New Jersey's community colleges have partnered with New Jersey City University to offer New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey, a new program that addresses the critical shortage of teacher candidates in New Jersey through the creation of a multiple-site Alternate Route Certification Program that capitalizes on the resources of the statewide community college network.

Program Highlights
The program contains 200 hours of focused training, and addresses the need for teachers in chronically under-staffed content areas in the middle and high school grades.

Students participating in the community college program have flexibility of movement between community college sites, and the ability to register for program components at different college locations, depending on personal circumstances and need.

A major innovation in the program is a Pre-Service component that begins during the summer. This "Introduction to Teaching" course provides a close examination of the teaching profession, the teacher's role in the classroom, and the skills needed to make a successful transition to the school setting. The experience includes guided, in-class observations in local school districts. Registration for the pre-service program is open to students who have secured employment with a school district, as well as those who have not yet done so. Students can choose to take the program as either a certification requirement to become a teacher in New Jersey, or choose to apply the program as 15 credits toward a masters in teaching degree from New Jersey City University.

Those registering for the Pre-Service component must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, and the necessary GPA to pursue a career in teaching.

Students will only be permitted to continue in the program beyond the Pre-Service component if they have secured a teaching position.

Following completion of the Pre-Service component and beginning in September, students who have secured employment and obtained their Certificate of Eligibility (CE) advance to the academic year Core Program, which is comprised of a series of content specific courses.

An intensive one-week, Capstone Summer Institute held at the end of the academic year provides an opportunity for students to discuss the classroom experience, share successful and non-successful strategies for instruction, and reflect on their personal experience in making the first-year transition to teaching.

For more information about this program, call or email the teacher education contact at your local community college (listed at right), call Tamara Hampson at New Jersey City University at (201) 200-3573, or visit the New Pathways to Teaching in New Jersey web site .