College of Education under pressure

Changes in Wake County School policies create stress on teacher placements

Lauren Henderson

Correspondent

Changes in the Wake County Public School System have limited the amount of time NC State students can spend in the classroom.

Michael Maher, director of professional education, said the number of students in the College of Education has made placement difficult.

“Around 160 student teachers and 500 observers are placed into classrooms in Wake County schools every semester,” Maher said. “Having so many students that have to fulfill these requirements makes it hard to find a place for everyone.”

Both the university and WCPSS have made changes to improve both the safety and placement of student, Maher said.

“In order for students to take a position as a student teacher they usually have to get permission from the person in charge of clearing student teachers, but they now have to get permission through central campus,” Maher said. “It makes it more difficult to be cleared.”

With the benefits of improved classrooms for students, Maher said, comes the limitation of the number of students that can be placed in classrooms.

“In order for a teacher to host a student teacher they have to have taught for a minimum of four years,” Maher said. Maher said that this requirement makes it more difficult to place everyone given the time restraints. He said another factor to take into account is the workload of certain teachers, such as those who take on additional positions, such as department head or mentor.

According to Brianna Hart, a junior in mathematics, these changes have made finding a position in high performing schools harder since the demand is higher.

“Some schools have placed a block on observers and student teachers in Wake County Schools, so this makes it more difficult to find a placement,” Hart said.

The Teaching Fellows program, Hart said, has been an excellent resource in gaining the experience she needs before entering a classroom.

“Being in the Teaching Fellows program makes it a lot easier to find a position as a student teacher because you get first priority,” Hart said. “We are held to such a high standard since we represent the state.”

Nikki Proctor, a sophomore in history education and a Teaching Fellow, said that as a younger student in the program she has not been as affected as the upperclassmen.

“It has not really affected me yet but hopefully by the time I need to fulfill my requirements these problems will be all settled out,” Proctor said.

Maher said in order to make the placement process safer for the students of Wake County Schools and to help NC State students applying for their teaching license, criminal records will now be taken into consideration.

“Schools are starting to take criminal background checks among anyone who is working in the school systems,” Maher said.

It is beneficial for students, Maher said, to learn this information before their student teaching requirement must be met than to be taken by surprise at graduation when they are unable to obtain a teaching license because of their background.