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Summarize the design, implementation, and evaluation of curriculum and experiences; descriptions
of and processes for development of diversity proficiencies; and the outcomes based on key
assessments.
Both Eastern Connecticut State University and our EPP are fully committed to supporting and
developing candidates who appreciate, understand and value diversity. This fundamental belief is deeply
integrated in our university's mission and vision and underscores our dedication to maintaining an
inclusive campus that supports diverse learners. One of our five university-wide Core Values is rooted in
Inclusion and providing "educational access while building a campus community that embraces
diversity and differences, enriched by a global perspective." Additionally, a separate Office of Equity
and Diversity is responsible for operationalizing our longstanding commitment to affirmative action,
equity, and diversity. This Office serves an advisory role to the Office of the President as well as all the
various Schools and Departments, in fact the VP for Equity and Diversity is a member of the Graduate
Division Advisory Council that monitors initial and advanced level graduate education programs. The
office is also responsible for overseeing our compliance to all state and federal laws including Title VII
and Title IX, American with Disabilities Act and others.
As a public liberal arts university, Eastern has integrated a dedicated study of diversity within our core
liberal arts curriculum. All undergraduate candidates are expected to successfully complete a Tier II
Cultural Perspectives course. Many candidates voluntarily extend this course into a cultural experience
with either the Global Studies or Study Aboard programs. The program is built to support a candidate's
major and personal avocations but remains central to engaging the candidate in a dynamic exploration of
culture. It is to be noted that one of these courses, EDU 357: International Cross Cultural Education,
satisfies the education pre-requisite for many of our certification programs and is typically a preferred
choice for our candidates.
The Eastern EPP mirrors our university's commitment and further emphasizes this focus on diversity in
our mission, conceptual framework and our candidate learning outcomes. Diversity is an important
component of our conceptual framework and is measured by our candidates' demonstrated ability to
support the diverse needs of students in terms of exceptionalities, race, ethnicity, gender, culture, and
socioeconomic status.
The EPP unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and provides experiences for candidates to
acquire and demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions necessary to help all
students learn. Assessments indicate that candidates can demonstrate and apply proficiencies related to
diversity. Experiences provided for candidates consist of working with diverse populations, including
higher education and P-12 school faculty, candidates, and students in P-12 schools. With respect to
diversity in the broadest sense, the curricula for initial (undergraduate and graduate) and advanced
(graduate, non-certification) candidates are equally responsive to the diverse professional needs of
candidates and our district partners.
All programs have structured their curriculum to infuse learning about and understanding the value of
teaching with and to diverse learners and outlined clear course outcomes and clinical expectations.
Please see matrix outlining various programs and their curricular focus on diversity.
The curriculum components that address diversity issues in Eastern's Initial Programs (undergraduate)
are embedded in three sets of courses_Foundations of Education, Inclusive Practices and Second
Language Acquisition. Our candidates are required to take a foundational course that focuses on US
education through a study and analysis of the historical, sociological, philosophical, ethical, legal and
financial factors basic to the governance and practice of American education. It is designed to provide
students with knowledge of the philosophical theories, historical circumstances, political influences,
ethical considerations and societal elements which have uniquely shaped the educational system and the
governance and operation of schools in America. Thus, all elementary, secondary and physical education
candidates have to take either EDU 210: Foundations of U.S. Education or EDU 357: International and
Cross-Cultural Education and early childhood candidates have to take ECE 215: Foundations of Early
Childhood Education. Graduate students address the same content in EDU 555: Education and Society.
All candidates are also required to take an inclusive educational practices course that addresses the
knowledge, skills and culturally responsive dispositions related to the characteristics, identification and
educational needs of exceptional children and youth. Thus early childhood candidates take ECE 305:
Development of Children with Special Needs (ECE 505 at the graduate level). Elementary candidates
take ECE 307: Inclusive Elementary Classrooms and secondary candidates take EDU 308: Inclusive
Secondary Classrooms (EDU 582 at the graduate level). Physical education candidates are required to
take HPE 315: Adapted Physical Education.
Undergraduate candidates are required to take EDU 405: Second Language Acquisition & Strategies that
concentrates on theories of second language acquisition and research-based practices in the field will be
applied with special emphasis on methods most useful the candidate's program area. The impact of
cultural, linguistic and environmental factors on student learning needs is also covered. All candidates
are required to complete field experiences in diverse public school settings (see Standard 3/Clinical
Handbook). Lastly, candidates are expected to connect lessons to students' experiences and cultures.
Graduate candidates are required to take a similar course EDU 505: Second Language Acquisition and
Strategies.
The curriculum components that address diversity issues in Eastern's Advanced Programs (Graduate,
non-certification) are embedded in several courses. However, EDU 518: Methods of Teaching English
Learners is a required course for advanced candidates in ELE and SEC with an embedded clinical
assessment.
Moving forward, our EPP in its transition to CAEP, has already identified a clear perspective on
diversity within our Candidates Learning Outcomes. Diversity is included under the important domain of
Cultural Competence: We believe that cultural competence includes both understanding and appreciating
cultural, learner, and linguistic diversity but also practicing a pedagogy that views school-family
relationships as partnerships in learning.
Diversity proficiencies and their evaluation are integrated within the Student Teaching evaluation
instrument. While several items address planning, developing, instructing and assessing students of
varied social, academic, cultural backgrounds, a few specific items directly address appreciating and
understanding diversity. Item 2.1 focuses on the important aspect of creating a class climate that is
responsive to and respectful of the learning needs of students with diverse backgrounds. Item 6.6
addresses proactively communicating in culturally respectful and sensitive ways with families and item
6.8 focuses on candidates' understanding how their own race, gender and culture affect professional
interactions with students, families and colleagues. Data from three semesters (Fall 14, Spring 15 and
Fall 15) indicate a mean score of 3 or above (proficiency level) for all these three items.
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