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Secondary Education Degrees in Tennessee

Secondary Education Degrees in Tennessee

The best predictor of a person’s long-term success is the type and amount of education they receive in their school years. If you want to become a secondary educator in Tennessee, you have the potential to reach students, help them prepare for their future careers, and empower them to establish goals for their lives. This is particularly important in rural Tennessee, where students may have extremely large class sizes or difficulty reaching school because of long commutes.

In fact, rural education is the main focus of a local education forum. This group is attempting to increase the quality of education in Tennessee’s most underserved areas.

As an education professional, you should be well-versed in testing standards in the state. Along with funding, testing is one of the biggest concerns in Tennessee.

Studying in this field also gives you the chance to participate in educational exercises. Student teachers in Tennessee recently got the chance to tackle the biggest problems facing Tennessee’s education system.

Overview of Secondary Education Programs in Tennessee

You must follow a specific licensure path to become a middle or high school teacher in Tennessee. This requires you to have a Bachelor’s-level education in an area of study, like mathematics, science, or history. You must have a secondary teaching license, which may come from an alternative certification path, a Bachelor’s degree, or a Master’s degree.

To get the education needed to thrive in a secondary classroom, you can plan on taking a variety of teaching courses. Courses that may be part of your curriculum include Educational Foundations, Analysis and Applications of Educational Research, Introduction to Curriculum Development, Instructional Excellence in Secondary Schools, Issues and Trends in Teaching, and Educational Tests & Measurements. These courses culminate in a semester of student teaching, which tests your ability to manage a classroom and effectively teach students.

Upon getting accepted to an education program in Tennessee, you may be ready to apply for different types of financial aid. The Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation hosts the Tennessee Teaching Scholars Program, which funds scholarships for students that plan on working in a Tennessee public school after graduation. Through the Tennessee Education Association, you can apply for the Don Sahlin-Kathy Woodall Scholarship.

Working in Secondary Education in Tennessee

You must get your teaching license from the Tennessee State Board of Education before working as a teacher in Tennessee. They need to see your PRAXIS-II scores and receive a copy of your transcript before you will be permitted to obtain a license.

Job growth in Tennessee is expected to far exceed the national average. Between 2012 and 2022, O*Net anticipates a 13% increase in secondary teaching jobs. This is expected to lead to about 700 new jobs per year during this time frame (O*Net).

Salaries in Tennessee are fairly close to those reported across the country. O*Net reports that the average salary for a secondary teacher in Tennessee is $47,800 per year.

A teaching career could help you change lives and find professional fulfillment. Get started today by contacting secondary education pro