James September-October 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 80
pathway for high school students
interested in becoming educators.
Research suggests that recognizing
high school students for their interest and aptitude could shape their
decision to become teachers. School
systems can leverage this career
pathway as a pre-apprenticeship
opportunity.
This program can also benefit
paraprofessionals, as they often face
significant obstacles to entering traditional preparation programs, such
as limited time and limited financial
resources to enroll. Apprenticeships
remove these barriers by allowing
paraprofessionals to continue earning a salary and complete program
requirements while working full-time.
Similarly, career switchers
cannot exit the workforce to enter
preparation programs. Providing an
opportunity to earn a salary while
preparing for the classroom is a way
to entice these individuals to become future teachers.
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Ensuring that the Dollars Make Sense
Currently, teacher candidates
pay tuition to enroll in training
programs. Then, districts recruit,
hire and mentor these new teachers.
When these educators leave, districts restart the process. The churn
costs districts between $10,000 and
$20,000 per exiting teacher.
Districts interested in apprenticeships must determine if higher
upfront costs are worth the potential
long-term savings of having a more
skilled, prepared, and stable teacher
workforce.
Connecting all the Dots
Educator recruitment and preparation is one of the eight priorities
outlined in the Georgia Partnership’s
EdQuest Georgia State Policy Plan.
The plan includes an ambitious
goal: increasing the percentage of
early-career educators who stay in
the profession from 65 to 75 percent
by 2033. The Georgia Partnership
SEPTE M B E R/O C TO BE R 2 0 2 4
believes that the educator apprenticeship model is a promising strategy that could help achieve this goal,
as it ensures that teachers enter the
profession feeling prepared, supported, and free from student loan debt.
We are supportive of educator
apprenticeships for another reason.
District leaders who adopt this
model will need to deploy teacher
leaders and mentors to support
apprentices. By focusing efforts on
improving preparation, these school
systems are also creating professional growth opportunities for aspiring
teacher leaders and more favorable
conditions for educators to learn
together. Apprenticeships have the
potential to support preparation
for new teachers and professional
growth for veterans— all while reducing teacher burnout.
Matthew Smith is the Director of Policy and
Research at the Georgia Partnership for
Excellence in Education.
