Region 4 Education Service Center partners with Texas City ISD to train next generation of teachers

 

 

 

HOUSTON, Texas—Region 4 Education Service Center’s (Region 4’s) Educator Development team is excited to announce its partnership with Texas City Independent School District (TCISD) to offer professional development to high school students who are interested in becoming teachers.

 

The partnership, which is part of Region 4’s Teacher Pipeline Initiative, allows Career and Technical Education (CTE) students in their junior and senior years of high school to participate in a year-long micro-credentialing series through Region 4. Students who complete the TCISD program will graduate with college hours from College of the Mainland and are eligible for a Texas Educational Aide certification.

 

“This program is truly a win-win,” said Pamela Farinas, Director of Educator Development at Region 4. “Students receive the relevant skills and experience in high school to give them a jump-start on their career, and we strengthen the pipeline of educators to fill the critical vacancies in our schools.”

 

Region 4’s partnership with TCISD will build on the district’s already highly recognized CTE program and will provide students with an additional opportunity for professional growth. While participating in the micro-credentialing program, TCISD students are assigned to elementary school campuses to see the skills in action and then practice them with elementary students as teaching assistants. Combined, these experiences provide students with a professional development experience that will ultimately produce highly skilled graduates.

 

“Our high school students are capable of incredible things, and it’s important that we offer them the type of opportunities to build career-ready skills for the future,” Alexis Kopp, CTE Director in TCISD, said. “Ensuring our high school graduates are prepared for college and career is exactly why Texas City ISD leads the way in CTE offerings. We know that our graduates will leave here with a bright future and undeniable earning potential.”

 

Students first complete an online component and then have an opportunity to build on their learning with in-person guidance from a Region 4 specialist who reviews each topic and provides immediate feedback as students practice each new skill.

 

This approach to CTE education provides students with skills that are essential to the successful management of a classroom, including maintenance of a positive classroom environment, effective time management, setting behavioral expectations, and maintaining appropriate social relationships in the classroom setting. These foundational skills prepare students for continued success as they pursue their bachelor’s degree and teacher certification or placement as a paraprofessional.

 

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About Region 4 Education Service Center
Region 4 Education Service Center (Region 4) is one of 20 regional education service centers established by the Texas Legislature in 1967 to assist school districts and charter schools in improving efficiencies and student performance. Regional education service centers are nonregulatory, intermediate education units. Texas Education Code, Chapter 8, gives each school district the opportunity to voluntarily be served by and participate with a regional education service center.

 

Region 4 serves an eight-county area comprised of 48 public school districts and 41 open-enrollment charter schools, representing more than 1.2 million students, 165,000 educators, and 1,500 campuses. To learn more, visit esc4.net.

 

Texas City ISD has 14 schools and about 7,500 students in 78.31 square miles of La Marque and Texas City. As the State of Texas continues to raise the standards of education, we are proud that our students and teachers in Texas City ISD are working hard to meet and exceed those standards.

 

Texas City ISD is a leader in innovative education, offering unique programs like the only high school Fire Academy in the Houston area, Galveston County's sole Early College High School and Maritime Programs and a Two-Way Dual Language Program. These initiatives provide our students with hands-on experience, college credits, specialized career training and bilingual skills, preparing them for success in a globalized world.