The federal government is turning to CSUDH to help diversify the teacher pipeline and tackle shortages in this crucial profession. The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded $1.59 million to the College of Education through its Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence program.

The funding will support Multilingual/Minoritized Educators Networked-Learning and Development, or MEND, a project to dramatically increase and retain the number of multilingual and minoritized teachers in Southern California.

MEND will specifically target CSUDH’s elementary education teacher preparation program, focusing on pre-service teachers’ wellness, academic pursuits, and high-quality early clinical experiences in schools.

“In Los Angeles County, we have such diversity in language education and language experiences,” said Professor of Teacher Education and MEND Co-Principal Investigator Pablo Ramirez. “We are seeking to transform teacher education so that it’s reflective of the needs of our communities.”

Co-Principal Investigator Edward Curammeng, associate professor of teacher education, said that when the team began their proposal in Fall 2022, the grant parameters seemed to be written for them. In fact, the MEND team’s proposal earned a perfect score from three independent reviewers—a rare achievement that reflects the trailblazing work of the college.

“The models we are going to co-create with students, teachers, and mentors will be groundbreaking,” Ramirez said. “We need to take teacher education in a different direction, and this is just one step.”

“With so many teachers leaving the profession, we need to provide support structures so that there is a solid sense of community and material resources to ensure our students will be teachers for the long haul,” Curammeng said. “They need to be sustained throughout the trajectory of their careers.”

College of Education Dean Jessica Pandya said the federal funding is a testament to the critical work CSUDH is doing in teacher preparation. “With these additional resources, we can continue to produce the passionate, dedicated, and culturally conscious teachers that Southern California needs.”

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