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It didn't take long for CADRE
to build a cache of gifted teachers.
Begun in 1994, CADRE (Career
Advancement and Development for Recruits and Experienced Teachers) is a unique
program assisting newly certified teachers with the challenges of entering
the education profession. Participants spend 15 months working toward a
master's degree through a sequence of coursework and field components, aided
by experienced peers.
When the program began, said
UNO College of Education Dean John Langan, "it was only a dream of the
potential outcomes of a powerful collaboration."
"Imagine the best and the
brightest beginning teachers, mentored by masterful, veteran teachers and
supported by university scholarship," he added. "What would such a
partnership contribute to classrooms, schools, districts, the university and
the community?
"Twelve years later, the
reality has exceeded our expectations."
CADRE's success was on display
April 30 during the project's 12-year reunion held at the Thompson Alumni
Center. Attending were some of the nearly 400 teachers who have participated
in CADRE—enough to staff approximately 15 large-size elementary schools.
CADRE involves beginning
elementary, middle level and high school teachers who, in addition to their
teaching responsibilities, engage in an intensive 15-month course of graduate
study. The teachers during this time are employed by UNO as graduate student
trainees. They receive intensive mentoring and other assistance from a core
of selected veteran teachers known as CADRE Associates. Associates engage in
an extensive array of activities assisting the beginning teachers, their
respective districts and the university. CADRE, then, also benefits associates,
affording them opportunities for professional growth through experiences
beyond their classrooms.
CADRE's innovative approach to
teacher quality and student achievement was recognized not long after its
start. In 1998 the CADRE project was selected by the U.S. Department of
Education as an exemplary program in "Promising Practices: New Ways to
Improve Teacher Quality." In 2003 it received the Christa McAuliffe Award for
Excellence in Teacher Education as presented by the American Association of
State Colleges and Universities.
Complementing the benefits of
national recognition are lasting networks and personal relationships—outcomes
that simply cannot be measured.
CADRE is a project of the
Metropolitan Omaha Educational Consortium (MOEC). The MOEC districts of
Council Bluffs Community Schools, Millard Public Schools, Omaha Public
Schools, Papillion-La Vista Public Schools, Ralston Public Schools, and
Westside Community Schools have participated in the project for all or a
portion of the years.
Currently, 37 beginning
teachers are involved in the project, bringing the total number of teacher
participants during 13 years to 395. During this same time there have been
133 veteran teachers who participated as CADRE Associates.
"Imagine the impact the alumni
of the program are making in the metropolitan area," Langan said.
Those alumni gathered April 30
for a CADRE Reunion celebrating the project's continued success while
offering participants an opportunity to renew friendships and to become
acquainted with educators who participated in the project at other times.
Former and current CADRE teachers and associates, as well as district and
university personnel, attended the reunion.
More information about and
photos from the reunion can be accessed at http://coe.unomaha.edu/cadre.
Individuals interested in
obtaining a Directory/Memory Book published for the CADRE Reunion should
email Joyce Sorrels at jsorrels@mail.unomaha.edu
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