Announcements

As of December 15, 2023, the fiscal year 2024 (FY24) Educator Preparation ‘Grow Your Own’ Program Grant competition has concluded. The following universities have been named grantees for funds available through Sep. 30, 2024: 

• American University – continuing to serve the Baccalaureate Pathway
• Georgetown University – serving the Paraprofessional Pathway 
• Trinity Washington University – serving the Paraprofessional Pathway 

Each university grantee will be recruiting and enrolling program participants, effective immediately, to begin supporting their respective programs as soon as possible.  

Praxis Fee Voucher for Select Subject Area Exams

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is pleased to announce that individuals seeking an initial or standard credential in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, or Theatre, may receive a Praxis Fee Voucher to cover the cost of the Praxis II subject area content exam. To qualify, all teachers must be currently employed by a DC local educational agency (LEA), have an active OSSE Teacher Credential Application, and complete the OSSE Praxis Voucher Application. Upon approval of your application, you will receive an email to the address listed in your application containing a unique Praxis Exam Voucher Code. Once you have received your passing exam scores, submit or update your OSSE application for an

Summary

Under the Teacher Preparation Emergency Act of 2021, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is required to award at least two grants to accredited colleges or universities with physical campuses in the District of Columbia. These grants may be up to five-year competitive grants that combined will total no less than $550,000 per year. The District of Columbia’s Education Preparation Providers (EPPs) that receive these grant funds shall use them to support the implementation of a GYO teacher preparation program. The purpose of these funds is to strengthen the teacher pipeline by preparing local community members (e.g., paraprofessionals, non-certified school staff and high school students) to enter the teaching profession and teach in their communities.

Grantees

Baccalaureate Pathway

The American University School of Education will serve District of Columbia high school students and graduates through dual enrollment courses and their Teacher Pipeline Project, resulting in a bachelor's degree in education and an OSSE License. For more information, please visit the AU SOE website: American University - School of Education. 

Paraprofessional Pathway

Georgetown University will serve District of Columbia paraprofessionals currently employed by public and public charter schools in the District through a one-year residency program resulting in a Master of Arts in Educational Transformation and eligibility to apply for an OSSE Teaching Credential in English as a Second Language. For more information about the program offering at Georgetown University, please visit the GUTRP website – MA in Learning & Teaching | Educational Transformation at Georgetown.  

Trinity Washington University will serve District of Columbia paraprofessionals currently employed by public and public charter schools in the District through a multi-year residency program resulting in a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and eligibility to apply for an OSSE License. For more information, please visit the Trinity Washington University website: School of Education - Trinity Washington University.

Why Grow Your Own? Why Now?

As the state agency responsible for both pre-K through grade 12 education and early childhood education programs, OSSE is uniquely positioned to support initiatives aimed to elevate the teaching profession in the District of Columbia by developing high-quality education and training courses at the high school level. This work is done by facilitating pathways for paraprofessionals employed by DC local educational agencies (LEAs) by creating teacher pipelines to increase the pool and diversity of DC’s future classroom leaders. GYO Programs are an approach to developing a pipeline of educator candidates to meet specific workforce needs (Cushing, 2019). Additionally, there are strong connections between GYO programs and effectively addressing teacher shortages in high-need areas and subjects (Jessen, Fairman, Fallona, & Johnson, 2020; PESB, 2016).

GYO programs are most effective at targeting specific populations to enter certain subject areas when they:

• Offer financial aid (i.e., loan forgiveness and scholarships) to candidates completing GYO programs (PESB, 2016);
• Establish systems for candidates to receive continuous coaching and mentoring from entrance into the GYO program through early service (Texas Comprehensive Center, 2018; Carver-Thomas, 2018) and
• Offer ongoing coaching and mentoring, which is particularly important for attracting candidates of color into GYO programs and retaining personnel of color once they exit the program (OSEP Summit Attract Panel, 2020).

The grant program objectives are for OSSE to establish, in collaboration with stakeholders, a dual pathway educator preparation ‘Grow Your Own’ program for the purpose of educating, training, and providing financial support to District of Columbia residents who are public high school dual enrollment students, public high school graduates and currently employed District paraprofessionals to become licensed teachers at District public and public charter schools.

District Teacher Workforce Analysis

OSSE has recently released the comprehensive 2023-24 District of Columbia Educator Retention Brief, which includes data from all DC LEAs. Below are a few data points that particularly speak to the purpose of educator pipelines initiatives such as the OSSE Educator Preparation ‘Grow Your Own’ Program.

DC Education Landscape: 2023-24 School Year
Teachers: 8,767
Principals: 243
Special Education Support Staff: 711
Paraprofessionals: 1,823

Related Content: 

• Educator Preparation Providers and Subject Area Programs in the District of Columbia
• DC Educator Workforce Data

Contact Information

For more information about the OSSE Educator Preparation ‘Grow Your Own’ Program Competitive Grant, please contact:

Sean Elliott
Manager, Educator Preparation, Pipelines, and Support
Division of Teaching and Learning
Office: (202) 741-0267
Email: [email protected]