Sometimes one comes across two great ideas on the same day, and then one imagines how much greater those two ideas would be if they were combined. Today, I read about both of these great ideas for the first time.
Great Idea Number One: Arizona Offers Free Tuition For Prospective Teachers
While perusing the Internet, I read about what promises to be a wonderful program that is happening right here in my home state of Arizona. From the abc15.com website is the article entitled, “Arizona Teacher Academy offers free tuition for prospective teachers”:
A newly launched program aims to increase the number of qualified teachers in Arizona K-12 public schools by providing a tuition waiver for participating students at the three state universities.
Governor Doug Ducey, a Republican, first pitched the Arizona Teacher Academy idea in his "State of the State" speech in January. Tuesday, he announced 230 students enrolled for the first year.
The three Arizona Universities are participating in the program, each offering a different take:
Each public university has a option.
- Arizona State University's program involves a traditional 4-year education degree.
- University of Arizona is offering a 1-year, Master's level program for career changers who want teaching certificates.
- Northern Arizona University will waive tuition through "Grow Your Own Education Degree" programs at community colleges across the state. NAU students could also choose a 1-year teaching certificate program.
The article also states that last year, “1,328 teaching positions went unfilled at Arizona district and charter schools this fall.”
According to the Arizona Teachers Academy website, enrollment in the free tuition program has doubled from the previous year. Now, I like Bernie Sander’s idea of free college tuition for everyone just fine, but what if we don’t get that right away? Programs like this can help show the benefits of free tuition, especially in areas where we really need more graduates. This takes me to the second idea that I read about today.
Great Idea Number Two: Only 2% Of Teachers In The US Are Black Men. 'Call Me MISTER' wants to change that
From the CNN.com article entitled, “Black men make up only 2% of teachers in the US. A group named 'Call Me MISTER' wants to change that”:
Black men make up 2% of teachers in the US, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.<P>
The same goes for Hispanic male teachers. Meanwhile, the student population is
far more diverse and getting more so. White enrollment in public schools fell from 61% in 2000 to 49% in 2015, according to the US Department of Education.<P>
Research shows that for minority children, having at least one teacher that looks likes them is a key to their success, said Roy Jones, a professor at Clemson University's College of Education.
So, let us say that for some reason we do not get Senator Sander’s college for everyone plan, perhaps we could at can least get free tuition for prospective teachers to spread to states beyond Arizona. Wouldn't that greatly help us to get more Black and Hispanic male teachers in classrooms, since, for many young Black and Hispanic males, college tuition is a major barrier to getting an education? Not only would this provide the Black and Hispanic male role models that many American children need, but free tuition for prospective teachers would help put more Black and Hispanic men as well as women on the path to better living standards while ensuring that more Black and Hispanic men and women get college educations. These programs would also help men and women of all races who could not easily afford college tuition, while also alleviating teacher shortages and helping to ensure that America has enough teachers to stop the exploding classroom sizes that many teachers currently deal with.
The idea of free college is great. Perhaps if we can get the idea of free tuition for prospective teachers to spread to other states beyond the way too reddish state of Arizona, it can both help get more male and female Black and Hispanic teachers in the classroom across the country while also helping to inspire the idea of free college in other disciplines.