Jeannine Dingus-Eason said Rhode Island College remains “on the cutting edge of teacher preparation nationwide.” Dean of the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development since 2019, she says the state school averages 180-200 teacher education graduates a year. Declining interest in teaching as a career continues to challenge many local school districts, however, and will take a collective effort across the state to reverse, she says.
Why has there been a perennial teacher shortage in Rhode Island? How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected that shortage? Shortages are attributable to a combination of factors, including pandemic-related burnout, low pay, lack of respect for the profession, hyper-regulation of curriculum and increased credentialing demands, teachers positioned at the center of cultural wars, a lack of attention and resources for teacher retention and professional development, and declining interest in teaching careers. More than 10 years of SAT data indicate that on average, only 4% of Rhode Island test-takers indicate an intent to major in education. The noted reasons also emphasize why districts must immediately attend to retention, particularly that of teachers of color.
Does RIC still see itself as a local leader in teacher education? How has the Teacher Education Program adapted to help meet the changing needs of today’s workforce? RIC has always been a local leader in teacher education since we were founded as the Rhode Island Normal School in 1854. We remain so today. We prepare more teachers for Rhode Island classrooms than any institution in the state. In 2019, the School of Education launched a completely redesigned curriculum that is on the cutting edge of teacher preparation nationwide. The curriculum was developed by our faculty in collaboration with experts on national best practices for precisely the reason you’re describing: to keep pace with the changing needs of today’s classrooms. We put more focus on training teachers to work in urban classrooms, one of our greatest areas of need in Rhode Island, and addressing shortages of teachers prepared to work with [English-language learners] and special-needs students.
Does RIC still offer any teacher training programs for those wanting to become elementary school teachers? Yes. On the undergraduate side, elementary education students can earn dual certification in special education. Our students can also earn middle-level certification in science or math. Thus, they are prepared to teach in elementary classrooms and middle school classrooms. This training helps address middle-level STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] area teacher shortages. The bachelor’s in elementary education [program] leads to full certification to teach grades 1-6. [This program], with a concentration in special education, qualifies you to teach in both elementary education and special education. In the bachelor’s in early childhood education program, you choose from one of three concentrations: birth to 3, community programs, and teaching. The teaching concentration leads to full certification to teach pre-K-12 in Rhode Island.
Does RIC have any direct partnerships with local schools in the state to help provide them with teachers? We average 180-200 teacher education graduates per year across content areas. Partnerships with districts, charter schools and independent schools across the state are critical to the preparation of teacher candidates, as our partners provide practicum and student teaching sites.
Does RIC also offer any programs to help individuals who have worked in another industry but now want to become teachers? The [Rhode Island Teacher Education] program provides a pathway for individuals with degrees in secondary content areas to return for certification coursework, as well as our credential review program, which provides previously certified or those with education coursework a pathway to certification. We are launching our Educational Foundations program, which will allow teaching assistants and others employed in K-12 settings an opportunity to complete undergraduate degrees. Those completing the bachelor’s of professional studies in Educational Foundations may then apply for certification in our post-baccalaureate or master’s programs. This is part of our bachelor’s of professional studies program, an online degree completion program for adults with some college credit but no degree. This will help more paraprofessionals already working in schools achieve bachelor’s degrees, which puts them on track to earn teacher certification.
Are you optimistic that the teacher shortages in Rhode Island can be rectified? If yes, why, and what role do you see RIC playing? Addressing teacher shortages is a collective effort involving multiple stakeholders, including educator preparation programs, the R.I. Department of Education, districts and other entities involved in grow-your-own efforts. This is the idea behind the Rhode Island Foundation’s recent diversifying the teacher pipeline funding initiative.
Also, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development at RIC will receive nearly $300,000 to establish a Grow Your Own Equity Fellows Program focusing on diversifying the workforce in career and technical education, specifically in Providence, Pawtucket and Central Falls schools. It will train GYO participants to prepare high school students for college and a career in teaching. There is a need for purposeful, pre-collegiate programming to introduce students to the possibility of becoming teachers. The grant targets educators who lead GYO initiatives, such as teaching academies.
