SEASIDE, Ca., July 30, 2019 – California State University, Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) Teacher Pathway Program (TPP), delivered in partnership with local community colleges, has received a grant from the Claire Giannini Fund that will support further program growth in Monterey County. The grant, totaling $195,819, will provide funding to the TPP program to continue the collaborative program with Hartnell College and to expand the model to include Monterey Peninsula College (MPC).

MPC is in the process of admitting their first TPP cohort this coming Fall term while other funding sources are supporting the TPP model expansion with Cabrillo College as they prepare to admit their first cohort at Cabrillo’s Watsonville campus this coming Fall semester.

"We are honored to receive this grant. With 98% of our students being from underserved backgrounds, these funds will allow us to implement this ‘grow-our-own’ teachers program to address the pervasive teacher shortage that exists in our region,” said TPP Co-Principal Investigator and Chair of the Liberal Studies Department, Deanne Perez-Granados.

Teacher Pathway Program cohort 2, graduating from Hartnell College

CSUMB’s Teacher Pathway Program aims to help address the urgent need for fully credentialed teachers on California’s Central Coast and is unique in its collaborative approach and regional focus that includes Hartnell, MPC and Cabrillo.

“Our Teacher Pathway Program is designed to eliminate barriers to ensure that our local talent is able to pursue workforce training that allows them to become educators who serve their local communities and are reflective of the students taught in our local schools,” said CSUMB College of Education Dean, Jose Luis Alvarado. “The program is truly unique in the CSU system and is just one example of the potential that CSUMB offers to collaboratively address the workforce needs of our region.”

In three years since the Teacher Pathway Program launched, 84% of students in the first cohort earned their Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T) in two years and 88% of students in the second cohort earned their AA-T in two years while retention rates for program participants far surpass the retention rates of students enrolled in traditional programs.

With the support of the Claire Giannini Fund, Hartnell College and CSUMB built the teacher pathway program, now starting its fourth year, with an eye towards sustainability; ensuring this project continues to prepare fully qualified elementary and special education teachers to all of Monterey County communities well into the future.