To help ease Virginia's looming teacher shortage, George Mason University has created a program to help uncertified teachers meet the commonwealth's teaching requirements while on the job. Currently, teachers hired without proper certification have three years to obtain it or face dismissal.
The new initiative is called "Teacher Education Licensure Fulfillment." It takes teacher preparation down to the state's basic requirements. Over a period of three years, teachers in the program will receive the necessary instruction to acquire licensure equal to that of their traditionally educated counterparts, university officials say.
Participants will be required to take courses on the foundation of education, learning theory, instructional methods, the teaching of reading, special education and instructional technology.
"We have had an enthusiastic response from school divisions," Dr. Gary Galluzzo, dean of the university's graduate school of education, told The Washington Post. "This is our way of addressing the teacher shortage issue. Before, these people would have taught for three years and then been terminated if they didn't meet state requirements."
For more information, contact the
university at (703) 993-4648.
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
