Addressing the Shortage of Certified Teachers Through Distance Education in a Paraeducator-to-Teacher Program

Authors

Laura Slack Foley, Utah State UniversityFollow
P. Hollen

Document Type

Presentation

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Addressing the Shortage of Certified Teachers Through Distance Education in a Paraeducator-to-Teacher Program

Publication Date

2011

Abstract

The current nation-wide teacher shortage seriously threatens our ability to reach every child now and in the future. It is critical to initiate innovative practices for recruiting and retaining pre-service teachers to fill this growing need. As a land grant institution, Utah State University’s teacher education programs follow the university motto “One campus geographically dispersed” as we work toward our undergraduate program goal of educating future teachers throughout Utah. In 2009 we implemented a program featuring delivery and practica tailored to working paraeducators for the first cohorts of candidates in the paraeducator-to-teacher program. As we increase access to higher education we are “growing” a diverse cadre of qualified teachers in both urban and rural areas to address the teacher shortage and the needs of the next generation of our citizens.

Comments

Presentation at the Annual Meeting of the Association for Childhood Education International, New Orleans, LA

Recommended Citation

Foley, L.S. & Hollen, P. (2011, April). Addressing the Shortage of Certified Teachers through Distance Education in a Paraeducator-to-Teacher Program, A research presentation at the annual meeting of the Association for Childhood Education International, New Orleans, LA.