By Lucas Johnson,
U.S. Secretary of Education, Dr. Miguel Cardona, hosted a roundtable discussion at Tennessee State University on Friday, Feb. 18, to address teacher shortages and other educational needs. The highlight of the conversation was TSUās Grow Your Own teacher pipeline initiative in the College of Education. TSU is the number one HBCU for producing teachers and a top institution in the field across the nation.
TSU graduate and undergraduate students from the Grow Your Own program, faculty and local educational leaders participated in the dialog that allowed them to talk openly about issues impacting their lives and work environment, including diversity and the pandemic.
āThis has been so amazing to have the Secretary of Education visit the campus of TSU and have such engaging discussions with our faculty and students,ā said TSU President Glenda Glover. āTSU has a proud legacy of producing quality teachers who are committed to the profession and for providing them the tools to succeed, ultimately resulting in student success. We are glad to share the success and impact of our Grow Your Own program with Secretary Cardona and look forward to his next visit.ā
āIām really proud of what I see here,ā Cardona told reporters after the event. āWe want to see more of this across the country. We know that with the American Rescue Plan funds, and what weāre pushing with Build Back Better, thereās going to be more support for this. It takes seeing programs like this to keep us pushing really hard because we know they work.ā
Cardona said TSU is ānot only a place where youāre going to see great programs ā¦ but youāre going to see an environment thatās welcoming and nurturing to all students.ā
Currently, TSU has more than 50 participants in its GYO programs. Tanisha Morrow, a paraprofessional at a local Nashville high school, is among them, and sheās thankful.
āThis is paving the way for me to obtain a masterās degree in special education, and also allows me to get an endorsement in ESL,ā said Morrow, who participated in the roundtable. āBut more than anything, Iāll be able to better serve kids in our community. Thatās important to me because our classrooms are so diverse. I need to be able to reach all learners.ā
Education officials say initiatives like GYO are necessary to address teacher shortages, which have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of education job openings overall surged by nearly 75 percent this fall compared to the same period last year. And teacher shortages, in particular, are expected to linger when the pandemic wanes, experts say.
However, TSU and its Grow Your Own initiative is doing its part to make sure school districts are supplied with enough qualified teachers, said Dr. Jerri Haynes, dean of TSUās College of Education.
āSome schools are starting without teachers, some have interim subs,ā said Haynes, who was part of the roundtable. āSo, we want to make sure that all students get a fair chance at the beginning of school with a highly qualified teacher in their classroom.ā
Junior Treāveon Hayes, an elementary school major from Memphis, Tennessee, said the visit by the Education Secretary and what he heard about programs like Grow Your Own, were motivational.
āI like where weāre heading with the education vision,ā said Hayes, a roundtable participant. āI believe we have a strong plan to really encourage more students to get involved in education.ā
Dr. Adrienne Battle, director of Metro Nashville Public Schools and a TSU alumna, was also part of the roundtable, and she too, liked what she heard.
āIt takes these types of conversations to make things happen,ā said Battle. āI commend all of you for what you do.ā