Associate Director & Manager of Programs Letter – Page 2 – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Associate Director & Manager of Programs Update, April 2025

Embracing Change and Supporting IRT Scholars: A Commitment to Growth and Well-Being

As the educational landscape continues to evolve, it’s essential to remember that IRT is steadfast in its commitment to your well-being, your capacity for learning, and your desire to make a difference. We understand that the challenges facing today’s scholars are unique, and we remain here to support you.

The admissions committee is hard at work reviewing over 100 applications for our new cohort, set to begin in June. Our advising team is equally dedicated to assisting our current cohort as they navigate the next steps in their academic journeys. Many are eagerly awaiting responses from colleges and universities regarding their acceptance decisions and funding packages. Additionally, we’re providing critical support to scholars who have been affected by institutions reducing cohort sizes or rescinding acceptance offers due to financial constraints. This situation highlights the unpredictability of today’s academic environment, but we remain committed to guiding our scholars in making informed choices.

Associate Director & Manager of Programs Update, February 2025

Aloha/Greetings IRT Community!

With the new year upon us, we may focus on how best to actualize our resolutions. But for a moment, I invite you to pause, take a deep breath, and instead ground yourself in how you feel now. Arts and Sciences Programs Specialist Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13, wisely asked this question at our first gathering of scholars a few weeks back. We know that many feelings swirl as we wonder, watch, and wait for the impact of the changes happening across PK-12 and higher education.

No matter what happens, IRT remains committed to recruiting and retaining educators who reflect the communities where our students and families live and work. These educators should be well-versed in their content knowledge/subject area, possess the necessary skill set to develop inclusive curriculum, and utilize instructional strategies that engage all students.

Associate Director & Manager of Programs, October 2024

Greetings IRT Community!

Welcome to a new fall semester! I hope that the summer afforded you a balance of work and focus on your well-being.

I want to take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt appreciation to all who planned and participated in our summer planning and programming. It takes a vibrant and dynamic community to plan programming that offers a sense of belonging, is committed to having young people see reflections of themselves and their lived experiences in and out the classroom, and understands the need for centering one’s own wellness practices.

Associate Director & Manager of Programs Update, March 2024

Dear IRT Community,

As we welcome the arrival of Spring, a time of renewal and reimagination, I would like to take this opportunity to share our most recent program updates.

ADVISING
Current IRT Scholars are hearing back from graduate programs about acceptances and funding packages. They are utilizing resources as well as engaging with their IRT Advisors and fellow cohort members through meetings, chats and cohort social hours. These differentiated tools of engagement allow our scholars to feel a sense of belonging and community as they embark on their decision making process. Our warmest CONGRATULATIONS to our scholars on their graduate school acceptances! Our young people across the education sector will greatly benefit from your knowledge, skills and talents. Also, we want to shout out APPRECIATIONS to our Statement of Purpose Advisors for working closely with our scholars on their applications. Scholars have remarked that their advisors not only offered constructive feedback on their drafts but also encouraged them to show their authentic selves. At a time when diversity is being dismissed this type of guidance is of even more importance.

IRT Letter, January 2024

Greetings from IRT!

We hope the holidays offered you time to rest, reflect and rejuvenate. Venturing into the new year, we are excited to continue to explore IRT’s future. Given the continuing urgency and crisis of our times, we know we need more diverse teachers, specialists, administrators, and professors now. We know that change does not happen in isolation or departmental vacuums. With the mounting challenges to what we teach, how we teach, where we teach, and who we teach with, the IRT represents a throughline of community, connection, and care.