The OU Jeannine Rainbolt College of Education announced participation in a state scholarship and benefits program to address Oklahoma’s teacher shortage by offering graduates up to $25,500.
The Inspired to Teach program is open to graduates of an Oklahoma high school who’ve declared a major in an accredited Oklahoma teacher education program. Program qualification also includes enrollment in a community college with an approved articulation agreement alongside an accredited Oklahoma university teacher education program, according to a press release.
The program begins with $1,000 for each of the students’ freshman, sophomore and junior years. The payment increases during their senior year to $2,500. Following graduation, the payment is $4,000 for every year graduates teach in an Oklahoma public school up to five years.
OU College of Education Dean Stacy Reeder said in the press release that the program invests in the state’s future teachers, students and families, adding that Inspired to Teach may promote more enrollment in education programs.
“We know that nothing positively impacts a child’s learning outcomes more than good teachers,” Reeder said. “It is our hope that this funding, along with the other resources available to our students, will encourage more young people to become teachers.”
In an email to the Daily, Associate Dean Aiyana Henry wrote that the Inspired to Teach program was designed to address the ongoing teacher shortage, and she hopes that providing increased scholarships and financial aid will support future teachers.
At the Oklahoma State Board of Education meeting Thursday, a graphic displayed during the meeting depicted that teacher retention is declining in the state. According to the graphic, the state has 42,551 teachers for the over 600,000 students enrolled in the 2021-2022 school year.
Here is illustration of number of teachers in Oklahoma. Teacher retention has been on the decline as you can see but actually rose in wake of pay raises in 18 and 19. https://t.co/PlNzgUCUdH pic.twitter.com/IbeZBzYUvC
— Robby Korth (@RobbyKorth) September 22, 2022
“Many of these programs are incumbent upon the student teaching in an Oklahoma public school after graduation,” Henry wrote. “Our goal is always to graduate as many qualified educators as possible to enter the Oklahoma workforce.”
In addition to the new scholarship, the College of Education has existing programs including the OU Debt-Free Teachers program, which offers $20,000 in loan forgiveness over four years, and the TEACH Grant, which provides $16,000 to teachers of four years. These programs can be combined with the Inspired to Teach scholarship, according to the press release.
The press release states that qualifying students who sign up for these programs could potentially receive $50,000 toward the cost of education plus an additional $20,000 in their first four years of teaching.
Jennevieve Scott, language arts education senior, credited the Inspired to Teach program with helping her achieve her career goals through scholarships and financial programs.
In an email to the OU Daily, Scott said the program offers her support as a full-time student and mother.
“Inspired to Teach simply paves the way for greater access to education degrees which means more teachers — something our state desperately needs right now,” Scott said. “Student investment means community investment.”
