Urban Education master’s candidate using degree lessons to empower students

Preparing professionals to meet students’ needs in increasingly diverse school systems is the focus of the Master of Education in Urban Education (M.Ed.), and Kyle King aspires to use the degree to empower students of color.

King is one of the inaugural students in the 33 credit hour, fully online M.Ed. Urban Education program, and he is already applying knowledge and skills he has learned for his day job as dean of students at Queen City STEM School.

“I believe this program has made me more mindful and aware as an administrator how to establish a more culturally diverse and responsive school culture,” said King, who works with a diverse group of educators, students and staff members each day to implement positive practices to fuel the personal and educational growth of the students.

“Prior to this program, I was not aware of my personal biases and how they affected my leadership in an educational institution. By implementing skills learned in this program, our school discipline incident reports have decreased by 80 percent and classrooms are implementing restorative practices, circles and establishing a positive and more culturally diverse environment,” he said.

Throughout the program, King has practiced being more intentional during experiences with stakeholders involved in the educational experiences of students, including teachers, faculty, staff, parents and the students.

“Our students are more engaged and are happy,” said King. “Students feel empowered, respected, heard and valued, and that is because I have been intentional on ensuring that we incorporate the different lessons that were learned in our first semester of classes.”

With school systems becoming more diverse, especially in urban centers, King said more qualified professionals are needed to help educate, equip and empower these diverse learners.

“High-quality instruction cannot be delivered if our students are not ready to receive it because they feel invisible in a room where they just want to be seen, heard and respected,” King noted.

King, a father, mentor and public speaker, is the author of four books, “The Mission Plan: The Decision,” “The Mission Plan: The Discovery,” “The Mission Plan: The Destiny” and “The 25 Years of Heaven. “ Additionally, he is the founder and chief executive officer of the SHINE Institute, which is dedicated to preparing students for personal success, rewarding careers and effective citizenship in the 21st century.

A graduate of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University with a degree in finance and international business, King founded Blueprint Conferences in 2019 to help advance America’s educators in creating lives that exceed their current realities. He expects to complete the Master of Education in Urban Education in spring 2021.

May 1 is the application deadline to apply for the next cohort of enrollees in the M.Ed. in Urban Education program.