PATHWAYS TO BECOMING A TEACHER PROGRAM
“Creating efficient and effective options for you.”
About Our Program & What We Do
The Leading Edge Educational Foundation Teacher Internship Program is an important teacher training program whose primary focus is on enhancing teacher preparation for future educators that have an intentional desire to become Elementary, Middle and Secondary education teachers. This important initiative is directly focused on successfully addressing the current teacher shortages in California K-12 institutions. The program focuses to simultaneously prepare students early during their undergraduate educational preparation and to remove systemic barriers that have made it more difficult to become teachers. Ultimately, the program is designed for districts to systemically “grow their own” pool of teachers within the community that have the ability to provide service to students at the tutoring, substitute teacher, and full-time positions.
This Program is a major initiative between Leading Edge Educational Foundation Teacher Internship Program, Moreno Valley College of the Riverside Community College District (RCCD) and the Moreno Valley and Val Verde Unified School Districts in association with California State University San Bernardino and California Baptist University.
The Program recruits, and prepares places students (interns) that are currently enrolled in Community College or 4- year institutions and immerse them in a series of teacher training workshops that prepares them for tutoring, substitute teaching and full-time positions as students (interns) move through their academic course work. To the extent appropriate for the particular district, the teacher training workshop curriculum includes vocational teacher training as well.
Participating Community College students that are taking core courses to become teachers will be able to supplement their education via the Leading Edge Initiative workshops that will include California Basic Education Test (CBEST), as well as preparation for the Single Subject Exams (CSET), and a series of workshops that will provide students a greater understanding of classroom teaching effectiveness. Transferring community college students will possess an additional edge given the exposure to the workshops and hands on training provided by an assigned Mentor from the participating school district.
Interns are recruited from local community colleges in addition to individuals that are currently employed in other professions that desire to enter the teaching profession as laterals. Interns are required to participate in a series of workshops throughout the internship experience. Additionally, each intern works closely with an assigned campus Mentor Teacher who has teaching expertise in the intern’s academic area for six weeks. Campus Mentors at each school site will facilitate the workshops as part of the training curriculum offered by Leading Edge Educational Foundation professionals. Successful community college interns are provided tutoring opportunities at the college and/or K – 12 school districts after a successful training tutoring regiment.
This year marks the inaugural year of the Leading Edge Educational Foundation Teacher Internship Program. We anticipate being a personal and professional enhancement to each participating student, and to each of our partnering educational Institutions for years to come.
The Goal of the Leading Edge Teacher Training Internship Program
The goal is to provide undergraduate community college student; University students, and individuals desiring to enter the teaching profession with the type of experiences and workshop preparation that will prepare them for transfer to Teacher Education programs that lead to full-time teaching positions with opportunities to tutor or and substitute teach throughout their educational journey.
The Problem
Research suggest that 80% of California districts experienced having a shortage of qualified teachers in 2017; 82% hired underprepared teachers, and nearly half hired a greater proportion of underprepared teachers than the year before. Although districts reported hiring slightly fewer teachers overall, a greater share of new hires hold substandard credentials, suggesting that shortages are persisting.
District respondents support an array of policies to address California’s teacher shortage, most frequently pointing to loan forgiveness and service scholarships, teacher residencies and other Grow your Own program, as well as support and mentoring for novice teachers. The Leading Edge Teacher Training program offers a community partnership with K-12 school districts, community colleges and 4 year institutional teacher education programs.
The Solution
In a committed effort to successfully address the understaffed and underprepared ongoing teacher shortage in California, The Leading Edge Educational Foundation has developed the Internship Program to address, and contribute to increase the knowledge and preparedness of future teachers in Southern California.
With some financial assistance from Leading Edge Learning Center, the Leading Edge Educational Foundation Teacher Internship Program begins its inaugural year of service to the community. Its goal is to prepare undergraduate students desiring to become teachers.
The program is a recruitment process that provides pedagogical preparation for community college students and individuals in other professions that desire to enter the teaching profession in critical areas where potential teaching positions are anticipated.