Keystone College receives Scranton Area Foundation grant to address teacher shortage
Keystone College has received a grant from the Scranton Area Community Foundation (SACF) to help address the ongoing teacher shortage in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
The college has received $18,500 Community Needs grant from the SACF to develop the new Learn and Earn Educational Program (LEEP) which will address the need for substitute teachers and the declining number of teacher certifications.
LEEP focuses on an “earn and learn” educational training model that helps individuals with a bachelor degree but without a teaching certification to work in a partnering school district with an emergency substitute certification and gain teaching credentials on the job.
This experiential learning model will allow participants to gain teaching credentials through everyday experience in a primary or secondary school rather than in a traditional college classroom setting. Participating school districts include Dunmore, Valley View, Nanticoke, Riverside, Western Wayne, Dallas, Pottsville, Hazelton, Hanover Area, and Lakeland.
“We are very grateful to the Scranton Area Community Foundation for its involvement in this important initiative. The LEEP project will directly address our area’s substitute teacher shortage and will assist in developing new pipelines of educators in an accelerated manner.”
Fran Langan, Ed.D.
Keystone College Vice President of Institutional Advancement
“The Scranton Area Community Foundation is proud to participate with Keystone College in the LEEP project,” said President and CEO of the Scranton Area Community Foundation Laura Ducceschi. “The ongoing development of qualified teachers will directly benefit local school districts, students, and families in Northeastern Pennsylvania.”
The mission of Scranton Area Community Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for all people in Northeastern Pennsylvania through the development of organized philanthropy. A public 501c3 community foundation, the Foundation serves as a steward, a grant maker, a charitable resource, and a catalyst for change.
With the lowest tuition of any private college in Northeastern Pennsylvania, Keystone offers more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree options in liberal arts and science-based programs in business, communications, education, natural science, environmental science, and social sciences. Located 15 minutes from Scranton, Pa. and two hours from New York City and Philadelphia, Keystone is known for small class sizes and individual attention focused on student success through internships, research, and community involvement.
