If we care about students, we must broaden Missouri’s teacher pipeline

Genis Tobias smiles as she kneels next to a young learner and watches him sign his message to a classmate.

Just months ago, this learner relied almost entirely on repeating words and phrases he heard from others, a common experience for learners demonstrating what is known as echolalia. Now he is beginning to communicate independently, sharing his own ideas, expressing his wants, and even helping classmates stay on task.

“It’s amazing,” Tobias tells me. “He’s expressing his thoughts and wants. He’s become the little steward of the classroom.”

For many teachers, this would simply be another joyful moment in the school day.

For Tobias, it is something more.

She is a long-term substitute who has worked alongside this child day after day, celebrating every breakthrough and every hard-earned success. She is also an aspiring special education teacher, pursuing certification while continuing to serve students in the very school community she hopes to remain in for years to come.

Her story reminds us of something we often overlook when we talk about Missouri’s teacher shortage.

Some of our future teachers are already here, and many more could be a part of a story similar to Tobias’.

Across Missouri, school districts continue to struggle to fill classrooms with certified educators, particularly in special education and in schools serving our highest-need communities. Although educator preparation programs continue to graduate new teachers, shortages persist because the need continues to outpace the supply, especially in districts facing the greatest staffing challenges. More importantly, many talented future educators never reach certification – not because they lack the ability or commitment, but because they cannot afford the path to get there.

If we truly care about students, then we must care about how teachers enter the profession.

The teacher pipeline is not empty. We simply need to open the gate wider.

Three years ago, Saint Louis University’s School of Education set out to widen the gate.

We created Rising Teachers, an educator preparation program designed specifically for paraprofessionals, assistant teachers, and long-term substitutes already serving in Missouri and Illinois schools. Rather than asking aspiring educators to leave their communities to become teachers, we built a program that allowed them to remain in their classrooms while earning certification.

Initially, federal scholarship funding made that vision possible.Then, almost overnight, it disappeared.

When federal SEED grants were rescinded in early 2024, the future of programs like ours became uncertain. Generous community partners stepped forward to ensure our first cohort could finish, and by the end of Summer 2026 nearly 50 new teachers will enter Missouri classrooms.

However, this experience in building such a program exposed a much larger problem.

Many members of our next cohort – individuals already serving children every day – simply could not afford to continue. They were working full-time in schools, earning modest wages, and balancing families, coursework, and employment. Even reduced tuition placed certification beyond their financial reach.

The issue wasn’t motivation. It wasn’t academic preparation. It wasn’t dedication. It was funding.

That is why Missouri should invest more intentionally in community-based teacher preparation programs.

The strongest teacher candidates are often already embedded in the schools that need them most. These individuals know the learners, understand the culture of the community, and have earned the trust of families and colleagues. When they become certified, districts retain educators who are already committed to staying. Tobias’ students won’t have to say goodbye to a trusted adult simply because becoming a teacher requires leaving the community she already serves.

Our state, communities, and district stakeholders should also expand scholarship opportunities for paraprofessionals and assistant teachers seeking their initial teaching certification.

Many districts generously reimburse graduate coursework for teachers who are already licensed. Far fewer provide financial support for the paraprofessionals wanting or preparing to become part of the next generation of teachers. Expanding these investments acknowledges that developing future educators is just as important as supporting those already in the profession. Programs like Rising Teachers demonstrate how transformative that investment can be.

Finally, preparing teachers should become a shared community responsibility.

Universities cannot solve the educator shortage alone. School districts, philanthropic organizations, businesses, and state leaders all have a stake in ensuring every child has access to an excellent teacher. Sustainable partnerships can create predictable scholarship funding, strengthen educator preparation, and allow successful community-based models to grow rather than survive from one grant cycle to the next.

Today, Tobias is preparing for the classroom she once thought she might never have.

When I recently asked what becoming a certified teacher means to her, she paused before answering.

“It’s the fulfillment of a dream,” she said. “I had kind of given up hope that I would ever be able to do this. The program has given me confidence in my ability to be a certified teacher.”

Tobias’ confidence matters. Not simply because one aspiring teacher reached her goal. It matters because every student deserves a teacher who knows them, believes in them, and has chosen to build a career in their community.

Tobias’ story is not unique.

Across Missouri, there are thousands of paraprofessionals, assistant teachers, substitute teachers, and school staff who already possess the commitment, relationships, and heart our schools desperately need. They are not asking for an easier path into teaching. They are asking for an achievable one. 

If we want stronger schools, we must invest in the educators already serving our students today. Opening Missouri’s teacher pipeline wider will not only create more teachers – it will create more teachers who already know, love, and are committed to the communities they call home.

This article was originally published by Missouri Independent and is republished by MetroSTL under a Creative Commons license. The reporting is the outlet’s; please support them.