learning opportunities and adaptive instruction, they reported an average rating of 4.6, with a 5 indicating strongly agree and a 4 indicating agree.

This data provides evidence that PNC teacher education candidates and graduates have the appropriate skill and disposition to ensure that all students learn.

Candidates receive feedback from course instructors and supervisors during the field experiences and student teaching related to their ability to teach all learners.  This feedback is related to the data that is collected from rubrics and evaluation forms.  Candidates are given opportunities to reflect on their knowledge, performance and disposition and develop plans for improvement.

Element 2:  Experiences Working with Diverse Faculty

Table 4.4 includes information as of the fall, 2005 semester on diversity of full-time and part-time faculty within the Education Department, full-time faculty at PNC, and the school-based faculty at all required field experience sites.  The number of school-based faculty for whom race/ethnicity is unknown is recorded this way because the break down of ethnicity data available for this report was white and non-white.  There was no data available related to the sex of the school-based faculty.

Table 4.4:  Faculty Demographics Fall 2005

The Education Department makes every effort to hire and retain faculty from diverse backgrounds.  Procedures from the Affirmative Action Office are followed whenever searches are initiated for both tenure track positions and continuing lecturer positions.  Search chairs have the opportunity to advertise in a variety of publications including the Chronicle of Higher Education, HigherEdJobs.com, and Black Issues in Higher Education.  All interviews are approved by the Affirmative Action Officer before invitations are extended to applicants. 

Education faculty members bring varied experiences working in diverse settings with diverse candidates and students.  Table 4.5 provides a summary of these experiences.

Table 4.5: Full-time Faculty Experience with Diversity

The Education Department has made efforts to increase the interaction of our candidates with diverse faculty.  It should be noted that the five non-white school-based faculty members all teach in schools where PNC has required field experiences.  Guest speakers who are ethnically diverse have also been invited to present workshops and seminars to our teacher education candidates.  Mrs. Peggy Thomas who is African American has presented two workshops at PNC on Cultural Diversity and Differentiation and Mrs. LaMonica Henson who is African American has presented a seminar to student teachers.  These efforts will be continued and expanded in the future.

Element 3:  Experiences Working with Diverse Candidates

Table 4.6 presents information on the diversity of Education Department candidates during the fall 2005 semester.

Table 4.6:  Candidate Demographics Fall 2005

Initiatives to Recruit Diverse Candidates

The Education Department and the University have undertaken initiatives to recruit diverse students.  For instance, Dr. Pratt was awarded a grant during 2004 and 2005 entitled Exploring Teaching as a Career.  With support from the grant, culturally diverse students from the Michigan City High School visited PNC for a day for an introduction to the teaching profession.  During their visit they participated in a mathematics class intended for elementary education candidates, attended a presentation given by a PNC graduate who currently teaches in a Michigan City elementary school, collaborated with teacher education candidates to develop lesson plans and then visited an elementary school classroom where they taught their planned lesson to students.  Funds are being applied for the support and expansion of similar recruitment activities in the near future. (Exhibit 4.3.1: Exploring Teaching as a Career)

The Education Department is currently developing an articulation agreement with Ivy Tech Community College in Michigan City.  Students at Ivy Tech are much more diverse than the PNC student population.  Through this articulation agreement it is hoped that more diverse students will continue their college work through the Education Department at PNC. (Exhibit 4.3.2: Ivy Tech Articulation Materials)

The University with community partners has initiated a College Bound scholarship program that will provide full scholarships to students who show potential.  Students are selected for this program in the seventh grade and begin to participate in varied learning and enrichment activities as eighth graders.  Students will remain in the program through high school and new eighth grade students will be added each year as the program continues.  Currently this program is offered to students from LaPorte and Michigan City.  The goal of the program is to help students attend PNC who may not otherwise be able to do so. (Exhibit 4.3.3: College Bound Program) 

The University also has a program called Student Support Services which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.  To be eligible for this program, students must meet one of the following criteria:  have a documented disability, be a first generation student, or have low income.  This program has effectively retained students.  Currently eight teacher education candidates receive their services.  (Exhibit 4.3.4: Student Support Services)

Element 4:  Experiences Working with Diverse Students in P-12 Schools

Teacher education candidates complete a variety of field experiences preceding their student teaching experience.  These field sites are presented in Table 4.7.

Table 4.7: Demographics of Field Sites 2005-2006

All teacher education candidates participate in a field placement in all of these sites.   It should be noted that an attempt has been made by the unit to select schools for field experiences that reflect the conceptual framework and provide opportunities for candidates to develop their knowledge, skills and dispositions related to diversity.  A complete list of all school sites utilized for student teaching may be found in the exhibit room. (Exhibit 4.3.5: Demographics of Student Teaching Sites)

PNC primarily serves candidates from LaPorte, Porter and Starke counties.  The demographics for these counties are shown in Table 4.8

Table 4.8: County Demographics 2003-2004*

*Sources:  Quality of Life Council for Northwest Indiana, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Census Bureau, Indiana Family Social Services Administration

These demographics provide an indication of the types of students with whom PNC candidates are likely to encounter.  The Education Department is committed to providing candidates with diverse field placements to ensure that they are effective educators committed to continuous growth and school reform.