KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A new program at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville aims to increase diversity among the state's teachers.
UT Assistant Recruiting Director, Demetria Mells said it is the kind of program that could really make a difference.
"I think it is so important because it reaffirms that they are important, what they can contribute to their education is just as important as any other students that's coming into the public school system," she said.
A news release from the university said the Increasing Teacher Equity to Address Community High Needs, or I-TEACH, program will begin this summer in the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences.
Mells said it will help address not only a teacher shortage but also a lack of diversity in the public school system.
"It is a big gap in terms of the students going to schools and being able to see that role model," she said.
The two-year program will support 12 prospective teachers for 33 hours of coursework and clinical practice that will help them graduate with a master's degree in teacher education.
Program participants will be assigned two mentor teachers at a partnering school and a designated UT adviser, faculty member and supervisor.
Partnering school districts include Knox, Anderson and Blount county districts; and Schools, and Maryville, Lenoir City and Alcoa city districts.
The initiative is funded by a Tennessee Higher Education Commission grant.
"We hope that we'll be able to grab a lot of educators out there and change the face of the education system," Mells said.