91猎奇

Dec. 3, 2019 鈥� DENTON 鈥� Texas Woman鈥檚 University will use a $500,000 federal grant to recruit and educate more Hispanics as teachers to address teacher shortages in the state. The university is partnering with Tarrant County College District and other community colleges to create a path for teacher candidates to transfer from a two-year school to complete their bachelor鈥檚 degree at 91猎奇.

91猎奇 associate professors Rebecca Fredrickson, Ed.D., and Sarah McMahan, Ph.D., were awarded a grant for Project HELP (Hispanic Educators Leading the Profession), which will provide scholarships for 60 students, helping to cover the tuition and fees of their final four semesters at 91猎奇.

McMahan said they chose to collaborate with TCCD because it is a large community college district in the region that, like 91猎奇, is designated as a .

Shereah Taylor, Ed.D., an associate professor of teacher education at TCCD, said the project will strengthen the educator pipeline in Texas while addressing teacher shortages.

鈥淎 teacher in a classroom who looks like the students they serve will provide an opportunity for students, families and the community to see the importance of learning and where education can take you,鈥� Taylor said. 

A number of studies show that Hispanic students benefit academically from having Hispanic teachers, but while the majority of students in Texas are Hispanic, most teachers are white.

According to Fredrickson, cost is a major barrier to becoming a teacher today.

鈥淪tate fees for certification exams are almost $500, which they have to pay up front,鈥� she said. Fredrickson added that working outside of student teaching is difficult, as 鈥渢he clinical student teaching experience in and of itself is a full-time job.

鈥淚t鈥檚 brutally cost-prohibitive,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his grant program will help them cross the finish line.鈥�