Educators Rising Micro-credentials can offer students significant savings from two partnering institutions

Arlington, VA—September 17, 2025—PDK International is proud today to announce that their newly updated stack of Educators Rising Micro-credentials can help college students defray the cost toward their education degree. Both PennWest University and Slippery Rock University are now offering students enrolled in their programs new options with opportunities to earn up to nine credits toward their degree when students successfully demonstrate success with micro-credentials from PDK International.

“The Educators Rising Curriculum has been successfully implemented in schools across the country, proving that this standards-based content can lead students toward being well-prepared to enter the world of teaching and learning,” mentioned Albert Chen, chief operating officer for PDK International. “Our correlated micro-credentials align well with the high quality programs at PennWest and at Slippery Rock, ultimately fast-tracking students toward becoming credentialed teachers.”

Successful completion of the five micro-credentials will make students at PennWest University or students at Slippery Rock University eligible to receive credits toward each schools’ degree of Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood and Elementary Education or the Bachelor of Science in Middle and Secondary Education.

The cost savings for nine credits can save a student between $4000-4,200 with tuition and fees combined.

Each of the five Educators Rising micro-credentials require between 5-15 hours of work each, assessing students in variety of education-related skills, including collaboration, formative assessments, learner engagement, lesson design, and effective classroom leadership. Students completing the micro-credentials should have participated in a high school program that utilized the Educators Rising Curriculum from PDK International.

“We’re proud to partner with these institutions, levering our high-quality assessments to help more students pursue their dream of entering the classroom,” said Anne Morris, Ed.D., director oof programs for PDK International. “Students using our micro-credentials are able to showcase their readiness to enter the classroom while pursuing their dream to teach.”

Students or their schools can purchase Educators Rising micro-credentials alongside Educators Rising Curriculum or directly from the assessment partner, Digital Promise.

Download a PDF version.

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About PDK International
Established in 1906, PDK International supports P-20 educators, researchers, and policy makers by strengthening their commitment to the profession throughout the entire arc of their careers. We are committed to elevating the profession through the intersection of research and practice. Through our core values of community, leadership, service, optimism, and excellence, we encourage educators and stakeholders to elevate the discourse and change the narrative around teaching and learning to ensure that every student has a high-quality education. www.pdkintl.org

About Educators Rising
In 2015, PDK International – in its 115-year commitment to the profession of education – launched Educators Rising, formerly the Future Educators Association (FEA). Today, Educators Rising is cultivating a new generation of highly skilled educators by guiding young people on a path from high school through college and into their teaching careers. By working with aspiring educators who reflect the demographics of their communities and who are passionate about serving those communities through public education, Educators Rising is changing the face of teaching. educatorsrising.org