Prosper Waco and partners work to strengthen the teacher pipeline and secure expert educators for our community.
Of the people who shape our lives and futures as children and young adults, teachers remain at the top of the list as one of the most powerful influences. We know that equipped, qualified, committed teachers are absolutely vital to the health of our children, community, and society at large. Great teachers are our heroes. And yet, there is currently a very real crisis around the shortage of certified teachers not only around the state, but in our own community.
In 2019-2020, the percentage of new teachers hired into the six Waco-area school districts who had no certification, or an emergency certification, was 4 percent. In the current 2023-2024 school year, that number has increased to a staggering 35 percent.
While this phenomenon is not unique to our city, the response by Prosper Waco and our partners in the Teacher Pipeline Initiative to address this need is distinct and poised to only gain momentum.
Supported by a Gates Foundation Grant, last month US PREP and Prosper Waco met with representatives from Waco, La Vega, and Lorena ISDs as well as Region 12, Tarleton State University-Waco, and Texas Tech University-Waco, to share observations, insights, and ideas around meeting developing, recruiting and retaining certified teachers in our community. The ultimate goal for the gathering? Establishing a shared vision is a crucial step for collective impact.
From here, Prosper Waco and partners will convene a local community of practice, including ISDs and IHEs, to discuss broader strategies for improving the teacher pipeline. We’ll establish a common agenda—agreement on the problem to be solved and how—as well as common metrics—all leading toward a concrete plan of action, working together to turn the tide and build a stronger pipeline for securing equipped educators for students in our community.
Charis Dietz
Director of Marketing & Communications
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