UE to Launch Teacher Programs

Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowBeginning this fall, the University of Evansville will launch new programs aimed at teacher recruitment and retention. The university’s school of education says the goal is to help supply the increasing need for effective teachers in K-12 schools.
The university says program includes plans to recruit high-quality, diverse candidates in high-need academic areas. Paul Parkison, chair of UE’s School of Education, says the university is committed to meeting the needs of K-12 education.
"The School of Education is committed to its ongoing mission of preparing tomorrow’s teachers to be successful in their own classrooms," said Parkison, "This program identifies several important ways to ensure we continue to do just that. Our continued collaboration with our K-12 partners is critical to the success of this effort."
The university says the program involves a multi-strategy approach:
- The UE Teaching Fellows Program will identify candidates who want to teach in underrepresented areas and provide scholarships and loan forgiveness programs for students’ junior and senior years.
- The UE Transition to Teaching Program will help individuals who hold degrees in high need content areas (such as STEM) to become classroom teachers.
- The Degree Pathway Collaboration with Ivy Tech will allow students with an associate’s degree to enroll at UE in order to complete their bachelor’s degree and Indiana state teacher licensing in elementary and secondary education.
- The Novice Teacher Induction and Mentoring Program will improve the performance and retention of new hires to enhance their skills and prevent the loss of new teachers.
"This program will be a great benefit to the community as well as to the University of Evansville," said UE President Thomas Kazee. "The fruits of this program will be realized when schools in the region are able to satisfy the increasing demand for high-quality educators."
The UE Teacher Recruitment and Retention program is already being implemented with recruitment ongoing for summer and fall 2016 terms.