Pathways University of Texas, San Antonio

• In Event: Promoting Diversity Through Pathways in the Preparation of Educational Researchers: Intersectionality of Thought and Action

Abstract

University of Texas, San Antonio. The Educational Research Training Program at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), initially funded by IES in 2016, is designed to provide undergraduate juniors from this Hispanic Serving Institution with experiences in conducting education research while preparing participants for doctoral study. The program accepts students already enrolled at UTSA as well as transfer students from Alamo Colleges, a local network of community colleges. Over the course of the 5-year grant, UTSA is committed to preparing up to 48 students for the 1-year fellowships.

The interdisciplinary training program's P20 theme focuses on research addressing inequities that exist in students' educational experiences, transitions and outcomes from preschool through graduate school. As part of the year-long training program, fellows receive training in education research, conduct research with faculty mentors, and receive assistance in applying to doctoral study.

The UTSA Pathways Training program prepares fellows to develop knowledge and skills through formal activities completed over the course of an academic year: a) weekly seminars, b) research apprenticeship, c) summer institutes, d) graduate school preparation, and e) summer internships. Each fellow has access to a Mentoring Network of support, involving an interdisciplinary group of UTSA scholars who are engaged with research around P20 Pathways to Education issues to collaborate with fellows for a semester-long research project. In addition, fellows are provided with a holistic mentoring support system, which expands to other academic networks through UTSA Pathways collaborations.

Collaborations supporting UTSA Pathways goals include Stanford University, Educational Testing Services (ETS), and Alamo Colleges. In our next phase of funding, we have additional collaborations with Georgia State University (GSU) and University of Wisconsin-Madison to broaden the theoretically grounded set of research experiences, training, and mentoring support in translational research and systematic reviews. In addition, each year some fellows have the opportunity to participate in summer internships at other institutions, such as an eight-week Summer Undergraduate Research Experience at ETS New Jersey headquarters in which fellows engage in meaningful research under the mentorship of an ETS staff member.
https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=4625

Author

• Guadalupe Carmona, University of Texas at San Antonio
  Presenting Author