PDK International and Arizona State University Forge New Paths for Aspiring Educators

ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 11, 2023—In an initiative destined to shape the landscape of education in Arizona, PDK International and Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College are collaborating on a state-wide grow-your-own teacher pipeline program, entitled Educators Rising Arizona.

“The need to establish career ladders for aspiring educators is more critical than ever, and Educators Rising grow-your-own programs play a pivotal role in broadening and strengthening teacher pools that meet local needs,” said James Lane, CEO of PDK International. “Aspiring educators face unprecedented challenges, and we believe that by collaborating with Arizona State University we can create opportunities and pathways that empower the next generation of Arizona educators.”

Educators Rising, a program of PDK International, addresses the need for purposeful teacher recruitment and high-quality teacher preparation by guiding young people on a path to becoming accomplished teachers, beginning in high school, and extending through college and into the profession. By embedding activities and resources available through Educators Rising into the curriculum of precollegiate teacher preparation programs, students gain enhanced opportunities to authentically experience teaching, to build the skills they need to be successful educators, and to sustain their interest in the profession.

Lennon Audrain, former Educators Rising Arizona State President and Educators Rising National President, and current Research Assistant Professor & Program Manager for ASU and CTE Education Professions Teacher at Mesa Public Schools, states, “For ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, operating the Arizona affiliate of Educators Rising is a fit with our ongoing work with schools to better serve learners and support educators.”

“Educators Rising has always been a great way for high school students to explore the education profession,” continued Audrain. “Now, through its Next Education Workforce initiative, ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College offers more ways for high school students in Educators Rising to participate in team-based staffing models as tutors, as small-group facilitators, and in other essential roles that schools and learners need. Bringing the Arizona chapter of Educators Rising together with the knowledge and networks of MLFTC is a great way to support Arizona high school students and develop the education workforce Arizona needs.”

For more information about Educators Rising and how to start a program visit our webpage. More information about Educators Rising Arizona registration and student leadership events will be sent to Arizona participants in Spring 2024. Please send any questions to Lennon Audrain at lennon.audrain@asu.edu.

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About PDK International
Established in 1906, PDK International supports P-20 educators, researchers, and policy makers by strengthening their commitment to the profession throughout the entire arc of their careers. We are committed to elevating the profession through the intersection of research and practice. Through our core values of social justice, engagement, excellence, and results, we encourage educators and stakeholders to elevate the discourse and change the narrative around teaching and learning to ensure that every student has a high-quality equitable education. https://www.pdkintl.org

About Educators Rising
In 2015, PDK International – in its 115-year commitment to the profession of education – launched Educators Rising, formerly the Future Educators Association (FEA). Today, Educators Rising is cultivating a new generation of highly skilled educators by guiding young people on a path from high school through college and into their teaching careers. By working with aspiring educators who reflect the demographics of their communities and who are passionate about serving those communities through public education, Educators Rising is changing the face of teaching. https://educatorsrising.org/

About ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College creates knowledge, mobilizes people, and takes action to improve education. Nationally recognized as a leader in teacher preparation, leadership development and scholarly research, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College prepares over 8,000 educators annually. MLFTC faculty create knowledge by drawing from a wide range of academic disciplines to gain insight into important questions about the process of learning, the practice of teaching and the effects of education policy. MLFTC mobilizes people through bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs, through non-degree professional development programs and through socially embedded, multilateral community engagement. MLFTC takes action by bringing people and ideas together to increase the capabilities of individual educators and the performance of education systems.