Concurrent Session Two

Lessons from Implementing an Educator Pathway: Educators Rising’s experiences in the field -

Dr. Blake Noel

Lessons from Implementing an Educator Pathway: Educators Rising’s experiences in the field

In this session, Educators Rising will present stakeholders’ experiences implementing concurrent enrollment programs in our partner districts and schools and share resources that support others to launch programming for an educator pathway. Concurrent enrollment benefits students, high schools, and institutions of higher education, but there are many pieces to figure out. The EdRising Curriculum is proven to be a crucial component to concurrent enrollment, ensuring clear alignment between high schools and IHE’s. Participants will learn from real life examples and walk away with access to a Grow Your Own model that supports local implementation.

Dr. Blake Noel

Educators Rising

Dr. Blake Noel is a father, educator, and entrepreneur. His early experiences of poverty, racism, and exclusion filled him with a passion for social justice, a deep commitment to community, and the motivation to innovate in the face of inequity. Through his 20 years in education, Blake has led afterschool programs, taught in Chicago Public Schools, conducted research at Harvard and Michigan universities, worked as a philanthropic program officer, and supported the design, implementation, and evaluation of several youth development programs. Most recently, Dr. Noel helped found Reach University, the first accredited, undergraduate teacher residency program in the nation. Reach provides school districts and school support staff with access to a low cost, online, and practice-based teaching degree. Blake believes that the teachers of tomorrow are sitting in our classrooms today. It is our responsibility to nurture talent, to create systems that carry talent over the many barriers of teacher preparation, and to encourage, support, and celebrate future teachers all along the way. Dr. Noel came to PDK International to engage and recruit school partners and to provide their high school students with a bright start and clear pathway to become excellent teachers.