‘Teachers for Tomorrow’ Program Continues To Grow
Director of Education Outreach Ronald Say has been working to forge more partnerships between secondary institutions and the post-secondary education program of Shenandoah University.
The Bowman Building at 20 South Cameron Street, is home to Shenandoah University's School of Education & Human Development
One of Shenandoah’s core values is the pursuit of "collaboration in a professional environment that fosters the development of lifelong learners," and the Office of Education Outreach is always seeking ways to advance this goal.
Through contracted services with Virginia Public School Divisions, Director of Education Outreach Ronald Say has been working to forge more partnerships between secondary institutions and the post-secondary education program of Shenandoah University.
One of the partnerships that has developed over the past 10 years is Teachers for Tomorrow.
Through this program, dual credit is provided to high school juniors and seniors, who are enrolled in a participating Virginia Teachers for Tomorrow programs. Individuals who successfully complete the program receive one Carnegie unit of credit from their high school and four undergraduate credits from Shenandoah University.
These students are involved in rigorous classroom instruction as well as a semester of field experience in an elementary or middle school classroom.
In 2008-09, nearly 175 high school students were enrolled in the Shenandoah University dual-credit Teachers for Tomorrow course in 12 high schools in Loudoun, Shenandoah and Warren counties.
Technical Educators Summer Conference, sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education in Richmond, Dr. Say was a presenter and facilitator of concurrent sessions that introduced school personnel from around Virginia to the opportunity for enhancing their Teachers for Tomorrow programs by offering dual credit to their students.
More than 60 career and technical middle and high school teachers were present at these sessions to receive first-hand information about the Shenandoah University dual-credit opportunity.
After returning from the conference, Say met with administrators and teachers from Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William and Powhatan counties to set up dual-credit courses at high schools within those school divisions for the 2009-10 academic year.
With the high schools from these school divisions, added to high schools that have been ongoing participants, the total number of Virginia public schools participating in the Shenandoah University Teachers for Tomorrow dual-credit program is 22, with course instruction provided to more than 350 Virginia high school students.
"We are moving forward through our school partnerships to effectively aid local school divisions in developing their ‘Grow Your Own’efforts for increasing the number of future teachers for Virginia public school classrooms," Say said.
Share