Teachers play a crucial role in the quality of our children’s education, preparing them with future credentials needed to get into college and secure jobs. Our nation and our state are facing unprecedented teacher shortages. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Virginia was already experiencing an ongoing teacher shortage. According to VDOE data, “the number of unfilled teacher positions went from 760 vacancies in 2006 to 1,080 vacancies in 2017. Literature in this area suggests that while two million teachers may be needed nationally over the next ten years, traditional teacher preparation programs have only one million prospective teachers in the pipeline.”
To help address Virginia’s teacher shortage, UMW’s College of Education is working closely with its partner schools through the Teachers for Tomorrow (TfT) Pipeline to Promise project. The program is available to high school juniors and seniors interested in pursuing a career in education, and prepares students to continue training through postsecondary education programs at the baccalaureate and/or masters level. Students build a strong foundation for teaching, learn the history, structure, and governance of teaching; apply professional teaching techniques; and reflect on their teaching experiences. One critical factor that accounts for the declining pipeline of teachers who want to enter the profession is the costly and outdated pathways into the profession.
· Your gift will help provide scholarships for Virginia’s TfT students to attend UMW’s College of Education;
· Support the TfT Summer Institute to facilitate the professional development of TfT students and their teachers on the UMW campus;
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Teaching is the profession that makes other professions possible. --Author unknown
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