Program – Page 5 – Institute for Recruitment of Teachers

IRT Recruitment and Application Update

The recruitment team has been busy meeting prospective students at in-person and virtual events. The IRT application is open till March 1st! All requirements, application details, and a recorded IRT information session are available online.

A special note of thanks to Juliana (Juju) Wong, IRT’ 15 for her work this season as interim Recruitment & Alumni Programs Specialist and the entire IRT Recruitment team.

Recruitment Highlights

Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 visited our newest consortium partner the University of Georgia this fall. Leislie met with our IRT liaison Camille Reynolds, Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion during her visit.

Thank you to the Recruitment Team!

It just goes to show that when two IRT alums get to talking instead of being stalled by a challenge, they set out to activate an opportunity. And that is just what Brittany Zorn, IRT ‘13, and Juliana (Juju) Wong, IRT ‘15, did last March (2023). In conversing about the upcoming recruitment season, they brainstormed how best to engage prospective scholars and Consortium partners while accounting for people’s preferences for in-person, virtual, and or hybrid meetings and events. Emerging from their collaboration was the proposal for Juliana to step into a consultancy role as the interim Recruitment and Alumni Program Specialist. Having previously served in roles with IRT as Summer Workshop faculty as well as a Statement of Purpose Advisor, Juliana was well positioned to give back to IRT in this way. This proposal was a win-win for IRT and for Juliana. It expanded IRT’s capacity at a critical time and furthered Juliana’s professional development as she sought to grow her consultancy.

Over the past few months, Juliana worked in conjunction with the IRT staff including LaShawnda Brooks, Catherine Wong, Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT’91, Sara Cerretani, and Janelle Bonasera to design and implement a recruitment strategy that involved; 1) differentiation of activities and materials for increased access to potential scholars across the United States, 2) meeting and co-planning events and info sessions with Consortium partners, and 3) gatherings of IRT alums from across years and fields of study for both social and professional networking.

Appreciations to Juliana and Brittany for their initial brainstorming and to the full IRT team for contributing to this year’s recruitment efforts. It truly takes a village. Juliana, prospective scholars, alumni, and Consortium have all commented on how grateful they are for your outreach, organization, and outstanding presentation skills. Your enthusiasm shines through all your interactions. We wish you the very best in your next ventures and look forward to continuing to engage with you as a fellow alum.

For recruitment event highlights, please read our Recruitment and Application update.

Executive Letter, September 2023

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.

2023 IRT Summer Workshop Overview

The IRT virtual Summer Workshop brought together current scholars, alumni and university deans, and representatives to acquire, question, and disseminate knowledge based on lived experiences, public policy, and research. IRT alumni served as summer faculty and engaged with scholars through a variety of sessions this July. IRT scholars learned more about each other through a series of seminars, presentations, and reflective sessions.

Faculty Members of the IRT Summer Workshop

IRT Advising In Full Force

IRT advising has always been the core component of the IRT program. Building connections, community, and confidence through advising has never been more relevant than in the changing and recently daunting educational landscape. Under the direction of Brittany Zorn, IRT ’13, and Leislie Godo-Solo, IRT ’91 the program has developed into an ever-evolving model of targeted sessions that support and meet IRT Scholars where they are throughout the entire graduate school process.

The advising season is more than underway and the advising team has worked with scholars together with encouragement, diligence, and fortitude through an intensive time that can be overwhelming.

Sincere appreciation to Brittany and Leislie for leading the team with such thoughtfulness and intent and to the amazing IRT alumni advisors for their continued work ensuring this critical program constantly flourishes.