Adapting to meet the needs of aspiring teachers: 2024 Impact Academy cohort is most programmatically diverse to-date

Preparing effective novice teachers is as vital – and complex – as ever. Amidst post-pandemic implications for PK-12 student learning and systemic challenges within the teaching profession, educator-preparation programs are adapting to better meet the needs of aspiring teachers to help strengthen, diversify, and revitalize the educator workforce, so that all students access well-prepared teachers.

Over the years, deans and executive leaders of educator-preparation programs have told us that the role can often feel lonely and isolating. Many don’t have a place to convene and collaborate with others who are grappling with similar challenges, albeit in different contexts – a place where they can share in the issues, challenges, and successes that come with the unique role.

That’s been a need that the Impact Academy fellowship has been able to meet. Fellows have found Impact Academy to be a source for mentorship, refuge, community, and emboldenment – and a reminder to stay centered on students and keep good work at the forefront amidst growing responsibilities.

Today, we’re thrilled to announce the ninth cohort of our Impact Academy fellowship – the most programmatically diverse cohort of leaders in the fellowship’s history.

From traditional four-year programs to teacher residencies to new teacher initiatives housed in K-12 school systems, our 2024-25 cohort reflects the wide range of present-day programs that prepare aspiring teachers. The 17 leaders in this cohort represent programs that serve 19 U.S. states and a broad diversity of geographic and institutional contexts from coast to coast. Forty-seven percent lead institutions that serve a majority of aspiring teachers of color, and 41 percent are leaders of color themselves. Six are Minority-Serving Institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Predominantly Black Institutions, and a Hispanic-Serving Institution.

Despite the diverse range of contexts they represent, all leaders bring a shared commitment to building more accessible, high-quality pathways into teaching so that all aspiring teachers, and the PK-12 students they serve, are set up for success.

Our Impact Academy fellowship will support these leaders through a year-long experience that provides them with the tools and resources to respond to the most pressing issues in teacher preparation and contribute to a stronger and more diverse workforce.

“All students, and particularly students of color and students from underserved communities, deserve access to teachers who are well-prepared to engage them in rigorous and affirming learning experiences from day one,” says Valerie Sakimura, Executive Director of DFI. “We are thrilled to welcome a new cohort of leaders to Impact Academy who are committed to making that a reality, by doubling down on the essential role they play in making pathways into teaching more accessible, practice-based, and focused on evidence-based instruction.”

Our 2024-25 Impact Academy fellows are:

• Aaron Kuntz, Dean of the School of Education, Florida International University
• Alexis Esslinger, LEAP Director, Cooperative Educational Services (New Mexico)
• Amy Smith, Dean of the School of Education, University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
• Aubrey Schabowsky, Director of Educator Preparation, College Unbound (Rhode Island)
• Beth Nason Quick, Dean of the College of Education, The University of Alabama in Huntsville
• Denelle Wallace-Alexander, Dean of the School of Education, Norfolk State University (Virginia)
• Derrick Smith, Dean of the College of Education, Auburn University at Montgomery (Alabama)
• Kimberley Davis, Dean of the School of Education, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
• Laura Dinehart, Dean of the College of Education and Human Development, Western Michigan University
• LaVada Taylor, Dean of the College of Education, Chicago State University (Illinois)
• Lourdes Sutton, Acting Dean of the College of Education, New Jersey City University
• Marisa Bier, Senior Director, Seattle Teacher Residency (Alliance for Education) (Washington)
• Mark McDermott, Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Student Services at the College of Education, University of Iowa
• Nelly Lejter, Dean of the Graduate School of Education & Associate Provost of the Graduate and Professional Division, Touro University (New York-based; also serves California, Illinois, Montana, Nevada, and New Mexico)
• Sarah Hunt-Barron, Dean of the College of Education, Lander University (South Carolina)
• Thomas Owenby, Associate Dean for Teacher Education at the School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Tiffany Labrie, Director of New Teacher Development, YES Prep Public Schools (Texas)

These fellows join a growing network of 130+ leaders who have gone through the Impact Academy fellowship and are collectively championing more equitable teaching and learning across the country.

Interested in joining the next cohort of Impact Academy?

Let us know:

Related Stories: