Teach Waterloo: Building Tomorrow’s Teachers Today

Through a three-way partnership, Teach Waterloo provides financial resources and resilience support for Waterloo staff of color seeking a teaching certification. Students are nominated by their administrator and primarily are derived from current paraeducators within the district.  The University of Northern Iowa College of Education provides advisers, UNI admissions specialists and student success coaches. The college provides the coursework and guidance toward degree completion and licensure. Waterloo Schools contributes textbooks, a district liaison for the students and the flexibility and support which allows the students to attend class while remaining employed. McElroy Trust supports student tuition and fees. Upon graduation, Teach Waterloo fellows are required to teach in the district for three years and have guaranteed position, pending HR approval.

“Teach Waterloo moves systemic change forward across educational systems in a transformative way, “ says Megan McKenzie, executive director of the McElroy Trust. “The research supporting positive outcomes for students of color graduating from high school and attending college points to the importance of diversifying the teacher workforce. Teachers who mirror the race of their students are incredibly important role models for their success.”

Waterloo Schools contributes textbooks, a district liaison for the students and the flexibility and support which allows the students to attend class while remaining employed. The McElroy Trust seeded funding for student tuition and fees, and now the Waterloo Schools Foundation supports these costs through a $300,000 pledge.

More information on the impact of the Teach Waterloo program can be found here.