Bowie State University Teacher Education Programs Buck the National Trend

While many teacher education programs across the country are showing declining enrollments, the opposite is true at historically Black Bowie State University in Maryland. The number of students enrolled in bachelor’s education programs at Bowie State grew from 221 students in 2018 to 319 in 2021, almost a 50 percent increase.

Maryland, like almost all states across the nation, is facing a teacher shortage. Since 2012, the number of students pursuing education degrees in the state has plummeted by 33 percent and teacher vacancies have substantially increased due to retirement and other factors. Furthermore, the majority of Maryland’s new teachers are not representative of the student demographics in the state which have grown more diverse in recent years. Maryland’s public school population is over a third Black and 20 percent Latino.

Rhonda Jeter, dean of the College of Education at Bowie State stated that “the primary reason for our success is that we nurture and support our students who choose a career in education and offer a high-quality program at an affordable price. We also network and have developed strong partnerships with local county school systems so that they’re familiar with our curriculum and degree programs.”

Dr. Jeter added that “everyone already knows that without qualified teachers in our classrooms, students’ ability to learn diminishes drastically. That’s why our mission in the College of Education is to continuously promote teaching as an important career emphasizing to our students the dire need for them in classrooms.”

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Get the JBHE Weekly Bulletin

Receive our weekly email newsletter delivered to your inbox

Latest News

Graduate Enrollment Surges at Winston-Salem State University

In fall 2024, Winston-Salem State University enrolled 244 new graduate students, an increase of 31.2 percent from the prior year. The HBCU now enrolls nearly 600 graduate students.

Two Black Women College Presidents Announce Their Retirements

Gilda Barbino, president of Olin College of Engineering, and Soraya Coley, president of Cal Poly, Pomona, have announced their plans to retire at the end of this academic year. Both Dr. Barbino and Dr. Coley are the first woman presidents of their institutions.

Norfolk State University to Construct a $118 Million STEM Facility

As part of an ongoing $90 million fundraising campaign, Norfolk State University has announced plans to establish a 131,000-square-foot STEM building to advance its research capabilities and science academic programming.

Two Black Men Selected for Academic Appointments at Universities

The faculty members with new appointments are Christopher Small at Florida State University and Dwight McBride at Washington University in St. Louis.

Featured Jobs