Submitted by Rod Jones, assistant director of media relations
The Education Department is hosting a conference in February to help future school teachers prepare for working in urban school districts.
It is the fourth year for the Connecting Across Cultures event, which is funded with support through a grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
Education professor Laura Wilhelm, who has taught in Oklahoma City Public Schools, stressed the importance of preparing new teachers for some of the challenges they are likely to face in urban classrooms, where poverty is common.
“The goal of this project is to prepare future teachers with knowledge, understanding and strategies to best support their students who live in poverty,” Wilhelm said.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, more than 223,000 Oklahoma children live below the federal poverty line and our state ranks 39th in the nation on overall child and family wellbeing. Having high teacher turnover, as much as 25 percent each year, in schools that serve students in poverty adds to the already challenging life circumstances these students face.
Education majors and teacher education faculty members from about 15 Oklahoma universities are expected at the Connecting Across Cultures conference. Local teachers who work with students facing poverty will serve as resources.
The regents grant funds two keynote presenters — Bob Brandenburg from the Oklahoma Association of Community Action Agencies and Patricia Webb with the Resiliency Project.
Brandenburg will place participants in various family groups for a simulation on dealing with limited income, parenting issues and other challenges. Webb will guide conference participants to consider classroom activities that have been found to foster resilience and help counteract the effects of poverty on students.
For more information about the conference contact Wilhelm at lhwilhelm@okcu.edu or professor Liz Willner at LWillner@okcu.edu.
Leave a Reply