College of Education Program to Diversify Early Childhood Education Hits Major Milestone

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On May 15, nine working professionals from public schools gathered at the Henry M. Thomas III Center in Springfield, Mass. for an in-person gathering of the new Para-to-Teacher program run by the UMass Amherst College of Education and University Without Walls. This innovative online adaptation of the college’s early childhood education (ECE) program aims to train 35 paraprofessionals from two local school districts—Holyoke Public Schools and Springfield Public Schools—to become highly qualified, licensed ECE teachers. 

Now, this first cohort of Para-to-Teacher students has entered the college’s practicum, an immersive year of experience teaching in the classroom. They are currently placed in a pre-kindergarten or kindergarten classroom with a veteran teacher mentor to observe and co-teach, needing to complete at least 100 hours during the fall semester. In the spring, they will continue their practicum in a first- or second-grade classroom for at least 200 hours to meet state requirements. The entry of these first nine students into the practicum is an important milestone—not only for the students themselves, but forUMass Amherst. 

The fact that they have a background as paraprofessionals or teachers of record from their districts is important. It’s well established in education research that diversifying the teacher population has positive impacts on student achievement, especially for students of color, who comprise a significant percentage of students in Holyoke and Springfield—for instance, there are approximately 4,000 students listed as Hispanic/Latino in Holyoke, representing over 80% of the student body. In Springfield, over 90% of students are students of color.  

By contrast, roughly a quarter of teachers in these two school districts are teachers of color. That makes the districts’ paraprofessionals—who are nearly two-thirds professionals of color—a powerful source of potential teachers with irreplaceable cultural expertise and connections. Training and hiring paraprofessionals into teacher roles, where their salaries will double, will also promote social mobility and socioeconomic growth.  

It’s also a major priority for the College of Education, which, in line with its mission of “education for a socially just world,” seeks to increase the number of teaching candidates of color who graduate from its programs and into the local schools. Additionally, the program allows University Without Walls, which provides flexible online degree options for working professionals and undergraduates, to now offer a pathway to teacher licensure. 

“This is an incredibly qualified group of emerging teachers who are invested in their communities,” says Bev Bell, assistant dean of educator preparation. “As educators within the districts, they bring knowledge of the developmental stages of these children. They bring community integrity and connections to families. They’ve been in IEP meetings. They’re already there and they have a keen sense of ownership for the teaching work to be done in their own communities.” 

Because these students are working professionals with full-time jobs, the program was taught using online and hybrid classes through a collaboration with the UMass Amherst University Without Walls (UWW) interdisciplinary studies program, which Bell calls an “incredible partnership.” To make the program as affordable and accessible as possible, UWW staff, including the pre-admissions and advising teams, has worked to waive application fees and provide wraparound services for the program’s students to support their success from every angle from academics to tuition. 

Since the fall of 2024, 27 paraprofessionals have been trained in the full ECE coursework, engaging in courses ranging from early grade literacy practices, inclusive and antiracist teaching pedagogy, family engagement, and evidence-based practices in early childhood education—while completing core classes from UWW’s interdisciplinary studies department. To ensure the same quality of instruction, Para-to-Teacher students are taught by the same faculty who teach in-person classes at UMass Amherst.  

According to the students themselves, it’s been a life-changing experience. By the time they complete the program, they will have received their license to teach in Massachusetts through the College of Education, and a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from UWW. Many of them have already been established as “teachers of record” in the classroom, which allows them to teach in the classroomwhile working on their licensure coursework. The partner districts have committed to hiring all of them as teachers once they complete the program and obtain their teaching licenses. 

“I have finally found a program that works with my schedule and pours genuine support into the city’s paraprofessionals,” said one student in an anonymous survey of participants. 

“I am so grateful for all the support the Early Childhood University Without Walls program has brought me over the past year. Without their support, understanding, and motivation, I do not believe I would be where I am today,” said another. “I am forever grateful for the program getting me back into school and being such an amazing support system.” 

Facing Challenges and Looking to the Future 

Unfortunately, these highly motivated and uniquely qualified students are facing a new challenge beyond their coursework and practicum. The Para-to-Teacher program was originally developed through a $2.2 million grant in 2023 from the Department of Education, which was cut in early 2025 along with over 100 federal grants for teacher training across the country.  

While Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and seven other state attorneys general have challenged this grant termination in the courts, current students are working to find ways to pursue their dreams of serving their communities as teachers while facing the potential loss of crucial supports that relied on that funding—such as financial support for the partnerships with school districts and coaching for the teacher licensure tests. It is also important to note that these full-time working paraprofessionals and teachers of record need substitute paraprofessionals to cover their current duties while they are away for student teaching. The grant had planned to cover the cost of substitute paraprofessionals. However, due to the grant termination, they lost this financial support and have been facing challenges in meeting their required practicum hours. 

Despite challenges and uncertainty, the Para-to-Teacher program continues with the goal of creating a tested and sustainable model that can be used across Massachusetts for training paraeducators to become licensed teachers with bachelor’s degrees. Program leaders have been engaged in conversations with other school districts in Western Massachusetts and are also exploring the idea of offering Para-to-Teacher programs with special education and English as a second language tracks. 

“Bringing these students into our program, first and foremost, meets the urgent need to create a more racially and ethnically diverse workforce in teaching,” says Bell. “But they are also changing the conversation in our college. We are getting parents from Springfield and Holyoke, they are community members, and they speak more languages. Their professional experience as paraeducators is helping to connect our strong theoretical underpinnings at UMass Amherst to the practicalities of our schools.” 

Paraeducators and teachers of record from Springfield Public Schools or Holyoke Public Schools who are interested in participating in the Para-to-Teacher program should contact their school district for more information. Learn more about the college’s Early Childhood Education program.