COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND HIGHER EDUCATION: A JOINT VENTURE

Abstract

The shortage of K-12 teachers across the nation has prompted the establishment of new teacher preparation venues. A unique partnership has been formed between a community college and a four-year institution to provide teacher preparation and a Master's degree. Historically, only four-year institutions of higher education have been authorized to prepare K-12 teachers. However, in an unprecedented move, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has changed the certification rules to recognize community colleges as an additional venue for providing professional educational preparation. Collin County Community College District (CCCCD) was the first community college in Texas, as well as in the nation, to be authorized to prepare teachers. Texas A&M University--Commerce, with its strong history of professional education programs, has modified university procedures to consider the awarding of graduate credit for experiential learning in order to meet the emerging state educational needs. As a result, A&M--Commerce has joined with CCCCD to provide a bridge from the community college K-12 teacher certification program to graduate degrees from the four-year institution.