Connecticut Commissioner of Education Charlene Russell-Tucker has been honored as the 2024 Diversity Champion by the Alma Exley Scholarship Program. She was recognized for her leadership in implementing a broad array of initiatives that have significantly increased the number of persons of color in the state’s educator workforce.

She was recognized at a virtual celebration held on Zoom to introduce the 2024 Alma Exley Scholars, Andrew Amaya, a student at Central Connecticut State University, and Brianna Bobo, a student at the University of Connecticut. Read more on the News page.

Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker

Commissioner Russell-Tucker is the third Diversity Champion the program has honored. The previous honorees are State Senator Douglas McCrory, 2022, and State Representative Robert Sánchez, 2023.

A Priority Focus

In accepting the award, Commissioner Russell-Tucker congratulated Mr. Amaya and Ms. Bobo and said: “Increasing diversity in the Connecticut educator workforce is one of the pillars of our work at the Department and certainly is a priority focus for me.”

She called the scholarship program “such an important part of this work” and added, “This award highlights the memory of Alma Exley and the incredible work she did throughout her life and career and serves as a living testament to her legacy.”

Many Diversity Initiatives

The Commissioner highlighted the results of some of the many programs implemented under her leadership to diversify the educator workforce.

• Some 175 school districts have welcomed 977 new educators from other states who are working in Connecticut because of enhanced reciprocity in certification.

• Aspiring teachers are getting help with licensing and testing fees through the allocation of $2 million in COVID federal funding to educator-preparation programs.

• Twenty-nine students have received scholarships in the first round of a diversity scholarship program for students from priority school districts who are enrolled in educator-preparation programs.

• Since 2020, more than 230 aspiring educators have received financial support while being placed in public-school classrooms in the NextGen program.

• More than 500 high school students  taking courses in the Educators Rising program to prepare them for teaching careers.

Better Academic Performance

“Why is this so important?” Commissioner Russell-Tucker asked. “We know from the research that all students—especially students of color—have better academic performance, improved test scores, higher graduation rates, and a greater sense of belonging and motivation when they are taught by educators who look like them.”

From the 2015-2016 school year to the present, educators of color have increased from 8.3 percent to 11.7 percent of the Connecticut educator workforce, which translates to more than 6,000 educators of color.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said, indicating that students of color account for 53 percent of the state’s student body. This is equivalent to more than 275,000 students out of a total of 512,652.”

“The need to create equity of access to a world-class educational system that supports all our learners is very clear,” the Commissioner added. “I’m so grateful for the work the Alma Exley Scholarship is doing to bring more educators of color into the pipeline and ultimately into the classroom.”

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Six students have been inducted into leadership positions in the Connecticut Educators Rising program, which encourages high school students to aspire to careers in education.

Educators Rising is a “Grow Your Own” program that provides a clear educational pathway to students to increase teacher diversity and teacher quality.  

Educators from the University of Bridgeport (UB), Educators Rising, and the Connecticut State Department of Education were on hand to congratulate the future teachers.

From left, Dr. Patricia Mulcahy-Ernt, Mary Glassman, Dr. Shuana Tucker, Sinthia Sone-Moyano, Woody Exley, Sherrod Cuttino, Mimi Colón, Jacquelin Rybnick, Alivia Afable, Danyelix Echevarria-Figueroa, Isaias Rodríguez Sánchez, Dr. Danielle Wilken, Tricia Putnam, Dr. Khaled Elleithy, and Dr. Tonya Chacón.

EdRising Student Cabinet

Inducted into the Connecticut EdRising Student Cabinet in a ceremony at the University of Bridgeport were:

• Danyelix Echevarria-Figueroa, New Britain High School, President

• Alivia Afable, Waterbury Career Academy, Vice President of Engagement

• Mimi Colón, New Britain High School, Vice President of Communications

• Jacquelyn Rybnick, Stamford High School, Vice President of Service

• Isaias Rodríguez Sánchez, New Britain High School, Representative At-Large

• Sherrod Cuttino, Central Connecticut State University, Representative At-Large in the recently established college-level Aspiring Educators program.

Varied Responsibilities

In their positions, the students will have a variety of responsibilities in ensuring the success of the EdRising program in their schools. This will give them the opportunity to cultivate their leadership capabilities while advancing the program.

The EdRising program enables high school students to take courses related to education careers and to serve in internships in local schools. They can also earn university credit by taking courses at their schools taught by certified university teachers.

Congratulating the aspiring teachers were:

From the University of Bridgeport: Dr. Danielle Wilken, President; Dr. Khaled Elleithy, Dean, College of Engineering, Business, and Education; Dr. Patricia Mulcahy-Ernt, Director, School of Education; and Dr. Tonya Chacón, Coordinator of the Elementary Education Program.

From the Connecticut State Department of Education: Sinthia Sone-Moyano and Dr. Charles Hewes, Deputy Commissioners; Dr. Shuana Tucker, Chief Talent Officer; and Mary Glassman, Workforce Diversity and Educator Effectiveness Officer.

Also participating was Tricia Putnam, Connecticut State and Regional EdRising Coordinator for PDK International, whose mission is to eliminate the teacher shortage by supporting EdRising programs across the country.

Establishing Pathways

UB’s Dr. Mulcahy-Ernt hopes that some of the students will enroll in the educator-preparation program at the University of Bridgeport. “EdRising is having an impact by establishing pathways for future educators,” she says. “It’s introducing them to the teaching profession and enabling them to step up to leadership positions.”

Dr. Chacón notes that students can accelerate the speed of their professional journey by taking university courses while in high school. “We’re creating pathways for young people who are interested in becoming educators,” she says. “We want to foster that, and we want to nurture that. Educators Rising is the perfect way to do that. They can earn university credit at a nominal fee.”

Inspirational Program

“EdRising inspired me to become a teacher,” says Isaias Rodríguez Sánchez, a student in New Britain. “The program has helped me to develop the skills that I need to become an educator. It has helped me to strengthen my public speaking skills and my social skills. The EdRising club at school is like a family.”

EdRising has chapters in many states. In Connecticut, the program is one of many initiatives advanced by the state Department of Education to address the teacher shortage as well as the dearth of educators of color.

Nearly 500 students are participating in high schools in Ansonia, Bristol, Danbury, East Hartford, Farmington, Groton, Hamden, Hartford, Manchester, Naugatuck, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury, and Windsor. More than 80 percent of the participants are students of color, which is important since only 11 percent of educators in Connecticut are persons of color compared to over half of the students in public schools.