TDOE Awards $4.5 Million Grow Your Own Grants to Create Pathways to Become a Teacher for Free
$6.5M Total Awarded to Strengthen Teacher Pipeline in Tennessee
Nashville, TN—Today, the Tennessee Department of Education announced $4.5 million in Grow Your Own grants has been awarded to establish partnerships between Educator Preparation Providers (EPPs) and local school districts and create innovative pathways to becoming a teacher in Tennessee for free.
This second round of Grow Your Own grants awards 45 grants of $100,000 each to 13 EPPs in Tennessee to form or expand state recognized Grow Your Own partnerships with more than 50 school districts across the state. Building upon the momentum of the initial $2 million investment in the initiative, this latest round of grants from the department significantly expands the Grow Your Own program, totaling a $6.5 million investment in 65 partnerships between 14 EPPs and 63 school districts-- enabling over 650 future educators to become a Tennessee teacher for free.
"The department is thrilled to see Grow Your Own partnerships flourishing across the state to further boost the state’s teacher talent pipeline to provide all our students with a high-quality education,” said Commissioner Penny Schwinn. “This investment provides individuals with the opportunity to become a teacher for free and will continue to make Tennessee the best state to become and be a teacher. We are excited to continue to see the success of this program impact the state for years to come.”
The Grow Your Own competitive grants are designed to foster partnerships between EPPs and districts to provide innovative, no-cost pathways to the teaching profession by increasing EPP enrollment and growing the supply of qualified teachers. These grant funds will remove barriers to the teaching profession by providing funds to entirely cover tuition, textbooks, and fees for all selected participants, while providing dual licensure or initial licensure opportunities with an additional endorsement.
| 2021 Grow Your Own Partnership Competitive Grant Awardees | |
|---|---|
| EPP Grant Awardees | LEA Partners |
| Austin Peay State University | Cheatham County Schools Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Dickson County Schools Hickman County Schools Robertson County School |
| Freed-Hardeman University | Fayette County Public Schools |
| Lincoln Memorial University | Alcoa City Schools Anderson County Schools Blount County Schools Campbell County Schools Clinton City Schools Hamblen County Schools Hancock County Schools Hawkins County Schools Jefferson County Schools Lenoir City Schools Knox County Schools Monroe County Schools Oak Ridge Schools |
| Lipscomb University | Clarksville-Montgomery County School System Hamilton County Schools Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Williamson County Schools |
| Milligan University | Elizabethton City Schools |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Murfreesboro City Schools |
| Nashville Teacher Residency | Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools |
| Relay Graduate School of Education | Tennessee Public Charter School Commission Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Shelby County Schools |
| Tennessee Technological University | Clay County Schools Dekalb County Schools Hawkins County Schools Morgan County Schools Oneida Special School District Roane County Schools Union County Schools |
| Tennessee State University | Bedford County Schools Cheatham County Schools Clay County Schools Decatur County Schools Fayetteville City Schools Frayser Community Schools Germantown Municipal Schools Greeneville City Schools Marshall County Schools Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Moore County Schools Purpose Prep Academy Rutherford County Schools Shelby County Schools Sumner County Schools Tipton County Schools Williamson County Schools Wilson County Schools |
| Tusculum University | Greene County Schools Hawkins County Schools |
| University of Tennessee, Knoxville | Blount County Schools Knox County Schools Monroe County Schools Shelby County Schools |
| University of Tennessee at Martin | Benton County Schools Dyer County Schools Dyersburg City Schools Haywood County Schools Lauderdale County Schools McKenzie Special District Obion County Schools Paris Special School District Weakley County School |
District leaders, education preparation program leaders, and education chairmen for the Tennessee General Assembly commented on the importance of this program and grant funding to further support the teaching profession across the state.
“The Grow Your Own Program provides needed support to build a successful educator workforce focusing on our existing talent pool of future teachers,” said Senate Education Committee Chairman Brian Kelsey. “These grants will help prepare incredible teachers, strong schools and connected communities. It is a win-win for Tennessee.”
“Grow Your Own builds deliberate pathways from the community to the classroom and from within our classified staff,” said Dr. Bryan Johnson, Director of Schools, Hamilton County Schools. “It also creates more access to teaching for candidates with varied experiences and diverse candidates whose perspectives can help our children thrive.”
“Milligan University is pleased to partner with Elizabethton City Schools on the Grow Your Own grant opportunity,” said Dr. Angela Hilton-Prillhart, Associate Dean School of Social Sciences and Education, Milligan University. “It is rewarding to be part of an initiative that will offer scholarships to individuals who are already working with children who want to become teachers.”
“The Grow Your Own program has been incredibly successful by providing additional learning opportunities and advancing career pathways for local candidates to join the teaching profession,” said House Education Instruction Subcommittee Chairman Scott Cepicky. “We are excited to see this program expanding to other Tennessee communities and know they will benefit from these additional resources.”
“We are looking forward to working with Tennessee State University as part of the Grow Your Own Partnership Grant sponsored by the TDOE,” said Dr. John Combs, Director of Schools, Tipton County Schools. “This opportunity will allow us to address areas of need in our district by increasing the availability of certified teachers in special education and ESL, while utilizing our outstanding educational assistants whose goal it is to become teachers for Tipton County Schools.”
“Thanks to the continued investment by the Tennessee Department of Education in these essential partnerships, APSU has the opportunity to strategically invest and strengthen our teacher pipeline,” said Dr. Prentice Chandler, Dean of the Eriksson College of Education, Austin Peay State University. “This work matters, and we appreciate the state’s commitment to ensuring all our students will have access to high-quality teachers.”
The department’s Grow Your Own initiative seeks to increase access to and success in the teaching profession as part of the Best for All strategic plan, which sets a vision for Tennessee to be the top state to become and remain a teacher and leader.
Funding for the Grow Your Own competitive grant is available through federal COVID-19 stimulus funding.
To read more about our existing Grow Your Own partnerships in Tennessee and to see a full list of Grow Your Own grant awardees, click here.
For Tennessee Department of Education media inquiries, contact Edu.MediaInquiries@tn.gov.
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