ABAC WILL HELP MEET TEACHER SHORTAGE

Abraham Baldwin College and Valdosta State University will partner in a new University System of Georgia (USG) initiative designed to help meet the state’s increasing need for teachers. Funded by two grants totaling $4.4 million from the United States Department of Education, the USG will immediately embark on “Destination Teaching-Customized Pathways to Get You There.”

Dr. Caroline Helms, Interim Vice-President for Academic Affairs at ABAC, said the USG initiative will focus on five populations as potential candidates for the teacher preparation programs: recent college graduates, mid-career professionals, retired military personnel, pre-kindergarten, and para-professionals already in the classroom.

“Our first step in this process is now in the hands of the Board of Regents,” Helms said. “We have proposed a 32-hour para-professional certificate in early childhood education which will permit them to advance toward an Associate of Science degree, and thereafter, to a Bachelor of Education degree.”

Helms said if the proposal is approved by the Board, Georgia residents who qualify could enter free of charge through the HOPE Grant as early as next summer. She said ABAC is also developing an Adult College Entry course to help prepare para-professionals and other non-traditional students for the transition to the college experience beginning in January.

Valdosta State already offers the junior and senior level classes necessary for an Early Childhood degree on the ABAC campus. Helms believes the popularity of this program will increase as more and more students realize they can stay in Tifton and get a four-year degree.

The initiative — which initially will target people who want to change careers and move into teaching — is designed to help meet the state’s increasing need for teachers. A study by the Professional Standards Commission, Status Report 2001, estimates that — due in part to recent increases in the number of students in Georgia’s classrooms and in the numbers of teachers reaching retirement age — Georgia’s schools will need an additional 11,180 teachers by 2006.

“’Destination: Teaching’ will offer a broader group of students increased access to the University System’s teacher-preparation programs,” said University System of Georgia Chancellor Thomas C. Meredith. “As we reach out in new ways to more diverse groups of potential teachers, we continue to stand behind the quality of any teacher we prepare.”

The five-year federal grants will fund several initial priorities of the teacher-preparation recruitment initiative. The University System will create a Teacher Career Center to market and provide information about USG teacher-preparation and professional-development programs through “one-stop shopping.” Career counselors will be available at the Teacher Career Center and at participating campuses to help potential teachers select and enroll in appropriate USG programs. Scholarships will be awarded to aspiring teachers who commit to working in high-need schools.

“Destination: Teaching” builds upon a comprehensive teacher preparation initiative adopted by the Board of Regents in 1998, now underway in the 15 universities that prepare teachers and their two-year college partners within the University System. The goal of the teacher-preparation recruitment initiative is to increase the number and diversity of teachers prepared by the University System.

In partnership with Valdosta State, the University System will use the $4.4 million in grant funds to pilot the initiative in six regions of the state. Participating USG campuses have formed partnerships with selected school districts in their regions to supply teachers for high-need schools. A total of 27 school districts are participating in the teacher-preparation recruitment initiative.

“Destination: Teaching” builds on and expands existing routes to teacher certification within the University System, all leading to the Regents’ “Guarantee,” in which the System’s 15 universities that prepare teachers guarantee that their graduates are accomplished in bringing diverse students to high levels of learning. All teacher candidates must meet the same performance standards, regardless of which pathway is used to obtain certification. Candidates will be pre-assessed to determine their current knowledge and skills in relation to the performance standards. The substance and length of each program will vary according to the teacher candidate’s existing knowledge and skills. Potential teachers will be able to choose the most appropriate route for them and will receive support as they progress through their customized program.

Interested persons should contact Sue Wilson, Interim Chair of ABAC’s Division of Social Science, at (229) 386-3257.

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