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NKU, Covington schools partner to offer a masters in teaching at Holmes Middle and High Schools


Northern Kentucky University’s College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) announces a new partnership with Covington Independent Schools. The program embeds NKU’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) within Holmes Middle and High Schools to create an immersive environment to enhance the preparation of new teachers.

Daria Johnson is an NKU Master of Arts in Teaching Candidate. Do you see yourself as a teacher?


COEHS will hold an open house on January 24 for those interested in learning more about the MAT program, which will launch in June 2018. The courses will meet on site at Holmes Middle and High Schools. This approach will better enable these NKU teacher candidates to make the theory-to-practice connection and provide opportunities for Covington school personnel to participate in learning opportunities offered through the program.
 
“Working with the leadership team in Covington has been wonderful. As with any true collaboration, we all came to the table with our ideas and developed a program that will draw upon the strengths of current Covington educators, the research-based experience of NKU’s teacher educators, and the opportunities presented by working in Holmes Middle and High Schools,” said Dean Cindy Reed, College of Education and Human Services.

“We all will benefit from this partnership, and so will the career-changers who participate and become teachers. They will have a very thorough preparation.”
 
Strong school-university partnerships are shown to reduce teacher turnover and better prepare preservice teachers to work in specific contexts. The long term goal of this partnership is to prepare teachers who choose to work in settings such as Covington and make an impact in ending generational poverty.
 
“We are pleased to partner with NKU to offer the MAT program at our schools. This will help our teachers enhance their professional development and benefit our district,” said Alvin Garrison, superintendent of Covington Schools.
 
“Embedding courses at the schools will provide Holmes Middle & High Schools teachers with the visible presence of NKU faculty experts for collaboration and development,” said Brandelyn Tosolt, MAT Program Facilitator. “The goal is to have an open door policy for teachers, administrators, and district personnel to visit the NKU classes to join in our discussions, lend expertise related to their experiences, and share knowledge of the school cultures, policies, programs and practices with NKU teacher candidates.”
 
COEHS is recruiting candidates who are highly-qualified in their content areas and believe that education is the lever for social change. These candidates believe in building relationships with students, families, and community stakeholders.
 
• What: MAT Program Open House
• When: January 24 at 3:15 p.m.
• Where: Holmes High School, 2500 Madison Avenue, Covington
 
The embedded one-year MAT program will be offered every other year.

For more information on the MAT program, visit https://nku.edu/mat. To get details on the open house, contact Diana Von Hagel, (859) 572-1567, VonHagelD@nku.edu.


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