Now that the new school year has started, it’s time to reflect and look ahead at what we have planned for UVEI and our networks of educators during 2023-2024.

 

The school year kicked off with orientations for our Teacher and Principal cohorts in August: 22 principal candidates and 15 teacher candidates from all over Vermont and New Hampshire (and even Maine!) Orientation weeks concluded with our Seventh Annual Innovations in Education Forum: an event that brings together our graduating MEd degree candidates, the new teacher and principal cohorts, faculty, alumni, and partner educators. The theme for the day was “Revisiting Deeper Learning for Educators” and topics included equity and justice in education, developing students’ skills through inquiry, and teacher learning and collaboration: all areas that will be at the forefront of our programs and events this year. 

As we sent the teacher and principal cohorts off to their placement sites to begin the school year in September, we welcomed new educators to our literacy and masters degree programs: two new literacy educators (one from each side of the river), as well as three teacher alumni and one new-to-UVEI educator who are pursuing their MEd degree in Teaching. These educators are joining our continuing literacy and degree candidates and during their time here they will also be crossing paths with teacher and principal cohorts. The opportunities for cross-program networking and collaboration not only aid in the learning taking place but also provide connections that last beyond UVEI enrollment. We are excited to see all of these educators learn and grow, and to grow along with them, during this year and future years!

 

2023-2024 will see the new Barnes Initiative for Collaborative Learning research cohort delving deeper into teacher collaboration and educator retention, building on last year’s work (more details to come soon). UVEI will be hosting the Educator of Color Symposium at our building, organized by the Vermont Educators of Color Association.

Throughout the year we will continue to welcome educators who would like to earn graduate credit in specific areas of teaching and educational leadership, and will explore learning partnerships with interested school districts. Additional special events at which educators can convene and discuss topics of interest will be announced in the coming months. 

 

Internally, a large focus of the year is on our strategic plan. Faculty & staff, board members, and advisory council members will look at where we are and where we want to go as an institution. The process just kicked off this week and we’ll be sharing more details in the coming months, but here’s a sneak preview: we will be reaching out to various constituent groups in our network to gather feedback as we plan for our next ten years.

 

We are continually aware of the importance of our network of educators… thank you for all that you do.

As is our custom to close with gratitude, we are continually aware (and especially aware as we undergo our strategic planning process) of the importance of our network of educators – both to the work that we do at UVEI and to the schools, educators, and students where you work. Thank you for all that you do. We love to hear about your successes and challenges in the field, so please be in touch anytime.

~Marie McCormick (UVEI Registrar) and Page Tompkins (President)