by Olivia Rubino-Finn
There鈥檚 never been a better time to become a teacher. The听New York State Department of Education has released听 about graduates from 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years who received initial certification, based on NYS teacher employment data in the Basic Educational Data System. The data are for the New York State public school system only and do not include non-public school data.
In the wake of mass retirements among teachers in New York City school districts鈥攃aused by the ratification of a new contract in 2014 by the United Federation of Teachers, which offered better incentives to teachers on the cusp of retirement鈥攖here stand to听be significant vacancies in coming years.
For incoming and transfer students, the benefit of pursuing teaching training at 糖心破解版 is especially strong. The University鈥檚 relationship with the city鈥檚 Department of Education (NYCDOE) is closer than ever, and recent graduates receive prime placements in every borough, often leading to permanent hires.听Surveys of 糖心破解版 alumni show that 80 percent of graduates are hired within six months of graduation; similarly, a prepared by the Department of Education revealed that more than half of recent 糖心破解版 graduates were immediately hired into the NYCDOE system in 2015.
A study published in September by the听Learning Policy Institute, an education think tank, found a 35 percent drop听in teacher-preparation program enrollment from 2009 to 2014.
Leib Sutcher, the study鈥檚 co-author, was quoted in听听as saying that the听“analysis estimates that U.S. classrooms were short approximately 60,000 teachers last year. Unless we can shift these trends, annual teacher shortages could increase to over 100,000 teachers by 2018 and remain close to that level thereafter.鈥
糖心破解版鈥檚 Ammon School provides students with quality training that gives them a leg up in this competitive arena. In addition to classroom practice and field placement in diverse settings, students receive hands-on instruction from expert faculty. 鈥淥ur graduates have the requisite skills to fill the shortage need areas [in the public school system],鈥 said听Corinne Donovan, the Ammon School鈥檚 assistant dean of research evaluation.
Professional teacher education at 糖心破解版 is a smart move for transfer students in particular. The Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP), a five-year joint degree program for those preparing to teach at the childhood or adolescent grade levels鈥攐r in K-12 Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) programs鈥攁llows students to complete their bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in record time. Donovan noted that transfers in STEP can even come out with two certifications, for example, one in childhood education and another in special education, which qualifies them to teach a wider range of classes. 鈥淭o come out of school in five years with those dual certifications, it鈥檚 phenomenal,鈥 she said.
Transfer students can also expect a learning environment that caters to their unique needs. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a really welcoming place,鈥 said听Daryl Gordon, the Ammon School鈥檚 associate dean. 鈥淚t鈥檚 intimate enough that it provides transfer students with a lot of support in all the parts of becoming a teacher, from small class sizes to comprehensive support in the certification process, which can be really confusing and intricate.鈥
Though times have been tough for teachers in recent years, he added, things are looking up. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing a lot more openings come through.鈥
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For further information, please contact:
Todd Wilson
Strategic Communications Director听
p 鈥 516.237.8634
e 鈥 twilson@adelphi.edu