As seen in The Citadel President’s Report 2017
As school districts across the country grapple with a nationwide teacher shortage, faculty in the Zucker Family School of Education are creating solutions to address the crisis.
“We can’t continue to do business as usual,” said Zucker Family School Dean Larry Daniel. “There are 30 institutions in South Carolina that produce teachers, and we’re only producing half of what we need.”
To recruit more cadets to the field of education, Daniel is working to create programs that attract bright young students with a passion for service.
“If we can reduce the financial burden of the cost of a degree, we give cadets an incentive to become teachers. The profession is more attractive if they can begin teaching without a cloud of debt hanging over their heads.”
One new initiative is the Teaching Scholars Program, which offers $10,000 in scholarship funding over four years, enhanced academic and field-based student activities as well as an opportunity for international experiential learning. Teaching Scholars participate in carefully designed professional development, collaborative academic experiences, and service and volunteer activities. To qualify, cadets must have a strong admissions profile, a commitment to the disciplined military college environment and a desire to teach.
The Zucker Family School of Education, endowed in 2014, became the college’s first named academic school when Charleston business leader and philanthropist Anita Zucker and her family made a generous gift to The Citadel to enhance educational leadership and childhood literacy.