State board hears University of North Alabama presentation on educator‑preparation program

The Alabama State Department of Education work session on (date not specified) included a presentation to the board on a resolution to approve the University of North Alabama's educator preparation program.

The university's visitors described program features intended to prepare K‑12 teachers for classrooms across the region. "One of the strengths of our programs is just the powerful partnerships that we enjoy," said Dr. Laura Johnson, speaking for the University of North Alabama's educator preparation program. She cited partnerships with local districts, museum programs, a reading clinic in a local school, secondary immersion labs and an assistive‑technology workshop used in special‑needs instruction.

Johnson also described the university's relationship with Kilby Laboratory School—"the only laboratory school in the state of Alabama," she said—and a program she identified as supporting students from foster‑care backgrounds. Johnson said the university recently received a federal AmeriCorps grant to support that work and that information about the program was provided in a handout to board members. She added enrollment figures for recent graduates and ongoing graduate enrollments: "we just graduated about a 106" and "about 250 enrolled currently in our masters...programs," according to the presentation.

Board members asked about graduate destinations and whether UNA tracks alumni who teach in neighboring states; Johnson said the university does track that most graduates teach in Alabama but that some go to Tennessee and Mississippi.

The transcript records the resolution to approve the educator preparation program on the agenda; the presentation and discussion are recorded in the meeting transcript, but no formal roll‑call vote or final outcome appears in the provided excerpt.

The board package included handouts with program detail, and presenters invited board members to visit campus and observe field experiences.