Tennessee provides free help to aspiring teachers studying to take licensure tests

The Tennessee Department of Education is now offering Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship candidates free access to “Keys to the Classroom.” The suite of prep materials is designed to help aspiring teachers pass Tennessee’s licensure tests.These resources are available through the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center in partnership with Study.com."As the teacher shortage crisis continues to affect schools across the nation, we are doubling down in our investment in building a more diverse teacher pipeline through Keys to the Classroom," said Dana Bryson, SVP of Social Impact, Study.com. "We are proud to work with innovative partners like Tennessee's Department of Education, which has created a state-wide, sustainable model for teacher recruitment with innovative pathways to becoming a certified teacher."The ”Keys to the Classroom” resources provide Tennessee students with free, easy access to materials that ensure growth and success in the field of education. The partnership between the Department of Education and study.com helps to remove financial barriers that might otherwise block students from accessing these resources by providing 1,200 free logins to apprenticeship candidates.“Providing free test prep resources in Tennessee further emphasizes our commitment to ensure every child has a well-trained, high-quality educator in their classroom,” said Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “Too often, the financial and preparation barriers prevent outstanding Tennesseans from entering our classrooms. We are grateful that partners like Study.com are joining in our strategic efforts through teacher apprenticeships to strengthen the educator pipeline through no-cost, high-quality opportunities.”In May of 2022, a Tennessee made a $20 million investment to establish the Grow Your Own Center in every county and in multiple campus locations of the University of Tennessee System. The Center provides teacher apprenticeship programs for educator credentialing at no cost.¶