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                  Table of Contents
                           · Program History
                           · Program Objectives
                           · Program Components
                           · Future Initiatives
                           · MIT Alumni Profile

MIT PROGRAM
205 Schindler Education Ctr.
UNI, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0610

 

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Program History

The Multicultural Initiative in Teaching (MIT) Program was initiated in 1988 as a school/university partnership between the University of Northern Iowa and five Iowa school districts with large, ethnically diverse student populations. The major goal of the program is to increase the number of minority teachers in Iowa schools.

The MIT Program is based on a "grow your own" philosophy that involves the early identification of students of color who express interest in teaching and demonstrate potential as future educators.

In 1990, the MIT Program gained national recognition from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU). It was one of eleven recipients that year, of AASCU's 1990 Christa McAuliffe Showcase for Excellence Awards. The Program was also one of eighty-six school/college collaborations hailed for progress toward attainment of national education goals by The President's Forum on Teaching as a Profession in 1991. In 1992, the MIT Program was cited in the Council for Aid to Education publication, Business and the Schools: A Guide to Effective Programs.

Most recently, the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program received the Educational Equity Award from the Iowa State Board of Education. The MIT Program was one of four recipients awarded at the Iowa Department of Education State Board meeting on October 20, 1999. The Iowa Department of Education State Board publically recognized the MIT Program for its promotion of respect for diversity and equity in education for all students regardless of race, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability or socio-economic status.

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 Program Objectives

1. Initiate, as early as the sixth grade, a process to identify students of color with potential for and interest in teaching
2. Involve classroom teachers, counselors, administrators, and community members from the participating school districts in cooperative endeavors with UNI faculty.
3. Involve students and their parents in activities that enhance students' readiness for entrance to UNI and teacher education.
4. Provide both cognitive and affective experiences which will help students prepare for the teaching profession.
5. Develop campus visitation activities for secondary students that will motivate them to consider teaching careers.
6. Institute a concept of guaranteed admission of qualified applicants to UNI and to teacher education.
7. Establish scholarship support and/or financial aid which will be provided by UNI, local communities, state and federal programs.
8. Develop a support program for the MIT cohort group designed to increase retention while the students are enrolled at UNI.
9. Provide support to MIT graduates during their first three years of teaching.
10. Establish an on-going program that will assure the continued professional development of ethnic minorities in teacher education

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Program Components



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District Partnerships
In 1988, UNI developed partnerships with five Iowa school districts that had significant ethnic minority representation in their student population. These districts included Davenport, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Des Moines. Each district worked collaboratively with UNI in the development of an MIT Program designed to encompass the objectives of the MIT Program and meet the needs of their particular student population and district's organizational structure.

The Davenport School District developed a program design and curriculum that has served as a model for other Iowa school districts. As a result of this district's commitment and initiative in program design and delivery, the Davenport Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program received the 1994 First In The Nation For Education (FINE) Award from the State of Iowa.

The University of Northern Iowa's teacher education program has increased in the number of undergraduate minority education majors as a result of the programming efforts of district partnerships.


MIT Summer Enrichment Program
The UNI College of Education has sponsored its Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Summer Enrichment Program every year since June, 1989. This one-week residential program is provided for minority students who have completed seventh or eighth grade during the current school year. Students who apply and are accepted in the program stay on campus and are housed in a University dormitory supervised by MIT staff. Room and board for MIT summer participants are provided by the College of Education.  Transportation to and from UNI's campus is the responsibility of each participant's family.

Selected students spend an active week exploring teaching as a career through participation in college classes related to teaching,  interviews with minority educators, and actually teaching young children in a variety of community settings. Students also learn about other cultures and participate in daily recreational and cultural activities.


The goals of the MIT Summer Enrichment Program are:

1. to introduce students to the University of Northern Iowa campus
2. to introduce students to careers in the field of education
3. to encourage students to consider the importance and satisfaction of teaching when choosing careers
4. to provide students opportunities to teach young children
5. to reinforce the attitudes, behaviors, and skills necessary to be successful in school
6. to develop critical thinking and leadership skills foundational to success as a student and future teacher
7. to nurture students' pride in their ethnic heritage and personal talents
8. to enhance students' cross- cultural and intra-cultural understanding


Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Scholarships
Students of color admitted to the University of Northern Iowa to pursue a career in teaching are encouraged to apply for Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Scholarships and other financial aid. Priority is given to Iowa students who were participants in Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Programs as elementary, middle school, or high school students.

Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Scholarships were established to assist students with UNI tuition. Awards vary from $500-$2000 per academic year.  Students in good academic standing who maintain acceptable progress toward a baccalaureate degree in teaching are eligible to receive a scholarship in subsequent years. Minority students who apply for a Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Scholarship may be awarded one of the following:

Ida May Wilson Scholarship
Lily Nina Furgerson Scholarship
William Randolph Hearst Scholarship

For further information individuals may contact:

Financial Aid Office
116 Gilchrist Hall
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0024
(319) 273-2700
(800) 772-2736
fin-aid@uni.edu



Studies in Leadership for Diversity Seminar
UNI students involved in the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program are encouraged to enroll in the course, Studies in Leadership for Diversity: Teachers As Change Agents. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to issues related to school reform, cultural diversity, and effective leadership and change strategies that will impact the educational process.
Students completing the course are expected to:

*Understand the characteristics and goals of effective leadership
within a diverse
society and educational setting

*Demonstrate an understanding of the role and responsibilities of a
change agent and challenges associated with the design and
implementation of effective change strategies

*Develop awareness of multicultural materials and instructional
strategies that support the teaching and learning of diverse learners


Multicultural Teaching Alliance Student Organization
The Multicultural Teaching Alliance (MTA) is a student organization whose membership is open to university students and faculty concerned with the educational needs of Iowa's diverse student population. The purpose of the organization is to provide opportunities for its members to develop the cultural sensitivity, knowledge, and leadership skills essential to promote multicultural education for all students.

MTA activities involve members in attendance at professional conferences that address diversity issues, community outreach to schools and agencies that serve youth, and planning campus events that promote cross-cultural understanding and educational professionalism.



Chalk Dust Chats Radio Broadcast
Chalk Dust Chats is a radio show designed to strengthen community awareness and support for public education. The show is taped live in the morning and rebroadcast in the evening by the Afro-American Community Broadcasting Station. Listeners can tune into KBBG 88.1 FM in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo communities and surrounding areas to gain information about educational issues relevant to student success at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels. Such topics as bilingual education, school safety, and the need for training more minority educators has been covered on past radio shows.

The regular host for Chalk Dust Chats is the director of the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching ( MIT) Program. University students enrolled in the Studies in Leadership for Diversity Seminar serve as co-hosts for scheduled broadcasts.  Chalk Dust Chats provides MIT students an opportunity to be involved in community and to serve as change agents who can impact teaching and learning by increasing public awareness on local and national issues vital to educational reforms.


Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Career Expo
The first annual Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Career Expo was in September, 1998. This Expo was co-sponsored by the UNI Office of Placement and Career Services and  the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program. The purpose of the Expo is to connect Iowa school districts in partnership with the MIT Program with minority teacher education majors enrolled at UNI.

As part of the Expo, graduate and undergraduate minority students visit with school district personnel at information booths to learn about current and future job opportunities within the State of Iowa. A luncheon program includes a served lunch and key note address by an exemplary minority educator. Luncheon guests have heard inspirational messages from such educators as Ruth Ann Gaines, the 1998 Iowa Teacher of the Year and the 1999 Iowa Women's Hall of Fame inductee, Rosa Maria Escude de Findlay.

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Future Initiatives

"Education is our passport to the future for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." Malcolm X

Since 1990, over 80 minority students have graduated and become professional educators as a result of the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program. The Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program must continue to provide the visionary leadership and innovative programming that will prepare highly qualified teachers of color in increasing numbers. This can be accomplished through strategic planning and the acquisition of funding resources to support, evaluate, and replicate existing and future MIT program activities. Vital to any new initiative will be the establishment of collaborative networks between K-12 schools, community colleges, and the University of Northern Iowa. An update on current Program initiatives may be accessed by contacting:

Assistant Director
Admissions/Minority Recruitment
Gilchrist 120
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0018
(800) 772-2037 or
(319) 273-2281

Director
Teacher Education
159A Schindler Education Center
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0602
(319) 273-2265

Thomas J. Switzer, Dean
College of Education
205 Schindler Education Center
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0610
(319) 273-2717

Janet E. McClain, Director
Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program
184 Schindler Education Center
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0615
(319) 273-2924
janet.mcclain@uni.edu

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 MIT Alumni Profile

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Mr. Timothy Tate is just one of over eighty classroom teachers who are alumni the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching (MIT) Program. Mr. Tate was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. He enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa in 1987 to pursue his studies in music education. The MIT Program provided him with both financial and academic support while attending the University.

Mr. Tate is currently an elementary music educator in Waterloo, Iowa.  He began his teaching career with the Waterloo Community School District in 1994. His exemplary teaching earned him the 1999 Gold Star Award for Outstanding Teaching. This award is sponsored by KWWL Television Station and the R.J. McElroy Foundation.

Mr. Tate's contributions as an educator extend beyond his assigned classroom duties. Within the community, he has served as a piano accompanist and facilitator for choir workshops. Since 1997, Mr. Tate has been a co- director for the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Summer Enrichment Program.
This one-week program is held on campus for seventh and eighth grade minority students interested in exploring teaching as a career. Mr. Tate is an excellent role model and inspiration for all students, especially students of colors currently involved in the Multicultural Initiative in Teaching Program.

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