March 12, 2016
College of Education leader discusses teacher retention and recruiting with Rotarians
KINSTON FREE PRESS – Grant Hayes, dean of the College of Education at East Carolina University, spoke to the Kinston Rotary Club about East Carolina University’s College of Education on Thursday [March 3]. Hayes has been working in education for more than 27 years. Before coming to ECU in July, he was interim dean at the University of Central Florida.
“We have a story to tell within our college about the impact that we are making on this state and in this region,” Hayes said.
ECU has partnerships with 43 school districts and 20 community colleges in Eastern North Carolina. Out of the state’s 100 counties, 98 employ teachers who are graduates of ECU. Graduates also have gone out of the state to work.
“We are losing a lot of our graduates to neighboring states because of low salaries, no time for professional development, and testing requirements,” Hayes said. “Some of the support hasn’t been given to our veteran teachers to stay in the school system.”
Some of the ways ECU’s College of Education is keeping students in the major of education has been through donors that help students by providing scholarships.
Terah Archie, university program associate for the College of Education at East Carolina University, said about $400,000 worth of scholarships is divided up between 89 to 100 undergraduate [and graduate] students.
“We do have a very big issue as far as teacher recruitment and retention,” Hayes said.
Michelle Piper maybe reached at Michelle.Piper@Kinston.com or 252-559-1073. You can also follow her on Twitter at @MPiperKFP.
Kinston Free Press
By Michelle Piper / Staff writer
Posted Mar. 4, 2016 at 12:01 AM
A link to the online version of this story can be found below:
http://www.kinston.com/news/20160304/college-of-education-leader-discusses-teacher-retention-and-recruiting-on-thursday