Class is in session for the first semester of the Future Educators Program, a cooperative arrangement between Missouri State University and Springfield Public Schools. It’s a grow your own program, where Springfield graduates commit to Missouri State University and then commit to teaching in SPS once they graduate.

“Grow your own programs are popping up around the country to draw more folks into the teaching profession,” said Dr. Chloe Bolyard, assistant professor in the College of Education at Missouri State.

“One of the challenges that we are facing nationwide is our student population is diversifying far faster than our teaching workforce, and so this partnership between SPS and MSU hopes to increase the diversity of our teachers so that students have teachers who look like them.”

Future Educators program grows their own

One of the tools to assist with recruitment in this program is the financial incentive, Bolyard explained. 

• For the high school to educator pathway: Students would receive $2,000 per academic year through an access scholarship from MSU.  Additionally, they would receive a $3,000 per year from Springfield Public Schools.
• For our college to educator pathway: Current college students would receive $2,000 per academic year through an access scholarship from MSU. They would also receive a $5,000 per year incentive from Springfield Public Schools. 

“Once they are here at Missouri State University, we provide resources for passing their teacher certification exams, resume prep, interview prep, and support them with a mentor in Springfield Public Schools,” Bolyard said. “They would meet with that mentor, who’s a current classroom teacher, once a month and develop a relationship with them.

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“We also provide them with four professional learning opportunities for each year that they are in the program and focus on culturally responsive teaching, financial literacy, test preparation and community engagement.”

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Communicating using a non-native language can be challenging and often creates a sense of separation.  

This semester, Missouri State University began the Removing Barriers program to promote equity for English language learners. 

The program provides English instruction to parents of English language learners who attend Springfield Public Schools and live primarily in the Briarwood Mobile Home Park.   

“The English instruction helps break down the barrier of language to allow the parents of these children to truly thrive in the Springfield community,” said Dr. Amber Howard, clinical instructor of childhood education and family studies at Missouri State University.  

“These language skills open up so many doors for these families.”  

How it works 

The program started through partnership between the English Language Institute (ELI), Sherwood Elementary, the College of Education and the English Language Development program at Springfield Public Schools, and it is funded through a Collective Impact grant from the Community Foundation of the Ozarks (CFO). 

The ELI worked with MSU students enrolled in ELE 501 to teach them how to provide language courses to newcomer English learners.   

Then, the MSU students work directly with English learners and their parents.  

During each session, the group meets at Sherwood Elementary for a meal, and each adult who attends receives a $20 gift card. After the meal, the MSU students give engaging lessons to both the adults and the children.   

The lessons help individuals develop English language skills. These lessons create a natural bridge between home, school and community, and they provide opportunities for real-life practice for the MSU students.   

“The families are so kind, and the children have such a fun time playing games while their parents participate in the language classes,” said Haley Hall, an elementary education student at MSU. 

A brighter future 

The program provides valuable experiences for both the families and the MSU students.   

Noah Lanear, another MSU student, said, “We learn just as much from the parents and their children as they learn from us.” 

The families learn real world skills to help them in the workforce and develop skills to pass on to their children and communities.   

The MSU students learn how to better help English language learner students and their families. They can use these skills in their classrooms, and their students can bring those skills home to their families.   

“The Removing Barriers program has been so helpful for everyone involved. For us MSU students, it gives us a unique learning experience that we haven’t had in any other class,” Hall said.   

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