Top Biden administration officials visited Laura Dearing Elementary School last week, spotlighting UNLV’s Paraprofessional Pathways Project, a partnership with CCSD that gives substitute teachers and support professionals an opportunity to work while earning their degree in education.
Accompanying U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Julie Su were U.S. Reps. Dina Titus and Steven Horsford, along with Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction Jhone Ebert and CCSD Interim Superintendent Dr. Brenda Larsen-Mitchell.
Why it matters: UNLV’s Paraprofessional Pathways Project has allowed nearly 400 eligible CCSD employees to obtain teaching credentials in one year with all tuition costs covered.
- The program, which has been supported with ESSER III funding, provides employees with growth opportunities and helps bring more teachers into the classroom.
What they’re saying: Jeanette Sanjurjo, a Dearing Elementary school fourth-grade teacher who is a Paraprofessional Pathways Project graduate, said the program was “amazing.”
- “This program is a huge success, allowing us to eliminate cost barriers, provide student support, and, most importantly, see the number of educators grow to provide our students with a general, great education,” said Dr. Larsen-Mitchell.
- “Let me just emphasize what you’re doing here isn’t just a model for how you support educators — it’s also a model for how you respect educators,” said Cardona, a former teacher.
While in Nevada, Cardona and Su also announced a U.S. Education Department initiative, in collaboration with the Labor Department, to expand pathways into teaching and increase pay in education nationwide.
Go deeper: Learn more about the UNLV College of Education’s Paraprofessional Pathways Project.
