GSoLEN and AACTE Webinar On Teaching Diverse Learners

Currently, the public school workforce in the United States is predominantly white, middle class, and female. These demographics are not representative of all students in American classroom settings, which continue to grow in diversity. These racial inequalities in classroom settings may lead to implicit biases, thereby impacting student experiences in school settings in areas such as grades, disciplinary referrals, and teacher expectations of students. Currently, there is a growing body of research that suggests that the presence of same-race teachers in school settings positively impacts the outcomes of students from similar backgrounds. Though it is unclear why these phenomena takes place, the effects have been present across grade-level settings, and are particularly present among low-performing students. Additionally, a growing body of research currently seeks to address strategies for reducing implicit biases within school settings. This research may have implications for the future of teacher recruitment and preparation.

The first webinar in this three-part series seeks to explore how teacher preparation programs can prepare teachers to support all students. The speakers, one of whom works at a large public, the other of whom works at a small private university, will discuss teacher preparation strategies to ensure all teachers are prepared to meet the needs of all students. Ohio’s Deans Compact on Exceptional Children will be referenced and discussed. Speakers will also discuss the topic of Blended teacher preparation. Virtual interviews with two public school teachers will be embedded in this presentation to accompany the speakers in this series.

Dr. Mary M. Murray is a Professor Emerita in the School of Counseling and Special Education at Bowling Green State University and was the Associate Dean for the College of Education and Human Development for ten years.  She started her career, teaching students with significant  intellectual disabilities. She also held several administrative positions both in the PK-12 and higher education arenas.   She has over 40 years of experience working with individuals with exceptionalities and/or their families including higher education personnel preparation and undergraduate curriculum.  She has published numerous book chapters and refereed articles on parent professional partnerships, Autism, and/or personnel preparation. She has also presented on the same topics at numerous state and national conferences. She is active in the state and nationally. She served on the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education Board, is the past Chair of Ohio’s Dean’s Compact, past president of the Ohio Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and serves on the Advisory Board for the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence.  She is also currently a reviewer/site visitor for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

Dr. Dottie Erb served as professor and chair of Marietta College’s education division for over 20 years. During this time, she was instrumental in developing on-campus summer programming for local children that enabled teacher candidates to practice innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Dr. Erb also led Marietta’s efforts to develop blended coursework and clinical experiences leading to a dual elementary/special education license. As a past chair of the Ohio Dean’s Compact for Exceptional Children, Dr. Erb passionately believes that every teacher needs to be able to teach every child.