Tennessee’s teacher prep program, Grow Your Own (GYO), is in flux. Participating educator preparation providers (EPP) are awaiting Thursday, when they will be notified of how many seats they’ll be available to offer teacher candidates, along with the amount of funding available. The lack of clear answers is making some providers anxious for the fall.
“It is throwing off our staffing plans for next year as we can’t get an answer from Emma McCallie at TDOE or Erin Crisp at the GYO Center,” a source who wished to remain anonymous told The Tennessee Star.
Another concern for these education providers is that the university partners were already told back in late spring how many slots they were approved for and accepted candidates based on those numbers. On the Thursday, they may now have to tell those candidates they can’t become teachers due to lack of funding.
A note sent out last week by the Grow Your Own Center only increased that anxiety.
The note acquired by The Star stated that “The EPPs, programming licensure areas, and the number of seats available are still in development in conversations with EPPs. We know that this tight timing window so close to Fall is not ideal, and we’re working to provide much more time for planning and decision-making in the future as part of our longer-term strategy. Please reach out to your regional manager with questions.”
The timeline provided is as follows:
- Weeks of May 26 – June 10th: Budget reviews & planning with individual programs
(internal meetings between TDOE, GYOC, and EPPs) - Weeks of June 9 – July 21st: Information provided to districts regarding the Fall program availability (EPP, modality, and licensure area)
- Week of June 26: Information provided to districts regarding the number of seats along with specific entrance criteria for apprentices. Districts should follow up with EPPs and regional managers related to specifics.
Compounding issues is a lack of transparency by both the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the Center. EPPs have been told that all discussions have been embargoed until after Thursday, forbidding them from discussing potential cuts with local districts or the media.
Funding and communications are not the only issues plaguing the program. As the GYO program has grown, the Center, which was created by The Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) and the University of Tennessee System in 2022, has attempted to exert more influence on individual preparation programs.
Among the current proposed revisions is a move to follow guidelines put forth by the Competency Based Education Network (CBEN). Under these guidelines, students who demonstrate knowledge or skills in certain subjects would be eligible for credits without taking the class, potentially speeding up the process and saving the state money. However, it would not concede elements of control to the state but also potentially increase the administrative costs to universities.
The teacher pipeline program’s uncertainty comes as Tennessee grapples with a growing state-wide teacher shortage.
“We have seen a great teacher exodus in Tennessee education in the last few years,” said Kathryn Vaughn, president of the Tipton County in Education Association. “Many teachers retired early during the pandemic, and others left to take care of their own children, as the costs of childcare continue to soar. School safety, low teacher pay, and the slew of new laws legislating our classrooms have made teaching in TN unsustainable. We are losing teachers to better-paying neighboring states, and to other professions that offer more work-life balance.”
Vaughn, a Tennessee educator for over 17 years, told The Star, “Unfortunately, Tennessee is losing teachers so fast, we are struggling to replace them, especially in high-needs areas like special education, science, and math. Tennessee needs to do better at attracting new teachers and at retaining qualified teachers and keeping them in their classrooms.”
The GYO program was seen as a way to offset the loss of teachers and attract new applicants to the profession.
The fledging teacher prep program has been recognized as one of former Tennessee Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn’s signature accomplishments. Schwinn touted it as a means to combat the state’s growing need for teachers.
“By building off the proven success of our earlier Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship models, Tennessee is leading the way to more effectively staff our schools. We are thankful for sustainable expansion through Tennessee’s strategic efforts to address teacher shortages through high-quality programs and partnerships,” she said.
Shortly after her arrival as commissioner of education, she expanded the pioneering work of Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools Chief Academic Officer Sean Impeartrice. CMCSS, Austin Peay State University, Nashville State Community College, and Lipscomb University initially formed a partnership to create a teacher pipeline for the local school district. Qualified teaching candidates with a bachelor’s degree can earn a Master’s degree and their teaching certification at no cost while being employed in a residency program that allows them to draw a salary.
In January 2022, Tennessee’s Grow Your Own model became the first nationally approved permanent Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship program. The following September, First Lady Jill Biden and U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in a show of support for strengthening the teacher pipeline through Tennessee’s Grow Your Own initiative and the Grow Your Own Center.
In February 2023, the Tennessee Department of Education and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced a partnership to secure continued investment and financial commitment for innovative educator preparation pathways through a component of Tennessee’s Grow Your Own initiative, the first nationally-recognized teacher apprenticeship model.
The Star contacted the Grow Your Own Center with additional questions but did not hear back by press time.
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TC Weber is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. He writes the blog Dad Gone Wild. Follow TC on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]. He’s the proud parent of two public school children and the spouse of a public school teacher.
Photo “Teachers” by javier trueba.
