The NC State College of Education, in partnership with Johnston County Public Schools and Johnston Community College, is establishing a new dual enrollment program that will allow future teachers to foster their education and work for the county through an associate degree and bachelor’s degree from NC State. 

The new program will allow Johnston County residents to complete their Associate of Science degree from Johnston Community College. In addition, residents will go into a teacher preparation program to earn their bachelor’s degree while getting field experience in Johnston County.

“This initiative represents the best of collaborations to ensure a seamless pathway to develop the talents and aspirations of students who will return to their community to teach,” the dean of the NC State College of Education, Mary Ann Danowitz, said in a statement. “We look at this program as becoming a prototype and an exemplar for other districts, community colleges and four-year institutions to help address a critical workforce shortage.”

According to a statement, the Associate of Science (Teacher Education Concentration) is the first of its kind in the North Carolina Community College System. Its purpose is to serve teachers who intend on working in rural communities in North Carolina.

“Whether we want to acknowledge it or not, there is a teacher shortage nationally and we cannot continue to do the same things over and over again.  We have to tackle this ourselves,” Johnston County Public Schools Superintendent David Ross Renfrow said in a statement. “We need Future Teachers of America clubs at elementary, middle and high schools to groom anyone who wants to be a teacher.  Thanks to this program, we can now start growing our own teachers in Johnston County.”

To kick start the program, high school students and employees are being recruited from Johnston County Public Schools. Individuals must complete their associate degrees with a 3.0 GPA to enter into the preparation program at NC State.

According to the statement, the College of Education will also be involved during the program through academic advising, co-teaching and on-campus enrichment opportunities.

The program will enroll its first students in fall 2019, and students who are interested can learn more about the program here.