Growing Your Own: A University / District Collaboration CSOTTE 2017 Notes Growing Your Own: A University / District Collaboration

Introductions Dr. Stacey Edmonson, Dean SHSU Dr. Sandra Stewart, Associate Dean SHSU Katie Lowe, Coordinator for Recruitment and Communications SHSU Dr. Jannah Nerren, Associate Dean SHSU

History of the Program It doesn’t go back quite this far

Why Grow Your Own Districts are interested in having their own students return as teachers because: Knowledge of the culture of the school Pre-service teaching program is connected to the school district, strengthening their preparation Retention rate is improved because of student agreement

Background In Texas, only 73% of teachers are retained over 5 years (Texas Education Agency) School districts spend an average of $18,000 annually on professional development (Mader, 2015) Teacher turnover has negative impact on student learning (Ronfeldt, Loeb, & Wycoff, 2013) Three to four years of initial teacher preparation in model schools with strong mentoring increases student achievement and teacher retention. (Darling-Hammond, 2010).

Project Scope Create a partnership between Sam Houston State University and school districts in an effort to increase the likelihood of current high school students returning to their home base as certified teachers. The intention is to increase the diversity of students, as well as assisting school districts reduce the need to hire.

Process Meet with school districts for needs assessment Review the project plan Individualized the project plan to meet the needs of the partner school districts Develop MOUs with school districts Attend district signing day Develop Summer Teacher Camp schedule and curriculum Assess Summer Teacher Camp with a survey

What makes this program unique? Summer Teacher Camp Summer internships Living-Learning Communities University dual credit District incentives On-going mentoring from high school through college graduation District signing day

Project Plan High School Junior High School Senior Fall 2017 – meeting with the “Ready, Set, Teach” students (Home Grown?) Sam Houston Recruiter activities (coordinate with teachers/director) Spring 2018 – tour at Sam Houston with “Ready, Set, Teach” students Sam Houston Tour and College of Education visit Summer 2018 – Teacher’s Camp at Sam Houston State University Two-day camp at The Woodlands Center (Huntsville) Teacher Education Workshop Sessions EC-6, 4-8, and Secondary Education Sessions Career Services District Panels Sam Houston Faculty Panels High School Senior Fall 2018 – CIEE 2333 Dual Credit (Sam Houston) Spring 2019 – New Bearkat Teachers Reception at Sam Houston Signing Day in the District Tour Education Dorm Wing Meet with Candice Wilson on Education Learning Community and U1301 (if they don’t live on campus, can they participate in the “Living” activities?) Summer 2019 – Freshmen Orientation College of Education Tour and Reception with students and parents College of Education Advising

Project Plan at SHSU Fall 2019 – See Schedule – Education Learning Community Cohort Spring 2019 – See Schedule – Education Learning Community Cohort Summer 2019 – Teaching Innovation Internship Three-day camp on Technology and Innovation at Sam Houston Main Campus (suggested to include current teachers as mentors) International Study Abroad (if offered) Summer 2020 – Capturing Kids Hearts Training (or equivalent) Two-day training Summer 2021 – First Year Teacher Camp Summer Internship – Coordinated with district and Sam Houston

Program Requirements Must meet admission requirements Will bring 21-28 Dual Credit and/or College Credit (courses will be recommended by SHSU staff) Enroll in U1301 with cohort Participate in Education Living - Learning Community Be in a cohort when taking Content Methods, Literacy Block, and Targeted Field Experiences. Summer professional development and internship

MOU Highlights ISD agrees to: Facilitate SHSU recruiting visits to the district for GYO Initiate a letter of intent for each student committed to the GYO at SHSU Promote and transport interested students to the “Celebration of Teaching” event annually and Transport juniors and seniors participating in the summer teaching camp each summer Identify teacher mentors during the summer of the teacher candidates junior year at SHSU that will remain with the teacher candidate through student teaching Support summer internships including, but not limited to, professional development with mentor teacher, setting up classrooms, and developing lesson plans Support and provide time for the mentor to be trained with the teacher candidate in collaboration with SHSU Ensure each student enters the program at SHSU with 15-21 hours of dual credit, including the beginning education course at SHSU (CIEE 2333 – Becoming a Teacher)

MOU Highlights cont. SHSU agrees to: Plan and facilitate a SHSU campus visit entitled “The Celebration of Teaching” annually Plan and host a summer teacher camp annually for junior and senior high school students (2-3 days) Meet a minimum of two times annually with all incoming GYO freshmen at SHSU to provide support and mentoring during the first year Provide mentor training with the teacher candidate during the first summer of the teacher candidates junior year at SHSU Support summer teacher internships (summer of junior and senior years at SHSU) for all students in the GYO program in collaboration with ISD Ensure that GYO teacher candidates meet all degree, testing, and certification requirements upon completion of the program to ensure efficient teacher placement within the district

Camp Agenda Tuesday, July 11, 2017 Wednesday, July 12, 2017 9:00 am to 9:30 am Introductions – Katie Lowe 9:30 am to 10:00 am Ice Breaker Game 10:00 am to 10:30 am Future of Education – Dr. Sandra Stewart 10:30 am to 10:45 am Break 10:45 am to 11:45 am Visual Literacy – Dr. Lory Haas 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm Lunch 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm Teacher Language – Dr. Rebecca Wentworth 2:30 pm to 2:45 pm Break 2:45 pm to 3:30 pm Creative Classroom – Dr. Jannah Nerren 3:30 pm Dismiss Wednesday, July 12, 2017 9:00 am to 10:00 am Classroom Design – Dr. Tara Wilson & Dr. Patricia Durham 10:00 am to 11:00 am Digital Storytelling – Dr. Pam Gray 11:00 am to 11:15 am Break 11:15 am to 12:30 pm Panel Discussions with School Districts and Student Ambassadors 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Box Lunch 1:00 pm Dismiss

Letter of Intent The letter of intent will be designed by the ISD’s. The student will be subject to meet all of the hiring requirements, as well as the performance requirements, to gain and maintain employment with the district. Below are some examples we have received from the districts. Three year commitment from student to the district Signing bonus; half at time of hire and remainder after commitment fulfilled Stipend, amount varies on needs of the district Scholarships

What’s next? Review surveys from Summer Teacher Camp and make adjustments Review input from Summer Teacher Camp planning committee Expand Summer Teacher Camp to include classroom specific projects (i.e. lesson planning) Pilot summer internships Increase school district participants Implement district mentoring over duration of program

Contacts Sandra Stewart, sstewart@shsu.edu Katie Lowe, katielowe@shsu.edu Jannah Nerren, jannahnerren@shsu.edu

Resources Darling-Hammond, L. (2010) Mader, (2015). Ronfeldt, Loeb, & Wycoff, (2013) Texas Education Agency, (2017)