In Michigan: State Continues to Invest in Grow Your Own Future Proud Michigan Educator Programs
Ninety-six additional school districts in Michigan will be developing more teachers from within their ranks with Future Proud Michigan Educator Grow Your Own (GYO) staff grants, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced today. This is the second round of Grow Your Own grants awarded by MDE, building on the school districts awarded grants in the first round.
GYO staff grants provide opportunities for districts to increase the number of teachers in areas of shortage by supporting school employees seeking initial teacher certification or additional teacher endorsements, in response to their unique local needs for staffing. Each awardee will administer its own GYO program in partnership with one or more educator preparation providers.
“Grow Your Own programs provide an opportunity for schools to develop educators from within their districts and benefit from their successful experiences working with children,” said State Superintendent Michael Rice, Ph.D. “We continue to invest our resources to rebuild the teaching profession in Michigan in partnership with our school districts and teacher preparation providers—all in support of children.”
Grow Your Own programs will help Michigan achieve goal seven of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan of increasing the number of certified teachers in areas of shortage.
To date, nearly $128 million in Grow Your Own grants have been awarded to 139 individual school districts and consortia through funds appropriated by the state legislature and signed into law by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. An additional $66.3 million has been appropriated to a statewide consortium called Talent Together for Grow Your Own programs. Awardees will be able to reimburse costs associated with educator preparation on behalf of school staff wishing to pursue initial certification or additional endorsements.
“This second round of grants will fund a significant expansion of GYO programs across the state and help ensure that more students will have access to high quality instruction,” said Sarah-Kate LaVan, director of MDE’s Office of Educator Excellence (OEE). “We also know that GYO programs tend to put people in the classroom who come from the same communities they serve, improving equity in our teacher pipeline.”
MDE received 104 applications requesting nearly $45 million in round two. These requests ranged from less than $6,000 for a public school academy to $15.4 million for an entire intermediate school district (ISD). In some cases, round two awardees were among those awarded funds in the first round of Future Proud Michigan Educator GYO staff grants that wanted to expand their programs to address additional staffing needs. In other cases, round two awardees were among those who did not submit a successful application in the first round.
School districts that want to learn more about the Future Proud Michigan Educator Grow Your Own school staff grants can consult the GYO Grant website or email MDE-PME@Michigan.gov.
Staff who are interested in learning more about financial support for future educators are encouraged to visit Michiganteacher.org and MI Student Aid to learn about funding opportunities for which they may be eligible. To consult a complete list of approved educator preparation programs in Michigan, visit the Michigan Directory of Educator Preparation Providers and Programs.
Tags: program improvement, shortage, state policy, workforce development
