ED467986 2002-05-00 Teacher Education

at the Community College: Partnership

and Collaboration. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Development Team

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Teacher Education at the Community College: Partnership and

Collaboration. ERIC Digest................................................. 1

MEETING THE NEED FOR TEACHERS................................... 2

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEACHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS..... 2

CONCLUSION.................................................................. 4

REFERENCES.................................................................. 4

ERIC Identifier: ED467986

Publication Date: 2002-05-00

Author: Allen, Robin

Source: ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges Los Angeles CA.

Teacher Education at the Community College:

Partnership and Collaboration. ERIC Digest.

THIS DIGEST WAS CREATED BY ERIC, THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

INFORMATION CENTER. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ERIC, CONTACT

ACCESS ERIC 1-800-LET-ERIC

The U.S. Department of Education predicts that nearly 40% of public school teachers

will retire within the next few years. This prospect, coupled with a dramatic rise in school

enrollments, means that the United States can anticipate hiring two million new

ED467986 2002-05-00 Teacher Education at the Community College: Partnership and

Collaboration. ERIC Digest.

Page 1 of 6
elementary and secondary teachers in the next decade (Stroup, 2002). Therefore, many

states, and many institutions of higher education, are exploring new possibilities for

recruiting, training, and retaining teachers. Community colleges in particular are

examining their role in helping to meet the need for teachers in their own communities,

and at least 20 states are looking to community colleges to help train teachers (Evelyn,

2002). These institutions have large pools of students from which prospective teachers

can be recruited, and for many of those students, community colleges are their first

exposure to higher education. Further, educators have concluded that teacher

preparation is consistent with the community-based and student-centered missions of

two-year colleges (Bragg, 1998). This digest will describe where the need for new

teachers is greatest and discuss some examples of innovative programs already in

place at community colleges across the country.

MEETING THE NEED FOR TEACHERS

Current and anticipated teacher shortages create several distinct needs. In academics,

the need is greatest for science, mathematics and technology teachers (Bragg, 1998),

while geographically, the need for teachers of all types is greatest in urban and rural

school districts (Gerdeman, 2001). Community colleges are a natural fit in helping to

meet the demand for teachers in these areas because they have the students, support

services, and articulation mechanisms already in place to recruit and train prospective

teachers (Curry, 1988). About 40 percent of current math and science teachers have

completed at least some of their math and science courses at a community college

(Bragg, 1998), making two-year schools a prime choice in finding future teachers in

these academic areas. In addition, many two-year colleges are located in the

geographic areas with the greatest need for new teachers. Potential teachers can be

recruited within these communities, with the goal of returning students to those same

communities as teachers, once they have been trained.

There is also a great need to increase the number of minority teachers (Anglin,

Mooradian, and Hamilton, 1993; Eubanks and Weaver, 2000). Minority children make

up about 30% of all public elementary and secondary school students, but minority

educators make up only 13% of the public school teacher workforce (NCES, 1997).

Research suggests that minority educators are important because they tend to be more

responsive to children's cultural backgrounds, they hold higher expectations for minority

children, and they tend to incorporate social reform into their teaching. In addition, the

global marketplace requires educators who reflect the cultural diversity children will

encounter later in life (Eubanks and Weaver, 2000). Since over half of all minorities

enrolled in higher education attend community colleges (NCES, 1991), community

colleges are a natural choice for recruiting minorities into the teaching profession.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TEACHER EDUCATION

PROGRAMS

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Page 2 of 6 ED467986 2002-05-00 Teacher Education at the Community College: Partnership and

Collaboration. ERIC Digest.
Community colleges are attempting to meet the challenge of providing new teachers to

their communities through a variety of programs. Many of the new programs involve

collaborating with other educational institutions in recruiting and educating potential

teachers. Some involve encouraging people who already have bachelor's degrees to

obtain a teaching certificate at the community college, and a few involve offering

four-year teaching degrees at the community college.

2 + 2 Partnerships

Many states, and many institutions of higher education, have established 2 + 2

articulation or joint registration agreements between community colleges and local

universities for teacher education programs. These programs allow students to finish

the first two years of a teacher preparation program at the community college, often

earning an associate's degree, and then go on to obtain their bachelor's degree at a

four-year institution. Since community college students who might be interested in

teaching often do not self-identify, 2 + 2 programs use community college faculty and

administrators to actively recruit students who might be interested in such a career.

Some programs locate candidates by identifying high academic achievers, while others

target traditional-age students, minority students, undeclared students, intellectually

gifted students, students already employed as teacher aides, or mid-career students

who have returned to school seeking a career change (Anglin, Mooradian, and

Hamilton, 1993).

The 2 + 2 programs are different from regular articulation agreements because, in many

of the 2 + 2 programs, students are simultaneously admitted, registered and enrolled in

both the two-year and four-year institutions. Both institutions provide support services to

the students, making sure that they enroll in the proper courses and are able to obtain

financial aid. These services help to provide a seamless transition to the four-year

school. Some 2 + 2 programs also incorporate local middle and high schools, using

them to recruit prospective teachers. These schools then become available for teacher

education field work and placement sites for students upon graduation (Anglin, 1989;

Bragg, 1998; Gerdeman, 2001).

Community colleges in Maryland, for example, which as of last summer had 10,000

openings for elementary and secondary schoolteachers, now offer an associate of arts

in teaching. The curriculum for the two-year degree in teaching mirrors that of the first

two years of a four-year degree, and includes courses in educational psychology and

special education. Students also complete fieldwork in local schools, and by meeting

specified GPA and testing requirements, all of their coursework is transferable to state

universities. Students then complete the second part of the 2 + 2 program at the

universities. Other states, such as Arizona, California, and Texas, are following suit with

ideas for similar programs (Evelyn, 2000).

ERIC Resource Center www.eric.ed.gov

ED467986 2002-05-00 Teacher Education at the Community College: Partnership and

Collaboration. ERIC Digest.

Page 3 of 6
Baccalaureate and Post-Baccalaureate Programs

Some community colleges are considering, or already have in place, plans that allow

people who already have bachelor's degrees to become certified as teachers. In

Arizona, Maricopa Community College District allows people with bachelor's degrees to

earn teacher certification on-line in one or two years (Evelyn, 2002). Programs such as

this help to recruit mid-career professionals, who have been laid off or are considering a

career change, into the teaching profession.

Community colleges in other states are implementing even more ambitious programs. In

Florida, St. Petersburg Junior College, formerly a two-year institution, has been

renamed St. Petersburg College and will soon begin offering four-year bachelor's

degrees in teacher education. The teacher education degree includes upper division

courses in teaching science and math. Other community colleges in Florida are also

beginning to move in this direction. In Nevada, Great Basin College already offers a

similar bachelor's degree program (Evelyn, 2002).

CONCLUSION

Community colleges are engaged in a variety of programs to help mitigate the current

and anticipated teacher shortage. The most comprehensive efforts involve active

recruitment of prospective teachers and seamless transition from two- to four- year

institutions. Community colleges have diverse student populations and are often located

in geographical areas in need of teachers, making them natural partners in the teacher

education pipeline. If America is to recruit over 2 million new teachers in the next

decade, community colleges must continue to provide active leadership and innovative

programs in order to train America's next generation of teachers.

REFERENCES

Anglin, L. W. (1989). Preparing minority teachers for the 21st century: A university/

community college model. Action in Teacher Education, 11 (2), 47-50.

Anglin, L. W., Mooradian, P., & Hamilton, A. (1993). A missing rung of the teacher

education ladder: community colleges. Action in Teacher Education, 15 (1), 8-13.

Bragg, S. (1998). Investing in tomorrow's teachers: The integral role of two-year

colleges in the science and mathematics preparation of prospective teachers. Report

from a national science foundation workshop. (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED

427 968).

Curry, J. (1998). The role of the community college in the creation of a multi-ethnic

teaching force. ERIC Digest. (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED 317 542).

www.eric.ed.gov ERIC Custom Transformations Team

Page 4 of 6 ED467986 2002-05-00 Teacher Education at the Community College: Partnership and

Collaboration. ERIC Digest.
Eubanks, S. C., & Weaver, R. (1999). Excellence through diversity: connecting the

teacher quality and teacher diversity agendas. Journal of Negro Education, 68 (3),

451-459.

Evelyn, J. (2002, March 8). States give community colleges a role in educating

teachers. The Chronicle of Higher Education [On-line]. Available http://chronicle.com.

Gerdeman, R. D. (2001). ERIC review: The role of community colleges in training

tomorrow's school teachers. Community College Review, 28 (4), Spring 2001, 62-76.

National Center for Education Statistics (1997). America's teachers: profile of a

profession, 1993-1994. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. (ERIC

Document Reproduction No. ED 410 225).

National Center for Education Statistics (1991). The condition of education, volume 1,

Elementary and secondary education. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing

Office. (ERIC Document Reproduction No. ED330121).

Stroup, S. (2002, April 24). Teacher recruitment, preparation, and development.

Statement Before the House Subcommittee on Labor/HHS/Education Appropriations

[On-line]. Available http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/04-2002/20020424c.html

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This project has been funded at least in part with Federal funds from the U.S.

Department of Education under contract number ED-99-CO-0010. The content of this

publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of

Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations

imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ERIC Digests are in the public domain and

may be freely reproduced.

Title: Teacher Education at the Community College: Partnership and Collaboration.

ERIC Digest.

Document Type: Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs)

(071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073);

Available From: ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges. University of California

at Los Angeles, 3051 Moore Hall, P.O. Box 951521, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1524. Tel:

310-825-3931. For full text: http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/ERIC/eric.html.

Descriptors: Alternative Teacher Certification, College Role, Community Colleges,

Minority Group Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Program Development, Public

School Teachers, Teacher Education Programs, Teacher Shortage, Two Year Colleges

Identifiers: ERIC Digests

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