K-State works to address teacher shortage, educates those without degree

FILE - Kansas State university student teachers(WIBW)
Published: Aug. 11, 2022 at 8:38 AM CDT

MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - Kansas State University is addressing the teacher shortage and is attempting to educate those who do not yet hold a degree in the field.

Kansas State University says as teacher and staff shortages continue to make national headlines, in its ongoing response to the crisis, its College of Education has created a set of free resources for new employees in schools who lead classrooms without a degree in education.

K-State said “Teaching 101″ is a series of 10 short videos of alumni - many of whom have been celebrated as a Kansas Teacher of the Year - to offer advice on topics like building positive classroom culture, creating lesson plans, assessment, special education and more.

Debbi Mercer, dean of the College of Education, said new employees quickly find that teaching is far more challenging than it appears.

“Teachers make teaching look easy because of their formal education and rigorous clinical experience,” Mercer said. “Career changers need tools to help navigate the complex terrain of the classrooms they are leading. Our goal is to produce trusted, reliable information from some of the best voices in our profession to support their success.”

Mercer noted that one of the college’s top priorities has been to remove every barrier to earning a degree in education from K-State. She said accessibility was a common issue, so it has created online bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in elementary education and select secondary education content areas which allow future teachers to complete clinical experience in their own community.

Designed especially for those who change careers, K-State said the college’s one-year master’s degree, the Master of Arts in Teaching program, is the most-awarded graduate degree at the university and has students from around the nation enrolled. It said the program can be completed in a single year with classes starting in May, or in 18 months with the newly announced residency program which allows graduate students to continue to work while they earn their master’s degree.

The series, along with K-State’s free educational documentaries, are available HERE.

For more information about the master’s program, click HERE.

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