North Carolina has seen a devastating 27 percent drop in college students studying education from 2010 to 2014, with many blaming the stagnant teacher raises and having high criticism of those in the profession. However, NC State’s College of Education has noticed a recent increase in students despite challenges facing many colleges in the UNC System.

According to College of Education Interim Dean Mary Ann Danowitz, the reason for this increase is because of the unique research opportunities available and the department’s innovative recruitment strategy.

“We have done much better,” Danowitz said. “Our drop has not been as severe. One of the main reasons for the drop is because teaching has a lot of challenges, and the earnings in North Carolina are not very high compared to elsewhere — it’s hard to make a living.”

Currently, about 9.5 percent of North Carolina teachers are NC State graduates, and about 92 percent of NC State graduates who studied education are now teachers. Danowitz credits that success to the department’s ability to recruit new students into the college every semester.  

Last week, new UNC System President-elect Margaret Spellings held her first meeting with the board, identifying outstanding teacher preparation and good opportunities across all levels of education as being her highest priority, Danowitz said. 

“That is very, very encouraging,” Danowitz said. “She is the leading spokesperson for higher education, and we know that if we don’t have good teachers, and if we don’t have a good education as a result of that, we can never have a strong higher education system or a good workforce in North Carolina.”

Aside from the financial problems associated with those who go into the education profession, another factor contributing to the decreasing number of college students studying education is the high amount of criticism education systems receive.

“Education is likely to be criticized more than any area that serves the public,” Danowitz said. “This means people often think they have expertise, and that’s only what they know from friends who may not actually have the big picture about what education actually is.”

Olivia Reedy, a sophomore studying elementary education, talked about her apprehension in studying education.

“Teachers’ salary has definitely affected my decisions to become a teacher,” Reedy said. “When I tell people that I am an elementary education major, a lot of people respond by mentioning the lack of pay that I will get. It’s a constant struggle to decide whether or not I actually should leave. That’s because I know that if I leave, just like many other great teachers are leaving the education system in North Carolina, then that may just leave teachers who don’t care as much for their students, or those who won’t be the best teachers for our North Carolina students.” 

Students in the College of Education not only are engaged in various research projects, but weekly visits to Wake County classrooms as early as their freshmen years. This is as a way for students studying education to know early on if it is a good fit, Danowitz said.  

Sophie Hovagimian, a sophomore studying accounting, entered NC State as an elementary education major. She ended up switching to accounting at the beginning of her sophomore year after realizing teaching wasn’t for her. 

“Education is a major that requires a lot of passion,” Hovagimian said. “Teaching isn’t really a profession that you choose for the money. People always make comments on how I will make so much more money now, but that isn’t why I changed. I mostly changed because I realized that I did not have the right qualities for the job. The good thing about the education program here is that they have you in major-specific classes by your second year … I was having a hard time seeing myself teaching in a classroom, so I decided to change.”

While financial dilemmas and frequent criticism of education continues, Danowitz remains positive at the direction North Carolina education is going.

“We know that there is a decline across the country in terms of people that are going into education, but what is really clear to me is that the people who want to go into it and who have the potential to be great teachers are intentionally seeking out outstanding opportunities, and that’s why our numbers are going up,” Danowitz said.

Once a student is accepted into the College of Education, representatives from the college reach out to them and engage them in one-on-one conversations, both in-person and over the phone.

“We have the existence of a small community in the College of Education within a large university,” Danowitz said. “People who really want to go into teaching, they have a great deal of talent, but they will have a different experience here.”

Danowitz believes that the department’s Research Fellows Program has contributed to its success as well. The department has led the state’s North Carolina Digital Learning Plan, composing research on technologies in the classroom and how they can contribute to the overall learning experience.  

“Because we have a unique mission in engaging in research, students at NC State are on the cutting edge of best practices and new approaches, especially digital techniques in learning,” Danowitz said.

Of the students who have graduated from NC State with education degrees, the vast majority of them have careers in the education field within three years of graduating, according to Danowitz. She said this is further proof of how NC State’s College of Education has remained successful.