National University, a top provider of teaching credentials in California, advances its dedication to removing financial barriers for aspiring student teachers
SAN DIEGO, CA (October 31, 2024) — National University (NU), one of the largest Minority Serving universities in the United States, committed to innovating around access and success for non-traditional, working and military learners, today announced that it has received a $350,000 PrebysFoundation Thriving San Diego Workforce Initiative grant to support student teachers as they complete their final clinical experiences leading to a teaching credential. According to the California Department of Education, there is a continual need for high-quality educators to prepare diverse students for future success. This grant will provide funding for the REACH (Regional Education Apprenticeship for Career Horizons) Program, which aims to boost graduation rates of financially overburdened future teachers to address the teacher shortage in San Diego County.
“Education students completing their student teaching credentials need a better onramp into the profession,” said Dr. Mark D. Milliron, president and CEO of National University. “The Prebys Grant will assist our ‘An-ders,’ as we call them – learners working hard to balance being a student and employee, student and parent, or student and caregiver for aging parents – learn well, finish strong and launch effectively into their careers in education.”
NU is a top provider of teaching credentials for beginning teachers in California and is dedicated to removing financial barriers for aspiring teachers as they take time away from their busy lives to complete their courses and student teaching requirements. Further, NU’s teaching credential programs are designed to support busy working students who require access to convenient online career-relevant degrees. According to the Learning Policy Institute, research indicates that teachers who receive support and are well-prepared for their teaching profession tend to stay in the profession longer and are better equipped to enable their diverse student populations to succeed.
“National University is dedicated to doing our part to address the teacher shortage in San Diego County,” said Dr. Robert Lee, dean of the Sanford College of Education (SCOE) at National University. “Removing financial barriers for student teachers will make the difference in their lives, allowing them to focus on their student teaching experience, and not on making ends meet. We look forward to helping our student teachers achieve their education and career goals of becoming a teacher.”
“Many candidates must take a leave of absence from their employer to complete their student teaching requirement while they are also paying for their course work at the same time,” said Jessica Gladney, senior director, partnership development at National University. “The REACH Program will provide student teachers with living stipends to help cover their living wage, providing crucial financial support when they need it most.” To learn about the many career pathways National University offers in the field of education, please visit the Sanford College of Education webpage.
About National University: National University, a Veteran-founded nonprofit, has been dedicated to meeting the needs of nontraditional, working, and military students by providing accessible, affordable higher education opportunities since 1971. As San Diego’s largest private nonprofit university, NU offers over 190 online and on-campus programs with flexible four-week and eight-week classes and one-to-one graduate education models designed to help students reach their goals while balancing busy lives. Since its founding, the NU community has grown to 130,000 learners served per year—50,000 degree-seeking students and 80,000 workforce and professional development students—and 240,000 alumni around the globe, many of whom serve in helping industries such as business, education, health care, cybersecurity, and law and criminal justice. To learn more about National University’s new possibilities in education including next-generation education, value-rich education, and whole human education, visit NU.edu.