Teacher Recruitment and Retention as Oregon Team Ag Ed initiative
The general premise is if Oregon Team Ag Ed creates:
- A culture among teachers with professional development at its core
- A support system for all teachers to share and collaborate best practices
- High quality professional development workshops focusing on classroom instruction, Career Development Events as extensions of student learning, and connections to current agriculture industries
- Specialized professional development programming focusing on the challenges of 1-5 year teacher
- A mentorship program that draws on the expertise of experienced teachers to help new teachers to the profession develop quality programs, but also encourages independence after the first year
Oregon Agriculture Education will be impacted by:
- Higher retention of teachers, especially in the 1-5 year group
- Higher quality agriculture education programs serving the needs of students and local agriculture industries
- Less “burn out” and stress on teachers, leading to more students pursuing agriculture education as a viable career choice
The Players:
- Oregon Vocational Agriculture Teachers Association – OVATA is committed to promoting and facilitating high quality professional development for all teachers, collaboration among professionals, and a support system that aims to keep quality teachers in the profession.
- Oregon State University – As the primary university for agriculture instructors in Oregon, OSU plays a large role in preparing teachers, job placement, and maintaining connections throughout a teacher’s career. OSU faculty are instrumental in facilitating workshops for early professionals, as well as placing them with approved mentors in their first year of teaching.
- Oregon FFA Alumni – The Oregon FFA Alumni support all aspects of agriculture education, but as a part of Team Ag Ed, focus their efforts in supporting teachers. Alumni are present at professional development conferences where they assist with workshops, provide industry connections, and promote camaraderie.
- Oregon Department of Education – ODE, directly, and through regional coordinators, helps foster a culture of professional development by providing funding for teachers to attend, and incorporating professional development conferences in the statewide program of study.
- Oregon FFA – A vast majority of student recruits to the profession come through the Oregon FFA chapters across the state. Oregon FFA works to provide learning experiences in and out of the classroom for all students that is relevant to the needs and wants of the larger agriculture industry. Oregon Team Ag Ed’s recruitment plan is rooted in FFA students.