ENOLA, Pa. — The Capital Area Intermediate Unit kicked off a new teacher training program on Thursday.
The program, called the Capital Area Pathways to Teaching (CAPT), will enable the next generation of teachers to earn their associate's, bachelor's and master's degrees through embedded coursework while working full‐time in the classroom.
Educators say this program could help address the recent teacher shortage in south central Pennsylvania.
A total of 9,587 teachers left their jobs within the 2022/23 school year, the biggest number on record, according to a May study by the Penn State Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis.
The nearly 10,000 departures resulted in a 1.5% attrition rate increase from the school year before, the largest spike within the last decade.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Education, in-state teacher certifications have dropped nearly 72% from the 2012-2013 school year to 2021-2022.
Educators at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit say this program will help grow their own teachers, from their own geographic area, from their own talent pools, all while staffing classrooms and providing first‐class educational services.
The program kicks off on Thursday at 4 p.m. with a press conference at the Capital Area Intermediate Unit.