Pathways2Teaching, meanwhile, is a nationally recognized initiative founded by CU Denver Professor Margarita Bianco that aims to get more minority students into classrooms to better reflect the diversity of a local student population, Schultz said.<\/p>\n
Students of color interested in teaching face a variety of barriers, including poverty, language and being first-generation college students, said Bianco, who is also a Timmerhaus Teaching Ambassador. \u201cColleges and universities must find ways to be more inclusive if we truly want to address the critical shortage of teachers of color,\u201d Bianco said.<\/p>\n
Both CU Denver and Boulder \u201cflag\u201d Pathways2Teaching students\u2019 applications for a more personal interview. \u201cAnd in those cases where students are so close to meeting admissions criteria, but fall short, we can step in and advocate for and find solutions to support our students,\u201d Bianco said.<\/p>\n
In the program\u2019s first eight years, about 800 students in Colorado have been enrolled in Pathway2Teaching, she said, and have been aligned with seven metro-area school districts, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am especially proud the number of men of color in our program,\u201d Bianco said. \u201cIt\u2019s good for them and it\u2019s good for our schools.\u201d<\/p>\n