New York’s Projected Teacher Shortage Being Addressed By Niagara University
With the state of New York facing a major teacher shortage in the years ahead, cutting-edge preparation of education majors – and continued professional development of current educators – takes on added importance.
It was that impetus, in part, that led to yesterday’s Google Academy at Niagara University. Hosted by NU’s College of Education in collaboration with the Orleans-Niagara Teacher Center, more than 100 teachers from local school districts participated in the all-day conference, which featured 16 different sessions on how to incorporate Google tools in the classroom.
Dr. Chandra Foote, dean of Niagara University’s College of Education, also attended the conference with numerous faculty members.
“This type of professional development allows teachers to bring the most current and innovative technologies into their classrooms,” noted Dr. Foote. “It also gives our faculty an opportunity to learn these technologies so that they can equip our pre-service teachers with the ability to integrate technology into the classrooms as they enter the teaching profession.”
New York will need 6 percent more teachers by 2022, or about 1,700 teachers a year, according to data from the state Department of Labor. Western New York will need 4 percent more teachers by 2022, or an additional 90 teachers a year.