The Texas College Division of Education has strategically addressed the supply and demand of educators. Based on TEA data, the state of Texas continues to have a shortage in the following areas: Bilingual Education, Mathematics, Science, and Special Education. The Division of Education has established a recruitment committee to examine the data behind shortages that are emerging in a number of school districts, private schools, and charter schools.
Our goal is simple: to clarify the nature and emerging shortages and their impact, and to offer evidence-based strategies to guide the responses of educators and policy makers. The committee has developed a recruitment plan with benchmarks, goals, and timelines, which clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of the committee.
For example, the committee recruits at the local and surrounding two-year colleges, as well as high schools, for students interested in majoring in teacher education. These efforts have led to an increase in enrollment of minority students, specifically Hispanics and male students. Secondly, the Division of Education offers a variety of concentrations that addresses the high demand content areas: Core Subjects EC-6, Math and Science.
Lastly, the Division has a Curriculum Committee and Assessment Committee. The Curriculum Committee allows the Division and College to stay current and provide teacher candidates with the knowledge, skills and disposition to be fully prepared to teach their content. The Assessment Committee allows the Division and College to track and monitor student’s performance to ensure students can successfully matriculate through their program. Both Committees help increase the graduation rate of our students.
We believe these efforts allow the program to produce exemplary teachers who are caring, competent, and committed, as well as culturally responsive.
