Hello IRT Community!
Happy start of the school year! As we all return to classrooms, offices, routines, and the sounds of learning – I hope our community is well and safe. Over the last few months, the IRT staff worked diligently to ensure our program operations and conversations regarding our future stayed on course. I hope you join me in expressing gratitude for their skill application, resources, and tenacity to augment the opportunities for our Scholars.
We navigated the IRT admissions cycle, welcoming 108 Scholars into our cohort. In the last year alone, teachers faced unprecedented attacks on values the IRT community holds near and dear. We are proud of our Scholars for envisioning a future of education with them in it – even though our broader communities are navigating extensive uncertainty.
We also welcome our most recent cohort into our alumni community. The IRT staff and community are proud of your community building within the IRT and your engagement with our Consortium partners to determine the best ways to leverage your academic and pedagogical impact. Our alums continue to populate our IRT Alumni Network – and we are ecstatic to see your growth and learn about your updates! Please continue to share with us. I had the pleasure this summer of watching dissertation and proposal defenses, and please know the IRT community is here to support you as you continue on your academic journeys.
Our Summer Workshop faculty was a testament to this fact – returning to build curriculum and support for our incoming cohort. Courses this summer focused on higher education and our current issues, ways to thrive in graduate school, and the import of theory. Our alums activate the goals and wishes of our incoming cohort – and it is incredible to witness the power within this community.
I hope you all enjoy the beginnings of the fall and are taking care of yourselves and each other. I continue to be inspired by our IRT community and our dedication to the field of education. I believe the way for us to navigate this period of educational distrust is to be in a collective, and I’m honored to be in the IRT community with you.
Best,
LaShawnda Brooks
IRT Executive Director
Institute for Recruitment of Teachers 