Tuesday, March 11, 2003

Western Governors U. Opens a New Online College for Teachers By DAN CARNEVALE Washington Western Governors University is opening a new college that will let teachers earn certification online, and that could help ease the shortage of educators in schools across the nation, WGU officials said Monday. The U.S. secretary of education, Roderick R. Paige, joined officials of Western Governors for the announcement, which was made here at the Education Department. Mr. Paige said the new Teachers College would help school districts meet a requirement of the No Child Left Behind Act, which mandates that elementary and secondary schools have instructors with teaching credentials in all classrooms by 2006. "We're asking schools to provide a highly qualified teacher in every classroom," Mr. Paige said. "We've got to raise standards. We've got to increase the pool from which we draw teachers." The Education Department helped finance the Teachers College with a $10-million grant that was awarded in September 2001. The college will offer associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees in education. Some of the degree programs will focus on using technology in the classroom. Western Governors is a virtual university that does not offer any courses itself. It awards degrees based on evaluations of students' competencies in various subjects. Students can gain that competence through experience or by taking online courses through institutions that have formed partnerships with WGU. The university was awarded accreditation by a group of four regional accrediting bodies last month (The Chronicle, March 14). Officials at Western Governors expect both uncertified and certified teachers to enroll in the programs, both to earn degrees and to enhance their teaching abilities. Robert W. Mendenhall, the university's president, said the Teachers College had enrolled 50 students before Monday's announcement. He said he expected enrollment to grow to more than 1,000 in about a year. Elementary and secondary schools, especially those in inner cities, are badly in need of certified teachers, he said. "They understand firsthand the problems and the issues," Mr. Mendenhall said. "We've been very well received by the schools we've been working with." Other institutions, such as University of Maryland University College, have also been offering online programs that officials say can help stem the nation's teacher shortage. Gov. Michael O. Leavitt of Utah, a Republican who is co-chairman of the WGU board, said the new online programs would help teachers who are too busy to earn their certifications at traditional institutions. "This isn't designed to supplant what's going on in our universities," he said. "It's designed to supplement." Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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