We envision a world in which children in Southern Arizona have access to high quality education, and we are creating that world through our Humanizing and Culturally Affirming Teacher Program (HCAT). The HCAT program is a two-year, context-specific program that prepares teachers for the borderlands of Arizona, culminating in an M.Ed Secondary Education and Arizona secondary certification for grades 7-12. The program’s philosophy relies on critical analyses of teachers’ sociocultural, political, and economic positionalities. This work is accomplished by knitting together clinical experience in partner schools with carefully crafted coursework. New teacher learning is supported by a robust professional learning community of peer learners and teacher leaders in our partner schools.

What is an Alternative Teaching Certificate?

In the state of Arizona, individuals with a bachelor's degree in something other than education can work in a classroom as the teacher of record while completing the requirements for certification as a teacher. In the HCAT program, students complete coursework and work towards certification requirements while teaching full-time in middle or high schools, deepening their teaching practice while being paid as full-time teachers. After the program is completed, students are eligible to apply for a Standard Professional Secondary Certificate and can teach grades 7-12.

More information about Arizona’s alternative certification programs