Study.com to Provide 600 Scholarships to Increase the Number of Licensed Teachers in Nevada; Decrease the State's Teacher Shortage by 20 Percent

Study.com will invest $432,000 in Nevada's teacher pipeline through its Keys to the Classroom Initiative, removing a key barrier to becoming a teacher

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Study.com

Dec 02, 2021, 10:27 ET

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Study.com, a leading online education platform that helps learners excel academically and build knowledge confidence, is launching Keys to the Classroom, a new education initiative aimed at unlocking opportunities for aspiring educators who are preparing for their teaching credential. The program debuts in Nevada, with Study.com investing $432,000 into the state's teacher pipeline by providing 600 PRAXIS test preparation scholarships to prospective teachers.

Nevada has an annual need for 3,000 new teachers to educate 50,000 students and a diverse teacher force is necessary to meet a diverse population.

"Teacher certification exams often prevent otherwise qualified teachers from being able to reach the classroom. In fact, according to a 2019 report from the National Council on Teacher Quality, we know that more than half of teachers fail their first certification exam and a quarter never pass. We need to ensure aspiring educators have the tools they need to not only reach, but also succeed in the classroom," said Dana Bryson, SVP of Social Impact at Study.com. "Keys to Classroom was created in the interest of strengthening our teacher corps. 90 percent of teachers report successfully passing their teacher certification when using Study.com for test preparation."

The scholarship provides access for prospective teachers to Study.com's teacher test preparation program to help them meet the requirements to become a teacher. To fulfill the scholarships, Study.com seeks to work directly with community partners, including school districts, colleges of education and education-focused nonprofits in order to reach the next generation of educators from diverse communities and ensure they have the tools needed to pass their licensure exams the first time around.

The addition of 600 licensed teachers could mean a 20 percent reduction in the state's teacher shortage. Each school year, Nevada needs at least 3,000 new teachers to educate the state's diverse population of 500,000 students. Due to Nevada's chronic teacher shortages, 87 percent of students were in a larger-than-recommended class size during the 2019-20 school year, according to the Nevada System of Higher Education (NHSE).

"In our state, almost 90% of the class sizes are larger-than-recommended. This directly impacts educational outcomes and the success of our hardworking educators" said Dr. Angela Taylor, President of the Washoe County School District Board of Trustees. "Nevada's teacher's shortage is a serious issue that we need to address sooner rather than later. Until we do, our teachers and students will continue to be impacted the most, which only hurts future economic development in our state."

Another key focus of Study.com's Keys to the Classroom initiative is to ensure more diverse teacher representation in the classroom. NSHE notes that while only 28 percent of Nevada's students identify as white, 81 percent of Nevada's teachers identify as white. Nevada's diversity index, at 42, is among the largest in the nation, with the national average diversity index of 30. Annenberg Institute research reveals matching students' race with those of their teachers can reduce rates of exclusionary discipline for Black and Latinx students in large, diverse and urban school districts.

Study.com is already a certified provider of Continuing Education for Nevada's teachers and partners with San Francisco Unified Public School District, the University of West Alabama, West Oregon University, and several other colleges across the nation as the teacher test preparation provider.

The Keys to the Classroom initiative is part of Study.com's commitment to Pledge 1%, a corporate philanthropy movement dedicated to making the community a key stakeholder in every business. Pledge 1% continues the company's commitment to Making Education Accessible through social impact programs focused on increasing access and equity in education for underserved learners, non-traditional students and educators.

More information on Study.com's Keys to the Classroom scholarship can be found here.

About Study.com
Study.com is an online education platform that helps learners excel academically and build knowledge confidence. From test prep and homework help to earning affordable college credit, Study.com's online courses, short, animated video lessons and study tools have made learning simple for over 30 million learners and educators. Study.com was founded in 2002 and is a privately-held company located in Mountain View, Calif. Find us online at Study.com or download the mobile app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

About Keys to the Classroom
Keys to the Classroom is an education initiative created by Study.com to help combat the teacher shortage across the nation and diversify America's teacher pipeline. As part of Study.com's commitment to social impact, Keys to the Classroom seeks to help aspiring educators prepare for and pass their teacher certification exams. Through scholarships to utilize Study.com's teacher test preparation program and community partnerships, Keys to the Classroom aims to ensure prospective educators of all backgrounds and ethnicities can access the profession to positively impact educational outcomes for all students.

SOURCE Study.com