Contact: Cherie Yurco;
cmyurco@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Aug. 6, 2021
DALLAS — When the
Dallas College School of Education bachelor’s degree program launched last year, it opened a new and exciting pathway to the teaching profession in Dallas County. The first cohort of students enrolled in the
Bachelor of Applied Science in Early Childhood Education and Teaching (B.A.S. ECE) program are entering the upper-level courses this fall and in two years will be ready to enter the workforce as early childhood educators or as lead public school teachers teaching students in pre-K, elementary or middle school.
“These first students earning Dallas College bachelor’s degrees will immediately help to meet critical teaching workforce needs across Dallas County — and will do so without incurring huge debt,” said Dr. Robert DeHaas, vice provost of Dallas College School of Education. “Ensuring our future workforce is provided with the opportunity to learn from an exceptional group of classroom educators — educators trained and developed right here in Dallas — will ultimately help solidify the continued growth of our local economy.”
The School of Education’s Early Childhood Education and Teaching program addresses a teacher shortage worsened by the pandemic. Demand for public school teachers in grades K-12 exceeded supply for the first time in 2019, and the trend is expected to continue. Prior to the pandemic, the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated that 270,000 primary and secondary education teachers would leave their occupation each year through 2026. The pandemic has elevated those numbers, according to a 2020 National Education Association (NEA) poll of teachers where nearly
one in three said COVID-19 made them more likely to resign or retire early.
The need for Texas elementary and middle school teachers is expected to increase by 11% from 2018 to 2028, with 17,770 projected annual job openings in the state, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The need for preschool teachers in Texas will increase by 14% over that same period, with 4,790 annual job openings.
“These first students earning Dallas College bachelor’s degrees will immediately help to meet critical teaching workforce needs across Dallas County — and will do so without incurring huge debt,” said Dr. Robert DeHaas, vice provost of Dallas College School of Education.
Meanwhile, fewer students nationwide are completing teacher preparation programs, and experts say that student debt is a big factor. By providing a program at just $79 per credit hour, Dallas College School of Education makes teaching a viable opportunity for more local students who cannot afford to attend a four-year university.
Until now, getting a bachelor’s degree has been out of reach for Juan Sandoval. A math tutor since 2015, he’s often thought about becoming an elementary school teacher. “When I first looked into it, money was an issue and time was an issue,” he said, but now he can see a path forward. “It’s a great deal. I will be paying the same amount for my bachelor’s that I did for my associate degree.”
Another hope is to recruit, develop and retain more teachers from within our community and to make the local pool of teachers more closely reflect the diversity of the Dallas student population. For example,
Dallas ISD demographics show that 69.8% of DISD students are Hispanic, while only 31.7% of its teachers are. And statewide, only about 42.3% of teachers are teachers of color, while students of color make up 73% of the Texas student population.
“Educators now have access to competitive wages — which is a relatively new narrative that needs to continue to be shared. Our school district partners across North Texas are truly leading the way in this space and helping reframe teaching careers by making significant financial investments in attracting and retaining one of our most precious educational assets — the educators themselves. The starting salary for a first-year teacher in many of our local school districts is now just under $57,000, and top-performing teachers now have the ability to earn six-figure salaries, on top of competitive benefits,” said Dr. DeHaas.
Interest in the B.A.S. ECE degree continues to grow. Just since April 2021, Dallas College has received over 1,900 student applications through Apply Texas for students seeking admission to the upper-level courses.
Registration for the School of Education Early Childhood Education and Teaching degree is open through Aug. 18 with seamless transfer options for students currently enrolled in Dallas College Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) or Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) pathways. For more information about the program, visit the
Dallas College School of Education website. To find out how to contact an advisor or register, visit
dallascollege.edu/admissions.
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