Dr. Shirley Johnson - UI&U Alum

When Dr. Shirley Johnson studied educational leadership in Union Institute & University’s doctoral program, she wasn’t just preparing for a career—she was preparing for a lifetime of service within the United States education system.  With a primary focus on minority teacher recruitment, retention, and training, she kept a close eye on the looming teacher shortage, which would demand that new teachers be properly trained to immediately and effectively manage a more diverse and ever-growing student population.  “In addition to requiring that new teachers be talented, caring, and well-prepared, the new teaching force must look like, speak like, and understand the students they are hired to teach,” Dr. Johnson explained.  “My work at Union allowed me to offer research-based solutions to start the process of recruiting, retaining, and training the new work force.”

Dr. Johnson now applies her Union studies to her work as the instructional supervisor for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, working with school site principals and personnel in regional and district offices to supervise various aspects of K-12, vocational/adult, and community education programs, as well as overseeing the implementation and delivery of   Miami-Dade school system’s instructional and curriculum programs.  She credits Union for the change she effects daily, noting, “The non-traditional methods of teaching and learning at Union are the greatest gifts that I received.  Embracing diversity and offering non-traditional strategies to meet the needs of administrators, teachers, and students is modeled, taught, and celebrated by me in every aspect of my career.  It is a gift that I keep on giving every single day.”

In addition to her work in the Miami-Dade school system, Dr. Johnson applies her studies in creative and powerful ways within her community, reflecting Union’s dedication service and vision to empower our communities through education.  In her current role as vice president of the Miami-Dade branch of the NAACP, she recently met with then presidential candidate Barack Obama at a Florida political action planning session during the 2008 NAACP 99th Annual Convention held in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Johnson also serves as an instructor for the Urban League S.A.T. Saturday camp for students from low-income families. She has successfully assisted over 300 students in the past five years to earn high S.A.T scores.  She also organizes community partnerships for the Miami-Dade County homeless shelter.  Over the past decade, she and her team have assisted over 150 homeless families by providing food, clothing, life-skill training, and other resources.  Dr. Johnson is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, where she works with the Negro College Fund campaign to raise money for underprivileged students to go to college.