A collaboration between Wayne State College, Educational Service Unit #1 and 12 northeast Nebraska school districts has resulted in classroom experience for more than 1000 WSC education majors while helping to alleviate the substitute teacher shortage in the area.

Sixty-two students participate in this project. The Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy (NENTA), in its 11th year of existence, is the only program of its kind in the nation.

The NENTA school district consortium was awarded a $299,900 Education Innovation Fund grant during the three-year period of 2000-2003. Wayne College Professor of Education Tim Sharer Professor of Education serves as the NENTA Director, Johanna Barnes Assistant Professor of Education serves as the NENTA Coordinator and Carol James is Secretary for the program. Sharer, Barnes and Dr. Neal Schnoor, Dean of the School of Education and Counseling, serve on the NENTA Advisory Council along with the superintendents from each of the participating P-12 school districts. The NENTA Project has been financially self-supporting since 2003.

The goals of the Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy are to increase the number of local substitute teachers, to improve availability and equitable use of substitute teachers, to enhance the quality of instruction delivered by a substitute teacher in the participating school districts, and to positively affect retention of teachers during their first five years in the profession.

The Wayne State College education majors who participate in the program have at least junior status, have exceeded the requirements for State of Nebraska Local Substitute Teacher Certification, and are enrolled in the Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy Seminar that provides weekly opportunities throughout the year for support and review of, and discussion and reflection about actual on-the-job situations. NENTA substitutes are paid for substituting, and receive mileage reimbursements to offset the cost of driving to the area schools.

Prior to their first assignments as substitute teachers, the NENTA students complete one day of training by the NENTA Director and Coordinator focusing on the art of effective teaching. In addition, NENTA students complete five days of training by APL Associates of Camillus, N.Y. APL Associates is a nationally recognized organization specializing in teaching success workshops. Between them founding partners Jean Anastasio and Dave Perry possess more than 70 years of P-16+ teaching and administrative experience. Along with APL Teaching Associates John Zalonis and Tim Sharer, APL Associates conduct 250 teacher/administrator workshops annually.

The NENTA was developed to alleviate a serious substitute teacher shortage in northeast Nebraska as well as to enhance the quality of instruction by substitutes through substitute instructional workshops, direct on-site mentoring by teachers and administrators and the use of a standardized lesson planning format all of which positively impacts student learning in the participating districts. WSC students are used to augment the regular substitute teaching force, not replace it. Having additional substitutes available provides regular teachers opportunities to take advantage of staff development specifically for curriculum, instruction and assessment as well as other professional topics of interest such as those sponsored by Educational Service Unit # 1 in Wakefield. Meeting school improvement goals enables partner school districts to enhance the quality of the teaching/learning experience for all stakeholders.

An additional outcome of the project is to enhance the retention of entry-level teachers in the profession. Futuristically, retaining highly qualified teachers positively impacts the quality and degree of student learning through the increased competence of beginning teachers leading to greater classroom success for P-12 students. This outcome is achieved through several strategies such as learning and using APL Level I Instructional and Organizational Skills, opportunities to interpret and deliver lessons, making "real-time" instructional and managerial decisions, and developing and using a Reflective Teaching Model as a one of the program's evaluative pieces. Additionally, NENTA substitutes receive support and training during the weekly on-campus seminar conducted by Wayne State College faculty.

To date, the Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy has completed successfully more than 3,500 substitute teaching days assisting in providing improved classroom instruction for 7,000 northeast Nebraska P-12 students annually. These improvements are due to an increase in the numbers of highly trained local and area substitutes available to substitute for the regular classroom teachers resulting in easier access to staff development and other opportunities for teachers. " NENTA substitutes complement the existing pool of highly-trained, qualified substitutes, all of whom can facilitate ongoing instruction in the absence of the regular teacher," said Sharer.

School districts participating in the Northeast Nebraska Teacher Academy are Allen, Coleridge, Homer, Laurel-Concord, Leigh, Ponca, South Sioux City, Wakefield, Wayne, and Winside. Inquiries about NENTA may be forwarded to professors Sharer or Barnes at Wayne State College or by examining the NENTA Website, found through the link below.