Rutherford County Schools (RCS) leaders highlighted recent efforts to fill special education and English as a second language (ESL) teaching positions at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.¶
According to Superintendent Dr. James Sullivan, the district’s Grow Your Own Teacher program recently helped about 40 “paraprofessional apprentices” gain additional licensure and master’s degrees via a partnership with Lipscomb University. He said he believes the program has played a key role in filling special education and ESL positions in particular.¶
“Over the past two years, these apprentices transitioned from educational assistants to teachers of record helping RCS fill many of our special education and ESL positions,” he said.¶
Janet Flannery, the district’s coordinator of new teacher programs and recruitment, said many of the teachers earned “dual endorsements in elementary special education and ESL.”¶
“This initiative is designed to support aspiring teachers from within our own district, giving them the resources and opportunities they need to pursue a teaching career,” she said. “Investing in our support staff through apprentice programs like this one is a successful endeavor, because these educators have years of previous experience working alongside classroom teachers and are able to apply what they’re learning and what has been modeled for them by the teachers they supported in the past.”¶
She said the initiative, which also involves partnerships with Middle Tennessee State University and UT Southern, will make a lasting impact amid ongoing efforts to recruit and retain more RCS teachers to address vacancies.¶
“This program not only helps these dedicated individuals achieve their dreams, but also strengthens our district by filling critical open positions with highly qualified educators,” she said. “Thanks to the initiative, we are not only meeting our staff needs, we are ensuring our students are taught by teachers who are deeply invested in our schools and community.”¶
