The South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement developed the Teacher Cadet program twenty years ago.  They have trained educators in more than thirty states.  Colorado is in the sixth year of implementation and has seen the program grow from two high schools to thirty-seven and from one to twenty-one school districts.  Reimbursement is available through CVA funds and Carl Perkins Federal funding if the program becomes an approved secondary program through the Colorado Community College System (CCCS).

COLORADO TEACHER CADET TALKING POINTS

MISSON:

The primary goal of the Teacher Cadet program is to encourage students who possess exemplary interpersonal, academic and leadership skills to consider teaching as a career.  An important secondary goal is to provide these talented future community leaders with insights about teaching and schools so that they will be civic advocates for education.

TC uses a licensed curriculum developed by the South Carolina Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention and Advancement (CERRA).  Teacher Cadet began in South Carolina in 1985; the curriculum has been routinely updated and is currently in the ninth edition.
Colorado has aligned Teacher Cadet (TC) with state teacher licensure standards.
Colorado has CERRA certified trainers and conducts the training each summer in Colorado.
Colorado TC training is four days usually conducted in the last two weeks of July.  Currently the price for training is $550 which includes the curriculum, license and a variety of supplemental materials.  The training cost is a reimbursable expense through Career & Technical Education.
Colorado TC is an approved program under secondary Career & Technical Education programs in the Education Career Cluster through the Colorado Community College Systems (CCCS).
Schools should select an exemplary teacher to teach TC.  CCCS has developed a simple process which allows a non CTE teacher to become CTE credentialed for TC.  This allows schools/districts to access CTE funds.
All teachers planning to teach TC must complete Colorado’s curriculum training (per CERRA license agreement) and program implementation according to license and Colorado state guidelines.
TC teachers must hold a current Colorado secondary professional teachers license.
TC instructors must meet the criteria for college teaching, therefore, as of 2007 all teachers who train to be TC instructors must have an education related master’s degree.
Schools sending a teacher to Teacher Cadet Teacher summer curriculum training must have a class in place for the coming school year.
Teacher Cadet has been articulated to the UNC Education Foundations Course, CSU Introduction to Education, and CCCS Elementary Education EDU 221 Introduction of Education course.  Communication is in process with other four-year teacher education institutions to develop a career pathway for growing our own teachers.
Teacher Cadet is a year-long, honors course for high school juniors and seniors that provides a six-week mini-teaching internship.
TC student admission criteria include a 3.0 GPA, application process and three teacher recommendations.
TC has been aligned to the Colorado Reading and Writing Model Content Standards.  Two school districts offer TC as an elective English credit.
Colorado currently has teachers trained at thirty-seven schools in twenty-one school districts.