BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana Department of Education today launched a statewide campaign to elevate the teaching profession and recruit the next generation of educators.

The Be a Teacher LA campaign, seeks to increase the number of high school graduates and college students who enroll in an undergraduate teacher preparation program and ultimately lead Louisiana classrooms.

"The work of a classroom teacher is dynamic and challenging and provides the opportunity to lead and shape students' futures," said State Superintendent John White. "We want Louisiana's brightest and most committed students to pursue a career in teaching, and we hope this campaign helps a higher number of those students hear that calling."

The campaign is a partnership with New Orleans-based professional marketing firm Zehnder Communications. According to a release, the campaign targets high school juniors and seniors, as well as college freshmen and sophomores, who are in the prime stages of their future career selection.