Answering the Call and Addressing the Challenge (10/11/13)
Teaching is an important calling and an economic imperative. More than any other school-based factor, a teacher has the greatest influence on student achievement, and according to Economist Eric Hanushek, replacing the bottom 7%-12% of U.S. teachers with average teachers would position the U.S. back among the world’s highest-performing countries. Most important, a quality education provides opportunity. For every unemployed worker, there are 2 STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs compared to 3 unemployed workers for each non-STEM job (2012 Vital Signs).
As we observe Columbus Day, the American Board is offering a $500 scholarship on the Plus+ programs, reducing the cost to $2,350. The American Board Plus+ programs helps one navigate the pathway to the classroom without obstacles and distractions. The American Board is offering these scholarships as part of its commitment to addressing the critical need for qualified teachers which includes a grave shortage of math and science teachers across the nation. The facts speak to the problem. Nearly 70 percent of 8th graders have math teachers who do not have an undergraduate degree in math, and more than 50 percent of 8th grade science teachers do not have an undergraduate major in science. The American Board is committed to addressing this critical need. More than 35% of American Board certifications issued are in STEM subjects.
What could this program mean for you? Many career changers, including American Board Missouri Teacher of the Year Birdie Pruessner, have followed the American Board’s affordable, flexible, and accelerated path to the classroom seeking to make a difference. “I was an insurance agent, newlywed, and full-time student when I enrolled in the American Board program,” said Pruessner, a math teacher at City Academy in St. Louis. “When I realized the impact one teacher can have on a student, I knew I wanted to teach. My inspiration comes from the possibility, the pressure, and the practice of teaching.”
Pruessner is among the more than 4,500 teacher certifications awarded across 12 states. She joins Marian McCellan, an engineer who wants to use her “love of chemistry and engineering degree outside of the cubicle farms of the world’s largest oil company,” has started her journey along the American Board pathway to teaching.
To learn more about the program and to discuss options, call an enrollment specialist at 877-669-2228.
