The state’s House Education Committee met yesterday in Mount Vernon to learn more about regional partnerships related to teacher preparation. As part of the work session, Western faculty, students, and staff from WWU’s Woodring College of Education presented on various programs related to teacher preparation, including several initiatives involving partnerships with the Mount Vernon School District and Skagit Valley College.

The Woodring College of Education is a leader in developing future teachers equipped to serve students throughout the state. Western currently graduates 300 to 350 highly qualified teachers each year, with graduates teaching in three out of every four school districts in Washington. Part of Woodring’s success stems from offering students traditional teacher preparation programs, as well as alternative route programs that provide flexibility in preparing students to join the teaching workforce, including many place-based programs that bring Woodring’s nationally recognized programs directly to the communities it serves.

During the House Education Committee meeting, Woodring students and staff discussed positive experiences at Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon as part of the Collaborative Schools for Innovation and Success (CSIS) pilot program. Created through House Bill 2799 in 2012, the CSIS program serves at-risk and low-achieving elementary school students through partnerships with colleges of education, and WWU’s partnership with Mount Vernon Schools is one of three CSIS programs in the state. Faculty and staff also highlighted WWU programs designed to increase the number of bilingual teachers entering the field including Maestros para el Pueblo, a Recruit Washington Teachers program in partnership with the Mount Vernon School District and Skagit Valley College, as well as the Woodring Highline Future Bilingual Teacher Fellow Program, an alternative route program for paraprofessionals in southwest King County.