In 2003, The Greater Houston Partnership began to look for ways it could use its resources as the city’s leading business organization to address the issue of workforce preparedness in the 21st century.
The GHP's Education and Workforce Advisory Committee contacted Houston A+ Challenge to help design and launch a new initiative aimed at improving the real-world relevance of learning in the classroom. One outcome of this partnership has been teacher externships.
As positive feedback has spread among educators, participation requests have soared.
In 2005-06, teacher externships provided 111 teachers with a one-week discovery of the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in the workplace. Houston ISD had the largest number of schools represented, followed by Alief, Spring Branch, Aldine, Humble – and the newest participating district, Fort Bend.
This is more than double the 42 participants in 2005. Just six teachers were involved when this program began in 2003.
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