Despite national trends, UT’s teacher prep programs are growing
Story by Amy Blakely
Allana Tate earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at UT with hopes of becoming a school counselor. But after working in childcare and after-school programs for almost two years, she realized her dream was to become a classroom teacher.
Yet, the Chattanooga, Tennessee, native wasn’t crazy about going back to college for another degree.
“I got on Facebook and posted, ‘How do I become a teacher without having to go back to school?’”
A friend saw her query and told her about Project Inspire, an AmeriCorps “earn while you learn” program that would allow her to work as a teacher in a high-needs school in her county while earning her master’s degree at UT and becoming a certified teacher. In return, at the conclusion of the program, Tate would spend three additional years teaching in a high-needs school in the county.
Project Inspire is one of several degree pathways that have helped UT grow its teacher preparation programs at a time when the nation is experiencing teacher shortages and many universities are struggling to enroll students who want to become educators.
Bucking the trend
Experts blame the nationwide teacher shortage on low pay, job stress, struggles with student discipline, culture wars over what can and can’t be taught in the classroom, the aging education workforce, and the issues left in the aftermath of the pandemic. Ellen McIntyre, dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, says, “These reasons have merit for some; but we are finding that many still want to become teachers. They just need a pathway that suits their lives and offers support when they get into the program.”
Compounding the problem of the teacher shortage, “the vast majority of colleges are struggling to enroll as many as they did five years ago,” says Robert Kelchen, head of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
However, UT is bucking that trend.
Between 2019 and 2023, the number of students enrolled in UT’s educator training programs has increased 124.6 percent—from 407 in 2019 to 914 in 2023.
“We believe there are multiple factors involved in our growth,” said Amelia Brown, director of the Office of Professional Licensure, part of the college’s Office of School-Based Experiences.
Brown and David Cihak, associate dean of professional licensure and director of the Bailey Graduate School of Education, say those factors include an increase in online programs, expansion of “earn while you learn” programs, the introduction of a four-year bachelor’s degree option as an alternative to the five-year master’s degree program, and other innovative pathways for working professionals who want to change careers and become teachers.
Kelchen said UT’s teacher prep programs also benefit from the fact that the entire university has seen steady enrollment growth.
UT’s undergraduate population rose from 22,815 in 2018 to 27,039 in 2022.
The state of Tennessee’s support for higher education is strong, and financial aid like UT’s Tri-Star Scholarship program. UT scholarship programs like the Pledge, Promise, and Flagship, helps increase access for students from lower-income families and underrepresented areas.
And bolstering all of this, Kelchen says, is the fact that the university enjoys a broad appeal inside the state and beyond.
“We have the students who want to come here,” he says.
‘Traditional’ Enrollment Grows
A closer look at the uptick in UT’s teacher education program enrollment shows that the number of students obtaining their degrees in the traditional way—matriculating through the university and then being licensed to teach—has increased 62.4 percent, from 386 in 2019 to 627 in 2023.
UT maintains high standards for admitting and educating students. After being admitted to UT, teacher education students must answer questions about why they want to teach. They must undergo background checks and be fingerprinted. While the state requires teaching program applicants to have at least a 2.75 GPA and an ACTequivalent score of 21, UT students who score lower can appeal and still be considered through UT’s holistic admissions process. After successfully completing their coursework, students must pass state licensure tests and/or produce a portfolio for assessment.
“We measure skills and competencies,” Brown says. “We say, ‘We’ll allow you in—even if we need to support you a little more along the process.’”
Over the past two years, UT introduced a four-year bachelor’s degree program with a variety of concentrations and continues to offer its five-year master’s degree teacher prep program.
While the four-year program is quicker and, therefore, somewhat less expensive, Cihak says the benefit of staying for the fifth year is that the advanced degree typically brings higher pay and allows time to earn additional endorsements that give graduates “more power in the market” and increases the odds they get the job they want in a school district they desire. The master’s degree also provides more theory and skill-building.
Regardless of which program they choose, UT students in teacher training programs spend ample time in schools working with students and learning from mentor teachers. These school-based experiences begin with Education 100, a first-year course that requires students to spend about half a day per week working with a classroom teacher, learning to prepare lesson plans, and doing projects with students. Both the bachelor’s degree program and the master’s degree program culminate with year–long internships.
Brown said the goal is to give students “early and often” experiences to see what it’s like to be a teacher.
“Engaging with children throughout the day is not merely recreational, and we acknowledge that it comes with its challenges and complexities,” she says. “Let’s make sure students are really prepared for what the job entails.”
More ‘Nontraditional’ Options
Cihak and Brown say another key to growing enrollment has been providing programs that accommodate students at various stages of life.
They know by experience; both came to education via nontraditional pathways.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology, Cihak began working with children with developmental disabilities. He landed a job teaching students with autism in a middle school and completed his master’s degree in special education while working through an alternative teaching licensure program at Georgia State University. A similar program is known as the “job-embedded practitioner licensure program” in Tennessee.
Brown has a bachelor’s degree in plant science from the University of Florida. She spent 10 years in the food and agriculture industry before starting a family and deciding that she wanted to find a job that required less travel so she could spend more time with her family.
Brown, like Tate, opted for the AmeriCorps program, now known as Project Inspire.
While they remain a smaller share of the pie, UT’s non-traditional teacher education students are up a whopping 871.4 percent, from 21 in 2019 to 204 in 2023.
Many of these students have chosen to make a career change and go into teaching. Some already have bachelor’s degrees in other fields. For them, job-embedded programs, apprenticeship programs, and online programs are especially attractive.
“Not everyone can afford to quit their job, move to Knoxville, and participate in a campus-based program,” Cihak says.
Tate, who plans to be a grade 6–12 math teacher, is one of 16 Project Inspire students currently enrolled at UT.
She knows teaching can be a tough job, and the pay isn’t what it should be. But she revels in seeing kids grasp concepts, and she loves being in a position “to push kids to be better humans.”
“As I get older, I realized that life is not enjoyable unless you enjoy what you are doing,” she says.
‘We’ve Got a Way’
UT’s teacher prep programs got another boost in 2022 when Tennessee became the first state in the nation to establish a permanent apprenticeship program, Grow Your Own, which is funded by the state and the U.S. Department of Labor.
UT, which launched the state’s first baccalaureate version of Grow Your Own, now has 80 students enrolled in the program.
The UT System also has partnered with the state Department of Education to open a Grow Your Own Center to provide technical assistance for local teacher apprenticeship models, help recruit candidates, and provide ways for existing teachers to earn additional teaching endorsements, like special education and English as a second language.
Meanwhile, McIntyre, Cihak, Brown, Kelchen, and other CEHHS administrators continue to monitor teacher shortages in Tennessee and around the nation. They consider how the college’s programs might be tweaked to help fill those gaps, and they enthusiastically market UT’s growing options to prospective students, from high school graduates to would-be career changers.
“We never stop recruiting,” Cihak said. “If you want to become a teacher, we’ve got a way.’”