The University of the District of Columbia launched the School of Education and Learning Sciences, but teacher preparation is nothing new at the school in Northwest D.C.
Anika Spratley Burtin, the interim dean of the new school, said education has been at the heart of the University of the District of Columbia since its founding 175 years ago.
“UDC started out as Miner Normal School. It was founded by Myrtilla Miner to give Black women coming out of slavery” a path to becoming teachers, Burtin said.
The School of Education and Learning Sciences will offer degrees in adult education, early childhood education, elementary and special education at the bachelor’s and master’s levels. The school is also working toward offering a doctorate in education program.
Burtin said she sees room for growth in the field for the next generation of teachers.
“And more and more people, I’m happy to say, are reaching out to UDC to partner to do things like apprenticeships and residencies,” Burtin said.
For example, Burtin said, “The National Center for Teacher Residencies is interested in doing a pre-K 3 bilingual program, so there are lots of different entities out there that recognize UDC and the role we play in the District.”
For decades, there had been a push to get more teachers into special education and math, she said.
“As a field, education tends to make these broad swings, so it’s all or nothing, so it’s all English and math right now. But we really need social studies and civics right now to understand our world,” Burtin said.
She said the sciences are important too, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are also shortages of people going into school leadership positions, such as principals and superintendents. But Burtin said UDC will focus on creating leadership roles within the teaching area, adding that having teachers working as instructional coaches or lead teachers is an important way to support educators.
“Because when you hear about people leaving the teaching profession, it’s because they don’t feel like they had the support they needed,” she said.
Burtin continues to teach while serving as interim dean of UDC’s School of Education and Learning Sciences. She said without hesitation that what she enjoys the most about teaching is interacting with the students.
“Everyone keeps trying to get me to stop,” she said, noting the very full plate she has in the role of interim dean.
“I can’t not teach. I’m a teacher at heart.”