Program helps Iowa paraeducators earn teaching degrees
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (AP) — Becky Dudrey is earning her teaching degree while working as a paraeducator at Washington Elementary School in Mount Vernon as a part of the state’s new Teacher and Registered Apprenticeship Pilot Program.
The preschool paraeducator is one of more than 1,000 paraeducators across the state selected for the apprenticeship. The one-time grant award is provided through the state’s allocation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Workforce Development Agency allocated $9 million for the apprenticeship program.
The apprenticeship model is a new opportunity to train future educators as many Iowa schools struggle to employ adequate staffing. The program takes away financial barriers. Funding supports tuition and fees up to $17,000 a year for up to two years at a public or private four-year college or university.
“There’s not enough teachers right now, and I love working with kids. I feel like a helper — helping them learn and learn life skills,” Dudrey told the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
Dudrey said working toward her teaching degree is an opportunity she wouldn’t otherwise have. However, even with the grant covering most of her expenses, it’s not easy. She’s working full-time and taking online college classes at William Penn University. She also has a husband and two children at home.
“It can be a lot of work,” Dudrey said, adding that she has the support of her building administrators and teachers around her — who she can also learn from.
The Marion Independent School District was selected for the two-year grant in partnership with 12 other Eastern Iowa school districts: Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Mount Vernon, Anamosa, Center Point Urbana, Alburnett, Iowa Valley, English Valleys, Tipton, Benton,...