Resources and Partnerships

Strengthening Educator Development Through Collaboration

The Grow Your Own initiative is built on strong partnerships and accessible resources to support teacher preparation. Through collaboration with Local Education Agencies (LEAs), Education Preparation Providers (EPPs), and community organizations, we ensure aspiring educators receive the guidance and tools they need to succeed.

Available Resources

Grow Your Own provides a range of tools and materials to support stakeholders in educator preparation.

General GYO Resources

GYO Center One Pager
This document is a comprehensive resource offering an overview of the TN Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program and access to the Aspiring Apprentice Profile for interested candidates to learn more about the program.

Personas of TN Grow Your Own Apprentices
This document provides detailed profiles of personas to aid in understanding and meeting the needs of diverse individuals aspiring to become educators in Tennessee through the TN Grow Your Own Center.

Sources of Funding for Teacher Apprentices
A collection of sources of available state and federal funding to be braided together to cover the cost of tuition, books, fees, and testing for the registered teacher apprenticeship program (R-TAP) in Tennessee.

Fundamentals of Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship
A two-page summary of the fundamental elements of the Tennessee Registered Teacher Apprenticeship program and the value it adds to communities.

Aspiring Apprentices on a Permit
The GYO Center’s standard operating procedure for aspiring apprentices who are on a teaching permit.

Aspiring Apprentice Resources

Aspiring Apprentice Checklist
Aspiring apprentices should use this checklist from the point of becoming interested in the program until they are registered in their first course. It guides apprentices and school district leaders through the application and registration process.

Email Templates for Aspiring Apprentices
This document offers pre-written email templates to assist aspiring apprentices in communicating with district leaders and facilitating their journey toward becoming licensed teachers in Tennessee.

Aspiring Apprentices With Less Than 60 Credit Hours
This document provides an overview of the TN Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program pathway for aspiring apprentices that have fewer than 60 credit hours.

Navigate Reconnect Flyer – West
Navigate Reconnect Flyer – Middle
Navigate Reconnect Flyer – East
These documents provide information on how TN Navigate Reconnect can support district employees, contact information, links/QR codes to sign up for services, and county service area information.

Transferring From Your Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship
This document provides an overview of transferring from the TN Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

Withdrawing From Your Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship
This document provides an overview of withdrawing from the TN Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

EPP and School District Resources

Local Education Agencies Playbook
The Tennessee Grow Your Own Center provides free technical assistance to school districts (LEAs) to help launch or expand educator workforce strategies, including registering apprenticeship programs and recruiting educators. They also offer support with data collection, needs assessments and connecting with relevant partners. Learn more by exploring the LEA Playbook.

Watch the Educator Registered Apprenticeship Intermediary’s information session from Jan. 22, 2025
Discover how rural districts like Carter, Lawrence and Hawkins are tackling teacher shortages through innovative Grow Your Own programs. Watch the recording to explore their motivations, key lessons learned, and actionable steps for implementing teacher apprenticeship pathways in your community. Fast forward to the 30-minute mark to go straight to the panel session with these county school district leaders.

7 Strategies: Overcoming Barriers to Entry (Webinar 1 of 4)
7 Strategies: Awarding Credit for Prior Learning (Webinar 2 of 4)
7 Strategies: The Ideal Learning Experience for Teacher Apprentices (Webinar 3 of 4)
7 Strategies: A Program for Everyone: Who is underserved? (Webinar 4 of 4)
This series aims to illustrate the connections between competency-based education and teacher apprenticeship programs, particularly for non-traditional learners. Whether you are new to these concepts or have experience, this series offers valuable insights. It is intended for colleges of teacher education and other educational institutions that want to learn how they can expand delivery to non-traditional audiences and reduce common barriers experienced by working learners. Learn more about each session and register to attend here

Funding Models: Lunch & Learn Series
The goals for this webinar series were to expose LEA and EPP partners to available funding resources and to provide time and space for questions and discussion. Strong partners design solutions together, and this series is meant to orient stakeholders toward designing solutions, overcoming challenges, and strengthening partnerships.
Session 1- Resources and Recording
Session 2- Resources and Recording
Session 3- Resources and Recording

Mentor Training One-pager
This document offers an overview of the TN Grow Your Own Center: Mentor Training Guide and highlights the importance of the mentorship provided as a crucial component of TN’s registered teacher apprenticeship program.

TN Grow Your Own Center: Mentor Training Guide
This document equips EPPs and LEAs with valuable tools and strategies for supporting educators who mentor teacher apprentices in Tennessee.

Mentor Training Webinar recording
This recording offers a comprehensive overview of the TN Grow Your Own Center: Mentor Training Guide, providing EPPs and LEAs with valuable tools and strategies to support and empower educators who mentor aspiring teachers in TN’s registered teacher apprenticeship programs.

GYO WIOA Flyer
This document provides an overview of support services Grow Your Own apprentices may be able to access through Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and American Job Centers.

Transferring From Your Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship
This document provides an overview of transferring from the TN Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

Withdrawing From Your Tennessee’s Grow Your Own Teacher Apprenticeship
This document provides an overview of withdrawing from the TN Grow Your Own Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program.

Partnerships

In addition to partnerships with educator preparation providers and local educational agencies or charter school organizations, the TN Grow Your Own Center connects partners with other organizations in support of aspiring educators and workforce development.

Study.com

The Tennessee Department of Education, in partnership with Study.com, provides all Tennessee Teacher Apprenticeship candidates through the Tennessee Grow Your Own Center with free access to “Keys to the Classroom” to provide test prep support for their licensure tests to earn their Tennessee teacher’s license. The “Keys to the Classroom” from Study.com Webinar provides an overview for apprentices on how to use Study.com and the features within “Keys to the Classroom.” Study.com

C-BEN Member

The Tennessee Grow Your Own Center is a member of the Competency-based Education Network.

Ascendium Education Group

Ascendium Education Group generously funds the Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program of Study (RTAPS) project and the Institute for Competency-based Teacher Education (ICBTE)