THE HOME FOR TEACHERS
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The UCI Teacher Academy launched in 2018 to provide a home for K-12 teachers and school leaders to develop and enhance their professional practice. Through a multi-faceted approach, the Teacher Academy supports all teachers throughout the entire educator lifecycle – from aspiring teachers to senior administrators.
“The vision of the Teacher Academy came from the joining of the UCI Center for Educational Partnerships with the UCI School of Education,” said Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, assistant vice chancellor, educational partnerships. “The idea was to couple CFEP’s Subject Matter Projects in Math, History, Reading and Literature with the Writing Project, teacher preparation and research in the School of Education to create a one-of-a-kind professional home for educators in Orange County. From brand new teachers to senior administrators, we offer the latest research-based training and a supportive community that recognizes teachers as lifelong learners.” |
UCI School of Education Professor and UCI Teacher Academy Faculty Director Elizabeth van Es speaks at a UCI Teacher Academy working breakfast, 2019
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The Teacher Academy, which is made possible by a $300,000 founding gift from the SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, addresses teacher and school leaders’ learning needs in a variety of ways.
First, it offers professional development workshops via five California Subject Matter Projects – California Reading & Literature Project, Irvine Math Project, UCI History Project, UCI Science Project, and UCI Writing Project. These workshops provide teachers with ways to teach content in a way that engages students in the methods and skills of the discipline.
“It’s one thing to know about photosynthesis,” explains Elizabeth van Es, faculty director of the UCI Teacher Academy and professor, UCI School of Education. “But, it’s a completely different matter to know how to teach it to a fifth-grade science class.”
The Teacher Academy also supports teacher preparation – in particular, the School of Education’s Masters of Arts in Teaching program and UCI CalTeach. By working closely with these units, the Teacher Academy supports mentor classroom teachers as they prepare the next generation of teachers to enact innovative and transformative learning experiences.
First, it offers professional development workshops via five California Subject Matter Projects – California Reading & Literature Project, Irvine Math Project, UCI History Project, UCI Science Project, and UCI Writing Project. These workshops provide teachers with ways to teach content in a way that engages students in the methods and skills of the discipline.
“It’s one thing to know about photosynthesis,” explains Elizabeth van Es, faculty director of the UCI Teacher Academy and professor, UCI School of Education. “But, it’s a completely different matter to know how to teach it to a fifth-grade science class.”
The Teacher Academy also supports teacher preparation – in particular, the School of Education’s Masters of Arts in Teaching program and UCI CalTeach. By working closely with these units, the Teacher Academy supports mentor classroom teachers as they prepare the next generation of teachers to enact innovative and transformative learning experiences.
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Additionally, the Teacher Academy routinely hosts district administrators from across the county to discuss best practices for, and challenges to, instruction and learning, and then offers additional workshops aimed at common goals and issues.
“Research is conclusive that teachers benefit most from sustained, long-term professional development,” said Nicole Gilbertson, director of the Teacher Academy and director of the UCI History Project. “To be their best, teachers need opportunities for learning, collaboration, and reflection. “More important, students deserve teachers who have a deep expertise in the knowledge of their content-area and the best ways to include all students in the curriculum,” Gilbertson said. It’s a philosophy that steers the Teacher Academy’s programming: teaching is a complex profession, and teachers need access to communities where they can collaborate with others to achieve their professional learning goals. |
Orange County K-12 administrators participate in a brainstorming session at a UCI Teacher Academy working breakfast, 2019
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“Unlike other professions, teachers are expected to be an expert on the first day of school – they need deep understanding of the content they will teach and how to make it accessible to learners, how to create positive learning environments for students, how to be responsive to their students, and how to work with parents and administrators,” van Es said. “This all comes in addition to planning and leading high-quality lessons day in and day out that align with standards initiatives in their districts and states. There is no other profession that demands so much of a beginner right out of the gate.”
"We are honored to support the UCI Teacher Academy. It's an incredible program designed to help teachers enhance their knowledge base and develop new skills," said Bill Cheney, President/CEO of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. "Through our partnership with UCI, we are making an important investment in our educators, helping them become tomorrow's leaders. Together, we can build stronger communities and a brighter future for all of us."
As of summer 2021, just three years after its founding, the Teacher Academy network includes more than 10,000 educators representing 173 school districts from across California.
“I just love how Teacher Academy workshops bring in tangible lessons that we can bring straight to the classroom,” said Jessica Nibarger, teacher at Rancho Charter School in Anaheim. “These lessons encourage our students to collaborate and demand that they do critical thinking.”
“I have found that the Administrator Dialogues, along with other Teacher Academy offerings, encourage open communication in a no-pressure format,” said Marion Springett, district coordinator, La Tierra Early Childhood Center. “Each time I attend, I learn something new or come away with a new perspective that allows for me to be a better administrator in support of students, staff, and the larger community.”
In summer 2020, immediately after the initial shutdown of K-12 schools across America, the Teacher Academy hosted 10 workshops to support teachers as they prepared for a year of remote instruction in response to the pandemic. The Teacher Academy hosted monthly administrator breakfasts to bring school leaders together to share successes and discuss challenges, all in the spirit of supporting student success during the difficult year.
"We are honored to support the UCI Teacher Academy. It's an incredible program designed to help teachers enhance their knowledge base and develop new skills," said Bill Cheney, President/CEO of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union. "Through our partnership with UCI, we are making an important investment in our educators, helping them become tomorrow's leaders. Together, we can build stronger communities and a brighter future for all of us."
As of summer 2021, just three years after its founding, the Teacher Academy network includes more than 10,000 educators representing 173 school districts from across California.
“I just love how Teacher Academy workshops bring in tangible lessons that we can bring straight to the classroom,” said Jessica Nibarger, teacher at Rancho Charter School in Anaheim. “These lessons encourage our students to collaborate and demand that they do critical thinking.”
“I have found that the Administrator Dialogues, along with other Teacher Academy offerings, encourage open communication in a no-pressure format,” said Marion Springett, district coordinator, La Tierra Early Childhood Center. “Each time I attend, I learn something new or come away with a new perspective that allows for me to be a better administrator in support of students, staff, and the larger community.”
In summer 2020, immediately after the initial shutdown of K-12 schools across America, the Teacher Academy hosted 10 workshops to support teachers as they prepared for a year of remote instruction in response to the pandemic. The Teacher Academy hosted monthly administrator breakfasts to bring school leaders together to share successes and discuss challenges, all in the spirit of supporting student success during the difficult year.
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Research is conclusive that teachers benefit most from sustained, long-term professional development. To be their best, teachers need opportunities for learning, collaboration, and reflection. More important, students deserve teachers who have a deep expertise in the knowledge of their content-area and the best ways to include all students in the curriculum.
Director, Teacher Academy and UCI History Project |
“With the onset of the pandemic, schools were faced with many challenges and it was very helpful to be able to speak with other administrators from other districts to share ideas,” said Linda Beecher, assistant principal, Robert C. Fisher School. “The information shared at these meetings was so supportive and needed during this unusual time in education.”
Van Es and Gilbertson want to build the Teacher Academy into a more robust ecosystem. They see the Teacher Academy as an environment with multiple entry points – one where an educator can engage in anything from a single workshop to an eight-week program, in person and online. Central to this vision is establishing a welcoming community for all teachers, particularly early-career educators, to support them during the most difficult years of teaching, when many young teachers choose to leave the profession. “We lose a lot of teachers in their first five years on the job,” van Es said. “This often happens because they don’t feel they’re part of a community. I want the Teacher Academy to be a space where they develop a membership of sorts – where they can collaborate, receive mentorship, be around like-minded people, and know they’re supported.” |
Eventually, the Teacher Academy envisions cadres of teachers in multiple disciplines and content areas collaborating across districts.
“I hope the Teacher Academy creates in educators a sense of ‘I’m a professional, I’m doing work that is deep and complex, and I’m constantly learning,’” van Es said. “Then, we can offer spaces for teachers and school administrators to learn from one another, and prepare teachers to lead the same kind of work.”
“My vision for the Teacher Academy is to center teachers as change agents in a collaborative community – as learners, experts, and researchers,” Gilbertson said. “That way, we can work to make sure that all students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful learning to be prepared to collectively address our current and future challenges.”
“I hope the Teacher Academy creates in educators a sense of ‘I’m a professional, I’m doing work that is deep and complex, and I’m constantly learning,’” van Es said. “Then, we can offer spaces for teachers and school administrators to learn from one another, and prepare teachers to lead the same kind of work.”
“My vision for the Teacher Academy is to center teachers as change agents in a collaborative community – as learners, experts, and researchers,” Gilbertson said. “That way, we can work to make sure that all students have the opportunity to engage in meaningful learning to be prepared to collectively address our current and future challenges.”
The preceding story is part of the "CFEP: 25 Years of Impact" series, honoring the people, programs and partnerships that have helped impact millions of students, teachers and families over the past quarter century. View the entire series here.
