Higher education podcast highlights APSU's teacher apprenticeship program
By: Megan Simpson January 8, 2024
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – The National Association of Community College Teacher Education Programs (NACCTEP) is showcasing Austin Peay State University’s Grow Your Own Teacher Residency, an innovative apprenticeship program preparing the next generation of educators, in its latest podcast episode.
The episode features Dr. Prentice Chandler, dean of the Eriksson College of Education at Austin Peay, and Dr. Lisa Barron, associate dean and director of teacher education and partnerships, discussing this groundbreaking teacher preparation program. Launched in 2019 in conjunction with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System, it became the nation's first federally registered teaching apprenticeship, providing an accelerated and affordable path to a teaching career.
In addition to CMCSS, Austin Peay now partners with several rural Tennessee school districts (Cheatham County, Dickson County, Hickman County and Robertson County) in the Grow Your Own Teacher Residency.
Through a combination of coursework, on-the-job learning and mentorship, the three-year bachelor’s degree program allows students to earn a tuition-free teaching degree while working full-time in schools. This unique model compresses the typical four-year timeline and removes the financial barriers many aspiring educators face, as the cost is covered by participating school districts and offset by federal and state grants and apprenticeship funding.
“We decided at the beginning money was not going to be the obstacle,” Barron said. “We were going to find ways to get to the solution.”
As the program grew, the Grow Your Own Teacher Residency began to partner with local community colleges, including Nashville State and Volunteer State. This aspect of Austin Peay’s teacher apprenticeship model is addressed during the podcast, which helps to keep the program affordable and accessible for both school districts and participating students.
“It is our goal to work with as many community colleges across the state as we can to push this out to really all corners of the state,” Chandler said.
Throughout the episode, Chandler and Barron detail how this teacher apprenticeship model has spread nationwide, with more than 20 states adopting similar programs. Teacher shortages - particularly in high-needs areas such as special education - and lack of diversity in the profession, are addressed head-on by this model, which makes teaching “accessible, attractive and affordable,” according to Chandler.
“I believe that we have started a movement here in Clarksville,” he said. “I believe we’re just getting started. I think the proof is the number of states that have adopted this idea.”
Tune in to the NACCTEP Now podcast to learn how the Eriksson College of Education
is transforming teacher preparation. NACCTEP focuses on promoting the role of community
colleges in teacher education.
"You’re actually lifting the teaching profession up, which is so needed," said Julie
Ferin, NACCTEP executive director and podcast host.
The episode featuring Chandler and Barron is available now on all major platforms.