From Local 3 News: Bradley County Schools is one of seven Tennessee school districts chosen to participate in the Tennessee Grow Your Own public e
From Local 3 News: Bradley County Schools is one of seven Tennessee school districts chosen to participate in the Tennessee Grow Your Own public education pilot program.
The TN GYO program, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education, seeks to provide aspiring educators with the tools and knowledge needed to succeed in their teaching pursuits. Additionally, the program will serve as a talent pipeline for potential teachers through partnerships among local high schools, community colleges, and universities.
The seven districts that have been chosen by the Tennessee Department of Education and the TN GYO Program are:
- Bradley County Schools
- Bristol City Schools
- Clarksville-Montgomery County Schools
- Kingsport City Schools
- Lawrence County Schools
- Lewis County Schools
- Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Bradley County Schools is proud to be a part of this project and looks forward to bringing more qualified teachers to their classrooms.
The TN GYO program is an effort to combat teacher scarcity in Tennessee and is backed by other national Grow Your Own initiatives. The program offers a sustainable, no-cost method for delivering teaching opportunities. It also provides employment opportunities for qualified educators, expands partnerships in the community, and increases the diversity among those teaching in Tennessee.
In addition, Teaching as a Profession (TAP) is a state-certified pre-apprenticeship is being offered to the seven selected districts’, to provide high school students with hands on teaching experience in their local communities.
“TAP courses are a valuable opportunity for students to get hands-on classroom experience while still in high school and this new pilot program will help to better prepare them earlier on to enter the teaching profession,” said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education.
Currently, over 5,200 students are enrolled in the TAP apprenticeship program and enrollment numbers are expected to increase with the implementation of the new pre-apprenticeship pilot program.
