
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, May 7, 1990                   TAG: 9005070151
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAMS IN VA. OVERWHELMED

Teacher training programs at Virginia colleges have been flooded with more qualified applicants than they can handle, education officials say.

"We're crying uncle," said Brenda Vogel, education department chairwoman at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg. "We're being overwhelmed."

Nationally, enrollment in teaching programs increased by 61 percent between 1985 and 1989, according to a study by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.

Specific figures for Virginia are not available. But Linda Bradley, director of the state Education Department's division of teacher education, certification and professional development, said the national trend is evident in Virginia.

Bradley said the restructuring of teacher education programs and changes in certification requirements also boosted interest in Virginia. The restructured programs no longer require a large number of professional education courses, so students can wait until their junior or senior years to decide to pursue a teaching career.

The state also has made it easier for people with arts and sciences degrees to switch careers and become teachers, Bradley said.

by CNB