College of Education and Social Work

The goals of CISE are to:

1. Prepare teachers who are committed to understanding the context in which they teach and look to the wisdom, history, and cultural resources of the community to support their teaching;
2. Challenge deficit perspectives that are commonly held about students, families, and neighborhoods in Philadelphia;
3. Develop highly skilled and reflective educators who are committed to teaching in the School District of Philadelphia and other districts that are under-resourced and/or serve students who have been historically marginalized by race, socioeconomic status, or language;
4. Develop students’ identities as equity-focused community teachers who are committed to an ongoing process of understanding how structural oppression, power, and privilege impact education.

Community-engaged teacher preparation is a paradigm that reflects the belief that prospective teachers should learn their craft in the spaces where children live, learn, grow, and play. More specifically, the goal of community-engaged teacher preparation is to develop highly skilled, equity-focused educators with commitments to social justice, culturally sustaining pedagogies, and anti-oppressive education through engagement with historically under-resourced and marginalized communities. Community-engaged teacher preparation upholds collaborative relationships, shared vision, community cultural wealth, community mentoring, and love and joy as core precepts and values for our work.

You must be an Early Grades Preparation major who is willing to be available for full days (8:00 AM-5:00 PM) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (some evening and weekend times also required).

We see teaching as relational work, and we emphasize and highlight the value of relationships throughout CISE. One important way in which we do this is through community mentoring experiences. We have an enthusiastic, committed, and loving group of community mentors connected to Add B. Anderson School and Cobbs Creek (caregivers, parents, community elders, climate staff members, etc.) with whom we spend time during the program. Our community mentors serve as ambassadors to the school and neighborhood, teaching us about the strengths, wisdom, and joy of their community while also helping us to understand the barriers and challenges that families face. We work together to identify community needs, understand their underlying causes, and conduct service to work towards solutions.

Students are responsible for making arrangements for transportation from their campus or home location to Add B. Anderson School and the Cobbs Creek community in Philadelphia. The CISE faculty team is committed to ensuring that transportation barriers do not limit students’ ability to participate in the program. Dr. Solic will work with individual students to develop a transportation plan that meets their needs. In the past, students have formed carpools with one another and utilized public transportation options. Through the generous support of the CESW Dean’s Office and the Literacy Department, CISE participants have been provided travel stipends in the past to assist with the cost of transportation.

The faculty of the CISE courses engage in collaborative planning ahead of the semester and meet during the semester to ensure that our courses are meeting their Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) in an integrated manner. All of our courses are taught in such a manner as to share a focus on the concept of a community teacher and an abolitionist teaching framework. Additionally, we share a focus on the following core themes:

• Community teachers learn from a wide range of knowledge sources, including the community and the young people within it.
• Community teachers advocate for their students by working within, around, and against the system. Their advocacy includes, but is not limited to, advocating for appropriate resources and curriculum.
• Community teachers use knowledge of the big picture (the macro) and classroom practice (the micro). Paulo Freire called the ongoing relationship between these two “praxis”.
• Community teachers build bridges with families and value families’ linguistic, cultural, and experiential resources.

The CISE faculty team seeks opportunities to foster and expand connections across our course content, assignments, and immersive experiences.

It is most optimal if students are able to take all of the courses being offered during their semester in CISE. That said, the CISE team is committed to making this experience available to as many students as possible who want to participate in it. If you have already taken one of the courses being offered, we can accommodate you. If you have already taken two or more of the courses being offered, Dr. Solic will work with you to determine whether the program is still a viable option for your personal circumstances and program trajectory.

Wonderful news! You should contact the CISE Director, Dr. Katie Solic, to set up a program advising appointment. Dr. Solic can be reached via email at ksolic@wcupa.edu.

Yes! We strongly recommend you consider the Youth Empowerment and Urban Studies (YES) program. Even if you end up being unable to fit in the entire program, the introductory YES 250 course is a powerful experience in and of itself. Additionally, there are opportunities to complete your EDR 317 field experience course and your student teaching semester in placements in Philadelphia (as well as complete both EDR 317 and student teaching as a unified year-long placement in Philadelphia).