Center for Excellence and Equity in Teacher Preparation
Partnership with Warner Elementary School in Wilmington
Status
Active
Category
Curricular Innovation/Research/Collaboration/Partnership
Target Audience
Graduate Students, Undergraduate Students
College/Department
School of Education
Description
Dr. Elizabeth Soslau enjoys a partnership with Warner Elementary School in Wilmington. Warner Elementary is an under-resourced school that supports students and families that have endured high levels of trauma. The partnership is reciprocal. Dr. Soslau places UD candidates at Warner Elementary in order to lower the ratio of adults to students in the classroom. In turn, the candidates are mentored by phenomenal teachers at Warner who are excellent in curriculum design, content, and implementing rigorous-based curricula while still managing and supporting students’ socio-emotional well-being and growth. Candidates gain rich experiences working with teachers, the children, and their parents at Warner Elementary School.
At a Town Hall meeting with Warner Elementary teachers & administrators, there was a request for three educational components from UD candidates: Racial literacy, trauma-informed care, and classroom management that is not punitive but restorative. All three components have been built into the student-teaching orientation.
Dr. Soslau built in Trauma-Informed Care and Racial Literacy based on Professor Howard Stevenson’s framework. There is continuous communication with the teachers at Warner Elementary about what they see as a learning or knowledge gap and ways in which the school and community can better served.
Contact
Elizabeth Soslau
Associate Professor, School Of Education
213F Willard Hall | 302-831-3155 | esoslau@udel.edu