How NAU is tackling the teacher shortage in Indigenous communities
In an effort to increase the number of qualified teachers statewide and help Indigenous educators remain in their communities, NAU started Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Arizona Schools—a program that offers a pathway to a bachelor’s or master’s degree to educators who are already in the classroom but are not certified teachers. The program, which recently won a grant from the Office of the Governor, is already seeing success—the first cohort of participants, which graduates in a year, are making connections, getting leadership and teaching experience among Indigenous students and putting to use the culturally responsive content they’re learning.
