Proposal: Enhance the STEM Teaching Program minor to a 48-credit small plan major by adding two, two-credit courses. Introduction: The Department of Science Education wishes to offer the STEM Teaching Program major degree program at the Ellensburg and Des Moines University Center campuses. This is an expansion of the existing STEM Teaching Program minor currently offered in both Ellensburg and the Des Moines University Center. Initial research and analysis of this expanded field of study are presented below with supporting data points provided. This analysis and any conclusions presented should be considered only as supporting factual evidence, and not an endorsement for or against the development of this program. Narrative: The Department of Science Education aims to expand the existing STEM Teaching Program minor at the CWU Ellensburg and Des Moines University Center through the addition of two new courses, which will allow the departments to create a small plan major. These additional courses will not only satisfy the concerns of students that feel the current workload supports a bachelor’s degree, but will also address key issues of lower than desired passing rates and insufficient support during student teaching. Offering this enhanced degree option at CWU Ellensburg and the Des Moines University Center will expand enrollments into this high demand field of teaching. It will also help to address key issues within the current minor by better preparing the students for their student teaching experience and creating an environment where students feel more supported during the student teaching phase. Because this is an existing degree pathway already offered by CWU, this analysis document will focus on demand. Research and Analysis: In the fall of 2016 the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction conducted a survey of Washington K-12 principals i . The results of the survey estimated a cumulative teacher shortage of nearly 22,000 qualified educators by the 2020-21 academic year. This is due in large part to increases in retirements that had previously been postponed during the recession years, as well as new state requirements on full-day kindergarten and K-3 class-size reductions. The stress on rural, suburban, and urban schools, especially those that are in low-income districts, is measurable through statistics reported in the survey, which showed a 45 percent vacancy rate in fully certified educator positions, where 93 percent responded as being in “crisis mode” or “struggling” to find qualified teachers. Further impacting the teacher-shortage crisis among middle and secondary education is the lack of qualified teachers within the STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. In the U.S. Department of Education’s Nationwide Listing of Teacher Shortage Areas ii , Washington has seen a shortage of qualified middle-level math and science teachers over the past decade. In the past three years these shortages have increased to include Pre-K through 12. These subject-matter areas continue to be areas of need among school districts and CWU is poised to produce and supply the necessary qualified educators to meet these demands. In an online search of the US Department of Labor Statistics website of “High School Teachers,” the Occupational Outlook Handbook projected growth through 2028 at 4 percent, which is slightly lower than the average growth for all occupations. By 2028, an additional 38,200 jobs are projected to be added in the area of Secondary Education which will vary by region even as rising enrollments will increase demand for qualified teachers. Nationally, the median pay for a high school teacher was $61,660 in 2019 according to USBLS while in Washington state teachers were paid a median salary of $71,690. Long-term growth projections through 2026 among secondary education teaching positions in Washington State are expected to be at 18.5 percent increasing from 16,230 jobs to 19,230.
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