Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Education and BloomBoard have partnered to develop collaborative strategies with school districts and educational leaders to enhance the number of pre-k–12 teachers to meet the needs of today’s students. One of the first initiatives is the development of a program to support classroom aides and other paraprofessionals with earning bachelor’s degrees in education and qualifying for licensure as elementary teachers in many states. SLU has a long tradition of offering online education for undergraduate degree completion for busy adults who are building careers in business, nursing, social work, and information technology. Its School of Education has been developing teachers, principals, and superintendents through its academic programs and faculty-led research. BloomBoard’s technology and competency-based approach aligns with the university’s goals to address the nation’s major social challenges, including the teacher workforce shortages in schools serving students at the margins. According to Sanford Kenyon, BloomBoard’s CEO, “School districts are looking for new ways to show teachers’ aides and paraprofessionals that they honor their experience. By partnering with SLU, we will be able to provide these highly committed professionals an opportunity to earn accredited bachelor’s degrees in their employment context, often with significant financial support from their districts.”
