Educators Rising Iowa - Competition Conference at University of Iowa - March 12, 2025

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What is Educators Rising Iowa?

Educators Rising provides high school students opportunities to explore teaching as a career. It helps students gain a realistic understanding of being a teacher and the nature of education, which is an important step in preparing quality teachers for tomorrow's schools. School districts can establish their own "Grow Your Own Program".

The state coordinator for Educators Rising Iowa is the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) and the national sponsor is PDK International in partnership with NEA. The Educators Rising Iowa Conference & Competition provides a state opportunity for high school students interested in pursuing a career in education. This event provides the opportunity to attend sessions, connect with peers, and compete in teacher competitions.

Learn more about Educators Rising.

Who can belong to this high school organization?

Any student who is enrolled in an Iowa high school program/class/club can join Educators Rising Iowa. Our vision is to transform how Iowa develops aspiring future teachers. Starting with high school students, we provide passionate young people with hands-on teaching experience, sustain their interest in the profession, and help them cultivate the skills they need to be successful educators. The result is a pipeline of accomplished teachers who are positioned to make a lasting difference, not only in the lives of their students, but also in the field of teaching more broadly.

Educators Rising Iowa is supported by the Iowa State Education Association, in partnership with NEA. Our student conferences and resources make Educators Rising Iowa a natural fit for a successful Education Career Pathway.

Education Career Pathway

As one of the largest Grow Your Own Programs at the high school level in the United States, Educators Rising looks to continue serving our members at the collegiate level by recommending education programs that supply them with support throughout their college careers. The colleges and universities we partner with work to diversify the profession, offer recognition for future educators, and provide support outside of the classroom through Educators Rising initiatives.

Educators Rising is a community-based model, in which chapters at schools feed teacher preparation programs at institutes of higher education with the support of State Departments of Education and local funders and foundations. These entities come together to provide a clear pathway to address teacher shortage and educators reflect the communities they serve.

Educators Rising is a career and technical student organization (CTSO) in which 1) Chapters provide our 51% diverse students a place for support and networking, a strong 2) Curriculum delivers a structured way for students to prepare for their future profession, while 3) Competitions give students a chance to prove themselves as professionals, and 4) Conferences provide a national stage in which to network and be recognized for their achievements to the profession and develop the, 5) Collegiality that comes from being part of a network, a family of professionals, and a movement.

After all, it costs an average of $10,000 to recruit and onboard a teacher and almost 60% of teachers come back and teach within 20 miles of where they went to school. With 51% of Educators Rising members being students of color AND being 400% more likely to stay with their aspirations from high school to enter the teaching field than to enter other fields (such as medicine, law, or engineering), shouldn’t your community have an Educators Rising Program to ensure that you can grow your own teachers?

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