Ongoing K-12 teacher shortages across the United States mean that preparing educators for the classroom is more important than ever. To help with this growing need, Madison College’s education academy provides high schoolers with the opportunity to start their teaching journey early.
The program was started in 2020 as an arrangement between Madison College and Middleton/Cross Plains School District that allowed select high school students to take college-level courses in pursuit of a degree in education. Since then, Madison Metropolitan and Sun Prairie School Districts have been added to the program, expanding access to other aspiring teachers.
Like Madison College’s fire recruit academy and similar early college programs, the education academy has a specific career goal in focus for its students. However, in structure the program more closely resembles STEM academy, since participants enroll in a full dual-enrollment course schedule at Madison College rather than one or two specific pre-determined classes. Among their courses, students are expected to take teaching-related classes such as Intro to Education and Teaching.
By the end of the program, participants have accumulated two semesters’ worth of college courses, which give them a head start into bachelor’s degrees in teaching. Besides getting ahead credits-wise, education academy is an opportunity for aspiring teachers to experience college level coursework at no expense to themselves or their families.
After graduating from the education academy, students can choose to continue with an associate degree at Madison College or transfer their credits directly to a four-year university. Regardless of their choice, they graduate from the program better prepared to make their mark in the teaching industry.