Thanks to a $70,000 grant award from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Missouri State University will be able to draw students into the education field.
The funds are part of the annual Developing an Educator Workforce that Expands Yearly (DEWEY) Awards.
Dr. Denise Cunningham, a professor in the School of Teaching, Learning and Developmental Sciences and a co-director for the Center for Rural Education, wrote the grant proposal. She believed MSU’s College of Education could meet the state’s need for more teachers.
“The new report out by the DESE, states the highest shortage areas are elementary education and early childhood education teachers,” she said. “MSU is in the position to be able to meet that need.”
The grant money will go toward a range of on campus high school recruitment events. These events aim to draw students into the teaching field, often from rural backgrounds.
Bears Teach
The DEWEY grant will fund the college’s summer immersion program, Bears Teach. This residential program allows students to stay on campus for a week to participate in education-related activities.
The students are involved in:
- Sessions about college funding and finances
- Sessions about student organizations
- Classroom observations in their chosen field
- Alumni banquet – students can ask questions of current professionals
- Leadership night – students learn about the education career ladder
- Springfield experiences, such as a Springfield Cardinals game and Incredible Pizza
- Fun activities, such as karaoke night and movie night.
According to Cunningham, the Bears Teach experience is designed to help students acclimate to campus life and familiarize themselves with Springfield.
“After students come to Bears Teach, they say things like, ‘This cemented my decision to come to MSU and be a teacher,’” Cunningham said. “That’s why we do this.”
Bears Teach Academy
In her proposal, Cunningham also added a new program — Bears Teach Academy — to the list. The academy will allow students who have previously attended Bears Teach and are beginning at MSU in fall 2025 to attend Bears Teach again in summer 2025.
These students will also be able to take Child and Family Development (CFD) 155 Principles of Human Development for free as part of their experience. This course will count three credit hours as a general education course.
Through these program offerings, Cunningham believes students will gain many opportunities to see what the teaching profession has to offer them.
“We want to show high school students a variety of teaching settings and convince them that teaching is a joyful profession,” Cunningham said. “If we do that, we can meet the teacher shortage needs.”
Young Mathematics Teacher Academy
When submitting the grant, Cunningham made an effort to include funding for mathematics educators. As such, part of the money will support the mathematics department’s annual Young Mathematics Teacher Academy.
Held in the summer, the residential academy helps participants to deepen their understanding of math and learn teaching strategies that support active learning.
Cunningham notes math teachers are much needed.
“Mathematics is a highly sought after degree by school districts, so I felt it was important to allocate funding to that area to encourage more students to be math teachers,” she said.
Working with children and families
One of the events funded by the DEWEY grant includes the “Working with children and families” fall and spring events. Local high schools bring students to the MSU campus to learn about education programs.
The students can pick a breakout session to attend, which involves a hands-on experience with the career field. A panel of current education students speak at these events, sharing their experience as an MSU student.
Students are also able to tour the campus and enjoy a free lunch.
“Be a career and technical education teacher” day
In addition, the funding from the DEWEY grant helps the career and technical education program (CTE) host students interested in agriculture education, business education or family and consumer sciences
These students participate in activities based on their content area, hear from a panel of current MSU students and learn about admission and advising. Students also tour the MSU campus and are given a complimentary lunch.