Last Updated on May 5, 2024, 10:20 AM | Published: May 5, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY – On Thursday, May 2, the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) Foundation hosted a graduation ceremony for its Teacher Pipeline Program, recognizing five recent graduates. This program aids paraprofessionals in becoming certified OKCPS teachers, providing financial support for their degrees, and aims to boost teacher diversity while retaining educators.
The OKCPS Clara Luper Center for Educational Services ceremony featured speeches from Foundation leaders, pipeline participants, and OKCPS officials. Attendees included representatives from the OKCPS Foundation, OG&E, OKCPS Board of Education, teachers, mentors, family members, graduates, and community members.
“We’re so proud of all of our participants in this program, what they’re doing for our students, how they’re changing their own lives, and how they’re changing the lives of our kiddos now and in the years to come,” Mary Mélon-Tully, President and CEO of the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation, said.
About the Teacher Pipeline Program
Established in 2016, the Teacher Pipeline Program addresses the teacher shortage in OKCPS and fosters a diverse educator base. It offers full financial support funded by the Foundation, allowing participants to balance work, family, and education.
Partnering with institutions like OSU-OKC, OCCC, Rose State College, and UCO, paraprofessionals can begin at a community college and finish at UCO, with tuition, fees, and books covered post-FAFSA. Any OKCPS paraprofessional with at least a year of district experience can apply, committing to three years of teaching post-certification.
The program relies on community partners like OG&E, Bank of America, Express Employment International, and Oklahoma City Community Foundation.
“We can’t do this without the support of our community partners,” Mélon-Tully said. “And because of all these partnerships, the Foundation is able to administer the programs and provide support for participants, so that our participants leave college with their degree ready to take on their classrooms prepared from day one.”
OG&E has been a steadfast supporter of the program since its inception and sponsored the ceremony. OG&E Chairman, President & CEO Sean Trauschke emphasized the program’s transformative impact on participants and the influence on students and communities.
“We’ve supported this program from its inception because it strengthens communities and creates better educational opportunities for students in OKCPS,” Trauschke said.
He praised the graduates as exemplary role models for their dedication to the program and teaching future generations.
“This is one of those events where you know what good looks like. And you know what? It makes a difference in the community,” Trauschke said.
The 2024 Teacher Pipeline Program’s graduates
Martinez-Ramos (in the feature photo) is a first-generation student and will be teaching family and consumer sciences at Wheeler Middle School.
The Impact of the Teacher Pipeline Program
With the addition of this year’s graduates, a total of 25 individuals have completed the program and obtained higher education degrees. There are 71 participants actively working towards program completion, and by the summer of 2024, the number is expected to reach 81 pipeline participants.
OKCPS Superintendent Dr. Sean McDaniel said the Teacher Pipeline Program is addressing critical needs within the school district.
“From increasing recruitment and retention of educators to developing diverse teachers that mirror our unique student population, this program plays a vital role in bolstering the quality of education we are able to provide to OKCPS students,” McDaniel said. “The importance of this initiative and the widespread, positive impact it has in our schools cannot be understated.”
The foundation launched the Bilingual Teacher Pipeline Program in 2016 and expanded it in 2019 with the Diversity Teacher Pipeline Program, aiming to enhance accessibility and diversity within OKCPS to improve student outcomes, encapsulating the program’s ethos with the phrase, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Mélon-Tully emphasized the program’s intentionality in starting with a diverse cohort of participants and the importance of having teachers who reflect students’ cultural backgrounds.
“There’s so much data out there that says that students who have teachers who speak their language do so much better culturally, emotionally, and socially,” Mélon-Tully said. “So we were very intentional with that focus on starting this program.”
McDaniel emphasized the pipeline’s positive impact on academic growth, achievement, and behavior through diversity and inclusion efforts.
“The research is very clear that, when I’m a kid, and I’m sitting in a classroom and I look up to the front of the class, and that teacher looks like me and shares my culture, and in many instances speaks my language, that makes a difference for that kid,” McDaniel said.
The Foundation also provides an OKCPS High School to Teacher Pipeline, recruiting seniors to become certified teachers upon graduation, and an Aspiring Administrator Pipeline for further educational opportunities.
Former graduates Carla Sanchez and Lenina Wright warmly welcomed the new graduates during their speeches, sharing personal journeys and fulfillment in the profession despite balancing family and studies.
Lenina recounted her education supported by the Teacher Pipeline Program, covering all expenses, while Sanchez, a DACA recipient, also shared her journey to becoming a certified teacher. They each highlighted the sacrifices of teaching and the rewards like student growth and personal growth.
“More and more men and women just like each of us have made the decision to go to or go back to school and earn your teaching certification to become phenomenal teachers,” Sanchez said.
Mary Mélon-Tully noted successful retention rates among graduates, mirroring nationwide trends in similar programs.
“Grow-your-own programs have gained a lot of traction across the country, because they develop teachers from within our school community, which makes a huge difference in retention,” Mélon-Tully said.
As the ceremony came to a close, attendees welcomed the recent graduates with flowers, signs, and tears of joy. The evening highlighted the Teacher Pipeline Program’s role in producing a diverse cohort of graduates, emphasizing inclusivity and resilience in the teaching workforce, with each graduate symbolizing progress towards a more representative educational environment.
Zoe Travers has spent her career covering local musicians, artists, politicians, and everyday folks. She is also Oklahoma City’s most enthusiastic connoisseur of cheese danishes.
