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Investing in RTAPs to Strengthen the Teacher Workforce and Student Outcomes: Highlights from Our Legislative Briefing
Category: Policy and Advocacy
On the Ground with RTAPs is a monthly newsletter published on LinkedIn, highlighting best practices and insights on building, launching, and sustaining Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs.
As the 89th Texas Legislative Session gavels in today, one issue analysts and news organizations all agree will be front and center for state lawmakers: teachers.
In anticipation of this, Deans for Impact (DFI) and Educate Texas hosted a legislative briefing on December 11th at the Texas Capitol to tackle a critical question: How do we strengthen the teacher pipeline in Texas?
Texas RTAP leaders in front of the Capitol Building. Left to Right: Sara Delano (Dallas College), Britine Perkins (Prairie View A&M University), Stacey Edmonson (Sam Houston State University), and Cara Malone (Hutto ISD).
We kicked off the event by sharing key findings from our latest report, Fueling the Lone Star Teacher Pipeline: A Landscape Analysis of RTAPs in Texas. This first-of-its-kind analysis offers unprecedented insights into the current state of Registered Teaching Apprenticeship Programs (RTAPs) and provides actionable policy solutions to help scale these high-retention pathways.
DFI's Patrick Steck presenting to state leaders about the research.
To bring our findings to life, we featured trailblazing leaders driving RTAP innovation across Texas. The event fostered a dynamic conversation between practitioners and policy leaders, highlighting opportunities for practice to inform policy.
Our inspiring lineup of education leaders included:
- Britine Perkins, Ed.D. (Prairie View A&M University) shared how their RTAP program is building off of the success of their Residency program, in addition to supporting apprentices with additional wraparound services and financial support.
- Cara Malone, Ed.D. (Hutto ISD) showcased how a growing district like Hutto ISD recruited an impressive 66 apprentices for its inaugural cohort, all of whom have committed to staying in the district for three years after training.
- Sara DeLano (Dallas College) highlighted how Dallas College was the first in Texas to launch an RTAP. Among their first cohort, 80% are now certified teachers serving in the schools where they trained, and 95% of apprentices who began as paraprofessionals are persisting in the program.
- Stacey Edmonson (Sam Houston State University) shared how SHSU’s College of Education is able to place over 75% of all teacher candidates in paid roles to “earn while they learn.”
Left to Right: Stacey Edmonson (Sam Houston State University), Britine Perkins (Prairie View A&M University), Cara Malone (Hutto ISD), Sara Delano (Dallas College), and Geoff Carlisle (DFI).
These leaders painted a compelling picture of the potential of RTAPs to address teacher shortages and improve preparation quality. They also highlighted key challenges where policy and practice intersect, identifying opportunities to strengthen these programs:
- 📌 Dedicated state funding. Investment in high-retention pathways like RTAPs and residencies could address Texas’ teacher vacancy crisis while reducing the reliance on uncertified teachers.
- 📌 Improved collaboration. RTAPs unlock new workforce opportunities, but greater cohesion is needed among school districts, colleges, universities, and workforce boards to maximize their impact.
The event drew a robust audience, including staff from the Speaker of the House’s office, legislative directors from House and Senate offices, representatives from the Governor’s office, and advocacy organizations, and leaders from the Texas Education Agency.
DFI's Patrick Steck, speaking with Texas RTAP leaders in the capitol building.
The takeaway was clear: RTAPS can be a tool for economic mobility, retaining teachers, and reducing the number of uncertified teachers in Texas, as long as there is continued investment, innovation, and collaboration.
Looking ahead, we’re not slowing down. We are hosting a second legislative briefing in early March to build on this momentum and explore further opportunities to strengthen teacher preparation pathways across Texas.
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On the Ground with RTAPs is a monthly newsletter published on LinkedIn, highlighting best practices and insights on building, launching, and sustaining Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs.