The Teachers College at Western Governors University’s (WGU) School of Education will mark American Education Week (Nov. 14-19, 2022) by announcing its WGU Loves Teachers and Become a Teacher scholarship programs for current and future education professionals who wish to pursue bachelor’s or master’s degree programs in the Teachers College.
Each WGU Loves Teachers and Become a Teacher scholarship is valued up to $4,000 and designed to help current teachers improve their skill set in the classroom or move into administration, and support future teachers in obtaining the required credentials to start a rewarding career as an educator. The accredited, nonprofit college’s commitment to keeping costs lowered reduces the need for student borrowing, resulting in average graduate debt that is about half the national average.
“WGU’s Teachers College has a history of maintaining remarkably affordable, flat-rate tuition that allows students to pursue their professional passions without the burden of student loan debt,” said Dr. Stacey Ludwig Johnson, Senior Vice President of WGU and Executive Dean of the School of Education. “With these scholarships, we continue our commitment of offering accessible educational opportunities focused on the individual so that each and every student, regardless of circumstances, can see themselves on the path to a degree.”
As the 2022-23 school year began, school districts across New York state reported significantly more unfilled teaching jobs than usual. The New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) union estimates that 180,000 teachers will need to be hired in New York over the next 10 years. Recruiting for the state’s teacher pipeline is crucial with NYSUT also projecting 87,000 retirements within five years.
WGU is doing its part to address this growing concern, graduating 1,414 New York–based students from the Teachers College. The university’s licensure preparation programs in the state include special education, sciences and mathematics, all of which have been identified by the New York State Education Department as subject shortage areas.
According to data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), all states and the District of Columbia collectively report an unmet need of approximately 377,400 teachers for the 2022-23 school year, including elementary, secondary, and special education. As part of a solution to this teacher shortage, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, WGU’s Teachers College has graduated more than 32,700 students nationwide between Jan.1, 2020 and Aug. 31, 2022 who have become licensed teachers or advanced in their school-leader roles.
“Children across New York deserve well-trained educators who reflect their diverse communities,” said Rebecca Watts, Ph.D., who oversees New York state as Northeast Regional Vice President of WGU. “These scholarships won’t just open doors to new career opportunities. They’ll create role models for New York’s K-12 students — especially among aspiring teachers who would otherwise not have the time, resources or support to pursue that goal.”
In the last 20 years, the Teachers College has conferred more than 70,000 degrees to educators across all 50 states, and has currently enrolled approximately 35,000 students. The college provides a broad portfolio of dozens of degree pathways in a student-centered, competency-based model with flexible scheduling to learn where and when students want within each six-month term. This enables students to progress through their courses as soon as they demonstrate skills mastery.
New and enrolling WGU students may apply by December 31, 2022 for the WGU Loves Teachers scholarship or the Become a Teacher scholarship by visiting wgu.edu/aew.
WGU’s Teachers College programs have been continuously accredited since 2006. They are currently accredited by both the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Association for Advancing Quality in Educator Preparation (AAQEP), a prestigious combination of accreditations. To learn more about WGU’s Teachers College and its academic programs, visit wgu.edu/online-teaching-degrees.
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