Dive Brief:
- North Carolina education officials are looking for new ways to attract individuals to the teaching profession, specifically since the number of graduate and undergraduate students declaring education majors has dropped by 12%.
- This topic was discussed heavily at the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Education Summit on Tuesday.
- The Board of Governors said more must be done to strengthen teacher recruitment and preparation, suggesting the university start a public-private teacher scholarship for students who elect to teach in science, math, special education, and other high-need areas.
Dive Insight:
While the university may be experiencing a decline in education majors, the state does have one of the most successful education recruitment programs in the nation, which targets undergrads. Created by the state's General Assembly in 1986, the North Carolina Teaching Fellows grant recruits promising high school seniors and juniors to become the next generation's educators. Basically, the program annually selects 500 high-performing high school seniors who promise to teach for at least four years in North Carolina schools. In exchange for their commitment, the state gives each student a $26,000 service scholarship and places them in a four-year, rigorous education program before they enter the classroom.
Recruiting and retaining educators is not just an issue in North Carolina, but nationwide, as the field, in the eyes of many, continues to be undermined, de-professionalized, and underpaid.