Wisconsin Rethinking Training for Educators

A new Wyoming Department of Education initiative could be changing the way teachers are educated and trained in school districts near you. Last week in a Wyoming State Board of Education meeting in Sheridan Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder said he hopes to launch a pilot “teacher apprenticeship” program in three to-be-determined school districts in the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. If the initiative is successful, it could expand statewide with the goal of removing any potential barriers for those hoping to become teachers.

The new initiative could mark a major shift in education training in Wyoming. Under the state's current set up candidates for a Wyoming, teacher certification must earn a bachelor’s degree and complete a teacher education program from a university accredited by one of the agencies recognized by the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board.

“The key idea to this teacher apprenticeship model is creating alternative pathways to filling the teacher vacancies our state is experiencing… while also recruiting new blood into the classroom. What better way to train our future teachers than in our schools?”

Brian Schroeder Superintendent of Public Instruction

Under the initiative, prospective teaching candidates would work immediately with a master mentor teacher. In this program, apprentices would not just serve as aides and would participate as classroom instructors under one of the district’s top teachers. The Wyoming Department of Education pays apprentices based on skill level and earns more as they learn and grow. The program requires apprentices to attend college classes in the evenings and on weekends, with that education funded entirely through the WDE at no cost to the apprentices.

The board recognizes that while their old model has been effective for years, it has also kept many prospective teachers from entering the industry often due to the fact they cannot afford a four-year education. Wyoming’s apprenticeship initiative comes as school districts, like many employers, struggle to recruit and retain employees. Schroeder said shortly after being appointed as superintendent in February he was approached by a district superintendent who risked losing as many as 100 teachers in one year. The program hopes it can help eliminate some of these recruiting pressures and will look to announce the launch date of the pilot program at a later date.