Project TEACH (Teacher Education Alliance of Colleges and High Schools) is a new teacher preparation program centered at Green River Community College linking high schools, community colleges, and university undergraduate programs. Beginning with significant recruitment programs which target underrepresented populations, and collaborating with Central Washington University, Project TEACH seeks to improve the preparation of future teachers, especially in mathematics and science. The project serves as a reproducible model demonstrating the role that community colleges can play in teacher preparation through the creation of a seamless transition into the teaching profession. The strategies are:
1. To recruit more talented students into the teaching profession with recruitment beginning at the high school level and focusing on underserved populations; 2. To provide practical and diverse preservice field experiences with mentor teachers utilizing interactive methods of science, math, and technology education; 3. To strengthen mathematics & science in elementary schools through interdisciplinary courses for future teachers that model interactive teaching and active learning; 4. To improve the preparation and retention of prospective teachers through a new para-professional certificate and a pre-professional degree in education; 5. To support mentor teachers and beginning teachers through shared inservice opportunities which will facilitate meaningful dialogues and interactions.
