Demand for Teachers in Washington State

"The hardest academic year of my life"; How two local colleges are fast tracking teacher training

Lindsay Medrano was working with students in her resource room at Artz Fox Elementary School in Mabton last week, helping them learn math through a real-world exercise.

The three children were not the only students in the room. Medrano, who was hired as a special-education resource teacher in June, is enrolled in Heritage University’s accelerated class for licensing teachers. When she graduates Saturday, Medrano will receive a master’s degree in teaching as well as a teaching certificate with a special education endorsement.

The program at Heritage, and a similar one at Central Washington University, are part of a state effort to bolster the ranks of teachers in critical areas such as special and bilingual education.

With fewer people enrolling in teacher training programs in the state’s colleges and universities, as well as teachers retiring and student population growing, the state is facing a shortage of teachers in the range of thousands, according to state officials.

Last fall, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction reported that 20 percent of principals surveyed in the state said they were in a “crisis mode” for hiring teachers, with 70 percent reporting that they were struggling.

More Information

■Central Washington University has a hybrid online alternative certification program for those with a bachelor’s degree to teach high-need subjects in rural districts across Washington. Learn more at http://www.cwu.edu/csel/alternative-pathways.

■For more information on Washington’s alternate routes to teacher certification, go to http://pathway.pesb.wa.gov/future-educators/alternative-routes

Photo and article courtesy of the Yakima Herald Republic. Read the entire article online at the Yakima Herald.