The University of Saint Joseph is aiming to address the needs of Connecticut schools and teachers.
“The context is hard, it’s never been harder but there is no more important time than now to become a teacher,” USJ Department of Education Chair Ashley Oldham said.
There is a total of 1,300 teacher job openings and 1,300 paraprofessional vacancies ahead of the 2023-24 school year, according to the Connecticut State Dept. of Education.
USJ is launching three new education initiatives to tackle the issue and attract new teachers, as well as help existing educators.
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Starting this fall, the university will offer a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, a Graduate Certificate in Dyslexia and Reading Disabilities and a Graduate Concentration-Master of Arts in Education with a Concentration in Personalized Professional Pathways (MAPPP).
“As applicants are coming in to look for a graduate program, a lot of them are saying well I am seeing an increased need for technology in the classroom because during and after the pandemic all of a sudden the need to use technology for teaching just exploded,” USJ Director of Off-Campus Programs Dr. Penny Spencer said.
According to CSDE, there is a statewide urgent need to fill teaching jobs in technology education, teaching English to speakers of other languages and special education.
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“We will meet with students one-to-one to MAPPP their path to their graduate program where they can build on these different strong curriculum options to create a plan to meet their professional plan,” Oldham said. “At USJ this is how we are ensuring that we are hearing from teachers, we are responding to them, we are coming alongside them with our curriculum and saying how can we help you become the teacher you want to be in this next season.”
The university is accepting applications for the fall semester, classes begin Aug. 28.
