An agreement between Missouri State University and Springfield Public Schools addresses the ongoing teacher shortage and is aimed at keeping graduates close to home.
The two organizations signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday to create the Grow Your Own program, which identifies high school and college students who want to become educators.
The interim dean of the MSU College of Education said in a news release the initiative will recruit teachers into the profession who will commit to staying in the community.
SPS already offers the Teaching as a Profession program of study at Central, Hillcrest and Kickapoo High Schools and is considering expanding it to the district’s other two high schools.
Missouri State University will provide a $2000 access scholarship each year to any SPS student selected and accepted into the program and who enrolls at the university. Current MSU and OTC students may also be eligible for the scholarship.
Information about how to apply for Grow Your Own will be available soon.
