Last month, Rachel Keith of Ada was named 2024 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. With nearly two decades of work empowering students for a bright future under her belt, Keith expressed her passion for mentoring not only students, but new teachers, as well.
Teachers with that level of commitment to serving students and supporting other educators are the foundation of Oklahoma’s workforce. They transform block-builders into architects, daydreamers into designers, and chatterboxes into communicators. That’s why the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education developed initiatives to encourage more Oklahomans to consider a career in teaching. Our work in partnership with the Legislature and the K-12 system is specifically designed to attract more individuals to this noble profession.
Did you know that students can qualify for both scholarships (in college) and employment incentives (in the classroom as a degreed educator) to teach in Oklahoma? Through our Inspired to Teach program which was established by the Legislature in 2022 - participants can receive up to $5,500 in scholarship support while earning a teaching degree and qualify for a retention bonus of up to $20,000 after graduation for five years of satisfactory service teaching in public schools. Designed to address our state’s teacher shortage, this program is gaining ground, with a 10% increase in freshman teacher education enrollments in the last academic year. Over 4,500 students are currently enrolled in Inspired to Teach at 35 public and private institutions.
The State Regents offer several other programs through the Oklahoma Teacher Connection to strengthen the teacher education pipeline. Through these programs, students in middle and high school interested in teaching are offered insights into the profession, hands-on experience, leadership guidance, and service-learning opportunities.
Teach Oklahoma provides high school juniors and seniors the chance to explore the various aspects of teaching and professional portfolio development via hands-on exercises in an educational setting. This spring, the Teach Oklahoma Conference brought together more than 125 aspiring educators, teachers, and teacher education faculty members to collaborate, participate in workshops, network, and share resources to inform current and future professional practice.
Middle and high school students join Educators Rising to learn about education-related careers and engage in community service projects. The program showcases teaching as a rewarding and distinguished career choice. Lead Oklahoma is a curriculum that encourages academic success and fosters leadership potential in high-performing eighth- and ninth-grade students by developing students’ critical thinking and interpersonal communication skills.
The State Regents also support the teacher pipeline through collegiate program grants. These campus-based grants fund educator recruitment, retention and placement initiatives through varied activities, including campus visits for high school students and professional development workshops for teachers covering key elements of instruction, such as learning techniques and classroom management.
Constructing a skilled workforce in Oklahoma begins with passionate, well-prepared teachers. Great teachers are like expert sculptors instead of clay, they mold future engineers, doctors, nurses, and educators (and the occasional superhero). Without them, we would all be stuck in permanent recess.
Allison D. Garrett is chancellor of the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education.
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