Educators Rising
Educators Rising is a program offered to 10th and 11th grade KUSD students free of charge through a partnership with Carthage College and UW-Parkside. Educators Rising allows students interested in becoming an educator to earn up to 13 college credits while simultaneously earning high school credit.
There are a total of four elective courses that must be taken in sequential order to advance through the program, with each one counting toward the total high school credit allotment.
Courses will be held virtually on Wednesday evenings from 6-9 p.m.
Course Progression
Course 1: Foundations of Education
This course begins as an exploration of the teaching profession and the multiple roles of the teacher, where students will engage with peers, faculty, teachers, and students through authentic classroom experiences. Students will explore learning in and outside of formal schooling environments and examine how communities – including local, regional and national – can impact learning. Finally, students will discuss current topics in child and adolescent development with an emphasis on equity, culturally relevant pedagogy, and school environments and will clarify and analyze issues from diverse developmental contexts in conjunction with motivation, identity development, and educational achievement.
Course 2: Child and adolescent development
This course focuses on physical, social, emotional, and cognitive domains of development and their application to the classroom and other educational settings. Students in the course will explore developmentally appropriate practices across different developmental levels including the science of learning and development, the importance of the classroom environments, and the teaching and development of content-specific knowledge. Students will learn the importance of family, culture, and community, the needs of diverse learners, and the support of children’s emotional and social well being as essential to the learning process
Course 3: Teaching and Supporting Learners with Diverse Characteristics and Needs
This methods course prepares preservice general educators to effectively teach and support learners with diverse characteristics and needs in the context of the general education classroom. Characteristics of learners with learning and behavioral differences, including those eligible for special education services, are addressed, with additional content on the impact of cultural and language differences on learning. Participants will apply principles of differentiation and universal design in planning whole-class and small-group instruction that involves the integration of technologies and strategy instruction.
Course 4: Foundations in Urban Education
Foundations in Urban Education will provide students with background information to understand current issues in urban schooling. Students will learn the history of urban education, politics, and culture in urban schooling, and conduct fieldwork in local urban school settings.