Case Study: Supporting Teacher Certification in Maryland
| by Hannah Sparling
Maryland has a strong demand for teachers. The state has more than 1,400 public schools and serves nearly 900,000 students, pre-K through 12. There are more than 62,000 educators in Maryland already, but the state is still projecting an average of more than 5,300 open jobs every year for elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers.
To help meet that need, Moreland University partners with schools and districts across the state to help teachers earn professional certifications and master’s degrees. Moreland’s TEACH-NOW Teacher Preparation Certificate Program gives Maryland teachers a streamlined, 9-month path to certification.
“Moreland was such a great experience for me,” said Patricia Polster, a 2024 TEACH-NOW graduate who teaches in a French immersion program for Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). “I won’t say it was easy, because it was intense. But it was a very supported process. And every step of the way, from the moment I applied to the moment I graduated, was so well done.”
Turning to Career Changers
To meet the growing demand for educators, school leaders in Maryland are turning more and more to career changers. Maryland offers multiple certification pathways, and in 2025, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore announced $1 million in grants to help displaced federal workers pivot to teaching.
Polster, the MCPS French-immersion teacher, is a career changer who studied journalism and public relations in college. She worked in PR and lobbying before turning to teaching later in her career.
“As a 21st century teacher, you have to be well versed in technology, and Moreland has an amazing strength in that,” Polster said. “Moreland is really a complete package. You don’t need anything else aside from Moreland, you absolutely don’t. You are going to be taken care of. You are going to get the help you need.”
Nick George was a musician and long-term sub before, during COVID, he decided he was ready to become a full-time teacher. George graduated from Moreland’s TEACH-NOW program in November 2024 and is now a special-education teacher at James Hubert Blake High School.
“The biggest thing TEACH-NOW prepared me for is to collaborate with my team. And that’s something I struggled with, if I’m being honest,” George said. “I would always try to do it on my own. But my cohort really empowered me to be humble and to get the help I need.”
Dr. Andres and Victoria Negro are a husband and wife who went through the TEACH-NOW program together to earn their Maryland certifications. Victoria is now a kindergarten teacher for Kemp Mill Elementary School, and Andres, who is also earning his M.Ed. through Moreland, is staff support for Watkins Mill Elementary School.
“What helped me the most was being able to connect what I learned in class with my real work in schools as a paraeducator — and now as a certified teacher,” Andres said. “Everything felt practical and useful.”
Linda Suarez spent 15 years as a licensed early childhood educator and program director and then worked for a few years in her local police department before becoming a substitute teacher for MCPS. Now, she’s a full-time permanent world languages educator in the district — teaching high school Spanish.
Suarez credits Moreland with helping her make a seamless transition into her current role.
“I am so impressed with the Moreland program because it fit so well with the needs of my work and my certification needs. Every single assignment I had was so relevant, and it allowed me to implement it into the classroom,” she said. “You have support from your professors, from your advisor. Any question that you might have or any doubt, it’s always answered quickly.”
Maryland District Partners
Moreland partners with schools and districts across Maryland. Our TEACH-NOW program is fully accredited, 100% online, and can be completed in 9 months. Clinical learning (student teaching) is included.
“I have found Moreland’s program to be rigorous and the curriculum holds a high standard for our teachers to be effectively prepared to enter the classroom,” said Brittany Ramey, Montgomery County Public Schools’ Instructional Specialist for Higher Education Partnerships. “All the staff at Moreland have been collaborative and very easy to work with. We have regular meetings to assess progress and provide information sessions to our educators. The staff is timely in their communications and very responsive to our needs.”
As of July 2025, Moreland has supported 760 Maryland educators through our certification and master’s programs. Graduates regularly cite Moreland’s flexibility, speed, and the support and mentorship Moreland provides for candidates.
“I would definitely recommend Moreland to another teacher,” said Hannah W. Hawkins, a career changer and special education teacher for Charles County Public Schools.
Hawkins is a wife and mother with a busy family life, and she needed a certification program that was streamlined and cost-effective.
“I have never taken an online class in my life, and I was very nervous,” she said. “But setting all that up — it’s been a breeze.”
Partner with us. We partner with schools and districts across Maryland to help teachers earn professional certifications and master’s degrees. If more than 30 teachers in your district need a professional certification, Moreland will offer a discounted tuition rate.
