


SEEDS
The Seawolves to Education Specialists (SEEDS) Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Special Education, aims to increase the number of diverse credentialed special education teachers with the knowledge and skills to serve children and youth with disabilities (ages 5-22). SEEDS recognizes that all students learn better with diverse teachers and that multiple aspects of diversity (e.g., race, ethnicity, disability status, language) enrich classroom communities. Students enrolled in the Education Specialist credential program, including those in the ECS-ITEP major, at SSU are eligible to become SEEDS scholars in their last year of the program.
The PUERTA Project
The PUERTA (Preparing Underrepresented Educators to Realize their Teaching Ambitions) Project seeks to increase the number of Latinx teachers serving in K-12 public schools. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, PUERTA seeks to improve the practices and remove the barriers that prevent undergraduate Latinx students from earning a teaching credential at our institution. PUERTA has three primary goals: 1) to increase Hispanic and Latina/o student persistence and graduation rates, 2) to increase the number of Hispanic and Latino students who earn a teaching credential and 3) to increase the number of students who transfer to SSU from a two-year HSI.
STEP Program
Sonoma State’s STEM Teacher Education Pathways (STEP) Center strives to expand and diversify the pool of highly prepared TK-12 educators to teach and integrate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in classrooms across the North Bay and the surrounding region. We provide high quality pathways and programs for undergraduates, credential candidates, and practicing teachers that support the teaching and learning of STEM through training, professional development, scholarships, and research.