UNLV’s programs are just a few of many efforts underway in Nevada to combat persistent teacher shortages, a statewide strategy that also includes pay raises of 18 percent or more and recruiting teachers from outside of the country’s borders.

“By taking an apprenticeship approach to workforce development, we’re removing barriers for individuals who are already committed to education in their communities across the state,” said UNLV College of Education Dean Danica Hays. “This program expedites teacher preparation without sacrificing quality and allows students to continue earning a paycheck while they learn. In addition, thanks to grant funding, our students have no out-of-pocket costs and can start their careers debt-free.”

Nevada, she said, would have a leg up in applying for funding. Why? Because it already has a program that fits the mold. On Monday afternoon, Cortez Masto visited UNLV, where Nevada Forward Initiative first started (originally called Paraprofessional Pathways Project) in 2021. The program has since been expanded into an undergraduate and graduate program, offering apprenticeships to people on their path to becoming licensed teachers.

UNLV provides alternative methods for those interested in becoming educators through its Paraprofessional Pathways Project and the Accelerated Alternative Route to Licensure. Both are fast-track methods to become licensed teachers, and allow students to work and earn an income while completing their studies.

A state agency said that a charter school in Las Vegas broke several laws when it failed to pay back more than $800,000 in taxpayer funds. Earlier this month, the State Public Charter School Authority affirmed its decision during an administrative hearing to shut down Eagle Charter School.

A state agency said that a charter school in Las Vegas broke several laws when it failed to pay back more than $800,000 in taxpayer funds. Earlier this month, the State Public Charter School Authority affirmed its decision during an administrative hearing to shut down Eagle Charter School.

The nation’s largest teachers’ union has come to a tentative contract agreement with its own staff after locking them out without pay for more than a month, an extraordinary move that complicated its run-up to the 2024 election cycle.

UNLV provides alternative methods for those interested in becoming educators through its Paraprofessional Pathways Project and the Accelerated Alternative Route to Licensure. Both are fast-track methods to become licensed teachers, and allow students to work and earn an income while completing their studies.

As students across Clark County returned to school for the fall semester earlier this week, the Clark County School District continues to grapple with filling classrooms with teachers. CCSD is experiencing a decades-long teacher shortage and has not been fully staffed since the early 1990s. The Public Education Foundation is trying to fill the gap. In response to this shortage, PEF is partnering with UNLV to offer Teacher FastTrack, an accelerated, no-cost program to recruit and retain teachers.

Foreign exchange teachers, recent college graduates, former charter school teachers and out-of-state transplants are among the 1,400 new teachers joining the Clark County School District (CCSD) this school year, which begins Aug. 12.

With the start of the school year around the corner, the Clark County School District says they have 1,078 vacancies. The Teacher FastTrack Program is working to make a dent in that statistic through the Public Education Foundation. Tuesday they celebrated 45 newly licensed teachers, 40 of those teachers are headed to CCSD.

The Clark County Education Association held a new hire orientation Tuesday morning to welcome new staff as the 2024-2025 school year begins in less than two weeks. Aimee Fuller was all smiles as she greeted the new teachers at the event. Fuller has been a CCSD teacher since 2006 and said every year is different.