Education Department Receives $20,000 Teacher Recruitment Grant

The Education Department applied for the Teacher Recruitment Grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in December. The grant focuses on student recruitment and retention, specifically through developing stronger partnerships and improving collaboration by implementing recruitment and selection activities, providing preparation and support to those interested in the teaching profession, and evaluating all recruitment strategies.

The department has several ideas on how to utilize the grant, the most notable being a conference day for future educators. There are plans to host a conference day in the spring for Northeast Missouri high school students interested in education as a career. This day will involve an introduction to Truman and the MAE program, professional development and follow up for students that may consider attending Truman.  

In November, the Education Department hosted its first substitute teacher workshop. The grant money will be used to host the workshop again in subsequent semesters.

In addition, the grant money will also be used to hire a student worker to support the existing presence of the Education Department on social media. They will post on various social media platforms, take pictures and videos at events, find ways to be innovative with the social media presence and create a poster and video campaign. The social media campaign will feature Truman MAE alumni talking about why they teach.