Welch College and Sumner County Schools have established a collaborative agreement to make the Welch English Language (EL) endorsement available to Sumner County teachers. According to Dr. Greg Ketteman, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Graduate Dean of Education, “the agreement includes a special application for licensed Sumner County teachers paired with a scholarship underwritten by donations from the annual, Welch-sponsored Strong and Courageous event.” Applications for the endorsement are already available for teachers employed by Sumner County Schools.
Based on Welch’s existing, state-approved English Language learner endorsement, the English Language (EL or ESL) endorsement better equips licensed teachers who work with multilingual student groups and English language learners. Welch Teacher Education graduates already earn this endorsement as part of their teaching licensure programs at Welch.
Ketteman reports significant enthusiasm about the Welch EL endorsement. “As local school districts experience growth in enrollment of EL students, they need to increase numbers of credentialed EL teachers. A number of Sumner County teachers have already inquired, and we expect to open additional course sections for these teachers this fall. We are discussing similar agreements with leaders of Wilson and Robertson County Schools.”
The endorsement will also be a new track in Welch College’s Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) program. “We have notified our accreditors and anticipate December approval, thus making the M.A.T. with an emphasis in EL available for teachers,” Ketteman said. Welch has also notified accreditors of its newly developed M.A.T. track in Instructional Leadership (IL), which will lead to licensure for school leaders. Applications for these graduate tracks are available this fall.
For more information contact:
Dr. Greg Ketteman at 615-675-5312 or gketteman@welch.edu
Dr. Etta Patterson at 615-675-5000 or epatterson@welch.edu