Online education platform Study.com announced this month the launch of its “Keys to the Classroom” initiative, which will provide $432,000 through 600 Praxis test preparation scholarships in order to bolster Nevada’s teacher workforce.
The Mountain View, California-based company is debuting the initiative in Nevada, according to a Nov. 30 press release.
“Teacher certification exams often prevent otherwise qualified teachers from being able to reach the classroom,” Dana Bryson, Senior Vice President of Social Impact at Study.com, said in a statement. “In fact, according to a 2019 report from the National Council on Teacher Quality, we know that more than half of teachers fail their first certification exam and a quarter never pass. We need to ensure aspiring educators have the tools they need to not only reach, but also succeed in the classroom.
“Keys to Classroom was created in the interest of strengthening our teacher corps — 90 percent of teachers report successfully passing their teacher certification when using Study.com for test preparation.”
Per the release, the scholarships will provide access for prospective teachers to Study.com’s teacher test preparation program to help meet the requirements to become a teacher. To fulfill scholarships, Study.com will work directly with community partners, including school districts, colleges of education and education-focused nonprofits.
The addition of 600 licensed teachers could mean a 20% reduction in the state’s teacher shortage, according to the press release, which notes that each school year, Nevada needs at least 3,000 new teachers to educate the state’s roughly 500,000 students.
“In our state, almost 90 percent of the class sizes are larger-than-recommended. This directly impacts educational outcomes and the success of our hardworking educators” Dr. Angela Taylor, president of the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees, said in a statement. “Nevada’s teacher’s shortage is a serious issue that we need to address sooner rather than later. Until we do, our teachers and students will continue to be impacted the most, which only hurts future economic development in our state.”
Study.com is already a certified provider of Continuing Education for Nevada’s teachers and partners with San Francisco Unified Public School District, the University of West Alabama, West Oregon University, and several other colleges across the nation as the teacher test preparation provider.
Go here to learn more about Keys to the Classroom.
