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As District Superintendent/CEO of , the pandemic profoundly influenced my leadership, particularly in how we support our staff. We saw firsthand the importance of communicating regularly with staff; providing them with information, resources and support; and, bringing them together virtually at a time when we could not gather in-person.

No-Cost Learning Opportunities for New and Early-Career Educators

During the initial part of the pandemic, we also saw many educators leave for various reasons, ranging from retirement to burnout. The role of educators became more difficult, yet more important than ever, and we struggled to retain staff. In fact, more than half of our BOCES staff have started since just before the pandemic 鈥� a considerable shift in experience and tenure. We learned from exit interviews, this was due to a combination of factors during and after the pandemic, including retirements, career changes, and staff choosing to work closer to home.

The role of educators became more difficult, yet more important than ever.

The disruption of our operations and labor market became the impetus for a BOCES-university partnership to support our teaching assistants (TAs) and new career and technical education (CTE) teachers. We worked with the Academy for the Advancement of Teaching, Leadership and Schools (AATLAS) at the University at Albany鈥檚 School of Education to create the Foundation of Teaching and Learning (FTL) MicroEd programs. These asynchronous and synchronous courses were designed to assist CTE teachers and TAs to meet state requirements for their respective position 鈥� all at no cost to employees.

Expanded Staff Development with Local University Partners

The initial reaction to these programs were so overwhelming that our staff asked for more college courses. In response, we created a second program to allow educators to dive deeper.

Our partnership with the University at Albany has allowed staff to gain the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive as educators. 

This includes:

• access to research-based approaches and practices

• asynchronous/synchronous coursework

• mentoring opportunities

• networking, resources, and professional development.

The program has already yielded great success. TAs have reported feeling more confident in their ability to support student learning, and CTE professionals have reported feeling more prepared to develop and deliver high-quality instruction. Our CTE teachers are experts who worked in their respective industries for many years before becoming teachers at the BOCES.

Growing Our Own

To date, 20 employees have graduated from our program. 

Ten CTE teachers have been certified, four teaching assistants have become teachers while others have met (or exceeded) state requirements. 

We now have 23 additional CTE teachers and teaching assistants enrolled in the program.

The cohort model is one of the specific components that staff enjoy most, as they get to learn and grow with their peers. They also have access to college professors, mentors, and resources offline 鈥� and the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Lisa Bonafede is just one individual whose journey was shaped by this program. A long-time teaching assistant in our Cosmetology program, she aspired to become a teacher. She is now a Cosmetology teacher after completing our program. She credits the program for allowing her to learn with and from her colleagues, and to take that learning back into the classroom to support her students.

Building a Workforce for Tomorrow

The future of public education relies on a dynamic and well-supported educator workforce capable of inspiring and guiding the next generation.

The future of public education relies on a dynamic and well-supported educator workforce capable of inspiring and guiding the next generation. The challenges of the pandemic, while significant, provided Questar III with a means to do something different. It compelled us to innovate and design a more supportive professional development ecosystem for our educators.

Looking ahead, school districts and educational service agencies need to continue to prioritize professional development and 鈥済row your own鈥� programs. We also need to ensure the well-being of our staff and establish clear pathways for career advancement. Providing ongoing, relevant support is critical in retaining staff and building a highly skilled and engaged workforce.

Forging strategic partnerships with institutions of higher education extend the ability of districts and ESAs 鈥� providing access to invaluable resources and expertise that would not be possible otherwise.

The pandemic highlighted the remarkable adaptability, resilience, and care of our educators in helping others. I am so pleased to help them as well. The sense of community and purpose created through our program empowers our educators to prepare students of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and interests.

The pandemic highlighted the remarkable adaptability, resilience, and care of our educators in helping others. I am so pleased to help them as well. The sense of community and purpose created through our program empowers our educators to prepare students of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, and interests.

This initiative highlights the importance of collaboration and lifelong learning 鈥� and working with your board of education, unions, and partners to support staff and do what鈥檚 best for students. This is why we have invested so much time, energy and resources into this and other professional development programs 鈥� and why you should consider doing so as well.