Adelphi’s New High School Teacher Pipeline Program Helps Communities “Grow Their Own”

How can communities create, support and sustain a homegrown educational workforce?

An innovative new program from the Adelphi University Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Science, the K-12 Teacher Education Pipeline, is helping communities on Long Island turn today's high school students into tomorrow's teachers-all in their own backyards.

The Teacher Pipeline program does more than address today's national teacher shortage crisis. As a "grow your own" initiative, it creates a direct pathway from local high schools to Adelphi's Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP), an accelerated program that grants students undergraduate and graduate teaching degrees in just five years, saving them time and tuition.

"It's connecting two ends of a pipeline," said Emily Kang, PhD, associate dean for academic affairs at the Ruth S. Ammon College of Education and Health Sciences, the program's creator. "Though Adelphi has strong numbers in our undergraduate teaching programs, we're always looking to recruit more young people who are enthusiastic about the field. Now, high school students who want to start their careers early can do so while earning college credit."

A Pipeline That Benefits Everyone

Dr. Kang calls the program a "win-win" for both high schoolers and Adelphi's education department. In addition to training the next generation of qualified educators, it's also enhancing engagement, academic interest and retention within high schools by putting career opportunities front and center. Research has shown that high school seniors tend to experience a drop in motivation, leading to lower retention rates by graduation. But for the students enrolled in the Teacher Pipeline program, "everything they do counts," Dr. Kang said. "They're seeing the fruits of their labor immediately." With the program's headstart, they'll also be able to earn a college degree in three years, reducing the time and cost barriers that keep many interested students from pursuing teaching careers.

Built to Serve Each District's Needs

There's no "one size fits all" model for the Teacher Pipeline. Adelphi worked with partner school districts-including Freeport, Mineola and East Meadow-to develop different models that meet each district's needs. Students in Mineola schools are bused to Adelphi four days a week to take Adelphi courses, for instance, while Freeport students are bused twice a week. Meanwhile, students in East Meadow take equivalent courses at their home schools, taught by qualified district personnel. Courses cover the fundamentals a high schooler would need to proceed through STEP, such as community, schools and society; adolescent/child development; sociolinguistics and children with special needs.

Field experience is also a core component of the program. One day a week, students observe K-12 classrooms in their home districts, gaining hands-on experience while strengthening connections to their communities and potential future employers.

Sparking "Remarkable Growth" in High School Students

Pipeline students receive plenty of support on their journey. As soon as they join the program, they're able to access all of Adelphi's regular support services, from writing and subject-specific tutoring to assistance from the Student Access Office. Within the program, they benefit from mentor relationships with Adelphi faculty, as well as their own peer networks. According to Dr. Kang, ties between participating students are incredibly strong. "They're gathering together to help each other out with assignments," she said. "We've seen remarkable growth in terms of maturity and community."

LaShonda Gardenhire, an adviser at Freeport High School, says her students are so excited about the program-and their own growth-that they're spreading the word themselves. "We're seeing an increase in hard skills like academic ability. Students are engaging with educational pedagogy at a level beyond what we'd ever expect from teenagers." Participants' soft skills are evolving, too. Gardenhire reports an increase in confidence, public speaking aptitude and eagerness to take on leadership roles within the district and the local community.

For Communities, by Communities

Once Pipeline participants complete their undergraduate degrees, they can go on to a one-year graduate program that prepares them to acquire New York state licensure and a master's degree-and return to teach in their home districts, resulting in a cycle of community-based educator development that can be repeated year after year.

"If you know the community you're teaching in, you know how to work within it," Dr. Kang noted. "This program is diversifying the workforce while minimizing that transitional shock for new teachers."

The value of recruiting teachers to lead classrooms where they once learned is "not even quantifiable," Gardenhire said. "They're bringing an emotional investment in their community, a place where they grew up and probably still have family. And by coming full circle, they're making a huge impact on their students. They are their own success stories. They can say to their students, 'I sat in that seat. I went through this system. And look at me now.'"