CHAMPIONS OF EDUCATION: PERSPECTIVES FROM CLASSROOM TEACHERS

LSU, Southern University and Louisiana Public Broadcasting Present a Panel Discussion – Champions of Education: Perspectives from Classroom Teachers

Event celebrates the teaching profession and focuses on addressing teacher recruitment and retention issues in Louisiana

Daily headlines cite teacher shortages across the country, and Louisiana is experiencing unprecedented vacancies in our classrooms. Ultimately teachers are the foundation of our future workforce and are essential to the success of industries throughout the state. On September 7, LSU and Southern hosted a panel discussion titled Champions of Education: Perspectives from Classroom Teachers. The event was held at Independence Park Theatre in Baton Rouge.

LPB looks forward to continuing this conversation in November on Louisiana Spotlight, LPB’s public affairs program.

"I’m excited to partner with Southern University’s education program to shed light on teacher recruitment and retention, a critical issue in our state and around our country. Innovating curriculum and practices to serve our teachers and K12 students in every parish of our state is what we do. We are fortunate to have a demonstration Laboratory School as part of the state’s flagship College of Human Sciences & Education to help us fulfill this mission. Our LSU team is honored to help reframe the narrative around the teaching profession, its importance to our children and our society at large,” said LSU College of Human Sciences & Education Dean Roland Mitchell, PhD.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) was the production partner for this event. In addition to the live audience, LPB livestreamed the discussion so teachers, students, and the community across the state could participate. This panel discussion was part of a week-long lineup of activities leading up to the historic SU/LSU football game on September 10.

“Education and supporting teachers, students, and families is central to LPB’s mission. Partnering with Southern and LSU to present this important conversation speaks to current consequential issues within the teaching field and was an opportunity to hear from teachers about the positive and transformational mentoring that educators provide to young learners, as only they can do. We were delighted to share this discussion with LPB’s statewide audience,” said LPB President and CEO, Clarence “C.C” Copeland.

ABOUT THE PANEL

As a backbone of our workforce, educators and teachers impact the “quality of life” for all of us and since Louisiana (and other states) are experiencing a significant teacher shortage, having a conversation about this important public policy issue is critical and timely. Both LSU and Southern have laboratory demonstration schools who are charged to create and share innovation in teaching and curriculum throughout the state. We aim to have dialogue on ways we both work to address critical issues in the state, such as teacher recruitment and retention challenges. Our Schools of Education are at the front line of this battle and are working strategically to train teachers to advance the educator workforce not just in our campus classrooms, but in our Laboratory Schools, school systems, communities, and beyond.

Kim Hunter Reed, PhD, Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education served as moderator.

Panelists included:

Cade Brumley, PhD | LA State Superintendent of Education
Kimberly Eckert | Teacher, 2018 Louisiana Teacher of the Year, Educators Rising Louisiana Founder, Educators Rising National Curriculum Trainer and Implementation Specialist
Elecia Lathon, PhD | Assistant Professor of Professional Practice, LSU School of Education
VerJanis Peoples, PhD | Director of the School of Education, Southern University
Candence Robillard, PhD | Teacher, IB and AP Program Coordinator, LSU Laboratory School
Renita Sherrard | Assistant Principal, Southern University Laboratory School

“The School of Education at Southern University looks forward to celebrating this historic event with our, cradle of pros, who are the outstanding teachers in the surrounding schools. We are honored to share the spotlight with LSU’s School of Education to address critical issues affecting the teaching profession. Teaching is an amazing privilege, but also a weighty responsibility. Great teachers are unsung coaches, who strive daily to help students win in the classroom. The time is right to team-up with LSU in this mutually beneficial collaborative to address challenges and effective initiatives in recruiting, supporting, and retaining classroom teachers,” said Southern University School of Education Director Verjanis Peoples, PhD. “The spotlight is also on our Laboratory Schools. These schools are analogous to teaching hospitals for our teacher education candidates and are vital in demonstrating new and innovative research-based best teaching practices to enhance the teaching and learning process in which teacher candidates can observe and participate with K-12 students.”

LSU College of Human Sciences & Education

About LSU College of Human Sciences & Education

The College of Human Sciences & Education is a nationally accredited division of Louisiana State University. The college is comprised of the School of Education, the School of Kinesiology, the School of Leadership & Human Resource Development, the School of Library & Information Science and the School of Social Work, as well as the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool and the University Laboratory School. The college is committed to achieving the highest standards in teaching, research, and service and is committed to improving quality of life across the lifespan. For news and more information visit lsu.edu/chse.

About Southern University School of Education

The mission of Southern University and A&M College, a historically Black, 1890 land-grant institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is to provide a student- focused teaching and learning environment that creates global leadership opportunities for a diverse student population where teaching, research, service, scholarly, and creative expectations for students and faculty, are achieved through the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs offered at the institution via different instructional modalities and via public service. The School of Education prepares diverse professionals who foster learning by utilizing technology and best practices in diverse educational and clinical environments.

About LPB

Established in 1971 by the Louisiana Legislature, Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) is a state network of six non-commercial television stations licensed under the Louisiana Educational Television Authority (LETA). LPB is the public television network for the state of Louisiana since going on the air on September 6, 1975, with stations in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport. LPB is also affiliated with WLAE-TV in New Orleans. LPB’s mission is to improve the lives of all Louisianans with the highest quality programming that educates, enlightens and entertains and that showcases Louisiana’s unique history, people, places and events. LPB reaches audiences over-the-air, on the web, in the home and in the classroom.