School of Education Awarded Grant to Help High School Students Become Teachers

By: Erik Pedersen, Senior Communications Manager

BALTIMORE – Notre Dame of Maryland University’s School of Education, in partnership with Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), is set to take the lead in providing opportunities for high school students from diverse backgrounds to enroll in college and join the teaching profession.

NDMU’s new Educator Preparation Pathway to Increase College Completion (EPPICC) initiative was made possible through a $140,000 grant awarded by the Maryland Higher Education Outreach and College Access Program. The School of Education will partner with Baltimore County high schools throughout the remainder of the 2022-23 academic year.

“Through this unique and student-centered program, we are very excited to build on our existing partnership with Baltimore County Public Schools to support college access and success for local high school students, while also assisting with Maryland’s ongoing need for a highly qualified and diverse educator workforce,” said Dr. Kathryn Doherty, dean of NDMU’s School of Education.

Six School of Education faculty members will serve as mentors for participants in the program, which is open to all current BCPS high school students. They will design and deliver monthly seminars that will focus on education as a career, the path for students to complete their degree, special topics in K-12 education, and other guidance to aid in student success before and after college. NDMU faculty will also touch base weekly with their students throughout the academic year.

The EPPICC initiative will provide additional support to students who remain motivated to become teachers after completing the program and graduating from high school. Incentives for program participants include guaranteed admission into a state-approved educator preparation program at NDMU, a laptop, mobile hotspot and WIFI card for college, three college credits, and scholarship funding for students who enroll in the School of Education.

“This partnership is a win-win for NDMU and Baltimore County Public Schools,” said Kathy Sipes, an undergraduate academic advisor at NDMU who is serving as co-director of the initiative. “Notre Dame has a teacher preparation program that is excellent by any standard, and this program will give a diverse group of young people considering a career in education first-hand professional development, needed resources, and the opportunity to develop a relationship with outstanding Notre Dame mentors.”

An emphasis for the program is increasing the number of minorities who enter and complete educator preparation programs. A study by the Pew Research Center, summarizing recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, shows that roughly three-quarters of all elementary and secondary school teachers are women. Furthermore, fewer than one-in-ten teachers were either Black (7%), Hispanic (9%) or Asian American (2%) even though 53 percent of public students in the United States identify with a racial or ethnic group other than White.

“One of the main goals of this program is to make sure that our future teacher population represents the student population,” said Alicia Fales ’93, M’01, supervisor for School to Career Transition programs within Baltimore County Public Schools. “I graduated from Kenwood High School in Baltimore County, and the opportunity to attend Notre Dame on a scholarship changed my life and opened doors that I wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. When I look at this program and what it can do for students, I’m hopeful that giving this support and introduction to both college and Notre Dame will encourage students to pursue careers in the field of education.”

The EPPICC initiative is the latest example of NDMU’s School of Education partnering with area schools to support students and the teaching profession. These partnerships include the certification of conditional teachers, traditional undergraduate certification programs, Grow Your Own paraprofessional certification programs, and a number of other specialized preparation programs, including 13 professional development school partnerships (PDS) for intern placement.

Established in 1895, Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) is a private, Catholic institution in Baltimore, Maryland, with the mission to educate leaders to transform the world. Notre Dame has been named one of the best "Regional Universities North" by U.S. News & World Report.