So It Begins
Our journey began after the launch of a statewide campaign by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (MO-DESE) for school districts to create local Grow Your Own Teacher programs. The goal was to encourage at least two graduating seniors from each high school to enter the education field.
From the onset, Robert Vogelaar, LPS’s assistant superintendent of human resources (now retired), was actively involved at the state level in these convenings where ongoing discussions about the concept of Grow Your Own Teacher were gaining momentum. At this time, one of us, Andrea, joined the LPS staff as chief equity officer. Andrea had come from MO-DESE’s Office of Educator Quality, where she co-developed the state’s Grow Your Own Resource Guide.
The goal was for LPS students of color to obtain their teaching credentials and return to teach in the district.
At the district level, we held in-depth conversations about how to take this initiative to scale as a workforce development strategy. As a source of inspiration, our early efforts to build a more diverse teacher pipeline gained community recognition with a 2017 Response to the Call Award from Clay County African American Legacy Inc.
As a result, the district established a GYOT Steering Committee comprised of school leaders from its two high schools; the Education Internship Program coordinator; the director of college, careers, and community partnerships; and the director of compliance. We (Dee as human resources director and Andrea as chief equity officer) were co-chairs.
Guiding Principles
The guiding principles of the GYOT program were to highlight the education profession as a viable career choice for LPS students of color and to award a financial incentive to be applied toward college tuition. The GYOT Steering Committee researched programs and learned more from other districts that had already launched successful GYOT programs across Missouri, such as Columbia, Fort Zumwalt, and Raytown.
The steering committee aligned its work with district priorities as outlined in our strategic plan and prepared a board presentation to share a rationale, the student application and selection process, program requirements, financial projections, and mentorship guidelines. The goal was for LPS students of color to obtain their teaching credentials and return to teach in the district.
For high school students, the rigorous application process entails the following:
- Completing an actual LPS employment application.
- Achieving a minimum 2.75 grade point average.
- Earning a minimum score of 18 on the ACT.
- Submitting three letters of recommendation.
- Writing an essay.
- Interviewing with the GYOT Selection Committee.
To receive the financial incentive, a student must be a full-time college student (at least 12 hours per semester), have a minimum 2.75 grade point average, and be enrolled in a teacher education program. Students meeting these requirements receive $2,500 per year for four years ($10,000 total) to be applied toward tuition at the college or university of their choice.
Upon completion of the teacher education program requirements, a student is expected to teach in Liberty Public Schools for a minimum of three consecutive years, starting the first semester immediately following graduation.
The board of education unanimously approved this GYOT program, which received financial support in the form of loan forgiveness for each cohort of four students, two from each high school, in the amount of $40,000 over four years.
We are in our fifth year of the program’s implementation and look forward to the first cohort returning to LPS as classroom teachers for the 2023–2024 school year. Financial support from the Liberty Education Foundation will further this work.
Expanded Efforts
The original GYOT program design has inspired LPS to expand its teacher recruitment and retention efforts to include Teacher Ambassadors, the Lead Lab, GYOT Hard-to-Fill, and the Paraprofessional-to-Teacher program. A three-year ESSER grant funds the first three initiatives.
Teacher Ambassadors were created to empower a cohort of teachers to provide support, modeling, and inspiration to fellow teachers (retention) and potential future teachers (recruitment). Teacher Ambassadors’ commitment to the profession can be a powerful factor in influencing other teachers to examine their commitment level.
Being a Teacher Ambassador is a unique opportunity to give back to the profession by supporting colleagues, helping them appreciate their impact, and encouraging students to pursue a career in education.
A Teacher Ambassador’s ideal qualities include a two-year commitment to teaching in Liberty Public Schools in this capacity, a willingness to connect and work with middle and high school students, and demonstration of innovative and effective teaching practices through project-based learning, learner agency, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), and dual-credit and advance placement courses.
Summer workshops, book studies, career fairs, survey development, and partnerships with university education programs are a few of the stipend-paid activities for Teacher Ambassadors.
Overall, the impact of the Teacher Ambassador program’s retention efforts will be measured by postworkshop surveys, exit interviews, and survey responses focused on a teacher’s sense of belonging.
Recruitment efforts will be measured by the number of students visiting university education departments, the number of students in grades 7–11 participating in Educators Rising activities, the number of students declaring a major in education, and the number of LPS students hired as LPS teachers.
The Lead Lab program is geared toward teacher retention. It will be a yearlong professional growth experience designed to support educators in refining their leadership skills for amplified success in their current role. The Lead Lab will support professional growth through experiences such as personal development exercises, vision planning, action planning, and communication strategydevelopment.
Throughout the year, participants will have the opportunity to engage as a community of practitioners in various experiences, such as leadership conferences, topic studies, and monthly or quarterly networking. Lead Lab participants will gain exposure to a variety of leaders at various levels within the organization. Because this program is intended to support teachers in developing their leadership capacity in their current role, participants are not required to have an administrative degree.
All PreK–12 classroom teachers with a minimum of five years of teaching experience are eligible to participate in the Lead Lab. Teachers are selected through an application process that includes a leadership statement and administrator endorsement. Evaluation of the Lead Lab includes monitoring the number of participants and retention data. Survey data will also be collected to assess the benefits of the program and its impact on work satisfaction, as well as on future career plans.
courtesy of Liberty Public Schools in Missouri
Members of the GYOT student cohort share ideas and experiences, learning from each other.
GYOT Hard-to-Fill is patterned after the original GYOT program. It adds one more position to the GYOT cohort and includes two unique twists: (a) the GYOT Hard-to-Fill is open to all graduating seniors who meet the required qualifications and (b) the teaching opportunity is limited to secondary science, secondary math, or PreK–12 special education.
The Paraprofessional-to-Teacher initiative is designed to identify, recruit, and encourage current LPS classified staff members to complete a four-year education degree leading to a full-time teaching position. This strategy has already made it possible to fill vacancies in those challenging subject areas.
It Takes a Community
The most important lesson we have learned in planning, developing, and implementing our Grow Your Own Teacher program is that it takes the full support of the larger community, the board of education, the superintendent, and district and school leaders to make it all happen.
Our district designed a series of robust Grow Your Own Teacher programs that meet a variety of needs as we cultivate and grow a diverse and dynamic workforce for the promising years that lie ahead. By tapping into the talents of students and staff in the LPS community, we are maximizing the fullest potential of our greatest asset: human capital