A unique partnership will give minority persons aspiring to become teachers a joint Bachelor of Arts degree from Iowa State and Simpson College, through the George Washington Carver Teacher Education Program.

Walter Pearson, director of division of adult learning, said there is a serious gap between the number of minority students and the number of minority teachers in Iowa.

Georgia Hale, director of education for student services, said currently only 1.8 percent of Iowa’s teachers are minorities.

“The goal is to have a diverse teacher population,” she said. “And from that will come more good things.”

There is a threefold benefit resulting from this program, Hale said.

First, it allows working people of color to obtain their B.A. in a timely manner without requiring the students to quit their full-time jobs.

The second benefit is minority teachers are role models for the young minority students.

Third, the program is increasing the number of minority teachers in classrooms. This exposes Iowa to diversity and therefore contributes to the overall education of the state, she said.

“You can’t operate in a vacuum,” Hale said. “You need exposure to the real world.”

Mary Chapman, vice president of community outreach at Des Moines Area Community College [DMACC], said the idea of a program to increase minority teachers is not a new one.

“[The program] is a ‘grow your own’ concept,” she said. The joint degree is what makes this program unique.

There is a need in Iowa for teachers that reflect the characteristics of the students they teach, Chapman said. The program has become a way to fulfill that need.

Pearson said the idea of a joint degree arose out of a conversation between the president of Simpson College, Kevin LaGree, and the then-president of Iowa State, Martin Jischke.

The presidents talked about focusing on the problem of needing more minority teachers in Iowa. After almost two years of discussion, the George Washington Carver Teacher Education Program has resulted, he said.

The program will operate in a cohort manner, which means the teaching program follows one group of students until they graduate, Hale said.

Participating in the program requires a five-year commitment on the part of the students. They will take two evening classes during each 10-week term. Classes will be offered in Des Moines starting in the fall of 2003, she said.

Course work from Iowa State in elementary education as well as course work from Simpson in liberal arts, reading and early childhood will make up the B.A. students receive when they graduate, Pearson said.

One tuition will be offered for the program, even though the degree will be from both Iowa State and Simpson. This will make education very affordable for students, he said.