The long-standing teacher shortage in Mississippi is defined by approximately 3,000 vacant positions, according to the Mississippi Department of Education. The University of Mississippi School of Education is playing a leadership role in addressing this critical shortage.
The Big Picture: The UM School of Education launched the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program (METP) in 2013. METP offers elite scholarships to high-achieving students from across the country, recruiting them into the teaching profession and keeping them in Mississippi as an investment in the state’s future. An endowment campaign is underway to ensure METP’s continued success and augment its current capacity to support students and the state of Mississippi.
Why It Matters:
- Every METP student agrees to teach a minimum of five years in the state’s public schools. Many continue to do so after completing this commitment.
- METP offers four years of full tuition, room and board; an expense-paid study-abroad trip to compare international education systems; a technology stipend; education courses and clinical experiences beginning the freshman year, two years earlier than non-METP education majors; professional development funding; and graduate mentorship and support opportunities.
- There are nearly 200 graduates impacting education from Corinth to Gulfport and Quitman to Lee counties.
- These include 55% Mississippians and 45% non-residents, with 27 unique states represented
To learn more, contact Kelly Smith Marion, director of development at ksmith13@olemiss.edu or 662-915-2007, or give online here.