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Center for the Recruitment, Engagement, and Advancement of Transformative Educators

Miami University is proud to launch the CREATE Center (Center for Recruitment, Engagement, and Advancement of Transformative Educators), a cross-college hub led by the College of Education, Health, and Society (EHS), in collaboration with the College of Arts and Science (CAS), the College of Creative Arts (CCA), and the College of Liberal Arts and Applied Sciences (CLAAS).

CREATE brings together Miami’s signature educator-preparation and community-engagement efforts—including TEACh Cincinnati, the Urban Cohort, Teacher Academy Partnerships, the Ohio Writing Project, Educational Leadership, and the Miami Center for Community Engagement in Over-the-Rhine, alongside music and art education programs that collaborate with the Myaamia Center through the Myaamia Arts and Culture Education Partnership (MACEP).

At its core, CREATE is less a static initiative and more a dynamic platform that coordinates resources, connects faculty across disciplines, and provides a shared structure for pursuing external funding. By breaking down silos, the center enables project teams that integrate critical pedagogy, arts integration, practice-based teacher preparation, and community partnerships. In doing so, CREATE emphasizes deep collaboration with community partners and community-based organizations, ensuring that the work is grounded in reciprocity and shared goals.

This approach equips future teachers with strong content knowledge as well as the civic, cultural, and leadership skills needed to address structural inequities and create meaningful change alongside schools and communities. Through CREATE, Miami is amplifying the reach of its existing programs while opening new pathways for innovation, collaboration, and long-term impact in educator preparation.

Departments across Miami University — such as the Department of Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Inquiry; the Department of Educational Psychology; the Department of Educational Leadership; and key partners in the Department of Art, Department of Music, Department of English, Department of Mathematics, Department of Biology, and Department of Education and Society — have come together in a shared commitment to developing transformative educators. Through award-winning programs rooted in collaboration, innovation, and equity, these departments not only prepare and induct future teachers into the profession but also ensure they are supported well into their early careers.

By aligning strong disciplinary preparation with research-based teaching practices and ongoing professional development, these programs empower educators to thrive in today’s classrooms and schools. This integrated approach reflects Miami’s deep investment in teacher success, recognizing that when educators are supported, their students succeed, and entire communities are strengthened.

Better Together: Partnering with the Community

Center for Recruitment, Engagement, and Advancement of Transformative Educators (CREATE) thrives through collaboration with organizations and school districts across the community that are deeply committed to improving education and expanding opportunity. Our work is guided by the belief that we do better together by learning from and with those who have the most at stake in their neighborhoods and schools.

While CREATE itself does not hold formal partnerships, many of the colleges, programs, and units within the CREATE collective actively collaborate with schools and communities across Ohio. The College of Education, Health, and Society (EHS) partners with school districts throughout the state, especially in southwest Ohio, to give Miami students meaningful hands-on learning experiences.

Some of these collaborations go even deeper. The Greater Oxford Educational Collaborative brings together Miami University, Talawanda School District, and the City of Oxford to identify community challenges and develop shared solutions. The Miami Hamilton City School District All-Hands group also works to align resources and create new opportunities for all students, building stronger connections between the university and local schools.

Programs like the Urban Cohort engage closely with community-based organizations to connect learning with local contexts. Through experiences such as Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR), community immersion in Cincinnati neighborhoods, and the Cleveland Winter Immersion Program, Urban Cohort participants from majors across the university learn directly from communities and develop a deeper understanding of the contextual factors affecting urban communities.

The Myaamia Arts and Culture Education Partnership (MACEP) prepares preservice art educators attending Miami University to learn about and teach cultures beyond their own. Working with staff from the Myaamia Center, these educators develop lessons about the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, Myaamia culture, and art activities inspired by Myaamia art—grounded in shared values of community, reciprocity, and cultural appreciation.

Through a partnership with Cincinnati Public Schools, Miami’s TEACh Cincinnati has partnered with St. Francis Seraph Parish to create below-market housing for Miami teacher education graduates to live in the communities where they teach. The university also maintains a formal partnership with The Literacy Lab to cultivate the next generation of educators with experience in early literacy.

In addition, Miami has partnered with the Queen City Book Bank and the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center to highlight these organizations’ impactful work supporting educators and to introduce students to these valuable community resources for teachers in the region.

CREATE Executive Committee

  • Kara Conniff, Office of Field Experiences and Student Teaching
  • Stephanie Danker, Department of Art
  • Prince Johnson II, TEACh Cincinnati
  • Lexie Persinger, Teach Academy Partnerships
  • Beth Rimer, Ohio Writing Project, Department of English
  • Molly Sawyer, Office of Field Experiences and Student Teaching
  • Sydnie Singleton, TEACh Cincinnati
  • Brian Schultz, College of Education, Health, and Society
  • Tammy Schwartz, Urban Cohort
  • Karen Zaino, Department of Teaching, Curriculum, and Educational Inquiry

Contact Us

College of Education, Health, and Society

Email: ehs@MiamiOH.edu
Phone: 513-529-6317
210 E. Spring St.
Oxford, OH 45056

Brian D. Schultz, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Dean of Partnerships and External Relations

Email: brian.schultz@MiamiOH.edu
Phone: 513-529-6317
210 E. Spring Street
Oxford, OH 45056