Every year, the faculty and staff at UVEI support the learning of educators who work with students of color, multilingual learners, and other young people from the diverse student population in our region’s schools. We believe that these students, as well as our majority population of white students, can deeply benefit from working with skilled educators from a diversity of racial, linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
One crucial way that organizations such as UVEI can do this is by supporting educators of color in the region. Last year, UVEI opened our space to the Vermont Education Justice Coalition’s (VT EdJ) first symposium of the Educators of Color Affiliate Network. The focus of this symposium was to learn together about structures which can support and sustain educators of color.
We are now happy to share that in September of 2024 we became an institutional affiliate with the Vermont Educators of Color Association. The mission of this group, according to VT Edj, is “to support educators of color in Vermont to connect, heal, and organize for change!” The association “is primarily K-12 educators but is open to all educators including those in early childhood education, higher education, and out of school education.”
UVEI was the first school of higher education to become an affiliate. By joining, we will learn from and with local educators of color about ways that UVEI – and the schools we work with – can better engage, sustain, and retain a racially diverse educator workforce in Vermont and New Hampshire. Please reach out to us with your thoughts, and stay tuned for more information about this work as it unfolds!
You can read more about the Vermont Educators of Color Program on their website. If you are an educator of color and are interested in joining, you can follow this sign up link. Feel free to share with others you may know!
For those who would like to learn more, here is some information directly from the Educators of Color Network.
More about the Vermont Educators of Color Association
The Vermont Educators of Color Association is a group that has been supporting teachers and staff of color in Vermont since 2020. The mission of the group is to support educators of color in Vermont to connect, heal, and organize for change! The group is primarily K-12 educators but is open to all educators including those in early childhood education, higher education, and out of school education.
Upcoming Opportunities for Educators of Color
- Sign up for the Vermont Educators of Color Association mailing list here
- Monthly meetings for educators of color – First Tuesday of every month online from 5:00-6:00 pm (sign up on our mailing list for the Zoom link)
- Educators of Color Fall Retreat – next taking place in fall 2025
Quote about retreats:
“When I moved to Vermont, I could not believe that there was an organized educator of color group offering an affordable retreat—with childcare! At the retreat, I found community, connection, and respite. And my kids even built strong friendships and ask to go back every year.” – Susan Yao, Co-Found of Vermont Village School
You can check out the website for more info or follow up on social media @edjcoalitionvt.
