Executive Letter – Page 2 – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

Executive Director Letter, April 2025

Earlier this month, I joined a webinar hosted by the African American Policy Forum, where I had the opportunity to hear Dr. David Johns, IRT ‘03, share his work and how he stands up for the LGBTQ+ community through these times. It was helpful to hear and see how our alums continue to shape our world through listening, engagement, and advocacy. We know this isn’t easy, and we appreciate your dedication to your field, scholarship, and praxis. This newsletter showcases how our alumni make a difference in their communities through scholarship and capacity building.

Alums like Viviana Cordero-García, IRT ‘15, show the importance of establishing community and working to support students in meeting their goals at Esperanza Academy. Dr. Tiffany Joseph, Andover ‘00, IRT ‘03, research and timely text illustrate how immigration and health care policies impacted communities here in Boston. The newsletter has stories of the impact of alums shaping their fields through text, art, and engagement.

Executive Director Letter, February 2025

A Beloved Community

“I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think that end of that objective is a truly brotherly society, the creation of the beloved community”- Martin Luther King, Jr.

One of the things I value the most about IRT is the sense of community—not just any community but a potentially beloved community. In my view, the scholarship and engagement of IRT alums force us to imagine a better world and society and analyze our past. This work is critical in our present moment, allowing for prospective reconciliation and action to improve outcomes for the most vulnerable of us. Our community is also where we find prospective IRT Scholars, so please consider sharing our application with your networks.

Executive Director Letter, October 2024

This fall, IRT is grateful for our community. Over the summer, our IRT scholars connected with our faculty, alums, and consortium partners during the Summer Workshop. Faculty courses focused on theory, understanding the university and higher education. Our scholars had the opportunity to network with our Deans and learn about our partnerships through our virtual Recruiters Weekend. We hope to continue to expand and grow our programming to make it accessible for as many scholars as possible.

Executive Director Letter, June 2024

IRT Scholars and alums are gearing up for our 33rd Summer Workshop. As Freire reminds us, education is a tool for liberation and love. I am excited that we have continued to expand on the Summer Workshop – now allowing IRT Faculty to instruct, design, and facilitate their courses. Our online platform enables scholars to engage live and through recordings – and we can support all IRT Scholars with curriculum and robust advising.

In our current times, we must be instructing scholars in frameworks and methodologies we are seeing in the field and our courses of study. Our IRT alums have unique perspectives, research, and pedagogical approaches. We are grateful to have such a robust community of scholars, practitioners and more to help build a place of intellectual inquiry and holistic student development.

Executive Director Letter, March 2024

Dear IRT Community,

At this time last year, I could not distinguish the changing seasons. Spring as a season came and went, only distinguished by various moments of grief. To navigate this, I took a step back to be with my family and to support a loved one in their heavenly transition. Throughout that time, I was and continue to be grateful to the IRT team for continuing the program and supporting our scholars.