With the current high level of concern about the shortage of qualified educators, one strategy to help is the Kansas Future Teachers Academy, an annual event hosted by Emporia State University for Kansas 9th-11th graders interested in the teaching profession.

The academy will hold two sessions this year, on June 3-7 and July 15-19. With an application deadline of March 1, academy director Todd Roberts is trying to increase awareness of the program for high school students who are potential educators. He’s also trying to encourage school leaders to support participation by students in their district.

The academy has been in operation since 1989 and for its first ten years averaged around 55 high school students annually. Due to a declining interest in teaching as a profession, the numbers gradually declined to less than half those levels before the program was suspended in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID pandemic.

After Roberts took over the program in 2021, participation jumped to 60 students from 40 high schools in 2022 and 90 students from 61 high schools last year. Working with stakeholders, Roberts is hoping to reach 150 this summer from up to 80 high schools, spread over two sessions.

According to Roberts, there are three major benefits to the program.

First, one goal is to increase the number of students studying education in college to increase the supply of new teachers as districts struggle to find qualified candidates.

The five-day program is designed to introduce students to key topics in education and learn from exemplary educators recognized by the State of Kansas and other educational leaders in a format that helps students find or channel a passion for teaching. Topics include issues like personal and interpersonal skills, character education, project-based learning, and meeting the needs of diverse learners, from special education to bilingual students, the impact of trauma and more, spanning from early childhood to secondary education.

Out of 32 students who attended the academy, graduated high school in May of 2023 and responded to a survey, 26 are enrolled in education programs in their first year of college. Most of the other six are in related human services fields. Of students who will graduate this May, 75 students responded and 58 are currently planning to attend college for education.

Second, at a time when many districts are trying “grow their own” teaching staff, the academy compliments district efforts such as Career Tech Ed pathways in education, student teacher organizations, work-based learning and volunteering in teaching. The academy also works to help students better understand the process and requirements for college, which is especially important for the large number of students who would be among the first generation of their family to attend college.

Third, the academy allows students to spend time living, learning and working cooperatively with students from different backgrounds – something important to their personal development, and especially when entering a field like education.

“We have students from the largest high school in the state and some of the smallest, from the biggest cities to towns with unpaved roads,” said Roberts. “Many of these students haven’t lived anywhere else or known kids from anywhere else.”

While showing students there are differences, it also encourages students to find common ground and build relationships.

How To Participate

Interested students must submit their application by March 1 and have a letter of reference from a current teacher of their choice. Here is a link to a one-minute short video with highlights from the program, and a link to longer 16-minute video with more details about the academy.

There is a $100 fee per student which goes to cover all costs of lodging, food and snacks, activities and materials, and is due in April, but the program will work with students to keep that cost from being a barrier to attend. He encourages school leaders to consider promoting participation by helping pay the cost of attendance and transportation, such as using district funds, school foundations or local teacher associations. Part of the costs of the program are also covered by state funds.

The program is open to all Kansas students – public, private or homeschooled – and it’s not just for high school students who have definitively decided on a career in teaching but also for those who want to explore their options.

Roberts says one of the most powerful things about the academy experience is how it allows students with a strong interest in education to develop relationships with peers who share that passion.

“I have a picture from 2022 that I show when I go out and talk in high schools,” he said. “There's a girl from Sumner Academy in Kansas City, and she's at the University of Missouri right now. There's a kid from Marysville; he's at K-State, one from Prairie View that's at Emporia State; somebody from Bonner Springs who is at Ottawa University and another from Bonner Springs who is at Kansas City Kansas Community College. They actually got together around Halloween, and then they got together at New Year's. They're at different colleges, but they're still getting together. The really cool thing about this is they would have never met otherwise. But now they're able to support each other as they go through their teaching career.”