You’d be hard-pressed to find a more vocal advocate for public schools than Dr. Lori Ungemah, EdD. And you’re even less likely to find a professor with almost a dozen years of 7th-12th grade education experience who not only helped to start a college, but is playing a key role in building its first teacher education program.
Ungemah, a founding faculty member and a Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at Guttman, says that welcoming the College’s first cohort in its new teacher preparation program this semester is a “dream come true.”
“Many of my Guttman colleagues have advanced degrees in education and have experience teaching pre-college students. It’s been a dream of ours to have a program of study in education, and we’re excited to launch the Secondary Education program of study in Social Studies,” she says. This semester, Guttman is running its first Education course, EDUC 222- Social Foundations in Education. Professor of Urban Studies Molly Makris is teaching the class at Guttman South and Adjunct Faculty Phillip Coard is teaching it for Guttman on Harvest Collegiate’s campus as a dual enrollment course.
Having the chance to study secondary education at the associate level is rare. “Of the roughly 1200 community colleges in the U.S., 773 have some type of education coursework or program/degree. Of those, only 27% have programs in secondary education,” explains Jennifer Gladdis of The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP). CUNY is exceptional in its commitment to preparing future 7th-12th grade educators in that four of its seven community colleges offer degrees in Secondary Education: Borough of Manhattan, Bronx, LaGuardia, Queensborough, and now, Guttman. In support of the new program, college president Dr. Larry Johnson serves on NACCTEP’s Executive Board.
What makes Guttman’s teacher preparation program different? Aligned with the college’s focus on social justice, the college’s A.A. in Secondary Education-Social Studies emphasizes the importance of relationships, equity, and critical knowledge of education through liberal arts courses with a focus on history. The program prepares students to identify, apply and analyze key historical concepts, pedagogical methods and primary sources to become competent and critical educators who can advocate for all learners.
Designed to provide a clearly defined academic path for those who want to continue their teacher-preparation study by transferring to a four-year college, Guttman’s program also readies graduates who opt to pursue related fields that involve working with and supporting adolescents outside of the classroom. If they choose, all eligible students in the new major can seek paid opportunities to gain relevant experience through programs like NYC Men Teach or CUNY Reading Corps.
“We’ve developed our Secondary Education program over many years and in consultation with Hunter College’s School of Education,” says program coordinator Dr. Ungemah. “We are currently developing a Secondary Education, English program of study to launch in the fall of 2026. That program will be the only CUNY community college program in Secondary Education, English, and, as a former high school English teacher, I can’t think of anything more exciting.”
