Teacher Recruitment and Preparation Through High School Grow Your Own Teacher Training and the Application of Mentorship Before Graduation

Nationally, schools in the United States struggle to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers. Previous research supports using teacher pedagogy training and mentorship to increase retention. This study examines the use of mentorship in a high school Grow Your Own teacher training program and student career selection. The action research study used a mixed-methods approach framed by social cognitive career theory. The study explores how student self-efficacy beliefs and career selection evolved through a semester-long mentorship program. The study also examines mentors' ability to identify student pedagogy strengths. This study builds on previous research about teacher recruitment and retention. The findings outlined in this study highlight the use of mentorship in a high school grow your own teacher training program and the student's future career selection. Most participants changed their perception of the teaching profession through the four-year teacher training program. Mentors also reported a high level of confidence in identifying student pedagogy strengths. The fluidity of student career selection through high school allows for professional training programs to inform their decision. High school career training program designers can also use the information collected through mentorship to shift their actions based on the information received. The use of grow your own professional training and mentorship in this study could be applied to professions outside of teacher training to develop high-skill workforce pipelines. Keywords: Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Retention, Grow Your Own, Career and Technical Education, Teacher Shortage