The Teach St. Louis Approach
We believe that all students deserve excellent teachers - teachers who are ready to meet the needs of the diverse learners in their classrooms and accelerate student learning.
At Teach St. Louis, our programs are intentionally rigorous and grounded in evidence-based practices. We ensure that both teachers and students have the opportunities and resources to succeed.
Preparation for St. Louis Schools
Teacher turnover is one of the most persistent challenges facing schools in our region. That’s why we thoughtfully equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and mindsets they need to succeed in urban schools in St. Louis. Teaching is hard work. So, we select, prepare, and develop educators who are committed to the teaching profession, to their school and district communities, and to their continued professional growth.
Learn, Practice, Teach
Great teaching requires skill. And just like mastering any skill, great teaching takes practice. If you are entering the profession through one of our certification programs or a veteran teacher working with us to go from good to great, our programs give you the opportunity to practice and reflect. This could mean rehearsing a lesson with a mentor teacher or workshopping a new instructional strategy with faculty and peers. Afterwards, you will always receive feedback from an experienced educator, reflect on your experience and refine your skill. Our teachers practice so that they are ready to execute with their students in the classroom.
Coursework Applied to Your Classroom
We know that it’s essential for teachers to build their knowledge of effective instructional practices, grounded in the science of learning. But, at the end of the day, you can read about teaching, talk about teaching, and write papers about teaching, without becoming a better teacher. At Teach St. Louis, we make sure that your most important assignments are applied to your classroom. If we teach a specific instructional strategy, your assignment is to plan a lesson using that strategy, teach it in your classroom, gather data and reflect. Ultimately, we measure our teachers’ success by their success in the classroom.
Targeted and Differentiated Support
Research tells us that, on average, teachers with Master’s degrees are no better at their craft than those without. So we’ve designed a Master’s program that ensures that you graduate with the skills you need to become a master teacher. Our coaching and support is grounded in your students’ data and relevant to your day to day work in the classroom. You get course credit for working with a Teach St. Louis instructional coach - who helps you reflect on what is happening in your classroom and what you can do differently to impact student outcomes.