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U.S. Secretary of Education kicks off Educators Rising program at Keystone Oaks High School

Keystone Oaks School District ›  |  Posted on

United States Secretary of Education kicks off Educators Rising program at Keystone Oaks High School

As part of his Fighting for Public Education 2024 back-to-school bus tour, United States Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona visited Keystone Oaks High School on Friday, September 6, to kick off the new Educators Rising program.

Dr. Cardona was joined by Congressman Chris Deluzio (D-17), Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Dr. Khalid Mumin, representatives from Educators Rising’s national organization, Keystone Oaks High School family and consumer science teacher Mrs. Emily Brill, and five Keystone Oaks students who are enrolled in the new Teaching Principles course.

“The Educators Rising program will help reinvent this profession and tap on the shoulders of our kids in a systematic way,” Dr. Cardona said. “You will be changing lives with the work that you do,” he said to Mrs. Brill and representatives from Educators Rising. “You have a million things to do, but you chose a million and one because you want to make your community better.”

At Keystone Oaks, the Teaching Principles course will focus on several areas of teaching, including classroom management, planning, preparation and methodology. Students will also complete field experience work by observing, assisting and interning within an elementary classroom. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to earn up to nine college credits through Pennsylvania Western University.

Coupled with the realization that many Keystone Oaks seniors were interested in studying education in college, Mrs. Brill was inspired to bring Educators Rising to Keystone Oaks after participating in a workshop last year. She wanted to build a program that would meet students’ needs and would provide them with valuable experience in high school.

After just one year of the Educators Rising program being offered in Pennsylvania, there are more than 170 members from 35 chapters, which exist either as extracurricular clubs, Career and Technical Education programs, or elective courses.

“I am excited to work with our inaugural class of students to develop their teaching skills and look forward to helping these students realize their potential and become successful teachers in a few years,” Mrs. Brill said.