The ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ School of Education has collaborated with Kenner Discovery Schools to create a yearlong residency placement program for its education majors with the aim of creating a certified βteacher pipeline.β
βOur first cohort of residents is graduating this month,β said Melissa Nunez, ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλβs coordinator of teacher education. βWe had a total of nine residents at Discovery this semester.β
Eight of the nine are seniors, and all have been offered jobs, Nunez said.
Discovery is a charter network that includes five Louisiana schools with more than 3,000 students in grades pre-K to 12.
βThey have been very excited about hosting our field experiences, hosting our residents and getting them into their school to develop them as future teachers,β Nunez said. βThey have been very supportive, providing extensive mentoring to our residents and really just creating that teacher pipeline.β
Louisiana requires future teachers to complete a yearlong school-based residency program under the guidance of a mentor teacher. Nunezβs job is to help place students in schools to fulfill that requirement.
The partnership with Discovery offers more placement opportunities and an additional financial perk for students. Discovery Schools offers its own stipend in addition to what the Louisiana Department of Education provides, Nunez said.
βThey are trying to make residency as comfortable as possible for our students,β Nunez said.
Another bonus is that Discovery School officials are very familiar with ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλβs education curriculum as the school employs more than 100 ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ alumni, Nunez said. One of whom is Patty Glaser, chief executive officer and founding head of Kenner Discovery Schools. Glaser earned a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ.
βThey want our residents, and they really value our program,β Nunez said. βThey really value the education that ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ provides.β
Nunez and ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ President Kathy Johnson recently visited Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy and were presented with a painting created by ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ alumnus Peter Barnitz, who is the art teacher.
βThey made her a painting with the signatures of the many alumni that are employed at the schools,β Nunez said. βThere are 120 faculty and staff members who graduated from ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ.β
The painting features the dual mascots of the ΟγΈΫΑωΊΟ²ΚΙϊΠ€ΊΕΒλ Privateer and Discovery Swamp Owl connected by a large heart.
βWe are continuing to strengthen our partnership with the school and work with them as they establish a grow-your-own-teacher pipeline,β Nunez said.