Tap Hidden Assets
The current teacher shortage affects every school district in the country, but urban school districts are hardest hit. These schools face the added challenge of attracting teachers who are bilingual and capable of working with a multicultural student population. Where to find them? The answer is obvious. They are sitting in today's classrooms...hundreds of students who speak the language, know the neighborhoods and understand the culture. We need to develop these valuable assets.

Battle for the Brains
Each year Dallas County public schools graduate thousands of students. Colleges begin vying for the best and brightest years in advance, recruiting them into medicine, the sciences, law and the arts. Yet fewer and fewer students are entering the teaching profession. In fact, most never even consider the option. But a new program specifically designed to support students in exploring the rewards and benefits of teaching is changing that.

The Teacher Preparation Program is a first-of-its-kind, collaborative initiative among Dallas County independent school districts, the Dallas County Community College District and area four-year universities. The overall objective of the kindergarten-through-college program is to transform Dallas-area students into Dallas-area public school teachers.

Recruit Them Young and Support Them Every Step of the Way
What do you want to be when you grow up? Kids are asked this tough question early and often. The Teacher Preparation Program lets students of every age explore what it's like to be a teacher. Public schools across Dallas County are reviving Future Teachers of America Clubs to provide a venue to discuss the tools and techniques of teaching, while also offering hands-on teaching experiences, individual career counseling and personalized introductions to college-level teacher education programs. That's the easy part.

Teachers, club sponsors, principals, school superintendents, college counselors and administrators, and countless support personnel are working hard behind the scenes, creating as they go. Their many task include:

Most importantly, Dallas County high schools, DCCCD and area universities are developing a clearly defined teacher education curriculum that helps students move seamlessly from one educational institution to the next.

Understand That People Need People
Getting through college presents hurdles for everyone, but for first-generation college students and their parents, it can seem impossible. Entrance exams, application forms, financial aid deadlines, course requirements...it's a bureaucratic gauntlet that begins in middle school. A familiar face in unfamiliar territory can make a big difference. The Teacher Preparation Program program provides a network of familiar faces, dedicated professionals within each educational system whose job is to provide support and encouragement all along the way.

The baton is passed at each transitional stage: elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, high school to DCCCD and from DCCCD to four-year universities. The institutions recognize one another's programs, the programs interlock, and the students are handed off to people who make sure no one falls through the cracks.

Provide Scholarships and Financial Aid
Tuition for DCCCD and Dallas-area state universities is very affordable, but even modest tuition can sometimes be a barrier to education. The Teacher Preparation Program tackles this issue head on. Traditional financial aid in the form of student loans and grants is available through DCCCD and all area four-year universities. Special funding programs are available, such as Rising Star, which guarantees all qualifying Dallas County high school graduates the opportunity to attend the first two years of college at DCCCD tuition free, books and fees included. In addition, the Teacher Preparation Program program is a clearinghouse for scholarships earmarked specifically for students entering the teaching profession.

Reward Dedication With Good Salaries and Guaranteed Jobs
Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher, but participants in the Teacher Preparation Program are intent on achieving their goal, focused and motivated, many times by their own struggles to get an education. They want to help and have lots to offer. Best of all, many graduates of the program choose to teach in the neighborhood schools where they grew up, bringing inspiration, pride and their personal examples of success back with them.

The Teacher Preparation Program works to ensure these students are rewarded for their efforts. Participants in the program currently are guaranteed jobs in the Dallas Independent School District, and other Dallas County school districts are fast adopting the practice. Bilingual graduates are awarded an annual stipend that boosts starting salaries by about $3,000 to $4,000. Tally it up, and graduates of the program are earning an average of $27 to $30 an hour working only 187 days per year. For many students, becoming a classroom teacher will be the first step in a wide-ranging academic career.

Get the Word Out
The Teacher Preparation Program is a practical solution to a complex problem. Early successes show the program can generate a steady supply of quality professionals ideally suited to fill positions in urban school districts. But the need for teachers in Dallas-area schools is growing as the number of students increases, the size of classes decreases, and the Baby Boom generation of teachers retires. Keeping up with the demand will require extending the reach of the program to enlist more participants.

That means making sure all Dallas-area students and parents know about this opportunity and the strong support system in place. It means mentoring graduates of the program through the critical first year in the classroom. And it means asking community and business leaders to lend a hand by sponsoring events that spotlight achievement and reward initiative.