One of the biggest challenges facing rural Arizona schools is an ongoing shortage of qualified teachers to fill open positions. To fill the gap, Northern Arizona University is working with the Navajo County Superintendent of Schools to promote the Grow Your Own teaching program.
“We have fewer people going into teaching, but especially in rural areas. It’s hard to recruit teachers to stay,” said Show Low Extended Campus Admissions Counselor Elizabeth Flake. “That’s why we are trying to recruit people who already live in the local area. A lot of the people we work with are already working in a school, maybe as a teacher’s aide, and don’t really think about getting an education to move into a teaching position.”
In last month’s State of the State Address, Governor Doug Ducey committed to making improvements to promote teaching jobs in Arizona and outlined several areas he would like to address that may increase incentives to enter the teaching profession. These included permanent and lasting pay increases for teachers, and modifying restrictive teacher certification and hiring requirements. More importantly, he proposed loan forgiveness for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teachers and finding ways to eliminate student debt for all teachers.
“One of the biggest challenges for many new teachers is paying down student loan debt. Doctors, lawyers, business people–many will make six figures within a few years of graduation. But for teachers, paying off the debt from their education can take decades. In some cases, it might push them out of the profession altogether. That is unacceptable,” noted Ducey. “If you make that commitment, we’ll make this commitment: your education will be paid for, a job will be waiting and you will be free of debt.”
NAU’s Grow Your Own program is offered at the NAU Extended Campus located on Northland Pioneer College’s White Mountain Campus in Show Low. For those enrolled in the program the tuition is significantly less than the Flagstaff campus at $387 per credit hour compared to $696. Students also do not pay a $250 health and recreation fee or require a parking permit, which is $341 per semester at the Flagstaff campus.
To enroll in the program, students must have already achieved their associate’s degree, which can be obtained at any NPC campus or learning center at only $70 per credit hour. Federal grants and/or scholarships are also available to qualified students.
Classes will begin this fall, and the program involves three semesters of coursework followed by a semester with experience in a real classroom environment.
Anyone interested in becoming a certified teacher can attend NAU’s informational meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, at the extended campus located at 1001 W. Deuce of Clubs in Show Low. Reservations are recommended. Those who are unable to attend can request more information by calling (928) 537-9228 or emailing Elizabeth.flake@nau.edu.
Grow Your Own is the only such program accredited through the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
