INDIANAPOLIS, IN – December 6, 2017 – Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow has recruited nearly 1,000 applicants into their program in under six months, including Amie Larkins who wanted to give back to her community and has already been hired as a full time fifth grade teacher in the Indianapolis Public School district. In the same short time, Indiana Teachers has also admitted 64 Interns who have begun their training and are on their way to helping schools state-wide fill empty teacher positions with qualified candidates.
State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick listed Indiana’s teacher shortage as one of her top priorities in her second year of office including finding ways to get more teachers into the pipeline. “The teacher shortage is real” McCormick stated in a briefing on her top priorities for 2018.
Amie Larkins, the Intern who has started her new teaching career with the help of Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow, has achieved her Transition to Teaching Permit after meeting state approved qualifications that allow Interns to begin teaching after demonstrating subject matter knowledge in conjunction with a bachelor’s degree and at least a 2.5 GPA. Ms. Larkins will teach fifth grade this year while continuing her online training with Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow and expert guidance from a Field Supervisor to periodically oversee and offer professional support.
“It was great to hire a career changer like Ms. Larkins for our school.” Bakari Posey, Principal of James Whitcomb Riley School 43 says, “Her passion and intentionality with her new role is refreshing and much needed in our school. Having options like Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow gives us the opportunity to ensure we have more teachers that are mature, passionate about students, and the profession of teaching.”
At the beginning of the school year, 130 of 141 school districts reported a teacher shortage in their district and over 20% report using substitutes to fill full time teaching positions. In addition to the shortage, there is a shortage of diverse teachers as 92% of Indiana teachers are white.
“We are totally committed to helping Indiana solve their teacher shortage. We have had a tremendous response in just our first six months and believe that we can have a very positive impact for districts by next school year.” stated Vernon Reaser, Teachers of Tomorrow CEO. “People like Amie are exactly why we do this important work.”
Indiana Teachers of Tomorrow is also working with Charter School groups and the Gary Community School Corporation to create an improved teacher pipeline.
