PPS is a great place to work and teach! Portage Public Schools has always had a great reputation that has drawn the best and the brightest to our teaching ranks. However, the reality is that fewer people overall are going into the teaching profession.
Of the 185,000 people in Michigan who hold a valid teaching certificate, only about 86,000 are working as teachers.
PPS gets creative
PPS is being proactive by taking advantage of a number of ways to encourage those seeking the traditional pathway to becoming a teacher, but also by tapping into the energy and enthusiasm of those who may have come to the idea of joining the teaching profession later in their careers.
Human Resources works closely with employees who express interest in becoming a teacher and counsels them on the options available to each individual based on experience, education and past barriers to education. HR also works with employees who have expired Michigan Teaching Certifications and helps them with information and resources to reinstate their teaching certification.
Locally, PPS created a partnership with Kalamazoo Community Foundation to create the Portage Public Schools Grow Our Own Grant to support non-certified staff who are looking to return to school to become educators and for whom there are financial barriers. In 2023 we were able to support nine employees by covering costs for tuition, books, the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC), or Michigan Department of Education permits with a $20,000 grant. We just received word that the grant has been renewed for the same amount in 2024.
Alternative routes to certification
The state of Michigan has a number of programs that PPS is participating in to encourage alternative routes to a teaching credential. We already participate in many of these and are working on engaging with others.
Carolyn Mason (pictured above) worked more than six years as a reading paraprofessional at Moorsbridge Elementary School. She got the idea to one day become a teacher but didn’t know how she would do it.
“All of these resources from the District became available, and when you have a whole building and District cheering you on, it’s a no-brainer,” Mason said.
Mason is taking coursework currently to earn her full teaching certification through #T.E.A.C.H., an alternative certification program offered in the state of Michigan. After passing the MTTC, Mason now holds an interim certification and teaches first grade at Moorsbridge.
“Everybody here has been so supportive,” Mason said. “I’ve never felt like I was alone in this work. When you feel like the team here has your back, the work is worth it.”
The State of Michigan offers Michigan Reconnect: a free associate's degree for anyone who is 21 or older, has a high school diploma or equivalent, does not have a college degree and has lived in the state for a year or more. This could be the launching point for someone on their way to becoming a teacher.
There are other alternative routes to initial Teaching Certification with several programs.
Must have a bachelor's degree in any major
Have to pass the MTTC for content knowledge before issuance of a Michigan Interim Teaching Certificate
Online asynchronous courses
Must have a bachelor's degree in any major
Have to pass the MTTC for content knowledge before issuance of a Michigan Teaching Certificate
Online asynchronous courses
Department of Labor registered Apprentice program
No cost to program with a 5-years-of-service-expectation as a teacher after graduation
Courses online synchronous/asynchronous
Other steps to success
Once we get a new teacher, PPS makes sure they have the resources to be successful. The District hosts a new teacher academy for all newly hired teachers and those who are in their first years of teaching. This additional support builds district understanding, curriculum knowledge, classroom management skills, and instructional delivery skills. Additional support and well designed mentoring programs improve retention rates for new teachers as well as provide greater knowledge of the district and its abundant resources.
Additionally, two Intern Coordinator positions were created in 2023, one at the elementary level and one at the secondary level. The Coordinators work with the PPS Principals and colleges/universities to place intern teachers and pre-interns into PPS classrooms in partnership with highly qualified mentor teachers. Human Resources and the Intern Coordinators collaborate to support the intern teachers during their placement in PPS and as they study to take the MTTC, (including a list of study guide resources for MTTC)
We also partner closely with Western Michigan University. PPS was started over 100 years ago as a teacher training ground for what is now WMU. We currently have an agreement with WMU for expedited master's degree programs that lead to initial teacher certification. We also work closely to place pre-interns and intern teachers with the WMU Department of Education and Human Development. PPS was granted a MDE Grow Your Own award for the WMU expedited master's degree program for elementary education and special education. This opportunity is available to those who already have a bachelor's degree and work in the district.