Six Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) teachers have completed summer externships with area employers as part of the Teacher Externship Initiative that offers a unique professional development opportunity connecting the classroom to the workplace.
Teacher externships provide an experience in which teachers spend time in a workplace to learn through direct experience about trends, skill requirements, and opportunities in industries related to their subject in order to enrich and strengthen their teaching and bring relevance to student learning. Bright Minds Foundation partnered with HCPSS and the Superintendent’s Program Innovation Advisory Board to launch the program last year, and serves as the fiscal manager of the program.
During this second year of the program, six employers hosted externs, including Boeing Intelligency & Analytics, Booz Allen Hamilton, Howard Hughes Corporation, Howard County Office of Consumer Protection, Sheehy Toyota of Laurel, and Howard County Department of Health (a youth mental health and suicide prevention project sponsored by a Bright Minds grant from the Kahlert Foundation). Teacher externs worked for 150+ hours over the summer, and worksites provided a variety of work experiences, including strategic planning, finance, marketing and communications, and human resources.
Participating employers reported receiving tremendous value from educators and an interest in hosting again. Some comments we received included:
“This was our first year hosting a teacher extern and we cannot begin to describe the great collaboration we had in reaching one common goal. We would be excited to continue hosting a teacher extern.”
“This is a truly innovative and forward thinking approach to teaching and industry for our County! Bravo!”
Educators described their experiences as:
“The most empowering professional development opportunity of their career”
“An experience that will help me prepare my students for “real life””
“A great opportunity to dig in and reflect on my teaching practices during the summer”
Read about Krista Suri’s experience at Boeing Intelligence and Analytics this summer.
“Today’s business environment is rapidly changing. Continuing advances in technology is forcing workers to be able to think critically and adapt quickly,” said Leonardo McClarty, President/CEO of the Howard County Chamber of Commerce. “As such, it is important for educators to witness firsthand what is taking place in industry so they can share these experiences in the classroom. It is important for employers to partner with educators so our students are prepared for challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.”
“The teacher externship initiative is another innovative way HCPSS is collaborating with our stakeholders to provide our educators with access to unique professional development opportunities. We’re truly grateful to the business community and the Bright Minds Foundation for their collaboration and support of this initiative,” said LaRee Siddiqui, HCPSS dual enrollment coordinator, “We look forward to expanding the program next summer.”
Additional teachers expressed interest in participating in the program, and we are seeking additional employers to host externs next summer.
Learn more about the Teacher Externship Initiative. Please contact us if you are interested in learning more about hosting an extern during the 2024 summer.
About Bright Minds
Bright Minds Foundation works to ensure that each student has access to the education, resources, and opportunities they need to succeed at school and in life. We bring together community support for programs and initiatives that increase education access, equity, and innovation. Bright Minds programs respond to urgent and ongoing needs of students in four key areas: literacy and school readiness; digital inclusion and access to learning; education innovation and teacher support; and college access. Learn more about Bright Minds.
