Tennessee Grow Your Own Center - TN GYO Center

Last week we attended the TACTE Conference and had the opportunity to present in two sessions:

📚 TeachBridge Pathways — transforming teacher preparation in Tennessee by connecting practice to profession.

👥 Coaching the Coaches — building mentor teacher capacity so future educators have the guidance and support they need to thrive.
Together, these efforts are shaping the future of teacher preparation and strengthening support for educators across Tennessee.

TN GYOC's Kate Hall teamed up with Maryville City Schools and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville to host an info‑packed interest meeting for future apprentices. 🍎 ✏️

Aspiring apprentices got the inside scoop on paid training, hands‑on experience, and a direct pathway to rewarding careers! 🙌 ✨

Tuesday, our very own Kate Hall hosted an interest meeting at Kingsport City Schools for aspiring apprentices!

20 enthusiastic candidates joined to learn about the Grow Your Own opportunity and connect with the EPP or community college that best fits their journey.

Big thanks to our amazing partners—Kingsport City Schools , Northeast State Community College, East Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee, Knoxville—for supporting future educators! 👏🍎

The GYO Center is thrilled to be a panelist in the upcoming webinar! “A Sneak Preview of the Rural Summit for Cradle to Career Success”

📅 Wednesday, April 16
🕛 12:00–1:00 p.m. Central
📍 Virtual via Zoom: bit.ly/4ihMsev

🎤 Our very own Kate Hall and Bianca Pratt will present “A Framework for Organizational Change” during Session 3 of this high-energy, inspiring webinar!

Join us and get a sneak peek at what’s ahead for the Rural Summit! 🙌

We’re thrilled to share our insights with the RuralTogether community!

Thank you to our hosts! Partners for Rural Impact & RuralTogether (empowered by Education Design Lab)

Exciting news! 🙌 We're proud to be one of the first members to join Jobs for the Future's (JFF)'s !

The is a powerful movement dedicated to breaking down barriers and expanding access to quality jobs, with the ambitious goal of ensuring that 75 million people facing barriers to the workforce are employed in quality jobs by 2033.

We're honored to join a nationwide movement of organizations and leaders taking meaningful action to create a workforce open to all. https://info.jff.org/the-75-million-network

The 75 Million Network Millions of people are unable to access education and training and find jobs that drive economic success for themselves and their families. Join leaders across the country taking meaningful action so that our people, our economy, and our country can thrive.

Last Friday, the Grow Your Own Collaboratory team held its first meeting — an exciting step in a UT System Grand Challenge Grants-funded initiative to strengthen Tennessee’s teacher pipeline and support mentor and apprentice teachers!

The team includes representatives from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, The University of Tennessee Southern, the University of Tennessee at Martin, the Tennessee Department of Education, the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center, local school districts, superintendents, and both urban and rural mentor teachers.

Together, we’re developing a professional development program to equip mentor teachers with the tools they need to support and retain new educators across the state.

A special shoutout to our partner Mira Education for their role in designing and implementing this collaborative network. We’re excited to see the lasting impact this work will have on the future of teaching in Tennessee!

You're invited! 📩 Join the GYO Center and the Pathways Alliance on March 31 at 2 p.m. ET for the webinar: "Empowering Educators: Apprenticeship Pathways and Support for Aspiring Teachers"

Register today! bit.ly/3Rn4TTO

This webinar will feature insights from a recent case study by The Pathways Alliance and the GYO Center, exploring Tennessee’s Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (R-TAP).

Beyond Tennessee, this session will highlight diverse models and strategies used nationwide to support teacher candidates—whether through apprenticeships, financial assistance, test preparation, mentoring, or other wraparound supports that help educators enter and thrive in the profession.

Hear from experts from the GYO Team, Alder Graduate School of Education (CA), University of Colorado Denver, Ball State University, The University of Tennessee Southern, and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga as they share best practices for developing sustainable pathways into the teaching profession.

Join us March 18 for the 5th Annual Rural Education Conferences, a ✨FREE✨ virtual conference hosted by the Center for Rural Education at Austin Peay State University!

🏫 This year's theme—"Elevating Rural Education"—features more than 20 presentations on:
• Student engagement strategies
• Teacher education innovations
• Community partnerships

Join the GYO Center's very own Kate Hall & Charlene Russell for the presentation: "Bridging the Gap: Implementing Rural Apprenticeships for Tomorrow’s Workforce"
When? ➡️ 2:05-3:35 p.m.🕑

Register today! bit.ly/3DkW0qE

We’re excited to share that the GYO Center is featured in the 2025 Academic Supply for Occupational Demand Report! (see pages 27 and 28)

Key highlights:
➡️ After two years, the GYO program has enrolled 846 apprentices with an 85.8% retention/completion rate.
➡️ 189 new fully licensed teachers have completed the program.
➡️ The report also highlights enrollment growth, new teacher licensure pathways, expanding district partnerships and more.

Explore the full report to learn more! bit.ly/3F7sN2S

This report is a joint effort between the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC), the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development (TDLWD), the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), and the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE).

www.tn.gov

You're invited! 📩

Join the GYO Center and the National Association of Education Foundations at the annual national conference. This years topic areas are organizational leadership 💼 🗣️ & planning 📆

GYO experts Erin Crisp and Kate Hall will be leading session 602, The ROI of Growing Our Own
When? ➡️ Thursday March 27, 2025, from 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

Don’t miss your chance to learn from the best this upcoming March 25–27 at the Mariott in Downtown Knoxville! 🌟

Learn more & register! bit.ly/3EVDDcn

🚀 Last week, the Grow Your Own Center had the pleasure of hosting deans and staff from Florida SouthWestern State College!

📍 On Monday, the Florida team connected with IE system office members, GYO regional managers, and UTK’s GYO coordinator & faculty leader to dive into the GYO model.

📍 On Tuesday, they toured the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System & Austin Peay State University, gaining valuable insights.

💭 Their feedback? "We enjoyed our visit immensely and appreciated the wealth of knowledge shared about your role in facilitating partnerships between districts and related instructional providers."

👏 Huge thanks to everyone who made this visit a success!