Recognized globally as the “father of multicultural education,” James A. Banks is the latest esteemed scholar to be interviewed for Arizona State University’s “Inside the Academy.”

The free, open-source online archive of conversations with America’s “best of the best” education luminaries was created by Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, associate professor in ASU's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. The Banks video interview delves deep into the influential educator’s career-long quest for social justice in K-12 classrooms, first in the U.S. and now worldwide. Download Full Image

Growing up in segregated rural Arkansas, Banks explained that he comes from “a long pedigree of farmers and Southerners” and even worked picking cotton as a child. One of his most poignant memories was as a first grader walking five miles to school, with other African-American schoolmates joining him along the way.

“I remember that the white kids would pass us riding in school buses that splattered mud on us,” Banks recalled.

Later on in high school, Banks said he started seeing fellow students who were “as bright as I (was) or brighter” falling by the wayside. It triggered a recurring dream for him, in which he created a school in the South where African-American students could thrive.

“I developed a real strong commitment to make it possible for kids who were black and poor to be successful,” he said.

Today, Banks serves as the Kerry and Linda Killinger Professor of Diversity Studies and director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. A past president of the American Educational Research Association, Banks is perhaps best known for co-editing the groundbreaking, “Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education,” with his wife and colleague, Cherry A. McGee Banks. This seminal work is one of a total of 100 journal articles, 60 book chapters and 20 books he has authored or co-edited.

It was Banks’ doctoral dissertation – an extensive content analysis of how African-Americans were portrayed in the nation’s K-12 textbooks – that launched his scholarly quest to study multicultural issues. He said his thesis found the textbooks generally restricted mention of African-Americans to slavery, depicting all slaves as “happy,” and three famous figures – Booker T. Washington, educator; George Washington Carver, scientist; and Marian Anderson, contralto singer.

Being at the forefront of multicultural research, Banks set a career trajectory that opened space for a new generation of scholars. It also led him to develop the widely recognized five dimensions of multicultural education, including content integration, knowledge construction, equity pedagogy, prejudice reduction and empowering school culture. This conceptual framework is intended to help teachers of all disciplines understand that “multicultural” needs to span all aspects of K-12 education, not simply content.   

Banks said his determination to work for social justice in education has been a powerful motivator for him personally and professionally. He added that his efforts also continue to expand to encompass additional minority and ethnic groups in the United States and around the world.

“I always tell my graduate students to study something they have a passion about,” he said. “That is what keeps you going.”

Written by Judy Crawford

Media contact:

Despite being raised on the war stories of his relatives, Manuel Avilés-Santiago never saw images of Puerto Rican soldiers telling the stories of World War II, Korea or Vietnam in movies or documentaries.

“I grew up looking for the faces or experiences in films or documentaries. There was nothing like that,” he said. “They’re basically invisible, or the films about war are created with stereotypical Latino soldiers.” Download Full Image

Avilés-Santiago, assistant professor in the College of Letters and Sciences, has documented the stories, images and songs of Puerto Rican soldiers by following their narratives on social media.

His new book, “Puerto Rican Soldiers and Second-Class Citizenship,” comes out Nov. 26.

“I wanted to look for those alternative spaces where Puerto Rican soldiers were telling their stories and sharing experiences,” he said. “Given the absence of a traditional media narrative, I see a huge self-representation in social media.”

Stories they tell from the pages of social media sites include posted photos of themselves in uniform with the Puerto Rican flag, lessons in how to cook native dishes through YouTube videos, discussions of the power of Puerto Rican coffee on the battlefield or salsa dancing instructions for fellow soldiers.

These soldiers are in an intriguing position in Puerto Rico, a commonwealth where people are citizens of the United States and fight in wars, but don’t vote or have representation in Congress, he said.

“I realized after exploring this that social media is really powerful, especially for military subjects," says Avilés-Santiago. "It is a way to connect with their homeland and to demonstrate to their families that they’re alive and proudly serving. The connection to home was really important. It’s a way to promote culture and integrate other cultures into theirs.”

Starting his research on Myspace in 2005, Avilés-Santiago transitioned to Facebook as it became more dominant among social media venues. YouTube also was a powerful outlet for soldiers to upload videos.

“I looked at the spaces for six years," he said. "Many of the soldiers went on two or three tours to Iraq and Afghanistan."

One of the most interesting and sobering reminders of the reality of war was personified through social media when a soldier passed away in the line of duty and their pages would become living memorials to the person. Of the approximately 1,300 soldiers he followed, 65 of them died. Post-traumatic stress disorder issues were also dealt with through social media, sometimes with friends accessing services for soldiers who couldn’t do it themselves.

Avilés-Santiago discovered that the use of language was a prominent ethnic tool that allowed soldiers to enunciate their “Puerto Ricaness.” Stories told on social media often relayed heroic deeds, such as the story of a Puerto Rican soldier who brought Saddam Hussein out of his hiding place.

A trend that he discovered through his research was soldiers showcasing their bodies in posted photos as a way to demonstrate that they were still healthy and intact in a war where improvised-explosive devices often took limbs from soldiers. Female soldiers posted photos of themselves with their children to show their commitment to their families and to making the world a better place for them by serving in the military.

Among the thousands of soldiers he followed, a few of the stories resonated, such as Juan “Nuro” Cotto, a hip-hop artist who used his military experience to write and create numerous cultural productions.

“He said that was therapeutic for him. It helped him cope with the fear and anxiety of being in such an uncertain space while being able to make the connection to home,” Avilés-Santiago said.

Soldiers were enthusiastic about the project and willing to allow Avilés-Santiago to follow their stories and use their photos for the book. “Soldiers were really, really eager to let me look at their profiles and let me collect pictures,” he said.

Avilés-Santiago said his book demonstrates the power of digital storytelling through popular platforms in capturing oral histories. Although the research was fascinating, it was also heartbreaking when a soldier died in the line of duty.

“It was really sad, but the fact that they left a legacy that people can actually see I think is important,” he said.

On Nov. 19, Teach For America and Arizona State University teamed up to ensure all children – regardless of their socioeconomic status – have access to a great education.

More than 200 Teach For America recruiters visited the ASU Tempe campus to raise awareness about educational inequity, and encourage ASU students to apply their talents in the classroom. Participating ASU students had the chance to learn more about the program, engage via social media and write holiday cards to local public school students in classrooms led by ASU alums and Teach For America corps members. Download Full Image

ASU ranks 11th for new Teach For America corps members. As a top contributor, ASU continues to generate a high number of Teach For America corps educators. Last year, 50 ASU alumni joined the program.

Teach For America corps members are placed in schools across the country to help 15 million American children achieve academically. Corps members commit to teach in high-need urban and rural schools, and pursue outstanding outcomes with students. As alumni, they become lifelong leaders in the pursuit of educational equity.

The organization’s 2014 corps is the most diverse class to date. This year, almost half of corps members identify as people of color, 47 percent received Pell Grants and one-third are the first in their family to attend college.

This fall 10,600 first- and second-year corps members will teach in high-need classrooms across 50 regions. The 5,300 incoming corps members represent more than 850 colleges and universities, and 49 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to the corps, Teach For America’s network of more than 37,000 alumni continue to work toward educational equity, with 86 percent working full-time in education or with low-income communities.

Teach For America is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty.

Kindergarten, first- and second-grade children and their parents took turns sharing their writing in a designated “author’s seat” at the front of a room.

One by one, each bravely read a polished narrative describing a person who had made a positive difference in his or her life; Emily shared a piece about her dad, who proudly filmed her with his phone, and Ana, a parent, read about her special person, her grandma, as her own mother looked on. Download Full Image

The celebration reading was the culminating event of an eight-week, after-school project called “Writing Our Future” for 20 children and their parents and siblings. Participants gathered at Arizona State University Preparatory Academy’s downtown campus each Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. to write, read and share stories as a bilingual community of writers.

The workshops provided extended opportunities for families to practice and develop literacy skills, and to support young writers’ school-based writing.

One of the mothers participating in the project said the experience "allowed me to gain strategies to support my child in her writing development, and I was able to use this educational time to connect with my child, to other students, and to families.”

The family writing workshop, an outreach of the Department of English’s Central Arizona Writing Project, is funded by the National Writing Project and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Grants are awarded with the aim of improving early school success by developing academic literacy program models focused on English learners and their families.

Jessica Early, associate professor of English at ASU and the director of the Central Arizona Writing Project, organized a team of teacher-leaders with expertise in family writing, biliteracy and elementary education to design and implement this socially embedded project.

The team, which is led by Tracey Flores, a doctoral student in English education and co-director of the Central Arizona Writing Project, consists of Autumn Warrntjes, third-grade teacher at Landmark School and a teacher-consultant with the project; Amy Liermann, a kindergarten teacher; and Gini Jackson, a first-grade teacher at ASU Preparatory Academy.

"This project builds on the Central Arizona Writing Project’s work with teachers of English learners throughout the greater Phoenix area, and is an example of how ASU’s Department of English is partnering with local schools to support family literacy – and to provide bridges between local schools, the community and the university," said Early.

This spring, a new set of writing workshops will be offered to K-3 students and their families at Arizona State Preparatory Academy. These workshops will extend the work of the fall offerings and will serve as a model for enhancing academic literacy for young English learners.

ASU graduate student Flores, instrumental in creating curriculum and leading the teaching team, describes this project’s value and impact.

“The Writing Our Future Project honors and celebrates the cultural and linguistic resources of children and their families by creating a space to share stories and take risks in reading and writing," Flores said. "Through participation in the program, parents, children and the school collaborate to support access to academic literacy growth in powerful ways.”

The Department of English is an academic unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

As a testament to its commitment to global engagement and educating world-class citizens, Arizona State University has been ranked eighth in the nation as a top university for international students, and 21st nationally for students studying abroad, according to the 2014 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange.

The Institute of International Education, the world’s largest international training and education nonprofit organization, published the report in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Download Full Image

ASU was home to 8,683 international students in the 2013-2014 academic year, up more than 30 percent from 6,645 the previous year when ASU was ranked 11th in the nation. More than 1,820 ASU students took advantage of study abroad opportunities in 2012-2013 to earn credits, helping the university jump five spots to rank 21st in the nation.

“Each year, ASU’s reputation as the New American University continues to grow stronger among the global community because of the strength of academic programs, the success of our graduates, and extensive global engagement at every level,” said Kent Hopkins, vice provost of enrollment management at ASU. “The university remains committed to expanding our global footprint by attracting more international students and encouraging our own students to take advantage of study abroad programs.”

The full top 10 list of the top schools for international students from the Institute of International Education includes:

1. New York University
2. University of Southern California
3. University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
4. Columbia University
5. Purdue University – Main Campus
6. University of California – Los Angeles
7. Northeastern University
8. Arizona State University
9. Michigan State University
10. University of Washington

Growing international community

Ranked one of the top 100 universities in the world, Arizona State University attracts international students from more than 120 countries across the globe to all four of its campuses. While China, India and Saudi Arabia are the top three countries of origin for international students at ASU, students from all countries have found a home here to learn and benefit from each other.

"International students have a positive impact on the university both inside and outside the classroom,” said Jennifer Glawson, interim director of ASU’s International Students and Scholars Center. “When international and domestic students come together, we create opportunities for all students to develop a broader world view that is absolutely vital to our mission of global engagement.”

Juliete Pereira, an exchange student from Brazil who is majoring in environmental engineering, said that ASU’s support system for international students made her feel valued.

“My professors take the time to answer my questions and are ready to help at all times,” she said. “Being in a new country was confusing at first, but so many people have helped me during the transition.”

Shashank Kunjibettu is from Mangalore, India, pursuing a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He said the opportunity to study in the U.S., especially at ASU, was too good to pass.

“ASU is a reputable university with excellent faculty, a strong and active alumni network, and detailed coursework and good research in thermal and energy fields,” he said. “The university also offers a diverse environment and provides a platform to interact and understand people from all around the globe.”

The United States remains the top destination in the world for students seeking higher educational opportunities, hosting double the number of students than the United Kingdom, the next country on the list.

To learn more about ASU’s international students and scholars, click here.

Study abroad – the gift of perspective

To forge the new role of higher education in the world and enhance students’ educational experiences at home and abroad, ASU offers more than 250 different study abroad programs in over 55 countries around the world. According to Adam Henry, director of ASU’s Study Abroad Office, the university is working to increase the number of study abroad opportunities for ASU students that are cost-effective and allow them to explore the unknown in a new country and culture.

“While abroad, students take coursework for ASU credit and learn about their academic discipline in a completely different context that will impact their overall course of study,” he said. “Engaged students accept and adapt to new cultures quickly to enhance their global awareness, advance their career, and experience personal growth in this ever-changing and cross-cultural environment.”

The top study abroad destinations for ASU students are Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, China and Australia.

Donny Nelson, who is getting a master’s degree in education, visited Bern, Switzerland, in the summer of 2013 as part of the Global Challenges: European Solutions study abroad program.

“The experience made the world much, much smaller,” said Nelson. “It showed me how no land is too far, no problem is too difficult, and no culture is too different. I’m a firm believer in that education is something you do and not something you get. Studying abroad allows exactly for that. It pushes you out of your comfort zone and shatters any preconceived notions you had about anyone or anything around the globe.”

To learn more about the ASU Study Abroad Office and programs, visit studyabroad.asu.edu.

President's Professor Ileana Orlich, in ASU's School of International Letters and Cultures, was one of three recipients of the inaugural Alianța Gala Award for her extensive work promoting Romanian language and culture.

Orlich, who teaches Romanian and English and comparative literature at Arizona State University, is responsible for creating what has become the largest Romanian program in the United States.

Teens from Boys and Girls Clubs across metropolitan Phoenix have been visiting Arizona State University’s West campus this semester for interactive sessions designed to help them build their skills in how to interview, become better listeners, build awareness around intercultural communication and tell their personal stories.

More than 70 teens visited campus Oct. 21 and Nov. 4 for sessions with students from ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, the core college on the West campus. Their final visit in the Spark Your Inner Speaker program is set for Nov. 18. Download Full Image

“The passion of the ASU students working with us is inspiring,” said D.J. Heywood, teen coordinator for the Peoria Boys and Girls Club, one of 12 Valley Boys and Girls clubs that are participating in Spark Your Inner Speaker. “After the first session, I talked with one of our teens who now wants to major in communication. This is one of the best events we have been to in quite some time.”

The Oct. 21 session focused on professional communication defining communication, interviewing and listening. On Nov. 4 participants heard from a panel of individuals who were first-generation college students, including Marlene Tromp, the dean of New College, as part of a session about creating and telling one’s own story. Students worked on their non-verbal communication skills and building their stories.

The final session on Nov. 18 will focus on intercultural communication and communication with their community. The teens will record their stories in New College’s Communication Assessment and Learning Lab (CALL). Every teen in attendance will receive an honorary Sparky Speaker certificate. Those who attend multiple sessions will attend a special ASU sports event.

CALL is one of only 11 communication labs to be designated a nationally certified mentoring program as identified by the National Association of Communication Centers.

“Our goal is not only to help the visiting teens develop their skills in public speaking, intercultural communication and professional communication,” said Bonnie Wentzel, a New College faculty member and faculty director of CALL.

“We want these young people to become more intentional communicators, and for them to understand that being able to advocate on their own behalf through public speaking, storytelling and interviewing will greatly improve their likelihood for success,” Wentzel said. “We also want to build a bridge to a college degree, and we would love to have them pursue their degree at ASU on the West campus. For most of these students and their teen leaders, this is their very first visit to our campus.”

The Spark Your Inner Speaker program is also educating teens about career possibilities open to college graduates beyond what they learn through popular culture, and helping them understand they can build a sense of community at the university, Wentzel said. The visiting teens have had the opportunity to tour the West campus.

The ASU students working with the Boys and Girls Club teens are CALL mentors who have completed public speaking coursework and received training in ethical peer mentoring practices, as well as communication skills. CALL is unique to the ASU community and is one of the largest communication labs west of the Mississippi River.

Arizona State University's renowned Project Humanities will receive the Juliana Yoder Friend of the Humanities Award from Arizona Humanities, Nov. 13, at Cutler-Plotkin Jewish Heritage Center, 122 E. Culver St., Phoenix.

The Juliana Yoder Friend of the Humanities Award recognizes organizations, individuals or businesses that have made an impact within their communities through the implementation of workshops and events that promote the humanities by encouraging community participation. Download Full Image

Project Humanities facilitates public conversations and programs that seek to build a better understanding and appreciation of the humanities by promoting dialogue and by conducting exemplary community outreach activities that link the humanities with the people.

“We are very honored to be recognized with this award from our strong ongoing partnership with Arizona Humanities,” said Neal Lester, founding director of Project Humanities. “We look forward to continuing our efforts to spread awareness of the importance of humanities across the state.”

Project Humanities is designed to be a catalyst for community-building tools and opportunities through discussions and seminars, multidisciplinary events, community forums, film screenings and more. The success of Project Humanities has been recognized through various awards, such as the Roy Wilkins Community Service Award from the East Valley NAACP, the Key of Excellence Award from the Phi Beta Kappa Society, as well as a letter of commendation for Humanity 101 from the Dalai Lama.

To learn more about Project Humanities, visit https://humanities.asu.edu/.

With a focus on strengthening ASU's capacity to meet the needs of American Indian students, Bryan Brayboy will work with Arizona's 22 tribal nations in his new role as Arizona State University's special adviser to the president for American Indian affairs.

Brayboy, a President’s Professor in the School of Social Transformation in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has taught at ASU since 2008 and said he is honored to follow in the footsteps of former Special Advisers to the President for American Indian Affairs, Diane Humetewa and Peterson Zah. Download Full Image

“Our relationship with the tribal nations depends upon a deep understanding of the challenges that their leaders face, particularly in the area of education, and bringing ASU’s expertise to bear on those challenges,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “We are also proud to say that approximately 2,400 Native students are enrolled on our campuses, and professor Brayboy will play an integral role in ensuring that they reach their academic goals.”

The university’s interactions with Arizona’s tribes is enhanced by the rich diversity of Native nations in the state and world-class indigenous faculty at ASU, Brayboy said.

“We’ll take a comprehensive look at what is happening with students and help them graduate more consistently,” he added. “A lack of finances is a major factor for Native students. We also need to consider what the overall climate is at the university and how academic and social lives fit together in Native student experiences.”

Brayboy said he is entering the new position with "a real sense of humility of the work in front of us."

“I bring to the position a long research record focusing on American Indian college students, faculty and staff. We’ll build on this knowledge to help the institution move forward," he said. "If we improve the experience for Native students, it should also improve for everyone else.”

Brayboy will continue to teach and he’ll maintain his position as director of Center for Indian Education that was founded in 1959 and is one of the oldest continuously operated centers of its kind in the world. Central to the center’s aim is assisting Arizona’s tribal nations with educational needs while serving as a research repository for Indian education.

“Work that we have accomplished through the center will inform our efforts,” Brayboy said. The center is a global endeavor that encompasses projects in Australia, New Zealand and first nations peoples in Canada. Published through the center is the Journal of American Indian Education, currently in its 54th year.

Brayboy, an enrolled member of the Lumbee Nation, will serve as chairperson of the ASU Tribal Liaison Advisory Committee and will be a member of the Provost’s Native American Advisory Council. He is a borderlands professor of indigenous education and justice who works to improve the overall academic experience of Native children.

Education is a common theme in his family as his grandmother and parents were teachers. After his father retired, he went back to work at the same school that he attended as a child. Brayboy initially thought he wanted to go into investment banking as he was growing up, but he became enamored of teaching as he continued in school and ultimately earned his doctoral degree with the highest distinction in the anthropology of education from the University of Pennsylvania.

Now he’ll take his skills to the next level, engaging the university with Native students and nations.

“This is an institutional effort of a group of people coming together to benefit the state’s people and demonstrate why ASU is so vital to the state and its future,” he said.

The Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University has been awarded four major grants from the Department of Education to expand on faculty and researchers' success in meeting the learning and access needs of students across Arizona.

With the support of $17 million in federal funds, college faculty are looking to improve educational outcomes for English Language Learners (ELLs) in Arizona; test innovative approaches for helping low-income ASU freshmen succeed; and prepare, graduate and support American Indian educators teaching students in the San Carlos Apache Nation. Download Full Image

Funding will also support an in-depth evaluation of the college's much-lauded iTeachAZ student teaching program.

The grants confirm ASU's proven ability to improve learning outcomes and the lives of students, said Mari Koerner, Teachers College dean.

“These projects underscore not only the brilliance, but the passion of our educational researchers who won these competitively awarded grants in a concerted effort to move our mission forward,” said Koerner. “The entire college is focused on our goal of enabling all students to reach their potential, regardless of age, nationality or socioeconomic status."

English Language Learners

Approximately 30 percent of Arizona's population is Hispanic.

Addressing the acute need for highly qualified English Language Learner (ELL) teachers in state, Teachers College will expand its successful iTeachAZ senior-residency program to develop iTeach ELLs – the college's initial grant project, funded by $11.5 million.

Titled “Integrating STEM, Literacy, and Language to Prepare All Teachers to Teach ELLs,” the cross-disciplinary project calls for redesigning college math and science content courses to promote language and literacy development skills that future teachers can apply immediately in classrooms.

Currently, Teachers College graduates about 30 students annually certified to teach ELLs. This project will equip all undergraduate majors in elementary education, special education and early childhood/early childhood special education with ELL teaching expertise.

“This is not just for a special group of education majors,” explains Pamela Harris, assistant division director for teacher preparation at the college and lead author of the grant. “This is, instead, taking our elementary education majors and training all of them on how to use STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) content to successfully teach ELLs.

“The beauty of this project is that it will help all preK-8 students, even if they are not English Language Learners, because any student who struggles to read will benefit from some of the same strategies," she adds.

Additionally, the five-year grant will help ensure new teacher success by pairing Teachers College graduates with experienced mentor teachers on-site – including an intensive iTeach ELLs camp and coaching during the first year of teaching.

The project is on track to become a national model for boosting ELL learning outcomes.

College access, success

A second grant totaling $4 million is aimed at increasing college access and enhancing learning for low-income students.

“There is a lot of excitement around this grant,” said Jeanne Wilcox, professor and associate dean of research for Teachers College. “It supports ASU’s reputation for higher education innovation by allowing us to pilot a competency-based college education where students develop critical thinking and problem solving abilities needed in today’s workplace.”

The signature innovation includes a curriculum redesign, asking interdisciplinary faculty members across the university to collaborate in offering projects that are mapped to competencies students are expected to master. This allows students – many of them the first in their family to attend college – to achieve learning outcomes that meet requirements for multiple courses within a single project.

In addition, ASU and the Phoenix Union High School District are collaborating to implement an academic program that gives high school seniors a head start on college. The partnership will offer seniors and their parents support networks for academic advising, financial planning and transitioning to the ASU campus the student plans to attend.

“We want to begin to close the degree attainment gap for students from low-income backgrounds when compared to their more advantaged peers,” Wilcox said.

American Indian teachers

More than $1 million in federal funding will support Teachers College efforts to place American Indian teachers in schools serving the San Carlos Apache Nation.

Fifteen American Indian students from Eastern Arizona College majoring in early childhood education will transition from the community college into ASU’s undergraduate degree program to spend their junior and senior years in San Carlos, Arizona, where they will complete their ASU coursework, junior-year practicum and senior-year iTeachAZ residency assisted by an on-site coordinator.

The ASU education graduates will become dual-certified for early childhood and special education teaching, and will continue to receive on-site support in their first year of teaching.

“I feel as though there are 15 people out there who may not know how we are going to change their lives forever,” said Cory Hansen, Teachers College interim director of teacher preparation and associate professor. “And the impact on the children and their families in San Carlos is going to be amazing.”

iTeachAZ

Finally, a three-year grant for $550,000 will underwrite a longitudinal evaluation of the college’s teacher preparation program and senior-year residency known as iTeachAZ. The award enables the college to examine three significant areas: the effectiveness of iTeachAZ on college graduation rates; the contribution of previous iTeachAZ reforms to teacher preparedness; and the impact of iTeachAZ-trained teachers on the academic achievement of their students.

The new grant also follows the progress of all iTeachAZ graduates, not just a subgroup, increasing the number of participants from 2,000 to more than 3,000 with varying levels of iTeachAZ experience. In addition, it includes data-sharing with both the Arizona Department of Education and the college’s 30 school district partners to gain timely information about iTeachAZ graduates.

Written by Judy Crawford