WHY DO WE GIVE SCHOLARSHIPS?
Using current data from the Economic Policy Institute study in August 2016 and the ACT “The Condition of Future Educators,” we find a need to encourage young people to pursue a career in education.
An effective teacher is the most important school-based determinant of education outcomes. It is therefore crucial that school districts recruit and retain high-quality teachers.
This is particularly difficult at a time when the supply of teachers is constrained by high turnover rates, annual retirements of longtime teachers, and a decline in students opting for a teaching career.
Five-year trends indicate that of the more than 1.9 million students who took the ACT in 2015, fewer than 88,000 students indicated an interest in education majors or professions. In the areas of math and science education, the numbers are even more concerning, with fewer than 3,700 indicating an interest in these subjects.