{"id":117199,"date":"2019-11-22T10:02:18","date_gmt":"2019-11-22T17:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=117199"},"modified":"2019-12-28T15:57:27","modified_gmt":"2019-12-28T22:57:27","slug":"college-of-education-teams-up-with-colorado-school-districts-to-find-solutions-to-rural-teacher-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=117199","title":{"rendered":"College of Education teams up with Colorado school districts to find solutions to rural teacher shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>See: A recent feature by CBS News followed UCCS students to the Big Sandy School District in Simla, Colorado where undergraduates students got to experience a rural school district.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe id=\"cbsNewsVideo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/video\/rural-colorado-town-tries-innovative-ways-to-attract-teachers\/\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Things are tough for educators in Colorado. Despite a need for more than 3,000 new teachers to fill existing spots in Colorado classrooms, teacher pay continues to decline compared to the national average. Fewer students are graduating from the state\u2019s teacher preparation programs. And nearly a third of teachers in Colorado are 55 or older, closing in on retirement age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filling\nteaching posts in metro areas can be difficult in and of itself. Of Colorado\u2019s\n178 school districts, 146 are rural \u2013 an even tougher sell for new teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere\u2019s a\nteaching shortage nationally, in Colorado, and especially in rural Colorado,\u201d\nsaid Valerie Sherman, the rural education coordinator for the Colorado Center\nfor Rural Education (CCRE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to\nthe Colorado Department of Higher Education, \u201cThe shortages are more pronounced\nin rural and remote rural areas where we find unique challenges driven by\ninadequate teacher compensation, lack of affordable housing, and difficulty\nattracting new teachers to rural communities.\u201d The report goes on to state that\nthere is a particular shortage of minority educators and those equipped to\nteach science, math, world languages, special education and the arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But by\npooling resources and generating creative solutions, the CCRE is working to\nturn the rural teacher shortage around, in part by working with universities\nacross the state \u2013 including UCCS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1370.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1370-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1370-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1370-750x422.png 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1370-678x381.png 678w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1370.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Representatives from the College of Education spoke with the community at a resource fair following the rural education gathering at UCCS Downtown.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In October, faculty and staff from the College of Education, representatives from the CCRE and teachers from rural Colorado school districts gathered at UCCS Downtown to brainstorm solutions to the shortage and share best practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe wanted to\nlisten to them and find out their needs,\u201d said Karen Halverson, the director of\nteacher education, licensure programs and field experience in the College of\nEducation of the gathering. \u201cWe wanted to hear their concerns about\npartnerships with universities and teacher preparation programs, and how we, at\nUCCS, can go about establishing better partnerships with our rural district\nmembers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Already,\ncreative solutions generated by UCCS faculty and the CCRE abound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne of the\nthings we do is provide access for individuals to learn more about rural\nColorado,\u201d Sherman said. \u201cWe do rural field trips \u2013 we get people on a bus and\nwe go visit a series of rural school districts. That way, students can learn\nwhat it\u2019s like to be a teacher in a rural school district.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose tend\nto win hearts,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe often\nhave a misperception about things we don\u2019t know or don\u2019t understand,\u201d Halverson\nsaid. \u201cSo these van trips really give students an opportunity to visit a rural\ndistrict and get a much better idea of what it\u2019s like to be a teacher there.\nThat\u2019s the first step towards getting them interested in being a teacher in a\nrural area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In January, education professor Robert Mitchell took the field trip idea a step further. Together with associate professor and chair of the Education Department at Colorado College Mike Taber, he took 20 students from UCCS and Colorado College on a two week \u201crural immersion\u201d program. The students toured school districts in southern Colorado \u2013 Kim, Pritchett, Walsh, Springfield, Campo and Vilas \u2013 to experience the ups and downs of teaching in tiny, close-knit school districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Van-Trip.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"161\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Van-Trip-300x161.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117267\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Van-Trip-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Van-Trip-750x404.png 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Van-Trip.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>UCCS undergraduates travel to Simla, a ranching community about 50 miles from Colorado Springs, to experience a rural school district first-hand. Photo credit: CBS This Morning.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sherman\nhighlighted how different the rural teaching experience can be from teaching in\none of Colorado\u2019s 32 urban districts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe school\nis the single largest employer in these communities,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the\ncenter of the community. There are two or three students per grade in the Kim\nschool district.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;But on\na Friday night for a volleyball game,&#8221; she said, &#8220;500 people will\npack the gym. It\u2019s the place where people come to connect with each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked\nwhat might surprise students about teaching in a rural district, Sherman\nanswered, \u201cThe amount of support. The innovation. The ability to make\nconnections, real and meaningful connections, with students that last for a\nlong time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She\ncontinued, \u201cWhen you are a student teacher interviewing in the Cherry Creek\ndistrict, you meet your principal and assistant principal \u2013 maybe. In a rural\nschool district, you meet the principal, the superintendent, the students,\ntheir parents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe\ninvestment that administrators make into their first-year teachers and student\nteachers is a sign of how valued those individuals are by the school and the\ncommunity,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a real difference compared to what they\u2019re\nreceiving in urban districts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Classroom.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"161\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Classroom-300x161.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117268\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Classroom-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Classroom-750x403.png 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/CBS-Classroom.png 1920w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>CBS This Morning features a classroom at The Big Sandy School.  Photo credit: CBS This Morning. <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond field\ntrips to immerse students in rural life, Sherman and the CCRE work to bring\ngrant money to rural school districts. They help fund a mini-grant program that\nfuels relationships between universities and rural school districts, aimed at\naddressing the districts\u2019 local needs. The CCRE\u2019s Future Rural Teaching Summit\nhelps students from rural high schools learn what it would be like to teach in\nthe school districts where they grew up. The summit is part of a move for rural\nschool districts to \u201cgrow their own\u201d teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, some of the most impactful work Sherman and the CCRE do is to simply provide stipends to help new teachers overcome obstacles to rural teaching. With salaries for rural teachers typically falling under $35,000 a year, any financial support can make a difference, especially for younger teachers paying off student loans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019re\nstarting our fourth year, and we\u2019ve awarded over $1.3 million to 304\nindividuals throughout Colorado,\u201d Sherman said. \u201cThe stipends help them to do\nstudent teaching in a rural school district, to get nationally board certified\nand to provide support for those individuals who are in alternative licensure\nprograms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sherman hopes\nthe stipends will help develop a pipeline of prospective rural educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1388.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1388-300x169.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-117285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1388-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1388-750x422.png 750w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1388-678x381.png 678w, https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_1388.png 1800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Flyers about UCCS College of Education academic programs fill a table at the recent resource fair.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne of the\nstipends we provide is for alternative licensure,\u201d she said, \u201cwhich are\nexpensive, but fill a huge need in helping schools fill their vacant positions.\nI just got an email this morning from one of the recipients in Bayfield,\nColorado. She\u2019s a first-year teacher, and she just received the stipend for her\nprogram.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cShe told me\nin her email, \u2018This is life-changing for a first-year teacher\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Though the\noutlook for rural teachers can look bleak, the College of Education has no\nplans to stop working with Colorado\u2019s rural school districts to find solutions\nto the shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe really\nwant to be collaborative partners with our rural districts,\u201d Halverson said.\n\u201cWe don\u2019t want it to end here. We want it to extend into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And Sherman\nfeels confident that if enough prospective teachers see the reality of working\nin a rural school district, they might feel pulled to Colorado\u2019s small\ncommunities with huge potential to make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI tell our\nteachers, \u2018Go where you\u2019re needed the most,\u2019\u201d Sherman said. \u201cI want more people\nto experience the magic of rural. That\u2019s my goal.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Creative solutions generated by UCCS faculty and the Colorado Center for Rural Education abound. <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/?p=117199\" title=\"College of Education teams up with Colorado school districts to find solutions to rural teacher shortage\">(More)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":117266,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1,47],"tags":[53,82,125,293],"class_list":["post-117199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-education-and-public-affairs","tag-academic-affairs","tag-college-of-education","tag-department-of-leadership-research-and-foundations","tag-department-of-teaching-and-learning"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/simla-cbs-trip-communique680.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1mBpJ-uuj","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117199"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117290,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117199\/revisions\/117290"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/117266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communique.uccs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}