Grow Your Own
Tennessee has set a new path for the educator profession as the top state to become and remain a teacher and leader for all. Tennessee’s Grow Your Own work has supported partnerships between Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to provide innovative, no-cost pathways to the teaching profession and will continue to build pipelines of qualified teachers and school district professionals.
Paving the way for teaching and educator workforce development nationwide, the Tennessee Department of Education announced in January 2022 it has pioneered a new way to develop teacher pipelines, and was the first state to be approved by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to establish a permanent Grow Your Own model, with Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and Austin Peay State University's Teacher Residency program becoming the first registered apprenticeship program for teaching in the country. Tennessee is the first state nationwide to sponsor Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship programs between school districts and EPPs, which will further the state’s and nation’s efforts to extend the teacher pipeline and address teacher shortages.
This work builds on the state's 65 existing Grow Your Own programs, which offers free opportunities to become a teacher, currently operating in Tennessee and clears the path for any other state or territory to launch similar programs with federal approval.
Grow Your Own National Model: Tennessee's Teacher Apprenticeship
Tennessee’s Apprenticeship Model aligns leading practices in teacher preparation and development with the rigors and funding of the national registered apprenticeship process. A Registered Apprenticeship Program is a proven model of professional training that has been validated by either the USDOL or a State Apprenticeship Agency. Tennessee’s Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship was the first of its kind federally registered through the USDOL, meeting national quality standards that are hallmarks for both employers and job seeking apprentices.
The Teacher Apprenticeship is a sustainably funded model to address the financial, recruitment, and preparation challenges school districts experience – both in the short and long term. Whereas previous Tennessee Grow Your Own programs were funded through one-time relief funds, the Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship model leverages both federal and state workforce dollars, preserving locally designed programs while meeting national apprenticeship standards. Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship model is an evolution of the state’s initial Grow Your Own approach. Instead of offering competitive grants for districts to receive one-time funding, Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeships now offer sustainable funding opportunities through federal and state workforce dollars for no-cost pathways and stronger programming.
Tennessee Grow Your Own Center
Tennessee Grow Your Own Center Webpage
Grow Your Own Resources
Grow Your Own Resources
- Tennessee's Teacher Apprenticeship Model Video: Lasting Solution for Educator Pipeline
- Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship Model Video: TAP Programs
- Tennessee Grow Your Own Center Announcement Video
- Tennesee Grow Your Own Center Annoucement Photos
- Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship: The What and Why
- Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship: The Who and How
- Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship: High School Student
- Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship: School Based Professional
- Tennessee’s Teacher Apprenticeship: Career Changer & Retiree
- Tennessee Grow Your Own Initiative District Spotlight: Fayette County Schools
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please submit a completed application document and supplementary materials to GrowYourOwn@tn.gov
Grow Your Own News Features
- TDOE Announces “Grow Your Own” Partnership between Knox County Schools and the University of Tennessee (3/3/20)
- TDOE Announces $2 Million Grow Your Own Grant for Innovative, No-Cost Pathways to Teaching Profession (8/3/20)
- TDOE Awards $4.5 Million Grow Your Own Grants to Create Pathways to Become a Teacher for Free (6/23/21)
- Tennessee Pioneers Permanent Program to Become a Teacher for Free, First State to Sponsor Registered Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship (1/13/22)
- Tennessee Celebrates Grow Your Own Initiative During May (5/11/22)
- TDOE, UT System Establish the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center (5/16/22)
- TDOE Releases New Resources on ‘Grow Your Own’ Educator Initiative (5/31/22)
- Tennessee Department of Education announces $2 Million Grow Your Own Grant for Innovative, No-Cost Pathways to Teaching Profession, Clarksville Online, August 4, 2020
- Tennessee officials offer $100K teacher program grants, AP, August 4, 2020
- $2 million dollars in grants have been awarded to 7 Education Prep Programs in Tennessee, ABC 24 Memphis, October 5, 2020
- TDOE Awards $2 Million in Grow Your Own Grants to Tennessee Educator Prep Programs, Newsbreak, October 5, 2020
- TDOE Awards $2 Million in Grow Your Own Grants to Tennessee Educator Prep Programs, Coffee County News, October 6, 2020
- Hawkins County Schools awarded Grow Your Own Initiative grant, Rogersville Review Feature, October 12, 2020
- Tennessee education department announces $2M for educator training programs, Center Square-Tennessee, October 12, 2020
- Tennessee Schools Have Hired More Teachers Of Color, But New Grants Intend To Strengthen ‘Pipeline’, NPR-WPLN, October 12, 2020
- Tennessee education department announces $2M for educator training programs, Washington Examiner, October 13, 2020
- 'Grow Your Own' grants aim to build teaching workforce, Blount County Daily Times, November 29, 2020
- Student teaching through a pandemic: College students focus on future of education, Knox County News, November 29, 2020
- Tennessee Bets on Grow Your Own Programs to Help Strengthen and Expand Its Teacher Workforce, New America Blog, June 22, 2021
- TDOE Awards $4.5 Million Grow Your Own Grants To Create Pathways To Become A Teacher For Free, The Chattanoogan, June 23, 2021
- Become a teacher for free: Tennessee offering grants to future educators amid teacher shortage, Nashville Channel 5 News, June 24, 2021
- College of Education receives $1 million in grants to help remove barriers to teaching profession, fill shortages, Lispcomb University, June 24, 2021
- How States and Localities Can Use Federal Rescue Plan Dollars to Diversify Their Teacher Workforce, Bellwether Education, July 2021
- Tusculum offers Hawkins teaching assistants a chance to earn free masters degree, Kingsport Times News, July 4, 2021
- Grow Your Own program reaps positive benefits, East TN Lakeway Citizen Tribune, July 6, 2021
- How Tennessee is leading efforts to combat teacher shortages with free apprenticeship programs, Tennessean, January 16, 2022
- Tennessee’s Pioneering Teacher Apprenticeship Program, Forbes - OpEd, January. 19, 2022
- How school districts and states and states are trying to attract teachers during the pandemic, ABC News, February 4, 2022
- Teacher Apprenticeship: What Is It and Why Now?, New America, February 8, 2022
- Tennessee’s teacher residency program aims to grow next generation of educators and combat shortages, CBS Mornings, February 17, 2022
- New Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship Program Hailed as ‘Game Changer’ in Effort to Reduce Classroom Shortages, The 74, February 22, 2022
- Solutions for America's teacher shortage, NPR - On Point, April 5, 2022
- The race conversation needed before reopening schools, Politico, April 5, 2022
- This Tennessee district’s grow-your-own program is set to eliminate teacher vacancies, K-12 Dive, April 22, 2022
- How we can reimagine the teaching profession for the 21st century in Florida and US, Miami Herald, May 13, 2022
- $20 million invested into Tennessee educator program,WATE, May 16, 2022
- Help wanted: Tennessee boosts teacher apprenticeship program with $20M, WPLN News, May 16, 2022
- TDOE and UT System launch centralized program to help create career pipelines for aspiring educators, WBIR, May 16, 2022
- Tennessee DOE, UT system launch Grow Your Own Center to bolster teacher pipeline, Chalkbeat Tennessee, May 16, 2022
- University of Tennessee partners with the state on a $20 million plan to fix a teacher shortage, Knoxville News Sentinel, May 17, 2022
ARCHIVE
In October 2020, the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE) announced the award of $2 million in grant funding to seven Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs) in Tennessee for the purpose of forming or expanding state recognized Grow Your Own partnerships to increase access and remove barriers to the teaching profession.
The Grow Your Own competitive grant supports partnerships between EPPs and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to provide innovative, no-cost pathways to the teaching profession by increasing EPP enrollment and growing the supply of qualified teachers.
With these awards, TDOE was able to establish additional Grow Your Own partnerships in 37 districts, enabling 250+ individuals to become teachers for free and get paid to do so via unique residency models.
Examples of innovative Grow Your Own partnerships and pathways established as a result of this grant include:
- Tennessee State University has created a pathway for graduating high school seniors to earn their bachelor’s degree with an initial licensure in biology or chemistry and either a Special Education or ESL endorsement.
- Austin Peay State University and Lipscomb University’s partnership with Clarksville-Montgomery County will maximize the number of education assistants and high school seniors who are able to enroll in their Grow Your Own programs.
- The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has created an LEA partnership targeting education assistants as an existing talent pool of future licensed teachers, with an emphasis on meeting the demand for teachers in STEM: math, biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science.
- Lincoln Memorial University’s various partnerships will allow education assistants with a bachelor’s degree to receive a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree while receiving initial Tennessee licensure in visual arts, physical education, elementary education, or secondary education, as well as a teaching endorsement in Special Education.
To read more about the Grow Your Own competitive grant announcement, click here.
To view program requirements as outlined in the previously released Grow Your Own grant application, click here.
| 2020 Grow Your Own Partnership Competitive Grant Awardees | Local Education Agency (LEA) Partners |
|---|---|
Austin Peay State University |
Cheatham County Schools Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Dickson County Schools Hickman County Schools Robertson County Schools |
Lincoln Memorial University |
Anderson County Schools Hancock County Schools Roane County Schools |
Lipscomb University |
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System |
Tennessee State University |
Bedford County Schools |
Tennessee Tech University |
Grundy County Schools Jackson County Schools Overton County Schools Putnam County Schools White County Schools Warren County Schools |
University of Tennessee Chattanooga |
Hamilton County Schools Marion County Schools |
University of Tennessee Knoxville |
Alcoa City School Anderson County Schools Blount County Schools Knox County Schools Lenoir County Schools Maryville CitySchools Oak Ridge City Schools Shelby County Schools |
In June 2021, the Tennessee Department of Education announced the award of $4.5 million in Grow Your Own grants to help establish partnerships between Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) and local school districts and create innovative pathways to becoming a teacher in Tennessee for free.
This second round of Grow Your Own grants awards 45 grants of $100,000 each to 13 EPPs in Tennessee to form or expand state recognized Grow Your Own partnerships with more than 50 school districts across the state. Building upon the momentum of the initial $2 million investment in the initiative, this latest round of grants from the department significantly expands the Grow Your Own program, totaling a $6.5 million investment in 65 partnerships between 14 EPPs and 63 school districts-- enabling over 650 future educators to become a Tennessee teacher for free.
To read more about this latest round of grant awards, click here.
2021 Grow Your Own Partnership Competitive Grant Awardees
|
|
EPP Grant Awardees |
LEA Partners |
Austin Peay State University
|
Cheatham County Schools Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Dickson County Schools Hickman County Schools Robertson County School |
Freed-Hardeman University |
Fayette County Public Schools |
Lincoln Memorial University |
Alcoa City Schools Anderson County Schools Blount County Schools Campbell County Schools Clinton City Schools Hamblen County Schools Hancock County Schools Hawkins County Schools Jefferson County Schools Lenoir City Schools Knox County Schools Monroe County Schools Oak Ridge Schools |
Lipscomb University |
Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Hamilton County Schools Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Williamson County Schools |
Milligan University |
Elizabethton City Schools |
Middle Tennessee State University |
Murfreesboro City Schools |
Nashville Teacher Residency |
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools |
Relay Graduate School of Education |
Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Shelby County Schools |
Tennessee Technological University |
Clay County Schools Dekalb County Schools Hawkins County Schools Morgan County Schools Oneida Special School District Roane County Schools Union County Schools |
Tennessee State University |
Alamo City Schools Bedford County Schools Cheatham County Schools Clay County Schools Decatur County Schools Fayetteville City Schools Frayser Community Schools Germantown Municipal Schools Greeneville City Schools Marshall County Schools Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Moore County Schools Purpose Prep Academy Rutherford County Schools Shelby County Schools Sumner County Schools Tipton County Schools Williamson County Schools Wilson County Schools |
Tusculum University |
Greene County Schools Hawkins County Schools |
University of Tennessee, Knoxville |
Blount County Schools Knox County Schools Monroe County Schools Shelby County Schools |
University of Tennessee at Martin |
Benton County Schools Dyer County Schools Dyersburg City Schools Haywood County Schools Lauderdale County Schools McKenzie Special District Obion County Schools Paris Special School District Weakley County Schools |