Tuesday, April 12, 2022
School districts across Wisconsin are taking the initiative to support the state’s workforce needs, especially in the field of K-12 education. Through the Regional Career Pathways approach, high-quality career pathways are available in high schools throughout the state, and they reflect the needs of employers, education, and economic and workforce development.
The Racine Unified School District recently launched the “Grow-Your-Own Educator Internship” program. The paid internship gives students credit for their work, with interns receiving a letter of intent from the district’s human resources department promising a job upon the successful completion of a bachelor’s degree program in education. The unique program is tied to the state-certified employability skills certificate and the state-certified leadership skills certificate. Students can also participate in other career pathway components for the education pathway, such as career and technical education courses, dual-enrollment courses at neighboring colleges, and an Educators Rising Chapter.
“The pay attracted me at first,” Milena Gutierrez, a senior in the education pathway said. “Then my teachers started telling me, ‘You can go far with this. They’ll hold a place for you.’”
With two sisters with special needs, Gutierrez’s passion kicked in from there.
“If ever I was a teacher, it would be in special needs because of them,” she said. “That’s why I wanted to continue in this pathway.”
Currently, Gutierrez interns in a middle school special education class.
“I feel like it’s important to be part of someone’s day, being someone to talk to,” she said.
Building meaningful relationships is also top-of-mind for senior Milton Lewis.
"There are so many things going through their little heads,” Lewis said. “You really have to get to know them before you know what’s going on with them…I’ve been placed in a resource room, so I get to deal with kids who have a variety of disabilities. I get to see how teachers are planning.”
Career pathway programs like the one Gutierrez and Lewis participated in help students experience the joys of teaching others and can help students with an interest in education see themselves as a future educator.
Scaling Up an Education & Training Pathway
Through the state’s Regional Education & Training Pathway, Wisconsin school districts can implement programs like the one in Racine, and can do so within just a few years.
The process already began some months ago when experts from the education sector convened to create a template for the Regional Education & Training Pathway. This template features:
- In-demand jobs from early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education, and adult and community education
- Industry-recognized certifications
- Work-based learning programs
- College credit opportunities
- Career and technical student organizations
- Other career exploration programs that have been vetted by industry employers
In other words, the template offers a fast track for any school district wanting to provide an education pathway program for its students.
The new Regional Education & Training Pathway will be available later this month. Already, three out of seven regions in Wisconsin have said they plan to customize this pathway and offer it to school districts as early as next year: Milwaukee7, Great Northwest, and 7 Rivers Alliance.
Because this is not the first regional career pathway launched in Wisconsin, there is an existing infrastructure of cross-sector partners at the ready in every region to make sure the Regional Education & Training Pathway is successful. A regional career pathway means we are all in this together:
- Higher education partners will look for innovative ways to offer dual enrollment courses in each region that will give high school students a head start in their college coursework.
- Community partners will be called upon to provide supportive services needed to ensure students with barriers to success do not fall through the cracks.
- School districts will receive help in finding new ways to provide work-based learning programs for the pathway.
- School districts that offer a Regional Education & Training Pathway may be eligible for federal Perkins V funding to further grow and enhance their program, keeping a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Later this month, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction will have the regional blueprint to scale and sustain a diverse talent pool of Wisconsin educators for years to come. It will be up to districts to build out the Regional Education & Training Pathway and tailor it to their students.
Subscriber submission: Wisconsin DPI’s Career and Technical Education team