The Specialized Associate's Degree in Teacher Education: Effective Pathway or Degree Proliferation?
Community College Review › Vol. 35 Nbr. 1, July 2007
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Summary
To address the teacher shortage, some states have developed special associate's degrees in teacher education. This article explores the prevalence and structure of these specialized associate's degrees and presents a case for their development to smooth the transfer pathway for community college students who wish to become teachers.
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The Specialized Associate's Degree in Teacher Education: Effective Pathway or Degree Proliferation?
Most states today are grappling with a teacher shortage. The U.S. Department of Education has estimated that the demand for teachers in the nation's public schools will reach 4 million by 2015, an increase of 17% from 2003 (Hussar & Bailey, 2006). The latest figures available show that 74% of all public schools reported teaching vacancies during the 2003-2004 school year (Strizek, Pittsonberger, Riordan, Lyter, & Orlofsky, 2006, p. 39). The demand for new teachers is especially intense in states that attract high numbers of immigrants, such as Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Even if the number of children attaining school age as a result of the "baby boom echo" declines by 2008, the teacher shortage in many parts of the United States will continue because of population growth and immigration patterns.
States have developed different pathways to attract new teachers to the field, often implementing several at the same time. Two of these pathways have been fairly visible-and sometimes controversial: (a) alternative routes to teacher certification and (b) expansion of the community college mission to include 4-year teacher education programs. Less controversial is the more traditional transfer pathway between 2- and 4-year programs in teacher education. But do most articulation agreements between 2- and 4-year programs work well in smoothing the path to a teacher education degree? Do students know which general education courses to choose from among the dozens of options often available in the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and mathematics? Are there curricular c...See the full content of this document
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