News Summary
The Greenville County Schools (GCS) expands its GATE program to include fine arts certifications, addressing teacher shortages and promoting diversity.
Greenville – Greenville County Schools (GCS) has announced an expansion of its innovative teacher recruitment program, the Greenville Alternative Teacher Education program (GATE), to include certifications in the fine arts for the 2024-2025 school year. This expansion is part of an effort to address teacher shortages and enhance the diversity of educators within the district.
Originally established a decade ago, GATE has evolved to support professionals transitioning from various fields, including medicine, accounting, and engineering, into teaching roles. The program aims to provide intensive training for individuals who hold a bachelor’s degree in their relevant subject areas, coupled with real-world classroom experience. After completing a three-year commitment to teach in Greenville County Schools, participants are granted a full professional teaching license from South Carolina’s Department of Education.
One of the distinctive features of GATE is that teachers earn a salary while they complete their training, which has made the program financially accessible for many aspiring educators. Public Education Partners provide fellowships that significantly reduce the cost of tuition for GATE participants. This support has contributed to the program’s significant growth, increasing from 10 initial participants to 99 in recent cohorts.
The inclusion of fine arts certifications in the GATE program means that aspiring art educators will need to hold a bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline, maintain a minimum GPA of 2.5, and achieve passing scores on the Praxis exam. This addition reflects GCS’s recognition of the importance of arts education in fostering creativity and critical thinking among students.
Currently, about 25% of first-year teachers at GCS are graduates of the GATE program, highlighting its growing influence on the district’s teaching staff. The program’s ability to recruit talent from various backgrounds is seen as a strategic response to a national trend of teacher shortages, particularly in high-demand subjects such as math and science.
Among the program’s successful graduates is Jocelyn Slaughter, a teacher at JL Mann High School. With a background in business and non-profit sectors, Slaughter transitioned to teaching through GATE after obtaining her master’s degree from USC. She aims to inspire students about perseverance while engaging them with hands-on activities. Similarly, Ben Saul, now an intervention teacher at Tanglewood Middle School, completed a three-week training under GATE without prior certification, demonstrating the program’s accessibility to diverse career changers.
Another vital component of GATE is the mentorship system it offers, where participants receive guidance and support from seasoned educators. This mentoring relationship is crucial in helping new teachers navigate the complexities of the classroom environment effectively.
GATE stands out as the first district-sponsored alternative certification program in South Carolina, addressing urgent staffing needs while simultaneously working to increase the diversity of the teaching workforce. By expanding the program to include fine arts certifications, GCS not only broadens its recruitment efforts but also affirms its commitment to comprehensive education that values both academic and artistic pursuits.
Overall, the GATE program continues to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of education within Greenville County Schools, transforming professionals from various fields into qualified educators prepared to inspire the next generation.
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Additional Resources
- Fox Carolina: Greenville County Schools Marks 10 Years of Program Bringing New Teachers to Classrooms
- Greenville Online: Program Aimed at Helping Alleviate Greenville Teacher Shortage
- Greenville Journal: Greenville County Schools Expands Innovative Teacher Recruiting Program
- Wikipedia: Teacher recruitment
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Teacher Education
Author: STAFF HERE GREENVILLE
The HERE Greenville Staff Writers are a collaborative team of journalists, editors, and local contributors passionate about delivering accurate, timely information to the Greenville community. As part of the HEREcity.com Network, which powers over 100 U.S. city sites including HEREcolumbia.com, our staff draws on collective experience in South Carolina journalism to cover everything from business sales and real estate developments to dining deals and community initiatives. Our Expertise and Background Local Roots in Greenville Our team includes lifelong Greenville residents and SC natives with deep knowledge of the area’s history, economy, and culture. We’ve covered key events like the recent sales in the Heritage Historic District 17 , Greenville’s textile and railroad heritage 2 , and growth in local education sectors (e.g., Greenville Technical College programs) 27 . Collective Experience With over 50 combined years in journalism, our staff has backgrounds in print, digital media, and community reporting. We prioritize fact-based stories, drawing from sources like the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, city government records, and on-the-ground interviews. Commitment to Quality Every article is a group effort, involving research, editing, and verification to ensure reliability. We adhere to journalistic standards, citing credible sources and updating content as new details emerge.
