School of Education Welcomes First Undergraduate Students

The UW Tacoma School of Education is about to begin a new era in its 32-year history: a group of undergraduate students will begin their education major cohort studies during spring quarter of 2024.

The school is launching its new bachelor of arts in education program. The students attended a welcome orientation in February, and they are expected to complete studies in their major in time for commencement in June 2025. The new degree is built on a cohort model, meaning each incoming group of students will progress through the program together, sharing learning experiences.

The new B.A. is just the latest in a string of new programs launched during the tenure of Dr. Rachel Endo as dean of the school, but it is the first undergraduate major in the school's offerings.

The B.A. is filling a critical demand in the South Sound and beyond. Led by Dr. Julia Aguirre, faculty director of teacher certification programs and a professor in the school, the program seeks to prepare the next generation of caring, anti-racist and equity-minded educators who will provide learners with a high-quality culturally-responsive and inclusive learning experience. The B.A. program is also supported by courses offered in the School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences that emphasize ethnic studies, psychology and mathematics. As Dr. Aguirre noted, "We build on our strengths here at UW Tacoma to best prepare our teachers to meet the diverse learning needs of K-12 students. It is a collaborative effort."

In a recent report, the Washington Professional Educator Standards Board, a state agency that oversees teacher preparation and certification, identified a statewide diversity gap in the teaching workforce as one of the biggest barriers to student success in the K-12 grades and beyond. Teachers of color make up 13% of the workforce, compared to the 49% of students who are people of color.

"Washington needs well-prepared caring teachers from diverse communities and backgrounds to advocate for children and their families," said Dr. Aguirre. "We are excited to work with our talented undergraduates here at UW Tacoma to help them become teachers committed to cultivating meaningful, humanizing, and justice-focused K-12 education."

In addition to the bachelor of arts degree, the new program will prepare undergraduate students to become elementary teachers (grades K-8) with an endorsement in either special education or teaching multilingual learners. Beyond a focus on equity and excellence in learning and teaching, the program also emphasizes reciprocal partnerships with several partners who are responsible for a "whole child" approach to education. That approach includes families, caregivers and communities, as well as key school personnel, such as school leaders, paraeducators, and school psychologists.

"I am incredibly honored to welcome the first group of undergraduate education majors to our campus and school," said Dr. Endo. "They are an extraordinarily talented group of equity-conscious pre-service professionals who will blaze trails when they graduate from the program and enter the field. I am grateful to Dr. Aguirre and our colleagues throughout UW for designing such a high-quality program that will have a lasting impact on our surrounding communities for many years to come."