Director's Note

This morning the White House released Fact Sheet: The American Families Plan. This Biden-Harris Administration initiative features investments in education and preparation for teachers.

"Few people can have a bigger impact on a child’s life than a great teacher. Unfortunately, the U.S. faces a large and growing teacher shortage. Before the pandemic, schools across the nation needed an estimated additional 100,000 certified teachers, resulting in key positions going unfilled. Shortages of certified teachers disproportionately impact schools with higher percentages of students of color, which have a higher proportion of teachers that are uncertified and in their first or second year, exacerbating educational disparities."

The priorities:

Address teacher shortages, improve teacher preparation, and strengthen pipelines for teachers of color
Help current teachers earn in-demand credentials
Invest in educator leadership

The Center for Learning in Practice has been at the forefront of all three areas since its inception. We could not be more pleased and relieved that at long last teachers are understood as key to addressing any education crisis.

Thank you to the dozens of teachers who have been our fellows, the hundreds of teachers who have enrolled in our courses, the thousands who have participated with us in a myriad of ways. We have learned so much from you. Your leadership is the future of education. Thank you to the Biden Administration for the long-deserved and much-needed recognition and investment in teachers.

You can access our professional development for teachers (from primary to tertiary) in the following places:

Finally, we are proud to announce our first Summer Institute for those working in refugee resettlement contexts across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and any host country.

Yours,

Dr. Diana D. Woolis, Director

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New Publications

MENA Higher Education Pedagogy, Technology and the Refugee Experience

Funded in part by the Open Society Foundations, the Center for Learning in Practice at the Carey Institute for Global Good, UNHCR, and the Connected Learning in Crisis Consortium have joined together to strengthen capacity in the MENA region for faculty to understand and effectively use digital pedagogies, with particular consideration for refugees.

The report shows our findings and analysis after engaging faculty from Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon to report their experiences. The project ran during the COVID-19 health crisis from June 17 - November 20, 2020.

The objective was to deliver a framework for faculty professional development and a blueprint for action—for delivering inclusive, digitally mediated pedagogies in the MENA context, with special consideration for refugees.

Available here.

INEE Distance Education Reference Group

Dr. Diana Woolis, Director of the Center for Learning in Practice, was selected to co-chair the new INEE Distance Education Reference Group (DERG) with Leya Amonde Ouko, UNHCR Senegal, beginning in January 2021.

Established in November 2020, DERG includes 40 members from 27 organizations from government agencies, NGOs, multilateral agencies, academia, and the private sector. DERG focuses on elevating the distance education needs of young people in emergencies and humanitarian settings. DERG intentionally embraces a far-reaching definition of distance education as to encompass all relevant and viable high-, low-, and no-tech solutions to support out-of-school learning during challenging times.

Learn more about DERG and other INEE Reference Groups here.

Refugee Educator Workforce Development Project for Quality Holistic Learning (QHL)

Funded by an international philanthropic organization, the Center for Learning in Practice is working virtually with a diverse stakeholder group to develop professional learning resources and opportunities for teachers working in displacement contexts within larger national education systems. The Refugee Educator Workforce Development Project for Quality Holistic Learning (QHL) will build on existing SEL measurement tools, developments in the field of teaching and learning analytics, and evidence-based practices related to student-centered, holistic learning in crisis, emergency, displacement, and refugee contexts with the knowledge that holistic teaching and learning is not just a function of what is taught but how the material is taught. QHL project aims to increase quality holistic learning experiences and outcomes for refugee students, other vulnerable learners, and educators across displacement contexts.

Learn more about this project here.

Continuing Events: REA 2021 Webinar Series

An international high school diploma for refugees

Presenter: Muhamad Dale, Amala Education

Saturday, May 8, 2021
11:00 AM EDT / 3:00 PM UTC

In this webinar, Muhamad will speak about the Amala High School Diploma Program designed especially for refugees and launched in Amman, Jordan in June 2020.

Register here.

Get details on the other workshops in the series here. Access previous webinars, and related discussions, in our virtual community space: https://clip.cmnty.com.

Continuing Events: Critical Issues in Refugee Education Workshop Series

Framing Diversity in Refugee Education

Presenter: Tri Nguyen, Washington State Educator

Saturday, May 15, 2021
11:00 AM EDT / 3:00 PM UTC

In this workshop, Tri will lead activities that help educators consider how they are viewing and making use of diversity in their classrooms to support refugee and newcomer students. Tri will share examples from his practice in a secondary math classroom and invite participants to share their approaches to supporting diverse learners as well.

Register here.

This is the last in this 2020-2021 academic year series. Thank you for being part of a powerful exchange of ideas all year refugee education colleagues!

Summer Institute: Refugee Educator Foundations of Practice

Registration is open now for this summer professional learning opportunity!

Designed with and for K-12 educators across the US, this course supports the development of foundational knowledge for any educator working with students of refugee backgrounds. Part One of the course focuses on deepening connections with refugee students and families and creating conditions for learning. Part Two supports responsive teaching and learning, with an emphasis on creation of inclusive, differentiated, accessible, and meaningful curriculum and materials.

Two cohorts are available to best fit your summer schedule. Select your ideal cohort during registration:

Register for Part One of the course here.

Register for Part Two of the course here.

Find additional information about the course here, and please share with your networks!

Center for Learning in Practice

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