Nevada State University, Truckee Meadows Community College and Western Nevada College will help aspiring elementary teachers earn their degrees and complete student teaching closer to home.
Aspiring teachers in rural Nevada will have a new way to earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education without having to move away from their communities. Nevada State University, Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) and Western Nevada College (WNC) received a five-year, $4.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to build that pathway through its Title III Strengthening Institutions Program.
The project, called SAGE, short for Strategic Alliance to Graduate Educators, addresses a statewide teacher shortage that is especially acute in rural and frontier communities. The Nevada Department of Education reports that in the 2023–24 school year, Nevada had 2,958 unfilled teacher positions, 6,655 teachers who were not fully certified for their assignments and 4,827 long-term substitutes covering classrooms.
“Nevada’s teacher shortage calls for innovative solutions and strong partnerships,” said Dr. Sandra B. Richtermeyer, president of Nevada State University. “By working together with Truckee Meadows Community College and Western Nevada College, we are creating new pathways for aspiring teachers to earn their degrees while remaining connected to the communities they call home. This investment will expand educational opportunity, strengthen Nevada’s teaching workforce and help build a brighter future for students across our state.”
A degree pathway closer to home
Through the new 3+1 pathway, students will complete three years of coursework at TMCC or WNC before transferring to Nevada State for their final year. Graduates will earn a bachelor’s degree in elementary education that leads to eligibility for a Nevada teaching license.
The three institutions will align coursework through a transfer agreement. Nevada State will also station grant-funded faculty at TMCC so students can finish their degrees in northern Nevada. In the final two years of the grant, the partners plan to add a special education emphasis, another area Nevada school districts have identified as a critical need.
“A clear path from community college to a bachelor’s degree can make a teaching career possible for more students,” said Dr. Jeffrey Alexander, president of Truckee Meadows Community College. “By aligning and coordinating coursework across our institutions, we can help students move forward with confidence and prepare to serve in classrooms throughout northern Nevada.”
Classroom experience in local schools
Many rural teacher candidates currently travel long distances or relocate to finish their degrees. Through SAGE, the partners will establish agreements with rural school districts so candidates can complete field placements and student teaching closer to home. Grant-funded staff will travel to those districts to conduct required observations and evaluations.
“Rural Nevada needs more teachers, and many of the people who can fill that need already call these communities home,” said Dr. J. Kyle Dalpe, president of Western Nevada College. “SAGE will help aspiring teachers continue their education close to home while balancing work and family responsibilities, preparing them to serve in the communities that need them.”
SAGE will also create a Responsible AI in Schools micro-credential and incorporate AI literacy into coursework, drawing on U.S. Department of Labor guidelines. Teacher candidates will use AI-enabled simulations to practice instruction and classroom management before working with students in schools.
Bernnell Peltier-Glaze, dean of Nevada State’s School of Education, will direct the project. Amy Williams, dean of business and social science at TMCC, and Dr. Patrick Bell, an education professor at WNC, will lead the work at their institutions. Dr. Gwen Sharp, interim vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the Nevada System of Higher Education, was the primary author of the grant proposal.