Illinois and Chicago school districts are facing a teacher shortage. Retirement of veteran educators and attrition of new teachers increase the need for qualified teachers.
Last year, in response to the growing need for more teachers in urban areas, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Chicago Public Schools launched an alternative teacher certification program for middle-grade mathematics and science teachers.
This year, UIC is again partnering with the Chicago Public Schools in a citywide effort to attract professionals from other fields into teaching science or mathematics to middle grades students.
"This alternative route to teaching creates new opportunities for us teacher educators to learn more about urban education and how to best educate future science and mathematics teachers while partnering with schools to address the critical teacher shortage," said associate professor of education Carole Mitchener.
MGM/MGS, or Middle-Grade Mathematics/Middle-Grade Science Alternative Certification Program, the program Mitchener helps lead, allows people who have bachelor's degrees in a science or mathematics-related field -- but not a major in education -- to complete their teacher certification on the job while working in the classroom. They must demonstrate competence in their subject-area knowledge to teach mathematics or science -- two areas where the scarcity of teachers is most acute.
Because MGM/MGS participants have little or no teaching experience, they are enrolled in education programs that assist them in developing quality instructional practices designed specifically for educating urban youth.
They begin with placements in CPS classrooms to get experience working with children, and teaching small groups and whole classes, while receiving feedback from experienced UIC and CPS mentors. They also meet regularly at UIC to reflect on the development of their teaching practice.
Alternative routes to teacher certification first emerged in the 1980s. It was a response to the growing teacher shortage, and to address chronic problems of teacher retention in urban areas.
UIC's own experience suggests alternative routes to certification offer educators a chance to address the critical teacher shortage and lack of a diverse teacher population, while also learning how such programs aid teacher recruitment, retention and preparation for teaching in urban communities.
Alternative certification may be a good starting point for Illinois, which will need to hire about 55,000 new teachers, including about 33,000 new first-time teachers, and 3,500 new administrators over the next four years, according to the Educator Supply and Demand in Illinois: 2001 Annual Report.
Of the 2,637 unfilled vacancies in the fall of 2000, 2,225 were teaching positions, the report found. There were 112 vacancies in mathematics in 2000, with a projected need through 2005 of 3,548 new mathematics teachers. The projected need for general science teachers through 2005 is 1,737.
Half of the teaching vacancies recorded in Illinois in 2000 were in the Chicago Public Schools, the 2001 annual report concluded. Recognizing the severity of the teacher shortage, CPS Chief Executive Officer Arne Duncan led a year-long planning effort to address the chronic problem, which included expanded support of alternative certification programs for teachers with an emphasis on mathematics and science.
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