Four aspiring special education teachers in the Clarke County School District will have a more accessible pathway to certification as they earn on-the-job training and bachelor degree course credit simultaneously through a new partnership that will also help the district address current staffing shortages. 

CCSD recently announced the inaugural cohort of its residency-based teacher apprenticeship in special education following a competitive selection process. The program — delivered through a partnership with national talent development provider BloomBoard and Lake Erie College that was approved by the Clarke County Board of Education earlier this year — will begin in January 2025 and allows current CCSD employees to complete a three-year bachelor’s degree in special education while gaining direct hands-on experience in classrooms, all while continuing to earn their paid salary from the district. They will earn course credit by demonstrating mastery in their own work. 

In exchange for receiving their degree through this program, cohort members have signed an agreement to teach special education within the district for at least three years upon receiving their certification. This will allow CCSD to begin building its own pipeline of special education teachers while developing and strengthening partnerships with local and state colleges and universities. The district intentionally recruited applicants among existing classified staff, and all four members of the initial cohort already have an extended tenure with CCSD. In addition, three of the four are CCSD graduates.

“We are thrilled to support this bachelor’s degree program that is opening doors for qualified candidates who may not have been able to advance through traditional schooling due to cost and other demands on their time,” said CCSD Superintendent Dr. Robbie Hooker. “This more accessible applied program will help us achieve our goal of filling a greater number of high-need special education teaching positions with skilled teachers. We are especially pleased that this cohort includes current CCSD employees who are familiar with our district and have already established relationships with students, staff, and families.”

Amid a critical nationwide teacher shortage, special education vacancies have remained the largest barrier to CCSD being fully staffed. The residency-based teacher apprenticeship will help the district increase the number of certified, well-prepared educators serving Clarke County students, aid the district in providing consistent, high-quality instruction to all students, and help ensure equitable access to learning for special education students. 

The U.S. Department of Labor designated teaching as an apprenticeship area in November 2022, making it eligible for federal funding and support similar to other skilled trades. As teacher residency and apprenticeship programs have come to the forefront as an innovative way to address shortages, CCSD has expanded its focus on providing pathways to individuals to enter the profession through “earn-and-learn” models. Last spring, the district was designated as a Registered Apprenticeship Hub, only the second such designation awarded in the state. 

The district will evaluate the effectiveness of the program through program completion rate, teacher effectiveness, and teacher retention. As part of the partnership, BloomBoard provided support to the district in identifying eligible participants and program funding and will continue to support the district to ensure success of the program and its candidates. 

“This program can go a long way toward solving an unmet need in Clarke County,” said BloomBoard CEO Sanford Kenyon. “All school districts are looking for teachers for hard-to-fill special education positions, and often the best candidates are already working there as paraprofessionals and living within the community. This program provides an easier pathway for their advancement and shores up CCSD’s position as an employer-of-choice for aspiring teachers.”

Inaugural Cohort Members

• Patrick Bishop, special education paraprofessional at Clarke Middle School. A graduate of Cedar Shoals High School, Mr. Bishop has worked with CCSD since 2013 in various roles – including as a pre-K paraprofessional, behavior interventionist, and with the district’s interrelated and adaptive special education programs. He has previous experience in a diverse set of teaching and child care roles including coordinating after school programs, serving as a youth counselor, and working with at-risk children. “I enjoy working with the youth here in Clarke County and being a positive male role model for them, inspiring them to be their best,” said Mr. Bishop. “Being a paraprofessional has revealed to me that I should take the step and become an actual classroom teacher and lead the instruction so as to not only be a positive role model, but also to teach and instill in students the importance of an education and how learning and comprehending can benefit them in the years to come.”

• Harold Faison, academic interventionist at Fowler Drive Elementary School. A graduate of Clarke Central High School, Mr. Faison has close to a decade of experience in CCSD, where he has also served as a paraprofessional, family engagement specialist, and district multimedia specialist. He also has experience working with children through Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services and Hill Chapel Baptist Church. The residency program will help him realize his long-held goal of becoming a special education teacher. “I bring a compassionate, hands-on approach to teaching, grounded in real-world experiences,” said Mr. Faison. “I am committed to advocating for students and fostering an inclusive classroom environment where every child feels valued and empowered to succeed. I am excited about the opportunity to join (the program). I am eager to enhance my skills and deepen my understanding of special education practices. I am dedicated to being a part of a profession that champions the rights of all students, ensuring they have the resources and support they need to thrive.”

• Blake Hancock, special education paraprofessional at Bettye H. Holston Elementary School. A graduate of Jefferson High School, Mr. Hancock has been with CCSD since 2022 and has long aspired to be an elementary school special education teacher. He has worked in multiple child care and development roles – including as an after-school program tutor, Montessori instructor, and substitute teacher. “I have always looked up to educators and the world they are able to create when you go into their classroom,” said Mr. Hancock. “They would always create a safe, exciting, and informative learning environment that always had me engaged, focused, and yearning for more. I admire how they helped me believe in my education and overcome the challenges I faced, and now I want to do the same for other students.” 

• Clark Pattman, academic interventionist at Whitehead Road Elementary School. A graduate of Cedar Shoals, Mr. Pattman has been with CCSD professionally for nine years and in his current position for eight. Becoming a special education teacher has long been a dream of his, and he said he has always enjoyed making an impact in the lives of students with different needs. “My passion for education and mentoring the youth is what has kept me around, and my motivation has come from my wonderful peers and personal experience with the children that I work with now,” said Mr. Pattman. “I want to create an environment where my students feel safe, comforted, and simply feel seen. There’s nothing more that I would want to do than to make a huge difference in their lives and let them know that someone is there for them.”