ASU West will help resolve the teaching shortage in Arizona through a new accelerated teaching program that will start in the fall.
The new program will allow people with a bachelor's degree in a field other than education to become elementary school teachers in 10 months.
"It's tremendous to deal with the teacher shortage in the state of Arizona," said Michael Awender, ASU West dean of education. "It is a fast-teaching program that has the same quality as the traditional program," he said.
"They (ASU West students) really have to focus, because they get every course in the 10-month program that they would in the 18-month program."
Awender said the demand for the accelerated program is so strong that the first class of 25 students is full, and there is already a waiting list.
Maggie Tolan, assistant dean for the Office of Student Services, said that ASU Main has a similar program, and that it is ASU's perspective to do a good job preparing teachers to not only to fill jobs, but to stay in those jobs.
"When you have towns like Gilbert, which is the fastest growing city in the United States, you will always encounter shortages of teachers," Tolan said. "The schools can't even be built fast enough to accommodate the demand."
Tolan said that the teaching shortage currently being experienced in Arizona does not exist in all states.
"ASU Main is not in the business of just 'cranking' out teachers - we believe in quality and retention of teachers in their newly chosen profession," she said.
During the fast-paced program, students will spend vital amounts of time in one of the four participating Peoria Unified School District schools.
During the first semester, students will have a five-week block of student teaching, and in the second semester they will have a seven-week block of student teaching where they will be in the classroom Monday through Friday.
In addition, Awender said students will spend two days per week in the same PUSD elementary school.
Awender said that by spending a significant amount of time in the classroom, "Students will get a good kind of perspective on (elementary) students' growth."
Awender added that ASU West students will get to indicate which division of elementary teaching they prefer. They will choose from kindergarten through third grade, fourth through sixth grade or seventh through eighth grade.
"Students will get more teaching experience in the new accelerated program, because they will be in the classroom more than in an 18-month program," Awender said. "This is as compressed as any other program - we have not sacrificed any quality."
The new program at ASU West will begin August 5 and will follow the Peoria school year. Students will pay full tuition for two semesters.
Reach the reporter at erin.hawksworth@asu.edu.
