ASU is helping state’s academics, teacher shortage using data from struggling schools

PHOENIX — Arizona State University is partnering with education officials to offset the state’s public school teacher shortage and improve academic performance.

The partnership began after a November announcement from the Arizona Department of Education calling attention to the state’s teacher shortage, with 1,000 teachers leaving the profession between July and November of last year.

Amy McGrath, the vice president of Educational Outreach and Student Services for ASU, said the university responded by offering assistance in the form of the new partnership.

How will partnership help offset teacher shortage, improve academics?

The Arizona Department of Education now provides data on teacher vacancies, academic levels and more to ASU. This lets university leaders pinpoint which schools and districts require assistance.

From there, ASU can determine how and when to assist. Some of its strategies include sending tutors into classrooms, providing virtual teachers and training staff in workforce and academic development.

The partnership also includes summer learning programs for students and coaching for teachers with the goal of increasing academic outcomes across the state.

“We actually have in-person tutors deployed to several districts right now that are doing high-dose math tutoring based on the data that we’ve been following that I referenced earlier. So, our focus right now in the spring semester is increasing math outcomes,” McGrath told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

McGrath explained that the partnership is focused on the state as a whole, not just urban areas. She said the partnership provides their services to struggling districts for no charge.

“Specifically, we’re looking at math tutoring and intervention as well as some literacy and professional development to make sure that teachers who have a hard time keeping and retaining high quality talent, we can come alongside and support through professional learning communities and coaching and creating workforce pathways for new models of educator preparation,” she said.

Funding for this journalism is made possible by the Arizona Local News Foundation.

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