Lourdes University’s division of education will present “School Is In Session: Diversifying the Educator Workforce” at 7 p.m., Monday, November 15, at the Franciscan Center, 6832 Convent Boulevard, Sylvania.
Free and open to the public, the event includes light hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Registration and masks are required.
The panel discussion event will explore the challenge at hand, strategies for overcoming barriers and the importance of collaboration.
Panelists include Randy Gardner, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education; John Jones, president, HOPE Toledo; Kimberly Scribner, coordinator Like Me Program, Lourdes University, and Lamis Younes, elementary school teacher, Sylvania Schools.
Every year the student population increases in diversity while the overall teacher workforce pipeline decreases. This trend drastically exacerbates the gap of diverse teachers available to the growing student population.
In Ohio, 30 percent of the student population are from diverse backgrounds, while only 5 percent of the teacher population identify as diverse.
Lourdes University and its partners created the Like Me: Diversifying the Educator Workforce program to help address this issue.
Local district statistics reflect similar disparities to statewide numbers with gaps between student and teacher populations ranging from 20 to 55 percent among Lourdes University’s Like Me program partner districts. Those partners are Toledo Public Schools, Springfield Local Schools, Washington Local Schools and Sylvania City Schools.
Following the panel discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to connect with panelists, Like Me partners and supporters as well as university leadership.
For more information or to register, visit lourdes.edu/event/school-is-in-session/ or contact Dr. Vince Laverick at vlaverick@lourdes edu.
