Creating a Support System That Launches the Paraprofessional-to-Teacher in a Grow Your Own Program

Abstract

As teacher shortages continue to increase in the wake of the pandemic and an increased number of retirement-eligible teachers take advantage of the benefits of retiring, more communities and school districts are looking toward their local university for teacher education pathway programs to attract and prepare paraprofessionals (paraeducators) as a certified teacher while remaining in the community and employed within the school as a paraprofessional or teacher-of-record on a restricted license. Traditionally, these types of grow your own (GYO) programs attract and admit non-traditional candidates who have not attended school in more than five years and have other life factors that require a network of support not always found in a traditional teacher education program.