{"id":194508,"date":"2023-01-30T07:30:24","date_gmt":"2023-01-30T12:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=194508"},"modified":"2023-06-27T12:45:42","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T16:45:42","slug":"neag-increases-enrollment-expands-programs-help-combat-teacher-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2023\/01\/neag-increases-enrollment-expands-programs-help-combat-teacher-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"Neag School Increases Enrollment, Expands Program Locations to Help Combat Connecticut\u2019s Teacher Shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Melanie Ja<\/span>r<\/span>a<\/span>m<\/span>illo<\/span> \u201920 BGS,<\/span> \u201922 MA<\/span> currently works as a special education teacher at Amity High School in Woodbridge, but only a few years ago was planning a career in finance. Just as many educators were contemplating leaving the field due to the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ja<\/span>r<\/span>a<\/span>m<\/span>illo<\/span> decided to become a teacher and enrolled at the Neag School of Education.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThough the finance life has its perks for some people, I quickly learned it wasn\u2019t for me,\u201d she says. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t until I began tutoring during the pandemic that I discovered my love for teaching.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there aren\u2019t enough people like Ja<\/span>r<\/span>a<\/span>m<\/span>illo,<\/span> and schools across Connecticut and the nation are struggling to find teachers to meet the needs of their students. According to <\/span>a recent report<\/span><\/a> published by the Connecticut Department of Education, the state had <\/span>1,221 teaching vacancies and another 1,322 paraprofessional vacancies going into the 2022-2023 school year. The data was collected through an August 2022 staffing survey of all school districts and approved private special education providers in Connecticut.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A <\/span>national survey<\/span><\/a> conducted by the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Institute of Education Sciences in October also found that 48% of schools in the Northeast felt their school is understaffed and 53% reported not being able to fill vacant teaching positions since the start of COVID-19.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no denying that it is a stressful time to be an educator, whether in the classroom or an administration office,\u201d says Neag School Dean Jason G. Irizarry. \u201cYet, we are starting to see encouraging trends in enrollment and interest in our programs at the Neag School which will have a positive impact in schools across the state and nation.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only has the Neag School boosted enrollment in its teacher education programs, but it also recently expanded its programmatic offerings to train more educators and support Connecticut’s schools.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Teacher Education Programs Increase Enrollment<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Total student enrollment in the Neag School\u2019s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates (TCPCG) has returned to pre-pandemic levels \u2013 in fact it has increased by about 3% from 2017 to 2022 \u2013 and the total number of students of color who are enrolled in that program has increased 111% over the same time period. The 11-month, full-time program is designed for students who already hold a bachelor\u2019s degree and wish to earn their teacher certification in a specific subject area. It operates out of UConn\u2019s four regional campuses: Avery Point, Hartford, Stamford, and Waterbury.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Neag School\u2019s Integrated Bachelor\u2019s\/Master\u2019s Teacher Education Program has also seen increases in both the total number of admitted students (up 12.4%) and the number of admitted students of color (up 33%) since 2017. The five-year program allows students to earn a bachelor\u2019s degree in education, followed by one year of graduate-level professional education leading to a master\u2019s degree in curriculum and instruction or educational psychology.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Enrollment data for the Neag School’s Integrated Bachelor’s\/Master’s Teacher Education Program from 2017 to 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
Enrollment data for the Neag School’s Teacher Certification Program for College Graduates from 2017 to 2022.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Rise in First-Generation College Students<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since the 2019-2020 academic year, the number of newly enrolled, first-generation college students at the Neag School has increased by 39%. There was a slight dip in new first-gen students in 2020-2021, but their enrollment has since recovered and surpassed pre-pandemic levels. The majority of the School\u2019s first-generation students are studying in undergraduate programs and will become educators and sports management professionals across the country.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am a proud first-generation college graduate,\u201d Irizarry says. \u201cMy professional trajectory and current role as dean of the Neag School are evidence of what is possible when first-gen students are supported by their institutions of higher education. The impact the Neag School\u2019s first-generation students will have in their respective fields cannot be overstated.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Newly enrolled first-generation college student enrollment data for the Neag School of Education from 2020 to 2023.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Offering Programs in Fairfield County\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As of spring 2022, three Neag School programs now offer cohorts in Fairfield County.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TCPCG enrolled its first UConn Stamford cohort in summer 2022, joining cohorts in Avery Point, Hartford, and Waterbury. Rooted in the Neag School\u2019s commitment to urban education, TCPCG at UConn Stamford partners with the region\u2019s diverse schools and with districts across the state.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As of last year, the program even offers students a paid internship through select school districts. The students spend five days a week in either Bridgeport, Bristol, Fairfield, Hartford, Waterbury, or Waterford, learning how schools operate, observing educators, and assisting classrooms as paraprofessionals. Not only do students gain invaluable experience, but the schools receive support as they battle staff shortages.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHaving grown up in Stamford and started my undergraduate years at UConn Stamford, I was so excited to hear about the recent expansion of TCPCG,\u201d says Ja<\/span>r<\/span>a<\/span>m<\/span>illo<\/span>, who graduated from the program\u2019s Waterbury cohort in May 2022.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The University of Connecticut Administrator Preparation Program \u2013 or UCAPP \u2013 is dedicated to preparing highly qualified school leaders to promote equity and excellence in schools. Graduates are awarded the Sixth-Year Diploma and are eligible for certification endorsement as an Intermediate Administrator in the state of Connecticut. The program expanded to add a Stamford cohort in 2022.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, the Neag School\u2019s Executive Leadership Program is now also available at UConn Stamford, making it readily accessible to educators in southern Connecticut. The one-year program is designed to prepare experienced educational leaders to serve as superintendents of schools or in other district-level leadership positions.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“We\u2019ve heard from many alumni and schools across the state and their requests for support as they battle these shortages,\u201d Irizarry says. \u201cThe interest in and applications for our teacher education program is high, and we\u2019re doing everything possible to expand the pool of highly qualified teachers to meet the needs of Connecticut\u2019s schools.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To learn more about the UConn Neag School of Education, visit\u00a0<\/span><\/i>education.uconn.edu<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u00a0and follow the Neag School on\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Instagram<\/span><\/i><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Facebook<\/span><\/i><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Twitter<\/span><\/i><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span><\/i>LinkedIn<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not only has the Neag School boosted enrollment in its teacher education programs, it also expanded its offerings to train more educators and support Connecticut schools<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":194795,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[147,1715,2426,2427,2428,2192,2193,1855,2199,2235,173,92,174,90,2227],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2217],"class_list":["post-194508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-community-impact","category-curriculum-instruction","category-educational-leadership","category-educational-psychology","category-fairfield-county","category-hartford-county","category-neag","category-new-london-county","category-today-homepage","category-uconn-avery-point","category-uconn-hartford","category-uconn-stamford","category-uconn-waterbury","category-uconn-edu-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-24 18:42:58","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194508"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194800,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194508\/revisions\/194800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/194795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194508"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=194508"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=194508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}