Ivy Tech Community College offering a low-cost program to attract a diverse field of future teachers
In partnership with Marian University and area high schools, Ivy Tech is offering a dual enrollment program and a path toward earning three education degrees at a maximum cost of $45,000.
A new program at Ivy Tech Community College will offer dual enrollment for high schoolers to put them on track to earning an associate, bachelor's, and master's degree for $45,000 or less. The Marian-Ivy Tech initiative aims to diversify the teaching workforce in Indiana and address a teacher shortage in the state. Students enrolled in the cadet teaching program will attend high school and community college simultaneously. The program then sends them to the Klipsch Educators College at Marian University to earn a bachelor's degree with a teacher certification, after which students will pursue a master's degree at no cost and participate in a clinical residency in an Indiana classroom for one year.
The presence of a diverse teaching workforce is important, according to Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers, as quoted in a recent news release from Ivy Tech. "We know students of color benefit when they have the opportunity to learn from educators who look like them," Lubbers stated. "Our most recent data show fewer than 15 percent of educators graduating from college come from a minority population. There's a clear disconnect between the classroom need and our current pipeline of educators coming out of college. This partnership is an innovative opportunity to break down barriers and continue moving toward Indiana's goal of having a diverse teaching corps, which is to the benefit of all Hoosier students."
In an effort to accomplish this goal, the Marian-Ivy Tech initiative will accept its first cohort of 100 students in the fall of 2021, with the hopes that at least half of those will be students of color. They plan to grow the program to 500 students by 2025. LaTonya Turner, Ph.D., dean of Klipsch Educators College, said that it is the responsibility of institutions of higher education to drive this growth in diversity among Indiana educators. "It is incumbent upon our universities, both public and private, to aggressively recruit highly qualified and talented individuals to lead Hoosier classrooms. The Klipsch Educators College recognizes the need for teachers of all backgrounds, and we are focusing on our efforts to prepare the best and the brightest to help drive student success," Turner said.
The dual enrollment aspect of the initiative is designed to help high school students get a head start on college, while potentially saving money on tuition. As President of Ivy Tech, Dr. Sue Ellspermann, explained, "This partnership will provide the opportunity for many more students to earn an affordable, high quality teaching degree to fill the critical teacher shortage Indiana is facing. In fact, students could earn their first year free while in high school through Ivy Tech dual credit, earning a Technical Certificate within the Next Level Programs of Study."
The initiative has garnered the support of the Indiana Department of Education. Indiana Secretary of Education, Dr. Katie Jenner, expressed this sentiment by saying, "By teaming up, Marian University and Ivy Tech, in partnership with K-12 schools, will allow students to go from high school, to college, to teaching in their own classroom through a seamless pathway option. This partnership is an important step in strengthening our teacher pipeline, as it follows researched best practices focused on the importance of engaging candidates as early as possible in their education, as well as encouraging racially and ethnically diverse candidates to become teachers."