GYO Entry Points

First Steps

In creating early recruitment pipeline clubs (e.g. Future Teachers of America, or Take a Look at Teaching), it is important to appoint a club advisor who is passionate about education and has a great rapport with students. These attributes model the benefits of the field as well as the desired dispositions of educators. The club advisor should reach out to teachers and leaders across their Local Education Agency (LEA) to publicize the club and seek volunteers to host club members in job shadowing activities. The club advisor could also reach out to advisors in neighboring LEAs to learn about their club activities and chat about potential partnerships and joint events (see GYO Entry Points: Partnerships for more information).

Wide View of Education and Pathways

Assisting at the elementary level is a very common teaching activity for club members and easily attracts those who are interested in elementary-level teaching. However, a narrow offering of experiences could deter those who are interested in secondary-level teaching or leadership positions. To be more inclusive, it’s helpful to provide club activities, events, and job shadowing experiences that represent a variety of roles, as well as the various pathways educators have taken in their pursuit of those roles.

In reaching out to colleagues and leaders for job shadowing opportunities, club advisors can also ask them to share their journey into education. Volunteers could write or record a short message about why they went into education, the route they took to their current role, and their favorite experiences as educators. Some could also share their experiences in person as club meeting guest speakers. There are many pathways that lead people into education; sharing these experiences can inspire students who may not be on a traditional trajectory to teaching.

Partnerships

Partnering with neighboring LEAs that have existing early recruitment pipeline clubs and/or LEAs that are interested in creating a club provides opportunities for club members to be a part of the networking experience that is the field of education. Pooling LEA resources provides club members greater access to ideas, funding, and experiences. Students can learn from their peers, particularly across demographics, and they can observe and job shadow with a greater number of teachers and leaders. Utilizing a shared online platform (e.g., Google) between LEAs can assist in the exchange of information and coordinating schedules. (See GYO Entry Points: Partnerships for more information on making LEA connections.)

Colleges and universities that offer teacher and leader preparation programs can be valuable partners for early recruitment pipeline clubs as well. Campus visits can be an enticing way for club members to immerse themselves in campus culture while previewing a pathway into education. Additionally, successful campus visits can help preparation programs to meet their enrollment goals. Club members can sit in on courses with current education students and participate in class activities. The college or university could also assemble panel discussions for club members consisting of current students, alumni, faculty, and/or program leaders from various programs across the education spectrum, such as early childhood, elementary, adolescence, special education, leadership, school counseling, social work, psychology, speech pathology, and English as a New Language. (See GYO Entry Points: Partnerships for more information on making college and university connections.)

Club Meetings

Early recruitment pipeline clubs meet regularly and accomplish numerous agenda items throughout a school year, such as engaging in analytical discussions and reflective discussions about effective teaching practices, and planning club activities and events that focus on supporting students, assisting educators, growing as professionals, and fortifying the local supply of future educators. Club meetings are also an opportunity for members to learn about:

• The various roles in education at the early elementary, elementary, secondary, and leadership levels, including teaching assistants, classroom teachers, special education teachers, English as a New Language (ENL) teachers, school counselors, social workers, psychologists, speech pathologists, and school and district leaders.
• New York State certification requirements for the various roles in education, including required course work, degrees, certification exams, workshops, and fingerprinting.
• The multiple pathways into education from LEA educators and recent alumni as they share their experiences and nature of their work.
• Options for certification financing such as alternative certification programs, residency programs, apprenticeships, scholarships, grants, and loans.

Teaching Activities

A key element of early recruitment pipeline clubs is candidates’ active engagement in teaching activities with LEA teachers and leaders. Whenever possible, it is beneficial to match candidates with mentors whose backgrounds are similar to their own so candidates may fully visualize themselves as educators. This could be an opportunity to form LEA-to-LEA partnerships across socio-economic lines, emphasizing the importance and benefits of networking and support in education.

Teaching activities should meet all candidates’ educational interests, from early elementary to secondary levels, and all educational roles from classroom support to classroom teaching to leadership. The most common teaching activity club members engage in is reading books aloud in elementary classrooms and school or public libraries. Club members could also record their reading for elementary students to access on their classroom website or create craft and/or literacy activities to accompany the stories they read.

At the early elementary level, some club members have participated in community daycare sites in their high schools where, in conjunction with the daycare and preschool teachers, club members write and implement lesson plans. At the elementary level, club members have assisted with after school programs, chaperoned field trips, designed bulletin boards, and created Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) Night or Science Fair booths for elementary students to observe or participate in. At the secondary level, club members have job shadowed teachers, and co-wrote and co-taught lesson plans.

Club Events

Early recruitment pipeline clubs provide opportunities for members to engage in professional development events and activities. Campus visits are common activities for early recruitment, where club members have immersive experiences on college and university campuses with the students, faculty, and staff of teacher preparation programs. Early recruitment clubs have also attended professional development events and education conferences hosted by institutions of higher education, Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), local organizations, or jointly hosted by education consortia. And club members can also create their own school-level events such as thank you card services for educator appreciation week. Club members can provide supplies and prompts for their peers to create thank you cards to show their appreciation for educators across their LEA. Club members can also assist in delivering the cards to recipients.

Funding

LEAs with existing early recruitment pipeline clubs suggest other LEAs starting up early recruitment clubs should, when possible, add the club to teacher contracts, explaining that this provides access to club funds for advisor stipends, transportation costs, and club events. For campus visits, colleges and universities often cover the associated costs (e.g., lunch on campus for club members) through their marketing, recruitment, and/or admissions department. See Funding Opportunities for more information on financing available to support early recruitment clubs.

High school students in Grow Your Own (GYO) programs who wish to get a head start on their education pathway can   complete some college course work while in high school through dual credit courses and articulation agreements. (Please see GYO Overview: Dual Credit Education Courses & Articulation Agreements for more information.)

Dual Credit Courses

Dual credit courses are college courses high school students complete to earn college credits and simultaneously meet some of their high school graduation requirements (e.g. English 12, Participation in Government, etc.). Dual credit courses may be taught by high school teachers in their own classrooms, with the approval and oversight of the college or university that owns the college course. A Local Education Agency (LEA) could also design a college-level course and seek a college or university to sponsor and award college credits to LEA students who complete the course.

To implement a dual credit course, the interested LEA should reach out to the college or university offering the course. Some possible points of contact are the University in the High School coordinator for the institution, or the department chair or school dean where the course is offered. The institution will then go over the approval process, which includes the LEA completing a course proposal that typically consists of the following documents:

1. Course Proposal Form. The institution will provide the LEA with course and syllabus guidelines, sample syllabi from past course offerings, a sampling of course materials that have been used previously in the course, and a course proposal form. The form will need to be completed with basic information such as the LEA name, the course name and number, the LEA teacher who will teach the course, when the course will be offered, etc.
2. LEA Teacher’s Resume. The institution department will review the teacher’s resume to determine if their education and experience meet the qualifications required to teach a college-level course. This determination may include a site visit to the teacher’s classroom.
3. Course Syllabus. The institution will provide the LEA with a list of syllabus requirements, ensuring the syllabus submitted by the LEA includes the same relevant information required of courses taught on campus.
4. Textbook and Course Materials. The LEA should provide the title, author, publication date, and preferably the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) of all proposed textbooks that will be used in the course. The LEA should also provide copies of sample course materials, such as assessments, assignments, rubrics, etc. The proposed textbook(s) and course materials will be reviewed by the institution for approval.

Depending on when the proposal is submitted, it may take several months to a year for a dual credit course to be approved. While waiting for approval, the LEA may notify parents and students that the proposal has been submitted, but the course cannot begin until approval is received. When approval is granted, students will enroll for the course directly through the institution at a discounted tuition rate, which may be paid for by students or the LEA. (See Funding Opportunities for information on financing LEA-funded tuition for dual credit courses.)

When a course is first implemented, the institution will send a faculty member or program coordinator to the LEA school to conduct an announced course evaluation. The site visit serves as a quality check, to ensure the course is taught with the same quality, integrity, and rigor of the campus-delivered course. Typically, once a course is established in a LEA, site visit evaluations are conducted once every few years.

Articulation Agreements

Articulation agreements are formal contracts between institutions of higher education and P-12 schools, districts, and/or Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) sites. They are typically implemented when a P-12 institution would like to offer at the secondary level a series of courses from a college or university degree program. Students usually complete the course series throughout their junior and senior year of high school. Articulation agreements are important in outlining the benefits being offered to students as well as the roles and responsibilities of the institutions to ensure those benefits. (See GYO Overview: Dual Credit Education Courses & Articulation Agreements for more information.) Articulation agreements must include the following components¹:

Prerequisite skills, knowledge, or coursework required for students to participate in the agreement. These are skills or knowledge students must obtain or coursework students must complete prior to accessing the benefits of the articulation agreement. Articulation agreements clearly identify which courses or program of study at the secondary institution that a student must successfully complete to utilize the articulation agreement. Examples:

• Students from XYZ High School must receive a high school diploma, complete the XYZ high school early childhood program and achieve an 85 or higher average in each course included in the early childhood curriculum.
• Students must meet all other college entrance requirements for the early childhood major.
• Students must obtain a written recommendation from the secondary early childhood instructor.

Roles and responsibilities of each institution. The agreement should include information regarding the tasks and duties that need to be carried out by both the secondary and postsecondary institutions to fulfill the components of the articulation agreement. Example:

• XYZ High school will ensure that all courses are taught by instructors who meet all applicable certification requirements. XYZ High School will follow the articulation agreement procedures and provide information regarding the college credit program to parents and students.

Duration of the agreement. Articulation agreements must specify the length of time the agreement will be in effect. For program approval, articulation agreements must be in effect for the duration of the approval period. This can be accomplished in a number of ways. When possible, it is recommended to obtain articulation agreements that are in effect for five years. Agreements with a duration of less than five years must include language indicating the possibility for renewal. Examples:

• The effective date of this agreement is May 1, 2024 and will be reviewed for renewal five years after the signing by the participating parties.
• This agreement will be in effect September 1, 2024 and will be reviewed annually for renewal.
• This agreement will be in effect for the 2024-2029 school years.

Endorsement by officials of each institution. Articulation agreements must be signed by parties from each institution. Signatures must be dated and provide the title of the signatory.

The articulation agreement must directly relate to the program of study. The direct benefit(s) provided to students by the articulation agreement must allow students to continue their post-secondary studies in an occupational field related to a New York State Education Department (NYSED)-approved program. This direct benefit may include advanced standing, college credit, and/or reduced tuition. Example:

• A postsecondary articulation agreement for an early childhood program must be in the area of early childhood.

¹New York State Education Department, Career and Technical Education Office

The success of a Grow Your Own (GYO) program depends in large part on having candidates to support. While word of mouth can be helpful in attracting some candidates, recruitment should be an intentional, continual phase in the GYO process. Additionally, implementing multiple recruitment strategies as opposed to a singular approach could ensure a steady supply of candidates from various sources. Below are methods of Local Education Agency (LEA) outreach that can be utilized as recruitment strategies as well.

LEA Newsletters, Emails, and Social Media

Most LEAs send out regular newsletters and emails with announcements about upcoming events such as athletic and extracurricular activities, awards and recognitions, safety information, revisions to LEA policies, and other pertinent messages. LEAs have also leaned into social media to share announcements and updates with a greater number of community members. These modes of outreach could be excellent platforms for announcing new GYO programs and information for potential candidates to join the programs.

Surveys

Surveys are great tools for LEAs to gather information on community needs and desires (e.g. technology access, opinions on newly implemented policies, etc.). LEAs could also create a survey that announces an intention to create a GYO program designed to meet potential candidates’ goals in education. Survey questions could ask community members if they are interested in pursuing certification, to describe their education and work experience, what their time availability and financial needs are, etc. Survey data could then be used for recruitment and program design.

Informational Meetings

A well-publicized informational meeting could be utilized in conjunction with the above methods. A LEA could create an informational GYO presentation and recruitment meeting that could be announced in LEA newsletters, emails, and social media. The LEA could also send out a survey prior to the informational meeting and use the feedback to create the presentation, and/or the LEA could send out a survey after the informational meeting and use the feedback to shape the GYO program.

Human Resources Notifications

To recruit current employees into GYO programs, a human resource department could reach out to personnel who would be a great fit for the LEA’s GYO programs, those who have previously expressed an interest in LEA advancement. Human resources could also notify certified personnel about the LEA’s GYO programs designed for additional certification or certification progression.

Strategies for Recruiting Current Students

There are a number of in-school methods for recruiting current students into early pipeline GYO programs. Because students have varied means for accessing school notifications, the more of the following recruitment strategies are utilized, the more candidates are likely to be recruited into GYO programs:

• Morning and afternoon announcements
• School media – newspaper, news channel
• Hallway bulletin boards
• Classroom bulletin boards/blackboards/whiteboards
• Teachers’ announcements in class
• Athletic and extracurricular coaches’ announcements at practice