Chalkbeat, a nonprofit news organization focused on education, has written about Rhodes’ new educational studies major, the State of Tennessee’s recent approval of the schools’ licensure program for teachers, and the college’s partnership with Shelby County Schools.
In the article, Dr. Natalie Person, chair of educational studies, notes that Rhodes is well-suited to address the particular needs of Shelby County Schools, needs which contribute to a very high rate of teacher turnover. “Our students will already be well integrated in Shelby County Schools, and that’s what it’s going to take for folks to stay. We want our students to be the teachers that stay.”
Dr. Zachary Casey, assistant professor of educational studies, adds, “This is a natural, and perhaps overdue, step for us. With all of the pressures of urban education in Memphis, we had to ask, ‘Why is Rhodes on the sidelines?’” Per Casey, the college hopes to have 7-12 students in Shelby County classrooms this fall and double that number in three to four years.
Read the full article at Chalkbeat.org.