The College of Education (COE) Grow Our Own Teachers Initiative is starting its fourth cohort in January 2021. Scholarship stipends are available to qualified applicants who have been admitted into the MEdT Secondary or PBCTE Elementary program for Fall 2020 or who have applied to the PBCTE Secondary program for Spring 2021.
This unique partnership between the COE and Hawai‛i Department of Education (HIDOE), with the generous support of Senator Michele Kidani, is providing working educators with an opportunity to obtain a teaching license.
Designed for HIDOE employees who serve as emergency hires, substitute teachers, or educational assistants, the initiative directly addresses teacher shortage areas in Hawaiian Language, world languages, English, mathematics, and science. The application process is rigorous in order to ensure candidates match these priorities.
“I deeply appreciate the GOO program because it is a creative way for the DOE to fill teaching vacancies while making sure our keiki have access to the teachers they deserve, especially those who are already invested in staying in Hawai‘i,” said Charlotte Frambaugh-Kritzer, Director of the School of Teacher Education Secondary program. “My heart is always touched when the GOO candidates tell me, ‘Thank you! I could not be in the secondary teaching program without the financial support of GOO.’ This is a win-win for all.”
The new cohort of Grow Our Own candidates is expected to graduate in May 2022. Upon completion of the program, they are eligible to apply for teacher licensure from the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board and required to commit to three years of full-time teaching in HIDOE or charter schools in their licensed field.
Applications for Grow Our Own are due by September 1, 2020 for priority and October 1, 2020 for final consideration. For more information, please contact Marie Guillermo at mariegui@hawaii.edu.
