NEWS REPORT
2022 EDUCATION EDITION
Keller, Northwest ISDs grow pipeline for teachers
PROGRAM BASICS Here are highlights of the programs o ered by Keller and Northwest ISDs.
excited to nish college and start my teaching career.” NISD has a similar new program called Grow Our Home, which helps students, paraprofessionals and community members work toward gaining teaching certi cations and positions within the district. The program works di erently for students versus paraprofessionals and community members, according to Kimberly Barker, NISD assistant superintendent for human resources. Paraprofessionals and community members have two pathways, accord- ing to Barker. They can go through an alternative certi cation program with iTeachTexas if they already have a bachelor’s degree, or they can go through Hartwell University in Dallas to gain their degree and certi cation, she said. iTeachTexas is an online program that o ers teaching certi cations, its website states. Hartwell University is a private school that o ers an online program to obtain a degree in teaching, according to its website. “Anyone that goes through these programs and completes them auto- matically receives an interview at one of our campuses,” Barker said. As of July, the program had 17 people working through Hartwell University and seven working through the iTeachTexas alternative certi cation program. Students who have participated in the teaching and learning pathways at their high schools automatically earn the Texas paraeducator certi ca- tion. That certi cation allows them to work in NISD as a paraprofessional or
are in college, Love said. “Any student that wants to be a teacher can be in this program,” Love said. “They can choose to be in this program, and they don’t have to pay dues or anything. They can just be a part of it simply because they want to be a teacher.” The program requires no funding from the district. However, Love said the district hopes to eventually o er
BY SARA RODIA
TEACHERS OF TOMORROW
Keller and Northwest ISDs launched programs this year for stu- dents and community members who are interested in becoming teachers in their districts. O cials say these programs are a tool to help build a pipeline for hiring teachers in the future amid statewide concerns of sta ng shortages. Earlier this year, the
This program is open to Keller ISD high school students or college students who graduated from KISD. Students are guaranteed a job interview with KISD once they have earned their degree and teaching certi cate.
a bonus to alumni returning to Keller to teach. Students in the Teachers of Tomorrow pro- gram have support from Love and the program as they nish high school and go through college.
To learn more, contact Jennifer Love at jennifer.love@kellerisd.net.
Texas Education Agency created a Teacher Vacancy Task Force to come up with a variety of solutions to what the agency described as signi c ant sta ng challenges. KISD’s program,
“IT’S JUST ANOTHER WAY OF SHOWING THAT WE REALLY WANT OUR HOMEGROWN KIDDOS ... TO COME BACK AND TEACH WITH US.” JENNIFER LOVE, KELLER ISD EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR
GROW OUR HOME
This program is open to Northwest ISD high school students as well as paraprofessionals and community members. It provides a pathway to earn a college degree and teaching certi cate needed to work in NISD.
called Teachers of Tomorrow, pro- vides its students with a document guaranteeing a priority interview, so when they graduate from college and earn their certi cations, they have an automatic job interview with the district. “It’s just another way of showing that we really want our homegrown kiddos that have gone through our school and are familiar with our district to come back and teach with us,” KISD Employee Engagement Coordinator Jennifer Love said. This program applies to high school students as well as college students who graduated from KISD. The district had 170 students who signed up to be a part of the rst cohort in the Teachers of Tomorrow program. About 50 of these students
“We visit several times a year with them; we’ll have a reception,” Love said. “We’ll give them advice about how they can be an employee of our district, and then I will stay in touch with them as they go through their college career.” The program also hosts receptions for those college students so they keep a close connection with KISD and Teachers of Tomorrow. Keagan Ure, a recent graduate from Timber Creek High School, said the program makes her more excited to teach. It has eased her fears about getting a job after college. “It’s really cool that they’re doing this because I’ve always enjoyed being a part of Keller ISD,” Ure said. “After getting the priority interview that I received, I’m kind of even more
To learn more, contact Kimberly Barker at kbarker@nisdtx.org.
SOURCES: KELLER ISD, NORTHWEST ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
a guest educator, Barker said. Barker explained that with this new Grow Our Home program, the district is making an e ort to stay in touch with students and eventually bring them back to the district. The program had 39 students from across the district who participated in the teaching and learning pathway classes at their high schools in the 2021-22 school year, Barker said. “Our goal was to create our own teaching force that wants to be in NISD who are already ingrained in our community,” Barker said.
CHARITY CARE NOTICE Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance is a faith-based, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health of the people in the communities it serves. Decisions regarding health care treatment will not be based on race, creed, sex, national origin, age, disability, or sources of payment. Uninsured or underinsured patients may be eligible for charity care if their income is below a specific percent of the federal poverty guidelines issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In addition, a patient whose family income exceeds a specific percent of the federal poverty guidelines who has significant medical bills may also be eligible for charity care if the patient lacks sufficient funds to pay the out-of-pocket portion of their hospital bill. For more Information on the charity care program at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Alliance, contact the hospital’s admitting or business office.
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KELLER ROANOKE NORTHEAST FORT WORTH EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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