Para Pioneer Program Taps Local Talent to Become Teachers

Partnership with Stamford Public Schools creates new path for those entering teaching profession

Sacred Heart University’s Farrington College of Education & Human Development and Stamford Public Schools (SPS) have launched a novel partnership, the Para Pioneer program, which addresses the need for more diversity in teaching and the critical shortage of special education professionals. 

A key aspect of the program is identifying and recruiting local talent to ensure that classrooms are led by teachers who better represent the families and the children they serve, as well as removing barriers that may be keeping qualified and committed candidates from pursuing a career in education. 

“This is all about building a pipeline of talent and preparing future special educators to be resilient and empowered in their work so they enjoy a long and productive career in special education,” said SHU’s Sally Drew, associate professor of teacher education and director of special education programs, who will be overseeing the partnership. “By the time they have completed the program, they will be well prepared, have a master’s degree from Sacred Heart University and their teaching credentials, and they will be eligible for employment. This is about streamlining barriers and about growing your own.” 

The 15-month program began this year as a pilot, with four graduate students who were recruited from the Stamford school district’s pool of paraeducators, long-term substitutes and other support staff. In addition to taking online courses, the students co-teach with mentor educators in a yearlong residency in a city school. Melanie Tietjen, who coordinates special education residency programs at SHU, will supervise the four candidates in the field, support mentor teachers and build relationships with district leadership. 

“This collaboration is a model for the state,” said Charmaine Tourse-Davis, SPS director of talent recruitment and retention. “We asked Sacred Heart, ‘What can you do for us in special education training to fill the classrooms that really need teachers?’ As we talked, we realized that not only do we need more special education teachers in the practice, but we also need to increase educator diversity in the workforce. We asked, and Sacred Heart delivered.” 

Drew said the goal is to learn from this year’s program and continue to grow and expand it. “We are focused on evidence-based practices that come from a large research base of what works to support students with exceptionalities,” she said. “We wanted to make sure our program was designed to be flexible and meet the needs of adult graduate students, but that it would also elevate the profession. We wanted to have that measure of excellence.” 

As the program moves forward, the Stamford school district will continue to recruit graduate candidates and pay for the students’ tuition as they complete their Master of Arts in teaching. Private funds, state grants and district dollars are paying for the pilot program, which includes a living stipend for the students. Beginning with the next cohort of students, SHU will commit funds from a recently awarded $3.38 million federal Teacher Quality Partnership grant. Drew said SHU was the only school in the Northeast to receive the grant. 

Tourse-Davis noted that financial support often makes the difference as to whether a talented and aspiring educator pursues the profession. “To become a Para Pioneer requires a high level of commitment and discipline,” she said. “For about a year, our residents step away from employment, a salary and benefits. If we can keep chipping away at the challenges, we can continue to broaden the pool and tap people who are ready to take the leap.” 

The program officially kicked off Sept. 30 during an event at Cloonan Middle School in Stamford. It drew local and state education officials, who met with mentor teachers and mentees, as well as program organizers from Sacred Heart and Stamford. 

State leaders expressed support for the Para Pioneer program and praised its innovative approach in providing an alternative path to a career in special education. “This is a model that we could replicate and build upon and grow across the state,” said Shuana Tucker, chief talent officer for the Connecticut Department of Education.  

Sinthia Sone-Moyano, Connecticut’s deputy commissioner for educational supports and wellness, started her education career along a nontraditional path—the state’s Alternate Route to Certification. She noted the importance of providing different pathways and collaborative approaches to teaching careers. 

“You are thought partners in the road to success,” she said. “You are providing opportunities and options and meeting students where they are. Education is ever evolving, and we cannot stagnate as a profession. So, it’s important that these initiatives continue, that there is funding to support them and they are not done in isolation.” 

SHU plans to roll out the program to other school districts, said Mel Horton, dean of the Farrington College of Education & Human Development. “We are not stopping with Stamford. We want to expand it, particularly in Sacred Heart’s surrounding communities.” 

Visit SHU’s Master of Arts in special education webpage to learn more.

Pictured: The first cohort of Para Pioneers during the launch event at Cloonan Middle School in Stamford.