Pennsylvania’s education system faces key challenges: a shrinking teacher pipeline and a need for greater classroom diversity. Juliet Curci, assistant dean of college access and persistence at Temple University's College of Education and Human Development and director of the Center for Reimagining Excellence, Access and Transformation in Education (CREATE), is tackling these issues head-on by organizing Advocacy Day. Through her work with the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium (PEDC), she leads students, alumni, staff, faculty and community members to the State Capitol in Harrisburg to advocate for initiatives like fully-funded student teacher stipends. 

"For the past two years, we’ve had the funding to bring Temple students and alumni to Harrisburg,” she said. “It’s powerful when they see how their voices matter.” 

Curci’s fight for student teacher stipends is driven by both the teacher shortage crisis and the lack of diversity in the profession. “Only about 7% of teachers in Pennsylvania are teachers of color,” she said. “But 40% of our public-school students are kids of color. That mismatch is huge, and it matters. When students of color see teachers who look like them or share their experiences, it makes a difference academically and personally. And research indicates benefits for white students, too.” 

Fewer people are entering the profession, she added. “The state used to certify 25,000 new teachers a year. Now we’re down to about 7,500. We’ve got a real shortage and if we don’t change something fast, more kids are going to be stuck with long-term substitutes or overcrowded classes.” 

That’s where student teacher stipends come in. “Student teaching is like working a full-time job without pay,” Curci said. “You’re in school 40 hours a week, still paying tuition, buying groceries, maybe helping your family and you can’t work on top of it. It pushes people out. A stipend removes a huge barrier.” 

Organizing Advocacy Day takes months of preparation. Curci recruits students and alumni, runs prep sessions and hosts Zoom calls to calm nerves. “We walk through what the day will look like, talk through our points and even do a little role play,” she explained. “Most people have never talked to a lawmaker before. It’s scary at first, but once they see they’re just regular people, it feels doable.” 

On Advocacy Day itself, her work continues. “We have buses to coordinate, folders to prep, press conferences to run and then the actual meetings with legislators,” Curci said. She puts students in small groups so they’re not alone. “We make sure each team has someone experienced to help lead so students can focus on sharing their stories.” 

One group close to her heart is the Temple Education Scholars, a program within CREATE that she founded to support Philadelphia high school students who want to become teachers. “It’s incredible to see high schoolers standing in the Capitol, talking directly to lawmakers,” she said. “They’re still in high school, but they’re already advocating for equity in education. That type of courage and leadership is exactly why we created the program in the first place.” 

Stories like these have a powerful impact. “When a student teacher talks about the impact of $10,000—that it means they wouldn’t have to work nights just to pay rent, lawmakers listen,” Curci said. “They hear statistics all day long. But a real story? That sticks.” 

She shared how some legislators didn’t fully understand what student teaching involves. “One thought it was just watching in the back of the classroom,” she said. “No, student teachers are planning lessons, teaching, managing kids and making decisions. They basically run the classroom. Clearing that up was a big deal.” 

Advocacy Day 2025, held in the late spring during Pennsylvania’s “budget season”, highlighted frustration over how stipends were previously distributed. “It was first come, first serve,” Curci explained. “Imagine two roommates applying minutes apart. One gets $10,000, the other doesn’t. They’re doing the same job in schools, but only one is supported. That kind of inequity really hurt trust.” 

Curci and PEDC have been pushing for full funding. “We need $50–55 million, so every eligible student teacher gets it,” she said. “And it’s not just for the students. Their mentor teachers get $2,500, too. Those mentors are the backbone of student teaching. They’re guiding, supporting and putting in so much work. They deserve recognition.” 

“When mentors feel supported, it makes student teaching better for everyone,” she added. “We need to make sure both sides are appreciated.” 

Beyond funding, Curci said Advocacy Day gives students confidence. “It shows them they’re part of something bigger,” she said. “They realize their voice matters. And once they see that, it spreads. They want to keep speaking up.” 

She also encourages students and advocates to stay engaged year-round, not just for the trips to Harrisburg. “We could meet lawmakers right here in Philly, invite them to campus, email them and call their offices. There are so many ways to stay involved without leaving Temple.” 

When asked what she hopes Advocacy Day participants take away, Curci said, “I hope they leave feeling inspired. Like, ‘wow, I can do this. I can make change. And I’m not alone.’ There’s a whole network of people fighting for the same things.” 

She also wanted students to know it’s never too late to apply for stipends. “Even if you think you missed the student teacher stipend application due date, apply anyway. We’re pushing for full funding and there’s still a very high chance people will get it.” 

This year, that push is especially urgent. “With the state budget impasse, no student teacher stipends for fall 2025 have been disbursed, and they won’t be until the budget passes,” Curci explained. “It’s critical that Pennsylvanians contact their state legislators to advocate for full funding and the budget passage. The deadline for passage was June 30, and there’s still no agreement between the chambers.”  

She encouraged readers to learn who their state legislators are and reach out to them directly by visiting palegis.us/find-my-legislator. 

Advocacy will always be part of Curci’s work. “I don’t think we’ll ever stop fighting for teachers,” she said. “Every year might have a different focus, but the goal stays the same: better conditions for teachers, better education for kids.” 

Advocacy Day is a chance to keep moving toward that goal. “I love seeing participants realize they can speak up and actually be heard,” she said. “That’s how change starts. We need teachers, we need diversity and we need support. This is how we get it.”

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Data Source: 2024 Educator Workforce Annual Report | Pennsylvania Department of Education