Teacher Scholars' Program

About the Program

Category: Personnel Management, Employment and Training (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

Can you imagine how great it would be to enter college knowing you had a guaranteed job upon graduation? Henrico County Public Schools has created that opportunity. We already know we have students graduating from high school who want to go to college to focus on teaching. This program provides them an incentive to come back home to teach in Henrico. HCPS’ Teacher Scholars’ program, now in its second year, supports our mission by encouraging our own students to become the division’s teachers of tomorrow. The Teacher Scholars’ program is a homegrown way to address the need for teachers in content areas where there aren’t enough qualified applicants. HCPS is experiencing critical teacher shortages in math, Spanish, exceptional education, science, technology education, and family and consumer sciences. A committee will select up to 15 participants from current high school seniors who apply for the program. The application includes an essay describing why the student wants to be a teacher; finalists will also teach a short lesson. The scholars agree to earn a teaching degree in one of the content shortage areas and HCPS guarantees them a teaching position, along with a $5,000 one-time supplement, after they graduate from college.