Fewer enrolling in teacher-prep programs in R.I.

Rhode Island is one of nine states that have seen dramatic declines of more than 50% in the number of students enrolling in teacher-prep programs, according to a study by the Center for American Progress.

In a report released last week, the center, a left-leaning think tank, found that enrollment in teacher-prep programs are dropping significantly nationwide.

In Rhode Island, enrollments in traditional college programs has decreased by 51% between 2010 and 2018, the study said.

Nationally, there were more than one-third fewer students enrolling in teacher-preparation programs in 2018 than 10 years earlier, according to the report.

At a time when research shows the importance of having teachers who look like their students, there are also fewer black and Latino teacher candidates enrolled in 2018 than in 2010.

The public perception of teachers has also changed. In a 2018 survey by PDK International, most parents said they didn’t want their children to become teachers.

Rhode Island College, with the state’s largest preparation program, has seen a 48% dip in teacher enrollments over a 10-year period.

“Neither RIC nor Rhode Island is an anomaly,” said RIC’s new dean of education, Jeannine Dingus-Eason. “We absolutely must understand that these declines are occurring nationally and regionally.”

Dingus-Eason tracked 10 years of Rhode Island SAT data and found that only 4% of high school seniors express an interest in majoring in education.

“Why is it happening?” she said. “A variety of reasons. Public perceptions of the teaching profession — low pay, high stress, low respect. I would argue, especially for people of color, they may have schooling experiences — disproportionate disciplinary referral rates, special education rates, school cultures — that dissuade them from even considering teaching as a career pathway.”

The other challenge is that Rhode Island isn’t producing the types of teachers it needs. The state, like so many others, has shortages of English language teachers, secondary math and science teachers, and special education teachers.

Dingus-Easton said Rhode Island needs to ask high school students what would boost their interest in teaching and what can be done to change the perception of the profession. And the state needs to develop data to explain what obstacles are keeping people out of the profession.

The University of Rhode Island has seen some ups and downs in its elementary education enrollments, with 331 students in 2000, 227 in 2013 and 288 in 2019. But enrollment in secondary education has dropped by 54%, from a high of 314 students in 2010 to 170 today.

One possible explanation is that a major in secondary education requires a double major. As Rhode Island recovered from the 2008 recession, college graduates with math and science degrees chose jobs in the more lucrative private sector.

Rhode Island now requires aspiring teachers to spend a year working full time in the classroom. Danielle Dennis, director of URI’s school of education, believes in this model, but says it could prove challenging for teacher candidates who work part time or care for children.

“It raises the possibility of losing our more diverse candidates,” she said, adding that no money was attached to the bill. “Our current teaching force doesn’t match the children we teach. Recruitment has to be an urgent concern.”

There was one ray of hope in the national study: a 30% increase in the number of teachers who graduated prepared to teach English as a Second Language. That trend is evident at URI, where the number of such graduates rose from 22 in the fall of 2016 to 44 in 2019. Cynthia Scheinberg, dean of the school of humanities, credits the program's success to extensive hands-on learning, small classes, and strong mentor relationships between faculty and students.

Contrary to the data provided by the Center for American Progress, Providence College has experienced only a 5% decline in students enrolled in elementary and special education from 2014 to 2018. And the number of students majoring in secondary education has remained constant, according to Jennifer Swanberg, dean of the school of professional studies at PC. (Swanberg didn’t have enrollment data dating back to 2010).

“What I hear from my faculty is that the teaching profession is not as sought after as a career,” she said. “There is this perception by young people that teachers don’t get the level of respect they should.”

— lborg@providencejournal.com

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On Twitter: @lborgprojocom