Teacher TRAC. Funds will be used to address the critical need for recruitment of high school and community college students into educational programs leading to K-8 teaching careers. The grant also focuses on student development, faculty development, curriculum design, and fieldwork experiences for students. Cerritos College also is a partner with CSULB in an NSF CETP grant and a U.S. Department of Education technology grant.

Virginia’s community college system has launched a system-wide Teacher Preparation Initiative involving a faculty-in-residence position and a statewide Task Force with representatives from each of the Virginia higher education system’s 23 community colleges. The goal of the initiative is to create new pathways for students in the community college system who want to become teachers. A statewide colloquium for arts and sciences and college of education representatives from two- and four-year institutions produced policy recommendations for the community college system in the areas of recruitment, collaboration, curriculum and advising, articulation with four-year institutions, early field experiences, and Praxis I preparation. Next steps include focusing on implementation of the policy recommendations and replicating programs that have been successful in targeting and supporting prospective teachers enrolled in the state’s community colleges. Programs already identified as successful include specially designed orientation and career development courses, a teacher apprentice program, a baccalaureate transition program, and activities that stem from participation in the NSF-funded Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT).