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Research

UMass Amherst to Partner with Public Schools on $2.2M Teacher Preparation Grant

The partnership will prepare and license 35 paraprofessionals, particularly those of color, in Holyoke and Springfield public schools to enter the early childhood education field

University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Education faculty have received a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to prepare and license paraprofessionals, particularly those of color, to help diversify the teacher workforce in the commonwealth.

Left-right: Seon Yeong Yu, J. Camille Cammack, Valerie Williams, Jacqueline Castledine, Beverley Bell and Ysaaca Axelrod — Left-right: Seon Yeong Yu, UMass Amherst associate professor; J. Camille Cammack, UMass Amherst senior lecturer II; Valerie Williams, senior administrator of talent and diversity development for Springfield Public Schools; Jacqueline Castledine, senior lecturer and faculty supervisor of the UMass Amherst Bachelor's Degree with Individual Concentration program; Beverley Bell, senior lecturer of teacher education and school improvement and principal investigator on the grant; and Ysaaca Axelrod, UMass associate professor of children, families and schools. Yu, Axelrod and Cammack all serve as co-principal investigators of the grant.

The partnership includes UMass Amherst early childhood faculty and representatives from the Educator Preparation office, University Without Walls (UWW) Interdisciplinary Studies program, Holyoke Public Schools (HPS) and Springfield Public Schools (SPS).

The Para-to-Teacher (PtT) Pathway Program for Early Childhood Education (ECE) Licensure in Massachusetts (Pre K-2) will establish a tested, accessible and sustainable model for paraprofessional educators to become highly-qualified ECE teachers. Members of the project team will also outline how to scale the program across Massachusetts.

A key feature of the program is to recruit and prepare educators of color to diversify the teacher workforce in the commonwealth, while simultaneously providing professional development for the teachers that will mentor these future educators along their journey.

“It is widely known that the current teacher workforce doesn’t match the diversity of the student population,” says Ysaaca Axelrod, UMass associate professor of children, families and schools and co-principal investigator on the grant. “Our goal is to learn alongside the paraprofessionals working in Holyoke and Springfield, learn from their wisdom and experiences, and build on that in our classrooms as we support them in the process of gaining their teaching credential.”

“We are hopeful that this federal grant provides an opportunity to respond to the teacher shortage our school districts are facing,” says Beverley Bell, senior lecturer of teacher education and school improvement and principal investigator on the grant. “Our school district partners have repeatedly expressed the need for a pathway for paraprofessionals who do not have a bachelor's degree to enter the teaching profession.”

The PtT Pathway Program will train paraprofessionals in early grade literacy practices, inclusive and anti-racist teaching pedagogy, applied research and classroom assessment. Participants will complete their course work through a combination of online and hybrid classes. During their final year, paraprofessionals will be released from their district responsibilities to participate in an immersive teaching experience before qualifying to earn their initial teaching license and subsequently being employed within their school districts. This grant also provides resources for new paraprofessionals in training to be onboarded by districts as part of a model that is sustainable.

“For several years now, Springfield Public Schools has been engaged in the important work of diversification of our educator pool,” says Daniel Warwick, SPS superintendent. “Our paraprofessionals, one of our most diverse employee groups, are dedicated and caring educators with the potential to become highly qualified teachers and that is why we are beyond excited for this partnership with the University of Massachusetts.”

In addition to providing paraprofessionals with an opportunity to advance their careers, the program will benefit the approximately 4,000 Latino/Latina students attending school in Holyoke, who will encounter more teachers of color in their classrooms, said HPS Superintendent Anthony Soto.