NEA Today: In Classrooms Now! Public schools are more diverse than ever

Diverse student populations are in the classroom
NEA Today For Future Educators
Feb. 22, 2016
Ester de Jong, director of the School of Teaching and Learning, and COE graduate Kali Davis were quoted in the National Education Association’s Winter 2016 cover story on how public schools are more diverse and how passion and preparation are helping educators teach. At UF, “our goal,” says
de Jong, “is to prepare our students to be sensitive to work with all students and to recognize their differences. We want them to be eager and able to teach
in the schools where students need them the most.” Davis, a teacher at Melrose Elementary, earned a bachelor’s from UF’s College of Education in elementary education in 2008 and a master’s in special education in 2009. She spoke of the importance of her immersing herself in high poverty neighborhoods to give underserved students a great education.