Making the grade
Teacher shortage prompts schools to recruit creatively
Oklahoma’s teacher shortage has sparked some creative efforts to attract more students to a career in education. Several of those were on display Thursday when Northwest Classen High School hosted a career fair to help students explore their options.
The high school offers a teacher preparation academy — one of several academies at Oklahoma City Public Schools sites designed to prepare students for specific careers.
Northwest Classen already had a health sciences academy, but added the teacher academy last year.
“We started this academy to meet the needs of our state,” said Angela Doss, the coordinator. The academy will graduate its first class next year.
The state Education Board approved another 22 emergency certifications for teachers Thursday, bringing the total number to 1,147 for 2016-17.
“We estimate that more than 50,000 Oklahoma students
are being taught by an emergency-certified teacher,” said Deana Silk, department spokeswoman.
Ninth-graders Ariana Bradley and Magdelyn Harry were among the students at the career fair who talked with college representatives about becoming a teacher.
Ariana’s parents are educators and she wants to teach first grade. Her own first-grade teacher made a big impression.
“I liked the way she taught with hands-on activities,” Ariana said.
Magdelyn said she grew up in a family full of teachers and always has loved school.
But she didn’t like reading until her first-grade teacher “helped change [her] perspective.”
“I read books all the time now,” she said. Her goal is to start as an elementary teacher and, after a few years, teach high school English or math.
Help for prospective educators
Some students need more convincing to choose a teaching career, and the low pay is a significant factor, college recruiters said.
Both Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma work to keep graduates’ student debt to a minimum so they can afford to be a teacher.
Meredith Shepard with OSU said the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grants provide funding for students who commit to teaching in a high-need field in a low-income district for four years within the first eight years after graduation.
“There is a career for you if you have a passion for teaching,” Shepard said.
Krystal Golding-Ross said the University of Oklahoma’s College of Education awarded $350,000 in scholarships last year.
OU’s Debt Forgiveness Program targets those who agree to teach in high-need areas — identified as special education, math, science, world languages and early childhood. Each year they teach, the program forgives $5,000 of their student debt up to four years or $20,000.
Golding-Ross said the college also is working to recruit more students of color through a summer camp that began last year with 15 high school males. This summer 15 boys and 15 girls from Oklahoma City metroarea schools will participate.
Other students have confidence issues.
“We have a lot of students who are uncomfortable with math,” said Adrienne Sanogo, associate professor of mathematics education at OSU. “We help students overcome the perception that math is for the elite.”
OSU also puts its education majors into classroom settings early so they can make sure teaching is right for them, she said.
A chance to start slowly
Oklahoma City Community College gives unsure students a chance to start slow, said Susan Tabor, dean of social sciences.
OCCC offers certification and associate degrees in child development fields. Graduates can go to work or transfer to a four-year school for an education degree, Tabor said.
“Many students come and think ‘I could never do college-level work,’ then their personal expectations change as their confidence grows,” she said.
The need for more bilingual teachers is being addressed by the Bilingual Teacher Pipeline project through the Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools.
School board member Gloria Torres said the grow-our-own program provides tuition assistance for paraprofessionals already working in the school district so they can earn a teaching degree.
The district has more than 100 bilingual assistants in classrooms, she said.
“Many want to be a teacher and they want to serve this community,” Torres said.
The need is great because 52 percent of the students are Hispanic and the majority live in dual-language families, she said.
The program offers students another pathway to an education degree, said Torres, who started her career as a bilingual assistant.