Last Updated on November 28, 2022 4:58 pm
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute will participate along with seven other teacher preparation partnerships from across the state in the inaugural North Carolina Educator Pipeline Collaborative cohort. The initiative will identify innovative methods for recruiting and preparing educators for North Carolina’s public schools.
The collaborative was launched by The Public School Forum of North Carolina in partnership with the NC Office of the Governor and The Belk Foundation and includes school districts, universities and community colleges working to strengthen the educator pipeline. Together, the cohort will share, develop and implement policies and practices that enhance and extend efforts to recruit, prepare, support and retain a diverse and highly effective educator workforce.
“The Public School Forum is thrilled to be working with the eight collaborative partnerships,” said Dr. Mary Ann Wolf, President and Executive Director of the Public School Forum of NC. “Their dedication to growing and diversifying the educator pipeline to ensure that every child has access to a high-quality and well-prepared educator is inspiring. Their engagement and expertise will fuel efforts to develop programs and recommend policies to strengthen and expand recruitment and retention efforts across North Carolina.”
CCC&TI will be joined by Appalachian State University and Caldwell County Schools in the partnership. CCC&TI is also working to add Watauga County Schools to the partnership.
“Good things happen when our K-12 schools and institutions of higher learning sit at the same table,” said Dr. Mark Poarch, President of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute. “Having robust, collaborative relationships are essential to the future of our communities and our state. CCC&TI is extremely excited to partner with Caldwell County Schools and Appalachian State University to find more effective ways to meet the teacher pipeline needs in our region.”
The four main goals of the North Carolina Educator Pipeline Collaborative are to (1) Identify and understand the work of successful partnerships and programs; (2) Develop a framework for effective teacher preparation partnerships across K-12, higher education, and workforce development that work to recruit, prepare, support and retain a diverse, high-quality educator pipeline; (3) Support a cohort of teacher preparation partnerships in their development of programs that meet their context and community needs; and (4) Share findings and recommendations with school districts, higher education, and state leaders to promote best practices and advocate for policies and programs that will have a lasting impact on the teacher pipeline.
“This project is a critical piece of our work and represents ongoing efforts to leverage partnerships to benefit our school system. Clearly, the need is dire for qualified teachers. This plan will help us build the talent pool in our county from within our county,” said Dr. Don Phipps, Superintendent of Caldwell County Schools. “The benefits of the pipeline are win-win-win. The student, prospective teacher, the school system, and the college/university all win. I would argue, hiring from within our county will ultimately lead to increased retention levels and more.”
The additional participants include:
- East Carolina University, Pitt Community College and Pitt County Schools
- Elon University and Alamance Community College
- North Carolina A&T State University, Guilford Technical Community College and Guilford County Schools
- North Carolina Central University, Durham Technical Community College and Durham Public Schools
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Kannapolis City Schools
- University of North Carolina at Pembroke and Old Main STREAM Academy
- University of North Carolina Wilmington, Cape Fear Community College and New Hanover County Schools
