By Glenn Rolfe

Excitement abounds in anticipation of Delaware State University’s new Alternative Routes to Certification program, a diverse initiative that could restock the candidate pool during the nationwide teacher shortage.

DSU recently announced that the Sussex County cohort for its Master of Arts in Teaching in the ARTC program will start in the fall, with the Cape Henlopen, Delmar, Indian River, Laurel, Milford, Seaford, Sussex Technical and Woodbridge school districts helping to spread the word and looking to fill their ranks.

“We’ve had a lot of people go through the ARTC program through other universities over the years. Some of our best educators have gone through that program in years past,” said IRSD spokesman David Maull. “We’re really excited about this partnership. We’ve had a good relationship (with DSU) in the past, and this is just a fantastic opportunity that they are presenting for a lot of people in the Downstate area.”

Seaford School District’s human resource director Jason Cameron agreed.

“It is about opportunity,” he said. “We know how bad the teacher shortage is. It was already not good, and then, COVID exasperated it, obviously. And everybody is struggling. It is not a Seaford problem or a Delaware problem. It is a nationwide problem.”

That’s where projects like ARTC are stepping up.

“ARTC programs have helped to fill a large void for us, especially at the secondary level these past few years,” said Derek V. Prillaman, Woodbridge School District’s assistant superintendent. “ARTC programs, such as the new DSU cohort beginning this fall, will hopefully generate a larger pool of candidates, which will help to fill these immediate needs.”

DSU is continuing ARTC following its acquisition of Wesley College, which used the programming prior to its closure. Discussion with Sussex County districts began at the end of last semester.

“It just made sense to continue the program because the need was there,” said Dr. Tina L. Mitchell, coordinator of the initiative for DSU. “Every time we would talk to district folks, there always was a big need for the southern districts.”

Dr. Mitchell continued, “Some of these districts are having retirements, and teachers exit at numbers that no one has ever thought of before. We feel like it is part of our responsibility to rebuild the teaching force. We can’t do that alone. And the districts can’t do that alone. So it only makes sense for us to work together on this effort. I just hope that it can work out the way that we all envision.”

In partnership with DSU, the Indian River and Seaford school districts will host recruitment events to highlight the ARTC program.

The first will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 23 at Georgetown Middle School, with the second scheduled for Seaford High School at 6 p.m. March 1.

Additionally, DSU will be offering a virtual recruitment meeting on a date to be determined.
The gatherings are free, and registration is not required. They are open to those who possess a bachelor’s degree in a field other than education but who are interested in becoming teachers.

“What it is geared toward is an individual who has a bachelor’s degree, and they want to get into teaching, but their bachelor’s degree is not in education. Maybe they have a science degree or a business degree or something along those lines,” said Mr. Maull. “This gives them the opportunity to pursue, if they want to become a teacher.”

Mr. Cameron hopes ARTC develops new teachers for his district.

“This is another way that we are trying to get possible candidates that could come in and teach our students. We’re excited, especially being able to partner with a (historically Black university),” he said. “We’re really excited that maybe some folks that haven’t considered that before will because it is through DelState.”

Mr. Maull emphasized that this is a collaboration.

“Every school district in Sussex County is going to be participating in (this),” he said. “We’re hoping that we get a pretty good turnout. It’s great that all the Sussex County districts can work together on this. It is a common problem for all of us. Hopefully, it will get us some good strong candidates in the classroom.”

Like existing ARTC programs through Wilmington University and the University of Delaware, DSU’s will provide teaching certification opportunities for those aspiring to become teachers, as well as those seeking career changes.

“It offers a vehicle where a person in another profession (who) has a degree can come into the teaching profession by going through this program,” said Dr. Patricia S. Oliphant, Sussex Technical School District’s director of curriculum and human resources. “They might be deep in their specific content area but may not have the methodology and background with things like classroom management, like diversity in the schoolhouse. We have had people here go through the other programs, and if DelState is beginning one, we’re hopeful that it will attract people to the teaching profession.”

Mr. Maull said current school staff also could be helped.

“It could also benefit people like a paraprofessional in the district that wants to become a teacher,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for someone that wants a career change to get into teaching.”

Dr. Oliphant said she relishes the idea of getting more people into the teaching profession who “love kids and want to be with kids because, from my point of view, that is one of the first tenants of any of this. You’ve got to like kids.”

Additionally, she said, people deciding to enter the teaching world amid a career change can bring a different perspective to classrooms.

“One of the really neat things about people coming into the profession after they have been out doing something is, generally, those people bring a kind of a trade knowledge into the teaching profession. They’ve been out in the world, so to speak. They bring that understanding of the world and that understanding of a particular profession with them as they come into the classroom,” Dr. Oliphant said. “I think that creates an interesting mix. It is not only refreshing, but there is a very positive side to that.”

Cohort members are thrilled that the plan is to bring the program to Sussex County and that DSU will work with individuals on courses, credit hours and other requirements.

“The other aspect of this that we’re trying to work toward is DelState wants to provide the classes down here in Sussex County. So an individual wouldn’t have to drive to Dover,” said Mr. Maull.

Mr. Cameron said the Seaford district made the offer that, if DSU wanted to use Seaford High School or Seaford Middle School as an instructional base, “we would work on what that would look like.”

Dr. Mitchell said it’s important to host the program in Sussex County.

“If they are willing to open their schools to us so that we can teach our program, then we’ll do that. That is the key to this partnership working, is us being able to offer our classes down there,” she said. “A number of the districts have offered their schools and district offices to allow us to run classes.”

Students enrolled in ARTC will pay for courses and materials and must meet all admission and other college requirements.

“But the burden of location in essence is going to be taken away,” said Dr. Mitchell.

DSU’s ARTC program may prove to be a steppingstone.

“It is my hope that this effort leads to different opportunities for supporting our undergraduate programming and students. So we don’t just produce ARTC candidates at DSU, but we do have a full range of undergraduate programs that prepare classroom teachers,” said Dr. Mitchell. “We need to send our students out into the field. They need to have time to observe practicing teachers. They need to do student teaching and all those things.

“This opens the door for a lot of opportunities. I think of this partnership as bigger than just the ARTC program, although I still like this as a really good start.”

Teacher shortage

“(The educator shortage) is a nationwide problem. We actually started to kind of notice it before the pandemic hit,” Mr. Maull said. “One of things we have noticed is just not as many kids are pursuing education as a career in college anymore. We used to go to these college job fairs that we used to recruit at every year, and the number of candidates has decreased.”

Mr. Prillaman said the lack of teachers is most prevalent at the middle and high school levels.

“I think the cost of college versus the amount of pay teachers receive, as compared to other fields, has played a role in fewer people electing to become teachers. Today’s generation has many choices upon graduating from high school, and if they elect to attend college, oftentimes, the amount of money that can be earned upon graduation is a large factor when deciding a major,” he said.

“Generally speaking, COVID has had a negative impact on many professions since the pandemic began. I do believe COVID led to more people resigning, retiring or leaving the profession earlier than expected, which has put a larger strain on the shortage, but I don’t think it’s a main reason for the teacher shortage that’s been building the past five to 10 years.”

Dr. Mitchell added that the shortages affect not only schools.

“If you don’t have teachers, the schools can’t learn, and people can’t go to work,” she said. “We have to make teaching an appealable option for people as a career. If that doesn’t happen, we are going to be in trouble.”

Other than salary, teaching offers numerous rewards, Mr. Prillaman said.

“I think (better pay is) relative to what one considers. … I can say that the educators I’ve had the opportunity to work with over the past 30 years are people that want to make the world a better place, and they’re people that care about children,” he said. “Given this, oftentimes, the payback we receive comes in different forms, and it’s priceless. So in that regard, our ‘pay’ is much better than other sectors’.”