On Saturday, May 11, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will confer degrees upon its spring 2024 graduates, including the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT). This degree prepares career professionals with expertise in a variety of industries to become classroom teachers. The online program is changing lives in Arkansas and around the country by offering a convenient and affordable avenue for aspiring teachers to transfer their skills to the classroom environment.
“A friend of mine prayed for me regarding my purpose, and I stood on the playground one day and just knew,” said Ameil Brown, who graduates in May with a MAT degree.
Brown enrolled in the MAT program at UAPB during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her plan after she finished her undergraduate studies in Broadcast Journalism had been to become a journalist. But a stint as a paraprofessional convinced Brown to reconsider.
Dean for the School of Education, Dr. Kimberley Davis, said, “The goal is to find more individuals who have a focus in a content area, and the only thing missing is the connection between the content knowledge and teaching.”
Seven students will earn the MAT degree in May and go on to teach at schools in the Pine Bluff School District, Warren School District, Friendship Aspire Academy, Little Rock School District, and Dumas School District. Currently there are 35 students in the program. This summer, a new cohort of 12 students begin, consistent with the proposed increase in enrollment of 10-15 students per semester.
“MAT has become the answer to the nation’s urgent teacher shortage,” Dr. Davis said. “The School of Education is cultivating a pipeline for the best and brightest from underrepresented populations to join the profession of teaching in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta. And we’re offering the MAT online to ensure flexibility for working practitioners.”
The 2023 LEARNS Act requires the Arkansas Department of Education to publish an annual report detailing the extent of Arkansas’ teacher shortage along with geographic location and in what subject areas. The latest report shows, Arkansas’ Southeast Region has the third highest teacher shortage. The highest subject demands statewide exist in Foreign Language, Secondary English Language Arts, Secondary Mathematics, Secondary Science, Secondary Social Studies, and Special Education.
The intuition that Brown belonged in the classroom has already been confirmed for her. She is teaching 5th-grade phonics, writing, and science at Meadow Park Elementary School in North Little Rock, Arkansas where she was hired during her final year of the MAT program. Brown has excelled in the classroom, sharing a connection with her students that claimed the attention of school administrators who recognized her as a “model teacher” with a classroom style beneficial to her peers.
“It’s okay to decide that another career path is for you, and it’s never too late to try,” she added.
Those interested in learning more about the Master of Art in Teaching program can contact Dr. Machell Dailey, MAT Program Coordinator, at 870.575.8058 or daileyg@uapb.edu.
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