Executive Voices - An Op Ed Column

N.C. Teach
Model lateral entry program making a difference for out schools

By Dr. Dorothy Mebane

The lack of teachers in North Carolina is dire. The shortage became apparent more than a decade ago in the northeastern counties, but in the past four years the scarcity of teachers has become a statewide epidemic. “This shortage of teachers is unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the past,” said Molly Broad, the president of the University of North Carolina system. At a recent meeting of Gov. Mike Easley’s Education Cabinet, Broad sounded the alarm on the teacher shortage.

Broad estimated that over the next 10 years the state will need to hire as many as 12,000 new teachers a year. Despite the strong efforts of colleges and universities, the supply of education majors is simply not meeting the demand, due in part to the fact that only about two-thirds of the 3,500 graduates of the state’s teacher preparation programs are accepting teaching positions each year. That’s why the state began directing efforts toward “lateral entry” programs, to attract other highly skilled individuals to consider a career in teaching.

“High-quality lateral entry programs are filling a vital need for our state,” says Mike Ward, state superintendent of public instruction. Lateral entry programs are making a difference. By March 2001 more than 4,300 vacancies were filled by a previously untapped source of rich talent – people who want to make a difference in our state’s education system.

One of the most successful of these programs is NC TEACH, a statewide teacher licensure program administered by the University of North Carolina in collaboration with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Now in its third year, NC TEACH is designed to recruit, prepare and support mid-career professionals for a teaching career in North Carolina’s public schools. Applications have risen from 289 in 2000 to almost 1,500 in 2002. Four hundred and fifty NC TEACHers participated in this year’s Summer Institute during June and July.

College graduates of all backgrounds – law, medicine, engineering, mathematics, science, social work, language arts – enroll in NC TEACH to gain licensure to teach in one of these specialized areas -- K-12 Special Populations, Spanish and French; Middle Grades (6-8) Math, Science, Social Studies and Language Arts; and Secondary (9-12) Math, Science, Social Studies and English.

“NC TEACH targets people who have made gains in their careers and who are now choosing to put their knowledge and experiences to work for our public school students. The program is truly a wonderful collaboration of our state’s public and private universities working together to train these professionals for successful teaching careers in North Carolina,” says Ward.

Why would a successful chemist, accountant or lawyer choose to become a teacher? The motivations are varied, but most include a burning desire to positively influence our young people’s future.

This year we have more applications from research and biotech fields, the high-tech and telecommunications industries, and even airline pilots. The economy and the events of Sept. 11 have caused many people to reaffirm what is important. People want to help shape our children’s lives and our nation’s future in a positive way.

At the core of NC TEACH is an intensive, five-week summer institute where candidates learn essential skills for beginning teachers -- how schools are run, ways diverse children learn, classroom management, the role of technology, and student assessment. With realistic expectations, candidates are more likely to survive the crucial first year, evidenced by NC TEACH’s impressive 80 percent retention rate.

Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue cites NC TEACH’s excellent pre-service training. “These professionals know the real expectations of the classroom and how to share their knowledge and career experience to benefit our children.”

NC TEACHers continue to take courses and seminars during their first year of teaching and may gain full licensure after a minimum of 12 months. "NC TEACH provides high quality, compressed, practical training for those who desire to enter the exciting, challenging teaching profession, says Phillip J. Kirk Jr., chair of the State Board of Education. “I highly recommend it."

A network of 10 of the state’s public and private universities has contributed to the development and implementation of NC TEACH. Classes for the 2002-2003 NC TEACH Program are offered at the following sites: East Carolina University; East Carolina University – Johnston County School District; Fayetteville State University; UNC Pembroke; UNC Wilmington; N.C. Central University; UNC at Chapel Hill; UNC Greensboro; UNC Charlotte; Lenoir-Rhyne College; and Western Carolina University.

To apply for NC TEACH, applicants must hold a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and have at least three years of full-time successful work experience since graduation from college. The organization’s web site http://ncteach.ga.unc.edu, provides all the details about the program and the application process. In addition, candidates may call toll-free, 1-866-998-3233, for more information and a copy of the 2002-2003 application booklet. The application deadline for next summer’s cohort is April 1, 2003.

Dorothy J. Mebane, PhD, of Chapel Hill is director of the N.C. TEACH program at the Center for School Leadership Development.

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