Dr. Corey McKenna, alumnus of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz School, received a United States Department of Education Title V grant for his work at Heritage University in Toppenish, WA. This five-year, $2.75 million Title V grant will be used to develop an enhanced teacher preparation program designed to attract more Hispanic students to become elementary and middle school teachers. This program will include an enhanced effort to prepare these students to teach with a focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The grant is part of the Department of Education’s Developing Hispanic-Serving Institution (DHSI) Program, which provides grants to help Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) like Heritage University, to expand educational opportunities for, and improve degree attainment by Hispanic students. These grants also enable HSIs to expand and enhance their academic offerings, program quality and institutional stability.
Dr. Corey McKenna earned his Ph.D. from UCSB’s Department of Education in December 2006. McKenna started his education career teaching high school biology and chemistry for four years before moving to intermediate grades for several more years. He was also vice principal at a private school in Bakersfield, CA. Eventually, he moved into higher education and began preparing teachers. McKenna has spent the last 15 years in teacher preparation, starting at Point Loma Nazarene University in California before moving to the Pacific Northwest at Whitworth University in Spokane. He is currently a professor of education at Heritage University.