Educators Rising works to reverse teacher shortage in Pennsylvania

PHOENIXVILLE, Pa. (CBS) — School is about to start for millions of students in the Keystone State, which has a growing teacher shortage crisis , but a new statewide program is working to build a pipeline into the education system.

"So, in the future, I hope to be a college professor," said 16-year-old Christine Analraj.

The senior at Phoenixville Area High School is already teaching STEM lessons to younger students. She said she is also preparing for a professional career in a class called Educators Rising .

"So through Ed Rising, I've been able to kind of expand my network — both through meeting other educators and also expand my experience — through meeting with little kids."

Phoenixville is one of nearly two dozen schools across the state to sign up for these special classes this year. The Pennsylvania State Education Association coordinates the program, which Vice President Jeff Ney hoped would reverse a statewide teacher shortage , which has been growing since 2012.

"There's been a 66% decline in the number of certificates issued to new teachers," he said. "Our numbers went from a little over 16,000 to just over 5,000."

Ney said another goal for Educators Rising was to build a more diverse workforce.

"Because we see some of our students that are in our schools," he said. "They need to be able to look up to those educators that are in the schools that can identify more readily with them."

He was counting on teachers like Brittney Ehrenzeller. She is the Educators Rising leader at Phoenixville. She said the program was just a club last year. This year, it was the students who pushed for a formal class.

"And even the kids that weren't in the club that decided to sign up for the class," she said. "That's refreshing."

Ehrenzeller hopes to see students like Analraj at the head of their own classroom one day.

"Yeah, I love that we are making an impact," Analraj said. "Because that is one of the main reasons I want to be a teacher."

Thanks to a $750,000 grant from the National Education Association, program coordinators hoped to launch even more Educators Rising classes across the state later this year.