Nacogdoches ISD will pay eight clinical teachers each semester beginning this fall as part of an arrangement with Stephen F. Austin State University’s James I. Perkins College of Education.
The program launches in the 2022-23 academic year and is the first time NISD will pay clinical teachers – or, student teachers – that are in their final year of studies. The soon-to-be college graduates use clinical teaching assignments to gain valuable classroom experience before entering the education workforce.
Prospective clinical teachers will apply for one of the eight paid positions, said NISD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Trujillo.
“Paid internships are common in other fields, and this is one more way we can make public education more competitive with other professional endeavors,” Trujillo said. “And we already have an extensive and successful relationship with SFA, so it only makes sense to work closely with the college.”
The eight students from SFA will be selected by NISD principals and will be paid as paraprofessionals, prorated over a 90-day period. The first group that begins work for the Fall 2022 semester will start at NISD on Aug. 3, when new teachers report to the district to begin professional development. The first day of classes for NISD students is Aug. 22.
Students hired for the clinical teaching positions will then remain with the district through Dec. 16 when NISD enters Christmas break.
Competition for the eight paid slots will likely be fierce. NISD typically has 20 to 25 clinical teachers on its campuses each semester, said Harold Whitaker, NISD’s Executive Director of Human Resources. “Those eight positions will be paid, and hopefully, that leads to them staying on with us as a full time teacher once they complete their graduation requirements.”