ROSCOE Educators Program

The Resources, Opportunities, Supports, and Community for Equity (ROSCOE) Educators Program is a free program for first-generation college students in the School of Education. This program aims to:

• Create community and connections for first-generation college students in the School of Education.
• Nurture leadership and research opportunities for first-generation college students through relationship-based faculty mentoring and peer mentoring.
• Uplift and celebrate the talents, perspectives, and experiences of first-generation college students entering educational professions.

The ROSCOE Educators Program is free and open to any first- or second-year student (including Transfer students) majoring in any area of Education.

ROSCOE Educators

ROSCOE Educators are first-generation undergraduate college students majoring in any area of Education. The first-generation college student’s identity can be fluid. For the purpose of this program, first-generation college students are students with parents (in whatever way they define parent) who did not complete a four-year college education.

First-generation college students may also include:

• Students whose parents completed a four-year college education in another country besides the United States.
• Students whose parents completed a four-year college education later in life.
• Students with siblings or cousins who complete (or are completing) a four-year college education.
• Students who self-identify as having minimal prior exposure to or knowledge of four-year college experiences like those at TCNJ.

 

The Need for the ROSCOE Educators Program

Nationally, Schools of Education do not reflect the diversity of public schools, with far more White, middle-class, female students graduating from teacher preparation programs than is reflected in the classrooms in which they will work (Taylor et al., 2017).

• In the School of Education, first-generation college students play a critical role in increasing representation in the teacher workforce and related school personnel.
• First-generation college students bring diverse perspectives that enrich classroom dialogues, content engagement, and school communities.
• Children, families, and communities need first-generation college students to become Educators.

This program builds on existing efforts to broadly support first-generation college students by specifically supporting the recruitment, retention, leadership, and opportunities for first-generation college students pursuing majors in Education.

The Components of the ROSCOE Educators Program

Opportunity Guides

Learn More About the ROSCOE Educators Program

Follow us on Instagram: @roscoeprogram_tcnj or check out our flyer

Email Dr. Nadya Pancsofar, ROSCOE Educators Program coordinator, (pancsofa@tcnj.edu) to ask questions or learn more.

Become a ROSCOE Educator

You can email roscoe@tcnj.edu or Dr. Pancsofar, ROSCOE Educators Program coordinator at pancsofa@tcnj.edu. You can just say “I’d like to become a ROSCOE Educator” and we will get you started!

You can join the ROSCOE Educators at any time, but to get the most out of the program, you should reach out in either the summer months or in January before a new semester begins.