A new partnership between Columbus Municipal School District and Mississippi University for Women aims to strengthen the pipeline of future teachers moving from the university into district classrooms.
For teacher candidates, the partnership creates an opportunity for hands-on experience in the classroom and a clearer pathway from college coursework to full-time teaching.
“(We’re) building the pipeline (for teachers) to come directly into Columbus and work, or if they want to go somewhere else, they can, but they have built these skills related to the culture and community of Columbus, which is what we hope for,” said Kelly Ballard, chair of the MUW Department of Education.
For the district, it intends to help address ongoing staffing needs by recruiting and retaining teachers who are already familiar with CMSD schools.
“Together, we are strengthening our efforts to recruit, prepare and retain educators by creating meaningful pathways and experiences for them,” CMSD Superintendent Craig Chapman told The Dispatch.
Both institutions signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday, outlining how they will collaborate in training teachers, placing them in classrooms and providing continued resources, like professional development and hiring incentives. CMSD Board of Trustees approved the agreement Jan. 12 during its regular meeting.
While CMSD and MUW have had an MOU in the past focused on providing teaching candidates with classroom experience, the new agreement places a stronger focus on recruitment and long-term development of teachers while also establishing a $3,000 sign-on incentive for MUW School of Education graduates hired by the district.
“With the teacher shortage that we have just around the United States, this is a great opportunity for us to retain and recruit teachers, having this opportunity for them to get the firsthand experiences,” Superintendent Craig Chapman told The Dispatch. “This will definitely help CMSD.”
Through the partnership, MUW students participating in the state’s Mississippi Teacher Residency program are placed in local classrooms to learn the craft. MUW received a $140,000 grant last fall from Mississippi Department of Education to cover tuition, books and fees for its students in the residency.
Currently, the program includes four MTR students, two who teach at Cook Elementary each day and two who go to Sale Elementary, Ballard said. Additionally, two residency students in their second semester of field experiences teach at Hunt Intermediate Academy once a week.
The idea is to give teachers sustained, hands-on experience in schools while building relationships that can lead to long-term employment.
“Teachers who train locally and feel connected to the district are more likely to stay,” said Martin Hatton, dean of MUW School of Education. “They build strong relationships. They bring consistency to classrooms, and that’s a win for students, for schools and for the entire community.”
Each candidate is also paired with teacher mentors who already work in the schools.
“Our students are already having a great time,” Ballard said of the program so far. “They’ve only been there since last Tuesday. … They are already adapting to things on the fly, which is a sign of an effective teacher.”
The MOU includes opportunities to expand the partnership, including expanding professional learning opportunities at MUW for current teachers in the districts and creating pathways for assistant teachers, paraprofessionals and other district staff to pursue a teaching license through MUW programs.
But for now, Ballard just hopes to see more teacher candidates placed in more district schools.
“What we hope to see come from this is to get into more of the schools as we have these experiences … and just infiltrate as much as we can,” she said. “… It’s been so beneficial for both of us so far, and it’s just the beginning.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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