Reimagining Partnerships: How Collaboration with Internal and External Partners Struck Gold
Presentation Type
30-Minute Presentations
Presentation Abstract (250 word max.)
The US educational system is facing many problems due to teacher overwork, stress, and attrition leading to a significant teacher shortage. The California Teacher Association (CTA) offers teachers help to become more successful. In 2021, the CTA partnered with California State University, Chico to screen and register teachers for free professional development units, leading to teacher pay increases and career advancement opportunities. The program has experienced explosive growth, from 1,300 teacher requests for units in 2021 to more than 30,000 requests in 2023. Over the two-year period, nearly 1,000,000 professional development hours have been applied towards credit, at no cost to teachers for up to 12 units a year. Supporting this partnership requires the cooperation and collaboration of other campus departments, including the Office of the Registrar that produces transcripts for these units. In this session, PCE program coordinators will talk about strategies for building and maintaining strong partnerships under pressure and how trust and a commitment to frequent and strong communications across campus led to the selection as winner of the 2023 CTA State Gold Award, presented to PCE in June of 2024.