News
UC Riverside partnering with Coachella Valley Unified School District to tackle teacher shortage
With more schools suffering from a shortage of educators, working as a teacher isn’t the draw it used to be.
Students like Liliana Marcelo, however, are trying to change that and change their communities.
“I want to go back to CVUSD (Coachella Valley Unified School District),” she said. “That’s where I grew up. So, I want to become a teacher there and serve the students in my community.”
Marcelo is one of six students enrolled in the University of California, Riverside’s new teacher education program known as STEP — or Supporting Teacher Education through Partnerships.
Students in the STEP program study at UC Riverside’s Palm Desert campus and collaborate with the Coachella Valley Unified School District. The goal: educate future teachers who are connected to the areas where they’ll be working.
“What we are trying to do is to ensure that we create critical thinkers who are part of the community and who will stay in the community,” said Frances Valdovinos, Ed.D., UCR’s assistant dean and director of teacher education.
From large class sizes to low pay, Valdovinos and other educational leaders say there are several reasons for this teacher shortage.
“It’s not enough to pay the bills. It’s not enough to pay off student debt. And it’s not enough to be able to afford to live in the community that you teach in,” said Leslie Littman, vice president of the California Teachers Association.
Littman says during the 2021-2022 school year, the average salary for beginning teachers in California was between $47,000 and $55,000 depending on districts.
“I’m hoping we’ll turn things around,” she said. “I think we need to make the investment in our future and that future is always our students.”
At the UCR Palm Desert campus, Marcelo and her STEP co-eds are preparing to graduate with their teaching credentials in June and start working next school year in the communities that they call home.
“It’s a very full circle moment to be able to go back to the district where I grew up and become a teacher there,” she said.
This story was written and reported by Kai Beech.
By: Pristine Villarreal
December 12, 2023
Latest Instagram Posts
CALIFORNIA IS AGING FAST... BUT WHERE WILL THE WORKFORCE LIVE? #therogginreport #coachellavalley #localnews #agingpopulation #nbcpalmsprings
119 jobs on the line and DRD’s General Manager won’t answer questions … Drop a comment 👇: Would you vote YES or NO on giving a district more money if they refuse to answer transparency questions? #therogginreport #drd #coachellavalley #localnews #nbcpalmsprings
Help us choose the next NBC Palm Springs Fan of the Week! Vote for Video 1, 2, 3 or 4. The fan with the most votes will win a pair of tickets to next week’s Coachella Valley Firebirds game! Voting ends Thursday. Who’s your pick?
Spirit Halloween has revealed its top Halloween costume trends for 2026, and pop culture is driving the picks. Off Campus, Toy Story, K-pop Demon Hunters, superheroes, Greek gods and warriors — and plenty of Dolly Partons — are expected to be popular. What are you dressing up as this Halloween? #Halloween2026 #SpiritHalloween #HalloweenCostumes #nbcpalmsprings
After a car drove through a walkway, damaging Bill’s Pizza, the restaurant appears to have begun repairs and is still open the following day. The neighboring store, Gallivant was also damaged and is closed until Monday. The store has a gofundme page opened for them by a neighboring bookstore to support the cost of the damages. NBC Palm Springs is following the effects of this accident and what this means to the Palm Springs community. #billspizza #palmsprings #continuingcoverage #localnews #coachellavalley
Researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are using bioengineered baker's yeast to break down plastic into ingredients for cookies.
Camden, Arkansas, is the unlikely hub of US missile manufacturing after years of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have drained the country's arsenal. But the Trump administration's push to scale up defense production is colliding with the limits of the small, rural town.
Who makes the NBC Top 3, winner will be announced Sunday night on NBC Palm Springs, with the player who makes the number one spot winning a $250 prize from @hondaofthedesert! Comment below if it will 1) Devin Session with the diving TD, 2) Mason Flores with the dot on the run, 3) Reese Johnson with the clutch FG, 4) Kaylaun Smith running over defenders, or 5) Joshua Perez with the TD throw. #hondaofthedesert #fnl #fridaynightlights #fyp #highschoolfootball
🏒🔥 LET’S HEAR FROM TIM O’BRIEN! We’re kicking off Coachella Valley Firebirds Opening Night and catching up with Tim O’Brien! Hear what he has to say as the Firebirds get ready to hit the ice for another exciting season. 🏒🔥 #CoachellaValleyFirebirds #Firebirds #OpeningNight #Hockey #CoachellaValley PalmSprings CVFirebirds
SHARE this reel to help find ‘The Fab 5’ a home! 🐶🤍 #therogginreport #palmsprings #dogrescue #coachellavalley #nbcpalmsprings