Arizona no longer requires teachers to have a college degree
WASHINGTON (TND) — Arizona is changing its education requirements for public school teachers.
New legislation signed by Gov. Doug Ducey earlier this week requires that a person only needs to be enrolled in a college or university to get their degree in order to start teaching in public schools, according to Arizona's Family. While this new legislation makes it easier for those who want to become teachers to do so, it has been met with mixed reactions.
You have to have some experience. It’s going to allow people to do on the job training, and that’s where it’s scary,” Marisol Garcia, the President of the Arizona Educators Association, said.
While some criticized the state's new legislation, others took a more optimistic stance.
“It could work, obviously there’s no one size fits all plan,” Christopher Ramsey, a Phoenix teacher, said. “I’m a teacher, and I taught for two years while doing an accelerated master’s program, so I didn’t have my teacher’s degree." Ramsey added that with the right person, this could work.
Responding to the mixed commentary the bill has received, Senior Education Policy Advisor to the Governor Kaitlin Harrie, said that the added flexibility will help strengthen the teacher talent pipeline.
“Signing this bill into law furthers Governor Ducey’s pro-education policies by giving schools the flexibility to establish their own locally designed school leadership preparation programs and will allow those without a bachelor’s degree to start training to become a teacher while also completing their degree," Harrie wrote. "This flexibility will help strengthen the teacher talent pipeline, provide the opportunity for more Arizonans to become teachers, and allow for locally driven solutions.”
