To address ongoing teacher shortages and increase the diversity of the teacher workforce, the state of Mississippi has launched Grow Your Own (GYO) initiatives, according to a New America report.
The report, “Mississippi’s Multifaceted Approach to Tackling Teacher Shortages,” analyzes the impact of the programs and offers strategies other states can implement.
Under GYO, Mississippi has developed local teachers and established a state-run teacher residency program and a pilot teaching licensure program.
“We decided that what [Mississippi was] doing was innovative and interesting and had lessons we thought would be beneficial to other states and localities,” said Amaya Garcia, deputy director for English learner education with the education policy program at New America and co-author of the report. “We wanted to go there to learn more about their approach.”
According to the report, from 2011 to 2016, teacher preparation programs in Mississippi declined from more than 5,000 students to 2,795 students. There has been a 50% decline in the number of licenses issued between 2011 and 2018.
“I think that’s the other issue of what barriers are in place that are keeping some candidates out of the profession,” said Garcia. “So how do we actually address those barriers and try to increase the teacher workforce … and really try to adjust to different kinds of students.”
In 2018, close to half of the 1,067 vacancies in the state were in the Mississippi Delta. The Delta’s school district has over 900 students from Pre-K-12 — 97% are Black and more than 50% live below the poverty line. Almost one-third of teachers in the district have a provisional license, which is temporary, the report said.
