Asher Lehrer-Small, The 74 |
Leaders in Cherry Creek School District No. 5, in Colorado, developed an educator career pathway for high school juniors and seniors who are interested in pursuing a career in education. The program also aims to diversify the district’s workforce to better reflect the demographic makeup of the student body.
The program gives participants a feel for teaching by shadowing veteran primary school teachers and acting as paraeducators to younger students. The participants earn college credits that are accepted at in-state colleges and universities.
The two-year-old program has been made up of 42% Black, Asian, Indigenous and Hispanic students — which far exceeds the district’s workforce, which 14% is people of color.
