Article Link: http://stage.exchangepress.com/article/whats-going-on-in-higher-education/5018018/
The recent hot debates online in ExchangeEveryDay regarding the value of a BA degree for early childhood teachers encouraged us to explore current trends in the area of teacher preparation (see ExchangeEveryDay for September 27, 2007; October 1, 2007; and December 12, 2008 at www.ccie.com/eed/archive.php. We organized a Higher Education Trend Watchers Panel (see list at end of this article) and surveyed them for their views on current developments.Enrollments rising at AA level but not necessarily so at the BA level.
Most panelists observed the strong demand for AA programs, but their views about demand for BA programs are more mixed:
“As the cost of higher education continues to increase, our numbers are increasing and are continuing to do so. Each semester our head count goes up. In Missouri we have a state-paid scholarship (A+) program for qualifying high school seniors to receive their 2-year degrees paid (free) when they choose to attend a Missouri Community College �" an incentive that many students are using, thus increasing our enrollments. Additionally Head Start mandates (teacher education requirements) are also increasing the number of students who are enrolling in our program.” �" Velynda Cameron
“New licensing requirements for EC lead teachers specify that ...