National Center for Grow Your Own Launches District Network

Sixteen School Districts Join Network to Address Educator Shortages through Registered Apprenticeships in Teaching

New York, NY – Today, the National Center for Grow Your Own (NCGYO) announces the launch of the National Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching District Network. This network consists of sixteen innovative school districts that are addressing educator shortages with a registered apprenticeship model.

Participating districts are in various phases of implementing this model - with some recently receiving approval for registered apprenticeships in teaching and others still in the process or an exploratory phase. These founding members will convene to discuss the design and implementation of registered apprenticeship in teaching and will collaborate to inform policy and practice among state and national stakeholders.

“We couldn’t be more excited to launch this new, free network with pioneering school district leaders from across the country. Based on the success of our state network, the next phase is to create the conditions necessary for school districts to take advantage of the opportunities offered with registered apprenticeships in teaching,” said NCGYO Founder David Donaldson. “There is no doubt in my mind that these school districts represent a movement and a network that will only grow.”

This district network is building from the success of the original National Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching Network that was created by NCGYO in 2022 with seven founding states. To date, this network has more than doubled with sixteen states currently collaborating to provide effective educators for students and address a consistent talent pipeline challenge.

“It is critical that school systems from across the United States have the opportunity to network and learn from one another to help mitigate the teacher shortage crisis. The National Registered Apprenticeship in Teaching District Network will take that collective impact to a new level as the focus will be on high-quality teacher preparation as well as filling vacancies,” said Associate Superintendent for Teaching and Learning of Midland Independent School District (Midland, TX), Ashley Osborne. “The Midland ISD team is ready to engage in this important work with our colleagues from across the nation and we appreciate the National Center for Grow Your Own for providing the space for such collaboration.”

The network is composed of a diverse group of districts with varying sizes, demographics, and geography represented. The founding school districts within this network include:

·       Appoquinimink School District (Delaware)

·       Auburn-Washburn School District (Kansas)

·       Carlsbad Municipal Schools (New Mexico)

·       Ector County Independent School District (Texas)

·       Greendale Schools (Wisconsin)

·       Hollister R-V School District (Missouri)

·       Houston Independent School District (Texas)

·       Indianapolis Public Schools (Indiana)

·       McDowell County Schools (West Virginia)

·       Memphis Shelby County Schools (Tennessee)

·       Midland Independent School District (Texas)

·       Nelson County Schools (Kentucky)

·       Ogden School District (Utah)

·       Redondo Beach Unified School District (California)

·       Saginaw Intermediate School District (Michigan)

·       West Fargo Public Schools (North Dakota)

NCGYO expects this network, as with the state network, to continue to grow in size over the coming months as opportunities to learn and partner expand.

“The cultivation of exceptional talent to serve our students, our most precious resource, is essential to our local, state, and national economies. Working together across the country to address challenges in teacher recruitment and retention must be at the forefront of all we do so that we are preparing the next generation to fill essential roles and setting them up for success for what lies ahead,” said Executive Director of Career and Technical Education of Saginaw Intermediate School District (Saginaw, MI), Jenny Geno. We need to begin mentoring students into the profession at a young age, so that we can positively build a robust educator workforce."

"We are grateful for the opportunity to elevate the teaching profession in the state of Wisconsin, and foster an environment to support aspiring educators as they pursue full licensure to meet the needs of our students.  We are anxious to learn from other districts throughout the country about how they have made registered apprenticeships a reality in their states,” said Director of Human Resources of Greendale Schools (Greendale, WI), Julie Grotophorst. “It is important that we explore all possibilities to support educators and help them overcome the barriers to becoming a certified teacher.  By providing registered apprenticeships and supporting future educators we can help meet the workforce needs to deliver high quality instruction to our students." 

“Like other districts, Houston ISD is committed to strengthening the ways we recruit, develop, and retain staff through Grow Your Own programs,” said Executive Officer of Talent Strategy of Houston Independent School District (Houston, TX), Kaylan Connally. “We are excited to build upon our current GYO partnerships and learn from other districts to expand new pathways to teaching.”

We have been impacted by the teacher shortage in a way that is directly and significantly affecting our students.  In addition to traditionally-trained teachers, we have also sought out and provided pathways to teaching for adults who are employed with us and show the desire and aptitude to be a great teacher.  The financial equation typically stops them from realizing this goal before they even start,” said Chelsea Clark, Recruiting & Retention Specialist of Auburn-Washburn School District (Topeka, KS). David Donaldson's work in apprenticeships is groundbreaking. Donaldson and the National Center for Grow Your Own’s trail-blazing work shows us the way to break down that financial barrier.

If you are a school district interested in joining this network or a state, school district or educator preparation provider in need of technical assistance to launch a registered apprenticeship in teaching, please contact: info@ncgyo.org and visit www.ncgyo.org.

About NCGYO:

The National Center for Grow Your Own (NCGYO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which provides technical assistance to states, local education agencies (school districts) and educator preparation providers that are interested in launching Grow Your Own (GYO) programs and registered apprenticeships in teaching. Founded by David Donaldson, former Chief of Human Capital of the Tennessee Department of Education, he led the creation of Tennessee’s state-wide Grow Your Own program and led the successful application process to have the occupation of a K-12 teacher approved for registered apprenticeship by the U.S. Department of Labor. His work in Tennessee has been recognized by The White House, U.S Department of Education and U.S. Department of Labor.