Chalkbeat speaks with M-ARC participants preparing to enter the classroom

Whether seeking a career they feel passionate about, or answering the call to help stem the state’s teacher shortage, mid-career professionals are changing course to enter the classroom. Alternative certification programs are becoming more popular nationwide, reports Tracie Mauriello for Chalkbeat. SOE’s Michigan Alternate Route to Certification (M-ARC) is one of 10 such state-approved programs in Michigan. Mauriello writes, “The number of prospective educators enrolling in these programs is growing, too. There were 1,935 students enrolled in Michigan programs in 2019-20, according to the most recent data available. Five years earlier there were just 95 enrollees.”

Still, skeptics question whether an accelerated course of certification is enough preparation before new teachers begin working with students. Jean Mrachko, associate director of M-ARC says the quality of preparation isn’t being sacrificed—it’s just being done on a different timeline and at a different price point.

“We’re opening access to teacher certification to people for whom a traditional pathway isn’t accessible, either for geographic reasons, for financial reasons, or for time reasons,” said Mrachko. “It allows people to be working in the field while they are completing the program. That really opens access.”

M-ARC candidates spend five months in part-time online courses and two weeks student teaching under the watch of field instructors who provide daily feedback. Once hired as teachers, they receive intensive ongoing support during the three years they work under interim certificates. 

“We don’t just drop them off at a school door and wish them luck,” Mrachko said. “We hold their hands and walk in beside them.”

In addition to the training through M-ARC, students point to the breadth of life experience they will bring to their new roles as teachers. Smitha Ramani, who worked in a pharmacy prior to joining M-ARC, says, “We know what we’re getting into. We’re getting into it because of a passion for the idea of inspiring someone — building the next generation of humans.”

WXYZ Detroit and Yahoo News have also reported recently on M-ARC’s expansion as a response to address Michigan’s teacher shortage.