Lateral Entry at VGCC provides New Path to becoming a Teacher

To alleviate a shortage of certified classroom teachers in Vance-Granville Community College’s four-county area and in the state as a whole, the college is offering the Lateral Entry curriculum program this fall. VGCC’s fall semester begins Thursday, Aug. 16.Lateral entry programs prepare adults who already have four-year college degrees in other fields to become certified teachers. The North Carolina General Assembly recently changed state law, with the effect of easing the requirements to enter a Lateral Entry program. Lateral Entry students no longer have to be current school system employees, and they no longer need to have completed their bachelor’s degree five years before entering the program.Participants need to take a total of nine courses (for 27 credit hours) to get Lateral Entry certificates, according to Jennifer M. Johnson, a VGCC education instructor. VGCC will offer two of the courses (Learning Theory and Developmental Psychology) this fall, with another four provided by local school systems, and the final three by North Carolina Central University. VGCC will offer its courses simultaneously at all four campuses via the “VNet” two-way video system.Only Developmental Psychology will be offered in fall 2007. Learning Theory and other courses may be offered in the fall mini-semester and in spring 2008, based on demand.VGCC will also offer some courses (for example, Educational Technology this fall) for anyone interested in Lateral Entry who is not a school system employee.Course work for completion of the certificate includes human growth and development, learning theory, instructional technology, school policies and procedures, home, school, and community collaborations, and classroom organization and management to enhance learning. Courses offered by NCCU cover instructional methods, literacy and diversity.Anyone interested in Lateral Entry must hold a bachelor’s degree. Additional requirements, such as pre-service training and passing the PRAXIS test, are required for licensure.For more information on Lateral Entry at VGCC, contact Jennifer Johnson at (252) 738-3408.When the original law allowing community colleges to offer Lateral Entry programs was signed by Gov. Easley in 2005, N.C. Community College System president Martin Lancaster said, “North Carolina’s community colleges have always been in the business of workforce development. When communities identify a need, our colleges try to fill it. Local school superintendents came to our colleges with this need, and they have been among our strongest allies in working for this legislation.” According to Lancaster, “These programs will be particularly important in rural areas that have no four-year colleges or universities. The job of meeting the teacher shortage is big enough for everyone to have an important part to play. We look forward to working with our partners in independent and public universities and the public schools.”