In an effort to tackle the ongoing East Bay teacher shortage, the Alameda County Office of Education has teamed up with Reach University to offer a low-cost teacher credential program for aspiring educators.
“ACOE and Reach University share a deeply-rooted mission to remove the historic barriers that have prevented so many diverse members of this community from becoming credentialed teachers,” said Alameda County Superintendent of Schools, Alysse Castro. “This is the first step in a longer partnership vision to build what school districts have been crying out for – an inclusive teacher talent pipeline throughout the county.”
The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing reported more than 10,000 teacher vacancies for the 2021-22 school year and said the number of new teaching credentials issued for the 2022-23 school year decreased more than 11% from the previous year.
The situation is particularly dire in the East Bay. Earlier this year, three complaints filed against West Contra Costa Unified School District said the shortage has become so severe in some of the schools there that it’s actually violating students’ civil rights.
ACOE and Reach University’s partnership will support substitute teachers, emergency credential holders and aspiring educators in earning a single or multiple-subject credential.
Reach University is a nonprofit, regionally-accredited university based in Oakland that focuses on degrees in education. The university offers working adults the opportunity to earn their bachelor’s degree and also provides certification and master’s degree programs for full-time educators.
As of 2024, the university has PK-12 district partners across 16 California counties and 300 enrolled undergraduate and graduate candidates.
ACOE and Reach University will work with local schools to identify current and future teacher needs. The program will train participants through the university’s graduate-level Intern Teacher Credential Program. Participants will work in a local East Bay K-12 school as they complete the program and also have the option to obtain a Master of Arts in Teaching degree.
Reach University’s two-year program costs $8,000 a year for the 2023-2024 school year. But in an effort to increase affordability, ACOE and local school districts will sponsor nearly 95% of the tuition cost for all participants, bringing candidates’ out-of-pocket costs to $500 a year or $42 a month for the duration of the program.
Program participants can also utilize the California Student Aid Commission’s Golden State Teacher Grant Program, which awards up to $20,000 to students enrolled in a credential program.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that the state would be reducing $60.2 million one-time support for the program as part of his budget revisions, although $50 million in one-time support funds will remain.
To be eligible for the program, participants must have a bachelor’s degree and 45 hours of prior experience working with students or youth in a classroom. Applicants must also be able to prove employment at a Reach partner K-12 district in Alameda County. Applications for fall 2024 will be accepted through the end of June.
“Together, Reach and its partners have a two-decade history of supporting the recruitment, training and professional development of more than 1,000 diverse California teachers and school leaders,” said Joe E. Ross, President of Reach University. “ACOE’s community-wide investment offers a blueprint for other county offices of education to build an inclusive paraprofessional-to-superintendent talent pipeline, while creating equitable career opportunities for residents in every part of the county.”
To learn more about eligibility requirements for Reach’s teacher credential program visit https://reachinstitute.reach.edu/programs/the-teaching-academy/intern-program/. To sign up for an upcoming info session, visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIlnUgZCBgLtmwPKEo5LRVaNLD4cU2sYMR_m8n0gPnOUtzWQ/viewform.
