Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation

For decades, education has treated equity as an aspiration — something to be affirmed in mission statements, woven into coursework, or addressed through isolated initiatives. But what if equity were approached differently: not as an add-on, but as a design principle embedded within education systems, in ways such as:

• Creating flexible, work-embedded pathways
• Accounting for learner variability
• Moving from isolation to team-based preparation

In her latest essay, MLFC Dean Carole Basile explores equity as a structural design principle: Equity as a Structural Design Principle | Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation.

Read this essay and more in the Educator Preparation by Design series, which outlines how educator preparation can meet the needs of our current times.

Financial confidence doesn’t happen overnight. It’s built over time. That’s why Horace Mann and Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College created three no-cost learning experiences designed for every stage of your teaching career.

• Just starting out? Learn the basics of budgeting, benefits and saving.
• Mid-career? Strengthen your retirement strategy and balance big goals.
• Nearing retirement? Plan your next chapter with confidence.

Wherever you are, you’ll gain practical strategies to help you make smarter financial decisions.

Invest in your future today: https://educatorhub.asu.edu/catalog/?page=1&college=Horace%20Mann

We’re proud to celebrate MLFC PhD candidate J’Shon Lee on being selected as a 2026 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Dissertation Fellow.

Selected from a highly competitive pool of nearly 500 applicants, J’Shon is one of just 35 doctoral scholars nationwide chosen for this fellowship recognizing outstanding education research. The fellowship supports fellows with the writing phase of their dissertation
J’Shon’s dissertation is Teaching Where You Are: Storying Social Studies Teacher Relationship to Land. J’Shon, who is N’Dee (White Mountain Apache), is part of MLFC’s Learning, Literacies and Technologies PhD program. Learn more: https://naeducation.org/awardee/jshon-lee/

Congratulations, J’Shon, on this remarkable achievement.

From culturally responsive evaluation practices to mathematics learning, recess policy and literacy studies, faculty at MLFC are advancing research that supports education systems built for the diverse needs of learners and educators, not a one-size-fits-all model.

Explore the latest faculty scholarship and professional contributions in our May research roundup: https://education.asu.edu/about/news/may-2026-faculty-scholarship-and-recognitions

The MLFC Career and Professional Experience Services team recently hosted the first Golden Apple Gala — an evening dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the mentor teachers who host and mentor MLFC student teachers during their student teaching experience.

The event celebrated mentorship, collaboration and a shared commitment to preparing the next generation of educators.

As part of the educator preparation program, MLFC student teachers spend a full semester in PK-12 classrooms, where mentor teachers provide guidance, mentorship and hands-on classroom experience that help prepare students for certification and the teaching profession.

The Golden Apple Gala provided an opportunity to recognize and thank mentor teachers for the important role they play in educator preparation and student success.

Thank you to the mentor teachers who continue to support and inspire student teachers from the Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation.

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Learn more at asucommunityeducators.org/pricing/

However you want to support learners, there’s a path for you.

Specialize your degree with programs in:

• Behavior Analysis
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What if educator preparation looked like the environments we expect educators to create? That’s the premise of learning-centered preparation.

At the core of this approach are design studios: spaces where candidates engage in iterative cycles of inquiry, creation, feedback and revision. Studios are not classrooms in the traditional sense. They are collaborative environments where candidates work on authentic problems of practice, supported by peers, faculty and mentor educators. They design learning experiences, test them in real contexts, analyze evidence and then refine their work. Studios cultivate the habits of mind that educators need: curiosity, humility, persistence and a willingness to learn from the inevitable missteps.

In this latest essay, MLFC Dean Carole Basile explores the different facets of Learning-Centered Preparation: https://education.asu.edu/designing-education-future-learning/learning-centered-preparation

The essay is part of the newly-launched Educator Preparation by Design series, which outlines an alternative approach to educator preparation to meet the needs of our current times.

It’s not extra coursework, it’s real-world impact.

Add a minor or certificate and build skills that prepare you to support learners, families and communities from day one.

Learn more at education.asu.edu/ABA-Partnerships