IC adds online education licensure program, partners with Golden Apple
The Illinois College education program is taking another step to help combat the teacher shortage in Illinois.
The new online education licensure program will allow college graduates to earn a teaching license. The program can be completed in approximately 12 months for secondary education and a little over a year for elementary education.
"Amid all of the current challenges facing the education field, the teacher shortage is perhaps the most critical,” said Jaime Klein, chair of the education department at Illinois College. “The Illinois College Teacher Preparation Program is determined to tackle this crisis head-on with our new post-baccalaureate licensure program.”
Graduates with a major in biology, English, history, math or a related area, are eligible to enroll in the secondary licensure program and students may enter the elementary licensure program from a range of majors. Interested students should contact Illinois College for a transcript analysis.
The College is also partnering with the Golden Apple Accelerators Program to have an even greater impact. According to the organization, 88% of Illinois school districts reported a shortage of teachers in 2021.
Through the partnership, vital scholarships are available for IC’s licensure program. The scholarships can pay for tuition and participants can receive stipends to assist with expenses.
Golden Apple aims to remove financial barriers and help participants complete the licensure program quickly, so they can be in the classroom teaching as soon as possible. Current substitute teachers and paraprofessionals already in the school system are especially encouraged to apply.
IC is one of just a few Golden Apple Accelerators Program partners in the state, thanks in part to the College’s existing partnership with the organization’s scholarship program.
“We are thrilled to be a higher education partner with the Golden Apple Accelerators Program, a leader in working to end the teacher shortage in Illinois since 2020,” Klein noted. “We are ready to join the Golden Apple Accelerators Program to support and empower aspiring teachers, so that they can transform the lives of the next generation."
The education program at Illinois College has a long history of graduating excellent teachers and has seen some of its largest teacher candidate cohorts in recent years. The department is also one of a group of colleges and universities leading a statewide effort to promote greater representation of teachers of color in public schools.
IC education students have access to resources to launch them toward success, such as the Teacher Preparation Program and state-of-the-art technology and learning spaces in the Joy French Becker ’67 Center for Teacher Education.
Visit IC Online to learn more about the post-baccalaureate education licensure program and IC’s other online offerings. Visit the Golden Apple Accelerators Program website to learn more about the scholarships and eligibility.