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Rural Revitalization Through Teacher Apprenticeship at Cumby Collegiate ISD
Category: Pathways into Teaching
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.
Just off a two-lane highway in Northeast Texas, surrounded by open pastures and the occasional grazing cattle, sits Cumby Collegiate Independent School District (ISD), a small, rural district with a big vision for the future of teaching.
In this close-knit town where neighbors are like family, Cumby is quietly taking a bold step: addressing the persistent challenges of recruiting and retaining rural teachers by cultivating its own future educators through a Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP).
At DFI, we believe that brilliance is equally distributed, but quality instruction is not. Rural communities feel this acutely. At a time when research about Texas teachers shows that 56% of newly hired teachers are uncertified, that number jumps to 75% in rural Texas districts. Our team traveled to see how this small community has developed a valuable approach to address the critical issue of rural teacher recruitment and preparation, fostering community revitalization in the process.
The Vision: Becoming a Hub for Rural Teacher Preparation
Special education teacher (and former teacher apprentice) Madison Carson leads a small group in a reading lesson.
Many residents have spent their entire lives in Cumby, contributing to a feeling of close-knit community. Reflecting on growing up in Cumby, newly-trained special education teacher Madison Carson shared, "I graduated with a class of 50 people, and it just felt huge. But at the same time, we all knew each other, we knew where everybody lived, and I just really didn't want to leave this area." To sustain this homegrown talent, Cumby ISD's RTAP was formed through a partnership with Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN), a Texas-based nonprofit focused on preparing students in rural communities for the workforce through apprenticeships and post-secondary programs. Cumby ISD is one of 12 school districts CEN partners with on RTAPs, developing a "Grow Your Own" initiative designed to address rural teacher shortages by preparing local talent.
Rural communities are often in competition with larger and better-resourced communities, both for employees and students. As Kendall Guynes, Chief Financial Officer at CEN, puts it:
“One of the biggest challenges for rural communities is that philanthropists, foundations, anybody who's wanting to help in education, they can get more bang for their buck in an urban setting because they can hit more kids. But I would argue that the impact is much more significant in rural areas, because there is such a big gap between the opportunities that kids in urban areas have versus the kids in rural settings. They don't have access to urban experiences because they’re miles and miles from anything. And so when somebody chooses to invest in rural, they're making a huge investment in the breadth of education that the kids in that area have access to.”
Part of Cumby’s vision for this program is not only to benefit their own school district, but to contribute to the supply of strong teachers prepared to teach in the six nearby rural districts. Listen to Cumby Collegiate ISD administrators describe the unique challenges and opportunities rural school districts face, and their vision for a regional teacher preparation hub:
The district's commitment to revitalizing its community through education is evident. As Brittany Williams, Chief Partnerships Officer for Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN), notes about rural towns, "When the school goes, so goes the community." Cumby ISD's promising model is already inspiring other districts to inquire about their approach, solidifying Cumby's role as a regional leader in cultivating future educators.
Corralling Resources: How Cumby Braids & Blends Funding and Partnerships
What makes the district's approach to teacher preparation so unique is its mastery of "braiding and blending" different programs and funding streams to cultivate its regional hub. As Williams aptly puts it, "Cumby has shown the power of small-town people thinking big and working big."
The district’s efforts to develop future teachers from within the local community isn’t new: it’s the latest step in a long-standing commitment. Cumby first launched a “Grow Your Own” program with support from a state grant, aiming to encourage students to explore careers in education. They also participated in a state initiative called P-TECH (Pathways in Technology Early College High Schools), which helps high school students earn college credit and gain early professional experience. Building on these earlier efforts, Cumby partnered with CEN to create a Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program that offers a clear, supported path from high school to a teaching career. CEN serves as the RTAP sponsor for Cumby and a number of other rural school districts in Texas.
A key element of Cumby’s teacher apprenticeship strategy is its participation in CEN’s Teach Where It Matters initiative. This collaboration enables Cumby to provide its apprentices with more than just classroom experience by connecting them to meaningful financial and professional support. For example, Cumby’s three apprentices have been dual-enrolled as AmeriCorps service members, giving them access to a $25,000 living allowance, a $6,895 Segal Education Award after completing the program, in addition to the structured classroom mentorship pathway to certification that is characteristic of RTAPs.
Apprentice Shelby Saragosa meets with her mentor teacher to discuss student data from their 4th Grade Math class.
But this partnership isn’t just about funding, it’s also about capacity. CEN plays a behind-the-scenes but critical role, helping rural districts like Cumby navigate the complex requirements of multiple state and federal agencies, including AmeriCorps, the Texas Education Agency, the Department of Labor, and others. By stepping in as an intermediary, CEN helps districts secure grants, build mentorship infrastructure, and offer sustainable pathways for teacher preparation, thereby filling in the gaps that often make it hard for small, rural systems to launch these programs alone.
As part of the district’s partnership with CEN, Cumby’s apprentices gain access to East Texas A&M University’s alternative certification program, tailored to meet the specific needs of an apprentice’s schedule and progression. Leveraging existing programming that supports paraprofessionals already working in schools, the program supports candidates in pursuing teacher licensure while remaining in the local area. The program is delivered primarily online and includes competency-based elements, providing flexibility for candidates balancing work, family, and coursework. Through this collaboration, Cumby is able to connect apprentices with an established educator preparation provider, helping them progress toward certification while continuing to serve their community’s students.
In addition to supporting school districts with programming, CEN also serves as an intermediary, helping districts navigate the unique regulatory complexities of building and sustaining a teacher apprenticeship model. Listen to Brittany Williams, Chief Partnerships Officer for Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN), describe how CEN approaches their work as an intermediary organization:
The Impact of Federal Cuts to Education
Despite the program's success, Cumby ISD's innovative approach faced an unexpected challenge with the cancellation of AmeriCorps funding. Although Collegiate Edu-Nation (CEN) had been awarded the AmeriCorps grant for the upcoming year to support the Teach Where it Matters initiative, this funding was abruptly cut overnight.
The immediate fallout meant that the AmeriCorps members, who were serving as apprentice teachers, are no longer receiving their living allowances or the full Segal Education Award. Cumby had to swiftly pivot to figure out how to retain these valuable candidates, often by hiring them in other local roles, predominantly as substitutes or full-time teacher aides, which required diverting local dollars on an already tight budget.
However, Cumby ISD's commitment to its "Grow Your Own" program remains unwavering. Donna George, Principal at Cumby Collegiate High School, affirmed their resolve, stating, "We're going to keep our program going with or without AmeriCorps.” This situation underscores the resilience of rural districts like Cumby, who are determined to sustain their pipeline of homegrown talent even when faced with significant financial hurdles.
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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.