Standard 4: Diversity
The unit designs, implements and evaluates curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to help- all students learn. These experiences include working with diverse higher education and school faculty, diverse candidates, and diverse students in P-12 schools.
In meeting the standard of diversity, emphasis is given to the candidates' awareness and commitment to providing a quality education for all students. The three components of the conceptual framework guide decisions about the units' goals, curricula, and field-based experiences.
The University of North Dakota takes pride in its mission to meet the individual and group needs of a diverse and pluralistic society through education, research and service. The peoples served by and associated with the University vary widely: all must be valued for the richness of the different cultures, heritages, perspective, and ideas bring to the community. The University is, in part, a conduit through which individual perspectives and global interrelationships are enhanced by learning and teaching environment that is aware of and sensitive to the diversity of its constituents. Diversity in the University is constituted by the full participation of persons of different racial and ethnic heritage, age, gender, socio-economic background and sexual orientation: or persons with disabilities; and of people from other countries. Of particular importance is the University's longstanding commitment to support the cultures and traditions of the American Indian people while providing learning and teaching experiences, which enhance their self-determination, educational advantages and professional opportunities. Policies and procedures of the University oblige its students faculty staff and alumni to foster the awareness and sensitivity necessary for acceptance and understanding of all people in society (University Policy and Procedures). The University of North Dakota strongly disapproves and disavows acts of racism, sexism, bigotry, harassment and violence in any form and actively uses its name and other resources to provide opportunities for its constituents and public to learn and appreciate the values of a diverse and multicultural world.
Diversity at the University of North Dakota is a goal that has been incorporated in the University Strategic plan and is reflected in the strategic plans of the College of Education and Human Development and the teacher education unit (EHD Strategic plan (PDF File); T & L Strategic Plan (PDF File)). Efforts at recruiting and retaining faculty, staff and students from diverse backgrounds are embraced at all levels. North Dakota's geographic location at times may seem as a deterrent to expanding out diversity, however an examination of the programs, demographics of our faculty, students and staff, and the opportunities provided within the community suggest that the concerted efforts of all involved is having a positive impact on the diversity of the community. In addition, our programs have been developed to provide a wide range of opportunities to allow candidates to embrace a broad definition of diversity as they prepare to become educators.
Element 1: Design implementation and evaluation of curriculum and experiences
Developing programs to support and embrace all dimensions of diversity are woven throughout our curriculum. Beginning with the liberal arts foundation, the university as a whole is dedicated to providing all students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to support all peoples. The General Education Requirements reflect this commitment.
Departmentally, a significant amount of work was completed by the faculty during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 academic years regarding diversity education in our programs. Much of that effort was the result of the work of Dr. Mary Lou Fuller. Dr. Fuller was awarded the first Rose Isabelle Kelly Fischer endowed professorship in December 1999. Her research in multicultural education guided us through the processes of examining diversity in our courses and our teaching. In the fall of 1999, Dr. Fuller sponsored Dr. Carl Grant's visit to our campus where he facilitated a Town Meeting specifically focused on diversity issues. In spring 2000, a Diversity in Teacher Education Conference was sponsored on our campus. Dr. Grant participated by responding to questions raised by faculty from our teacher education program and by faculty from other programs across the region. Proceedings of the conference were presented and discussed and disseminated at the North Dakota Association of Teacher Education conference in Minot in April 2000 (Rose Isabelle Kelly Fischer ).
The teacher education programs recognize that in order for candidates to understand how to teach all students, a firm foundation must be established. In addition to the general education requirements, the program is supported by a Department of Public Instruction requirement for candidates to take courses in Native American studies in order to be licensed in North Dakota. At UND, we offer candidates a choice of two courses that meet this requirement: IS 121 Introduction to Indian Studies or T & L 433 Multicultural Education (Syllabi). Candidates are also provided with opportunities to participate in field experiences in which they have experience working with students of diverse backgrounds. For example, T & L 315, a required course for undergraduate candidates in early childhood, elementary and middle level education, provides candidates with an introduction to understanding and working with students who have disabilities. The field experience component brings the candidates into a number of environments in which students with disabilities are served. At the secondary level, T & L 200 and T & L 300 (Syllabi) provide the candidates with opportunities to better understand disabilities through media presentations, development of unit plans and guest lecturers from special education faculty.
The multiple dimensions of diversity are covered in several other courses in the professional education sequence. For example, for elementary candidates, T & L 330 Introduction to Teaching and Learning (Syllabi) serves as the introductory level course and candidates are provided with the opportunity to visit schools of diversity in an urban environment. While this is a minimal exposure for the candidates, it does provide a foundation for their broadening understandings of diversity. T & L 200, the introductory course at the secondary level, provides candidates with multiple opportunities to explore their feelings and attitudes on diversity through readings, guest speakers and class activities (Syllabi). Courses throughout the program areas, while not specifically designed to address diversity, nonetheless specify readings and discussion that deal with race, gender, homosexuality, culture, and ethnicity.
Element 2: Experiences working with diverse faculty
Recruitment and retention practices at the university are dedicated to providing candidates with a range of diversity of experiences, cultures and background in the faculty. The demographics of the University faculty reflect a minimal range of diversity in breadth if not in depth. Of approximately 539 FTE faculty, the latest data suggests that 7 are African-American, 3 Hispanic, 13 Asian, 13 Native American and 15 other. Candidates are afforded the opportunity to experience the diversity of the faculty in both their general education programs and their professional education programs. Concerted efforts at the university and the college level are made to recruit and retain faculty of underrepresented groups. Faculty demographics in the teacher education unit reflect an attempt to expand the diversity of our programs. Representation of a range of physical challenges as well as cultural, gender, and ethnicity is evident. Our most recent data indicate 50 FTE faculty involved either full or part time in professional education reflecting 2 Native American, 2 Black, and 1 Asian.
Element 3: Experience working with diverse candidates
The demographics of the student population at the University of North Dakota reflect a diverse group of students representing over 65 foreign countries (University demographics) In addition efforts are made to recruit and retain under represented populations. Several campus organizations services are provided to support students of diverse backgrounds and experiences (University Services)
Several initiatives have been successful in recruiting diverse candidates to our teacher education programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. We have successfully developed outreach programs focused solely, or with particular attention , on the needs of American Indian students. From 1997 – 2000, a faculty member, Clarice Baker-Big Back was assigned to work collaboratively with Fort Berthold Community College in the development of a two by two B.S. Ed. Program in Elementary Education. At the conclusion of the cycle, 10 candidates received their degrees through this program (Outreach programs).
A modified version of this program was initiated in December 1999. The college was awarded a Teacher Quality Recruitment grant in December 1999 (Grants). Under that grant, 20 students recruited from the Fort Berthold Community College and the Turtle Mountain Community College have been completing their degrees in teacher education. The program combines coursework on site at the Tribal Colleges and at the University of North Dakota campus in Grand Forks. This program brings students from diverse groups together for study and a meaningful exchange of cultural and educational concerns.
In addition, a grant received spring 2001, the United Tribes Technical College Community Educators program , initiated fall 2001, will support the preparation of 20 American Indian students preparing to be secondary teachers (Grants). This program is the product of a consortium of tribal colleges and the University of North Dakota in an effort to provide quality teacher preparation programs for under represented communities of our state.
Through the Plan for Social Excellence for Excellent Beginnings, a project that has been in operation for over 4 years with Lake Agassiz Elementary School and Head Start, young high school men of color are recruited to work in preschool, kindergarten and first grade classrooms. The goal of the grant is to encourage these young men to consider careers in early childhood education. This project has expanded the diversity of our program (Grants).
Graduate programs have also been designed to recruit diverse candidates. Two cycles of graduate degree programs have been completed since the last NCATE visit. One focused on teachers from the United Tribes areas around Fort Berthold and the other on the Turtle Mountain Reservation in Belcourt, North Dakota. The program has resulted in a total of graduates. (Outreach programs)
Element 4: Experience working with diverse students in P-12 students
Programs for teacher education and other school personnel are designed to provide extensive field based opportunities for our candidates. Throughout the professional programs, candidates are placed in programs within and outside of our community that reflect a wide range of diverse populations. Some of the experiences are provided within the context of a specific class and others are designed to be independent of a specific class.
The demographics of the schools settings within the Grand Forks communities reflect a range of ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic situations. (GFPSD Demographics). Typically, candidates in our programs spend their introductory field experiences in those environments. However, throughout the curriculum, candidates are placed in settings where they interact and support the learning of students from diverse backgrounds.. Additional opportunities have been developed to expand the candidates experiences with diverse students.
The programs have made a concerted effort to expand opportunities for candidates to work with diverse students. A series of field-based programs have been initiated. For example, in T & L 330 Introduction to Teaching and Learning, candidates visit urban schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba, a metropolitan area of over 600,000 people located two and one half hours north of Grand Forks. This initial exposure provides our candidates with first hand experiences in an inner city school with a diverse student population.
Specific courses also provide opportunities for candidates to work with diverse students. In T & L 433 Multicultural Education, (Syllabi) candidates are expected to complete field experiences that take them into environments where they work with individuals from diverse backgrounds. An extended experience at a reservation where candidates share in the lives of children in tribally-operated schools is being developed for the candidates in elementary education that will be linked to their methods course sequence.
Project Quest (PDF File) is an initiative that was introduced to our teacher education candidates spring 2001. Candidates may choose to complete their student teaching in diverse schools in St. Paul, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. The feedback from all involved – candidates, university faculty, and public school faculty - has been extremely positive. The partnerships will continue to grow as the networking connections expand.
Summary
The area of diversity presents two challenges as we work with developing teacher professionals. First, candidates need to learn about the broad spectrum of student needs, interests, abilities and the backgrounds of race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status they bring. Secondly, maintaining and expanding diversity of faculty, field experience, and curriculum requires both commitment and continual evaluation. These intertwined challenges paired with our relatively isolated location, paired with basically a mono-cultural society requires that we take extraordinary steps to ensure that our candidates are exposed to as wide a range of diversity as possible. We are continuing in our efforts to expand the horizons of the candidates by exploiting our proximity to Winnipeg and Indian Reservations in our region. In addition, we are making concerted efforts at recruiting and retaining candidates and faculty of diverse backgrounds. With the support of the larger university community, we intend to continue to expand and develop our diversity base.
