UT Helps Reduce Knox County Schools Teacher Shortage
By Cara Smith, CEHHS Student Reporter, Class of 2024
Teacher shortage is an issue nationwide, but not for Knox County Schools. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (CEHHS) is part of the reason why.
“Effectively preparing teachers involves a multifaceted approach that combines rigorous academic coursework, extensive clinical experiences, and continuous mentorship, coaching and support” said David Cihak, CEHHS Associate Dean of Professional Educator Programs and Director of the Bailey Graduate School of Education. “By integrating evidence-based, high-leverage practices with regular observations and multiple opportunities across varied school and classroom settings for actionable feedback, our aspiring teachers are well-equipped to positively impact each student’s learning and development.”
The hiring process for Knox County Schools begins early each year because of resources they are given through UT, including access to start interviewing upcoming graduates. This takes the stress off principals toward the end of the year.
The culminating experience for aspiring teachers in CEHHS is a yearlong professional internship. During this time, they work alongside a mentor teacher form the opening to the closing of the school year, fully immersed in all aspects of classroom life from the very beginning. The comprehensive experience provides a solid foundation for their growth as educators.
Training is important to Knox County as well as UT. Teachers continue to be trained and learn new skills throughout the year, developing a clear picture of the expectations.
“If our teachers are doing all these things, they’re in a great position to be really successful. They’re also in a position to practice in a way that’s manageable, attainable, and sequenced to help them develop, so that we’re not asking folks to do everything all at once,” said Alex Moseman, Executive Director of Human Resources Talent Acquisition for Knox County Schools.
UT offers alternative pathways to become a teacher like UT-PLAYS (Personalized Learning At Your Speed), a program that offers initial and add-on endorsement programs in special education and mathematics for current and prospective educators in the state of Tennessee.
UT-PLAYS is also cost-effective for potential students and is a program that allows them to work at their own pace.
“It costs $2,500 to receive an initial license, which I think is one of the most affordable options in the state,” said Moseman. “It’s a really interesting model, the way in which it’s taught asynchronously, with UT faculty behind all of the instruction.”
Knox County Schools and CEHHS worked hard to dwindle vacancies for this school year. There are currently eight vacancies across 92 schools with 4,600 teachers and 58,000 students.
If students are interested in learning more about teaching in Knox County Schools, they can visit TeachKnox.org to complete a quick profile and get connected with a recruiter, and students interested in learning more about the UT teacher education program can contact BeATeacher@utk.edu.