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Grow your own program works to add teachers to SPS classrooms

Missouri State University education students talk in classroom.
Missouri State University education students talk in classroom.

Our weekly program, Missouri State Journal, is a collaboration between KSMU Radio and Missouri State University. It's hosted and produced by MSU's Office of Strategic Communication, and it airs each Tuesday morning at 9:45 a.m. on KSMU. 

Class is in session for the first semester of the Future Educators Program, a cooperative arrangement between Missouri State University and Springfield Public Schools. It’s a "grow your own" program, in which Springfield graduates commit to Missouri State University before returning to SPS as teachers upon graduation.

"Grow your own programs are popping up around the country to draw more folks into the teaching profession," said Dr. Chloe Bolyard, assistant professor in the College of Education at Missouri State.

"One of the challenges that we are facing nationwide is our student population is diversifying far faster than our teaching workforce, and so this partnership between SPS and MSU hopes to increase the diversity of our teachers so that students have teachers who look like them," Bolyard said.

One of the tools helping with recruitment in the program is the financial incentive, Bolyard said. The plan has multiple pathway options:

  • For the high school-to-educator pathway: Students would receive $2,000 per academic year through an access scholarship from MSU.  Additionally, they would receive a $3,000 per year from Springfield Public Schools.
  • For our college-to-educator pathway: Current college students would receive $2,000 per academic year through an access scholarship from MSU. They would also receive a $5,000 per year incentive from Springfield Public Schools. 

"Once they are here at Missouri State University, we provide resources for passing their teacher certification exams, resume prep, interview prep, and support them with a mentor in Springfield Public Schools," Bolyard said. "They would meet with that mentor, who's a current classroom teacher, once a month and develop a relationship with them.

Apply to the Future Educators program

"We also provide them with four professional learning opportunities for each year that they are in the program and focus on culturally responsive teaching, financial literacy, test preparation and community engagement," Bolyard said.

Nicki received a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration from Missouri State in marketing, in 2002 and 2004 respectively. After gaining experience in writing, marketing, special event planning, fundraising and public relations, she returned to the university to work in the office of strategic communication. There she tells the university’s story by sharing the stories of individuals at Missouri State.