Grand Prairie-UTA Partnership Takes Aim at Teacher Shortage

GRAND PRAIRIE -- Attracting qualified instructors is difficult -- and not just because there's a shortage of teachers, University of Texas at Arlington President Vistasp Karbhari said Friday."What we really have is a shortage of students who want to be teachers," Karbhari said as his university unveiled a partnership Friday with the Grand Prairie school district to produce more teachers -- especially those with bilingual and English as a second language, or ESL, training.UTA officials, Grand Prairie educators and students were on hand at Grand Prairie's Young Women's Leadership Academy to unveil the Education & Leadership Preparatory Program, which aims to train students beginning in their junior year of high school to become teachers -- with the pledge of returning to Grand Prairie for jobs.Here's how it works: Qualified students at Grand Prairie High School, South Grand Prairie High School and the Young Women's Leadership Academy will earn dual-credit courses at their respective campuses.   Continue reading...