You’ve probably heard about — and may have personally experienced the effects of — the teacher shortage in Missouri. As our state’s leading educator of teachers, the College of Education (COE) consistently looks for ways to address this need in our workforce — with a focus on solutions that are responsive to real-world conditions.
COE rolled out one such solution, the Pathways for Paraprofessionals program, in spring 2022. Dr. Reesha Adamson, COE associate dean, and Dr. Jon Turner, associate professor in the School of Special Education, Leadership and Professional Studies, spearheaded the effort, but they emphasize that many hands helped bring the program into existence.
In addition to the support of Dr. Barri Tinkler, COE dean, Adamson credits all COE faculty for taking an adaptive, results-oriented approach. “We took a lot of systems and structures that already existed and just thought smarter about them,” she says. “We asked how we could use them to think differently about our students’ needs and really respond to the current demands.”
Their innovation is paying off — in December, the first Pathways for Paraprofessionals cohort graduated. We chatted with Adamson about some of the pieces that made this happen.
Q&A
Academic Expressions: The Pathways for Paraprofessionals program has a unique structure. Tell us about it.
Reesha Adamson: Pathways for Paras is a registered apprenticeship, so it’s part of an initiative that provides on-the-job training, education and mentorship for participants as they work toward an industry-recognized credential. In the case of this program, the partnership is between Missouri State, serving as the apprenticeship sponsor, and K–12 schools, serving as the employment partner. Missouri State also serves as the technical training provider for the apprenticeship. It’s amazing how many partners we’ve had with this project outside of these main roles — it’s been a huge collaboration! In addition to the Missouri Department of Labor, we’ve worked with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Each of these entities supported the initiative, which was designed to grow and develop our workforce in teacher education.
AE: How did you develop this approach?
RA: We’ve always had a partnership with our local districts to develop paraeducators (professionals that work in the classroom in support roles) into certified teachers. That connection already existed, so we started looking at the recruitment aspect through the lens of workforce development. To do this, we looked at models of workforce development that exist in other fields, and apprenticeship is one of the best out there. It focuses on delivering high-quality training that results in an industry-recognized credential. Significantly — especially in terms of our mission at Missouri State — the apprenticeship model reaches candidates who might not have had the opportunity to further their education in the past. It offers resources and mentorship that help individuals cultivate the skills they need to meet the demands of a specific job.
“Because it’s such a holistic approach and offers so much hands-on experience, we’re hearing such positive feedback about the quality of these candidates’ training and work habits.”
—Dr. Reesha Adamson
AE: How did the apprenticeship model help you reach these new candidates?
RA: With this model, we can serve a broad range of candidates, including paraeducators who are already working in the classroom and want to be teachers but have come up against barriers — whether these are financial barriers, societal barriers or practical considerations. For example, many paraeducators are drawn to the field because they have children and want their working hours to match up with the time their kids are in school. They’re caregivers; they have a lot of responsibilities within their family units, which means their time is limited. Their needs are different, so we have to think differently about supporting them.
Thinking Differently About Student Support
AE: What are some ways this approach allows you to think differently?
RA: Because we’re working with the Missouri Department of Labor, this model offers a different conception of financial aid. It’s not just about tuition; individuals can also get help with supportive services. That could be child care. It could be transportation, such as assistance with car repairs and gas cards. These are the pieces of the puzzle that I’m most passionate about because they give us the chance to reach a population that might otherwise have been blocked from attaining further education. It not only helps us develop our workforce and give these individuals more professional opportunities; it’s also better for our students because we’re able to reach candidates that more accurately reflect the population of students our local districts serve.
AE: How did you identify the primary barriers for your prospective candidates?
RA: [Dr. Jon Turner and I] dove into existing research from the federal level. That research identified four big barriers for paraeducators who want to pursue credentialing and further education. These included the bureaucracy of higher education and the challenge of navigating the process, a lack of financial resources, societal constraints (like the demands of serving as a primary caregiver) and gaps in educational time. This last one applies to people who’ve been out of school for a while. They may have completed a 2-year program five or 10 years ago. Maybe they took a break to have kids, and going back to school felt daunting. Right now, this program accounts for almost 65% of the university’s Fast Track funding, which supports qualifying adult students. This statistic directly highlights the significance of that group of people who have a gap in their educational journey.
AE: This really was a huge team effort!
RA: Yes, this has been an ongoing process where we’ve been consistently leveraging resources from the university and the community to break down barriers. It’s sparked connections with many university systems that, as faculty members, we had not collaborated with in the past. It forced all of us to think through creative solutions for supporting our non-traditional students. I’m sure that we’ve made some waves! But it was all worth it when we got to watch that first class of students graduate.
“I’m sure that we’ve made some waves! But it was all worth it when we got to watch that first class of students graduate.”
—Dr. Reesha Adamson
Adapting Existing Processes
AE: Did you do anything different in terms of the advising process?
RA: We’ve kicked up our advisement. At the undergraduate level, there are advisors that specialize in working with Pathways for Paras students. In general, the advisement center schedules these students into appointments that are longer than the typical advisement session because they have more complex needs. Pathways for Paras students get additional support through a collaboration with regional workforce development centers across the state, like our Springfield Job Center here. They assign each person in this program to a case manager who helps meet their specific needs and connects them with additional resources. We also have a monthly support group, and we send out monthly newsletters that focus on things like mental health support, Writing Center support, library services — all our institution’s great resources, which some students might not be familiar with. And we send out surveys to our students to get input on anything they might be struggling with, including areas where may want additional professional development to support their daily work.
AE: Are there other existing programs or resources you’ve been able to leverage for students’ benefit?
RA: We’re utilizing the prior learning assessment policy (PLA) to allow our school district partners to take responsibility for some of the coursework. Typically, this is for courses that are applied in nature — they’re natural fits for the school district to deliver. Using PLA for this type of course results in tuition savings for our students because instead of paying for the course, they only pay an assessment fee. We also have a process set up for students to apply for braided funding. This funding is supported by grants from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Missouri Workforce Development Board, Missouri State University Foundation scholarships, educational stakeholders like the Missouri Association of Rural Education, K–12 district resources (like laptops, textbooks and child care for in-person classes), as well as traditional financial aid.
EA: It sounds like taking on the apprenticeship model opened up the entire approach for this program.
RA: Absolutely. It’s a model that allows us to work more collaboratively than we’ve ever worked in the past. In COE, we’ve always worked with our K–12 partners to place students into practicum experiences or student teaching. Now, we’re all working together to cultivate candidates from beginning to end. Even someone who’s coming straight from high school and knows they want to be a teacher can start working in the district and grow all the way to certification with an apprenticeship model. And because it’s such a holistic approach and offers so much hands-on experience, we’re hearing such positive feedback about the quality of these candidates’ training and work habits.
Around Campus…
Missouri State’s popular Chorale kicked off the spring semester with a winter tour around Missouri. The ensemble charmed audiences in Lampe and Jackson before concluding the tour with a performance in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. Dr. Cameron LaBarr, professor of music and director of choral studies, calls it “one of the finest venues for choral music in this part of the country. The concert series this season includes Grammy-winning Chanticleer, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Voces8 and the Vienna Boys Choir,” says LaBarr. “It’s always great seeing Missouri State University on the same list as these incredible, internationally-known ensembles.”