Talladega College, the historically Black educational institution in Alabama, is launching a new program designed to provide a pathway for teacher’s aides and education paraprofessionals to complete a bachelor’s degree in order to meet the qualifications to become schools teachers.
Students who enroll in the program will take classes in the fall and spring semester over the next two years. Classes will meet in the late afternoon enabling the students to continue to work as teacher’s aides or in other positions in local school systems.
Rebecca McKay, dean of the Division of Social Sciences and Education at Talladega College notes that “many of the students joining the program previously attended a community college. In some cases, they felt the need to work before obtaining a bachelor’s degree. They are in the classroom every day. They have observed classroom instruction for years, so they have a body of knowledge that a younger student would be unlikely to have. However, their work schedules prevent them from taking the classes needed to obtain a bachelor’s degree and teach.”
