Educators for Iowa

UNI is requesting status quo funding for the Educators for Iowa program. Currently funded at $1.5 million, the program is designed to encourage more students to enter the teaching profession. This initiative will help remove a barrier to recruiting more students into the teaching profession, the cost of getting a teaching degree. The appropriation is used for scholarships to recruit students into the profession, but can also be used to provide a stipend to teacher preparation program students while student teaching during their final semester. 

While the number of people completing teacher education programs in the state of Iowa has been on a steady decline in the past decade, UNI’s graduating classes remained steady. This puts UNI in the top 1% of public institutions across the country for the number of students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree in education. The University of Northern Iowa has a strong legacy of providing Iowa’s public and private schools with educators. 

Ample data shows that poorly trained teachers are more likely to leave the teaching profession early. A major reason UNI continues to power Iowa's educator workforce is the in-depth field experience every student participates in that may include rural, urban, suburban and even international settings, totaling more than 725 hours by the end of student teaching. In addition, UNI hosts the Made to Teach visit day for high school and transfer students. This annual event gives students a taste of what it's like to be in UNI's teacher education program and what they can expect once they become teachers. UNI strives to provide the experience necessary for educators to remain in the profession to bring stability, continuity and, most importantly, expertise to our classrooms and schools.