Cultivating an Interest in Teaching

How To

Promising Practices

Pre-college Engagement

Programs that provide supplemental support, financial incentives, and targeted exposure to young prospective teachers aim to inspire middle and high school students to teach in their own communities.

Critical Success Factors: Diversity Benefit:
  • Inspiring teachers to serve as mentors and facilitators
  • Resources to provide engagement opportunities such as field trips, after-school clubs, and internships
  • Support to ensure college enrollment so that drop-off of teacher candidates is minimal
  • Hiring commitment from LEAs to provide program participants with “first look” hiring preferences
 Engaging in pre-college initiatives allows minority-majority districts to invest in current students while also cultivating future teachers
Spotlights
Spotlight: Pathways to Teaching Program (CT)
Description Provides high school students opportunities to connect with teacher mentors and runs field trips to universities with education programs. Students who go on to enroll in a teaching program in college receive a $400 / semester book stipend
Scope of Reach Serves ~100 - 170 students a year; 64% are Black / African American, 23% are Hispanic
Timeframe 2012 - present
Budget / Sources of funds $140,000 annual; RESC Minority Teacher Recruitment (MTR) Alliance funded by CSDE and State of CT
Actor(s) Implementing RESC MTR Alliance
Results
  • Dramatic increase in male student participation (from 9 males in 2014 - 2015 to 22 in 2015 - 2016)
  • Out of 100 students in 2015 - 2016, 60 enrolled into college and continue to receive support

Spotlight: North Carolina Teaching Fellows (NC)
Description Recruited high school seniors and provided $6.5K annual scholarships and enrichment activities for 4 years of college. Fellows committed to teaching in North Carolina for at least 4 years after graduation. Cut in 2011 due to budget concerns
Scope of Reach Brought ~500 teachers into classrooms each year with total of 11,000 teachers from 1986 - 2011; if approved, 2017 revival will work with 160 teachers each year with a focus on STEM and SPED
Timeframe 1986 - 2011; will potentially be revived in 2017
Budget / Sources of funds Total of $250M (~$10M each year) in scholarships; funded by North Carolina General Assembly. 2017 proposal envisions a $6M annual budget
Actor(s) Implementing Public School Forum of North Carolina (private, nonprofit)
Results
  • Over 90% of Teaching Fellows remained in NC public schools after 3 years; 75% remained for 5 years (compared with 80% and 68% of in-state prepared teachers)
  • ~25% of 2010 recipients were minorities. After program funding was cut in 2011, NC's public universities saw a 30% drop in education majors between 2010 and 2015
Non-certified staff programs

Programs or other initiatives that focus on recruitment and EPP enrollment of nontraditional teacher candidates and are often run by local education agencies. School districts identify and support current paraprofessional employees (paras), substitute teachers, and community members through paid time off and / or scholarships to pursue a teaching certification

Critical Success Factors: Diversity Benefit:
  • Significant quantity of non-certified staff of color such that diversity of teacher candidate pool can be increased without compromising the capacity of a district’s existing staff
  • District support through paid time off, reduced work responsibilities, and rehiring as teachers
  • Academic support for nontraditional college students who typically have lower levels of degree attainment (1/4 of all paras have a Bachelor’s)
 Paraprofessionals are experienced in school settings, more likely to be from underrepresented backgrounds, and are often concentrated in shortage areas of bilingual and special education. Volunteers and community members are also committed to serving in their neighborhood school districts

Spotlight: Grow Your Own Illinois (IL)
Description Teacher candidates are placed in class cohorts, are provided with loans that can be forgiven after 5 years of teaching in a high-need position, and are given supplementary financial incentives (including funds for child care, transportation, and materials)
Scope of Reach Goal of attracting 1,000 teachers from 2005 - 2016, primarily in high-need districts. In 2013, 52% of candidates were paraprofessionals, 16% were parent volunteers. Candidates must have at least a high school diploma or GED in order to enroll
Timeframe 2005 - present
Budget / Sources of funds $20 million program; funded by state of Illinois
Actor(s) Implementing GYO Illinois is an independent nonprofit organization with 11 consortia across the state (6 in Chicago)
Results
  • By 2015, GYO Illinois had produced 102 college graduates, 80 in teaching. 85% of all participants are people of color living in communities where they teach
  • Due to its large scope and long duration, GYO has identified potential pitfalls grow your own programs may encounter. Early limitations to the program’s success (which GYO has begun to address) included:
    • Academic barriers to EPP completion
    • Insufficient screening mechanisms to identify basic skills requirements
    • High administrative costs for personnel (up to 40% of grants)
    • Too many class requirements for non-Bachelor’s degree holders

Spotlight: LEAP to Teacher program at Queens College (NY)
Description Paraprofessional participants receive EPP tuition as well as released time and / or summer stipend from the NYC Department of Education. Paraprofessionals remain engaged in the community and continue working in schools while enrolled at Queens College as part-time undergraduate or graduate students (depending on prior education degree attainment)
Scope of Reach 706 students between 1996 - 2009; full time paraprofessionals employed by NYC public schools, most who do not have a Bachelor's degree
Timeframe 1996 - present
Budget / Sources of funds Budget unpublished; funded by NYC Department of Education
Actor(s) Implementing Queens College and CUNY; supported by United Federation of Teachers
Results
  • 46.6% of LEAP alumni are non-White
  • 43% college graduation rate for part-time students within 8 years (compared with national average of 25%). 55.5% of LEAP teachers taught for 3 - 9 years (as compared to national average of 36.3%)
  • Almost half of all LEAP graduates returned to their original school to teach full-time. Of those who went to different schools, 67% stated it was only because there was "no position available" at their original schools

Community college pathways

States and community colleges are creating pathways for individuals who start at a 2-year college before transferring to a 4-year EPP. Nationally, more than 21% of all teacher candidates start their preparation at a community college. EPPs and districts who adopt a more streamlined recruitment process from community colleges can further increase representation from this diverse talent pool

Critical Success Factors: Diversity Benefit:
  • Support for students transferring from community colleges to 4-year institutions
  • Institutional will to develop standardized core classes and articulation agreements across community colleges & public universities
  • “Pre-teacher” 2-year degrees that serve as explicit feeders for 4-year EPPs
 Community colleges enroll a high proportion of minority college students. 50% of all Hispanic students and 44% of all African American students enrolled in higher education start at a community college. Assisting this diverse group of students to transfer to and succeed in an EPP will diversify the existing pool of candidates
Minority Teacher Identification & Enrichment Program (IL)
Description Through a local network of chapters at 22 Illinois community colleges, this program at Eastern Illinois University provides prospective and current education majors with academic advising as well as information and support on transferring to a 4-year institution, teacher certification, test preparation, and financial aid
Scope of Reach 7,000 students across 22 community colleges have engaged with MTIEP since its founding
Timeframe 1993 - present
Budget / Sources of funds State funded via the Illinois Board of Higher Education Higher Education Cooperative Act (HECA), contributing ~$99,400 annually
Actor(s) Implementing Eastern Illinois University's College of Education & Professional Studies
Results
  • Since inception, 133 students have completed a Bachelor of Science or Master of Science in Education and are currently employed in Illinois educational institutions

Urban Academies Broward County Program (FL)
Description Selected high school students teach at elementary or middle schools and are guaranteed college tuition through Broward Community College's Education Pathway 2+2 Guaranteed University Transfer program
Scope of Reach High school and college students
Timeframe 1999 - present
Budget / Sources of funds In 2005 - 2006, annual budget of $600,000; funded by Broward County Public Schools' General Budget, Human Resource Development, and Title I Funding
Actor(s) Implementing Formed by Broward County Educational Consortium
Results
  • Over 6 years, prepared >360 teacher interns for Broward County schools
  • In 2004 - 2005, 93% teacher retention (compared to 84% in County and 67% nationwide)
  • In 2006, received "Innovations in American Government Awards" by Ash Institute at Harvard University. Seven additional Florida districts received $40,000 in grants to replicate program

Promising Practice: Student teaching internship programs

Description: Immersive, experiential learning opportunities that typically involve direct classroom instruction as part of a paid internship experience. Programs often include mentorship and professional development, and may lead to full-time offers upon college completion. Most programs target high school upperclassmen or college students

 

Critical Success Factors: Diversity Benefit:
  • Mentorship by experienced teachers
  • Student teacher interaction with children, ideally including direct classroom instruction
  • Continual engagement after experience; opportunities for full-time job offers when possible
 Structured student teaching programs provide early experiential opportunities to attract even non-education majors, therefore increasing the pool of eligible candidates of color, often before career decisions are finalized
Spotilghts
Spotlight: EdX at Columbia Public Schools (MO)
Description The Educational Experience Intern Program (or EdX) places high school students in elementary and middle schools for a paid summer internship program. Interns participate in classroom observations, paired mentorship, and direct classroom teaching. Interns are guaranteed teaching jobs in CPS upon receiving their teaching certificate
Scope of Reach In 2016: 10 student teachers (selected from 42 applicants). Goal for 2017: 20 student teachers (minimum 2.5 GPA requirement), potentially expanding internship opportunity to college students
Timeframe 2016 - present
Budget / Sources of funds Unknown
Actor(s) Implementing Columbia Public Schools
Results
  • Program results are forthcoming, however high application numbers relative to spots available suggest early promising results


Spotlight: Uncommon Schools’ Summer Teaching Fellowship (NY, NJ, MA)
Description A highly selective 7 - 10 week experience that recruits current education and non-education college juniors from underrepresented backgrounds. The Fellowship consists of 1 week of Orientation, observations and co-teaching with mentor teachers in Uncommon Schools, as well as regular check-ins and feedback sessions. Fellows are paid stipends depending on their school placement ($3500 for Elementary / Middle School; $6000 for High School) and also receive travel and housing stipends
Scope of Reach Since 2010, 431 Fellows have completed the program; 330 received full-time offers from Uncommon
Timeframe 2010 - present
Budget / Sources of funds Budget unpublished; funded by Uncommon Schools
Actor(s) Implementing Uncommon Schools (centralized across all schools)
Results
  • Uncommon has seen a 35% increase in teaching staff diversity since launching focus on diversity recruiting
  • STF credited as being second highest source of diverse candidates (first source is general referrals)

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