CBExchange 2022 — “Pride Pathway has been a Game Changer”: Teacher Education Pathways at Texas A&M University Commerce

As sessions continue during the last day of CBExchange 2022, speakers April Sanders, Yvonne Villanueva-Russell, and Nicole Pearce from Texas A&M University Commerce joined attendees in the main ballroom to discuss designing CBE pathways that move students through the teacher certification process.

Facing a teacher shortage, Texas seeks to help aspiring teachers navigate through the training and certification process to best and most efficiently serve K-12 students. While traditional pathways to teacher education work for some students, it is not the right fit for all. Sanders expressed:

“Teacher certification is not always linear. We had to pivot to create a path to teaching that worked for more students.”

In response, Sanders, Villanueva-Russell, and Pearce developed the Pride Pathway program at Texas A&M University Commerce. Pride Pathway targets paraprofessionals already working within school districts, providing an affordable, fully online option for completing a bachelor’s or master’s degree leading to teacher certification.

Students begin by completing their Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Organizational Leadership with an education emphasis. They then obtain a teacher certification through CBE alternative certification graduate courses. Finally, students move into a master’s program aimed at providing an efficient and rigorous route to becoming an educator. This program takes approximately two years.

True to CBExchange 2022’s theme, a Pride Pathway student shared:

“Pride Pathway has been a game changer for me. I can work my paraprofessional job, raise my family, and get my degree. I am so thankful for this program.”

Follow this blog to learn more about CBExchange 2022.