State education board hears resolutions to approve educator-preparation programs at five colleges

The Alabama State Department of Education board on Thursday reviewed resolutions to approve educator-preparation programs at multiple private and public colleges, with presenters emphasizing recruitment, program redesign and low enrollments in some secondary-certification areas.

Representatives from Spring Hill College, the University of Mobile, Talladega College and Auburn University at Montgomery described curriculum updates, partnerships with local school systems, and support services intended to boost completion and placement of teacher candidates.

Kaye Frank, a Spring Hill College representative, said Spring Hill is “poised to offer these programs and to produce some really great teachers for Alabama,” and described a new planned health and science innovation center intended to support STEM teacher recruitment. Frank said Spring Hill’s elementary program is the college’s largest and that the college aims to align courses with the Alabama Literacy Act. Spring Hill’s current enrollment in education programs was described as “close to 80 students.”

Doctor Diana Curry, who identified herself as “dean of Talladega College of Education Program and Social Sciences,” told the board Talladega has recently redesigned its program and added student supports including paid test fees and a boot camp; she said the program had about 40 students and that completers are beginning to exit the program. Michelle Bridgewater, who introduced herself as an assistant professor of special education at Talladega College, described work to rebuild processes and student-facing rubrics after prior compliance gaps.

Representatives from the University of Mobile said their programs include early childhood, elementary, collaborative special-education and several secondary programs (biology, history, social science, English language arts, math) and reported roughly 150 students in the college of education. Auburn University at Montgomery’s assessment coordinator, Erin Clash, said AUM has realigned curriculum, strengthened field experiences and recently approved a doctoral program; AUM’s combined undergraduate and graduate education enrollment was described as about 500.

Board members and staff asked about recruitment strategies and retention. Presenters noted partnerships with local school systems, high-school-level recruitment programs and mentoring models intended to support new teachers through their first years in the classroom. Several presenters described targeted funding for test-taking fees and housing support to remove financial barriers for candidates.

The transcript records the board reading resolutions to approve educator-preparation programs at each institution, but it does not include a recorded motion, vote tally or final outcome in the public transcript. The meeting materials and presenters’ statements were offered as the basis for the resolutions.

Why it matters: Alabama and local districts face teacher shortages in several subject areas, particularly secondary STEM fields and special education. The colleges’ presentations focused on improving alignment with state standards, increasing practical classroom experience and removing financial barriers for candidates.

What’s next: The transcript shows the resolutions were presented to the board; the meeting record included no explicit roll-call votes or recorded outcomes for those resolutions in the provided transcript excerpt.