Future Educators Academy Will Accelerate CCPS Students' Path to Teacher Licensure
Culpeper County Public Schools (CCPS) is thrilled to announce the establishment of the Future Educators Academy (FEA), a groundbreaking dual enrollment lab school program designed to cultivate the next generation of teachers. The mission of FEA is to provide accessible, supportive, and innovative learning experiences that empower high school students to embark on an accelerated, high-quality teacher education and licensure pathway.
The FEA lab school proposal, submitted by Germanna Community College, is a joint venture between Germanna, Laurel Ridge Community College, local school divisions, James Madison University and the University of Mary Washington. The program will give high school students the opportunity to begin their path to becoming a teacher while still in high school. The proposal received unanimous approval from the Virginia Board of Education on November 15, 2023.
CCPS, along with Madison, Orange and Rappahannock County Public Schools will make up the first cohort of students to begin the program in 2024. CCPS Division Superintendent Tony Brads said, “As one of the four inaugural K-12 members in this innovative partnership, we are ecstatic that the State Board Education has approved Germanna Community College’s Lab School application! We are extremely appreciative of Germanna’s willingness to partner with us in this effort to address the teacher shortage in the near term and provide a long-term workforce development opportunity going forward.” In 2025, the goal is to expand the program to include students from Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Page, Shenandoah, Warren and Winchester Public Schools.
Germanna Community College will host the first cohort of students beginning in 2024 at the Daniel Technology Center in Culpeper with a goal to expand to the Laurel Ridge Community College campuses in Warrenton and Middletown in 2025. To begin, James Madison University and the University of Mary Washington will be the program’s initial four-year university partners. The program has secured articulation agreements that allow students to be accepted not only to the university, but also to the School of Education. The program will seek to secure similar agreements with other universities in the future.
Interested high school students should talk to their school counselor about the Future Educators Academy.
What will the program look like?
The program will look like the current Germanna Scholars program, where students in 11th and 12th grade will attend class at Germanna Community College for half of the school day, and then spend the other half at their base school. Students in the program will complete an associate degree while concurrently fulfilling the requirements for an advanced studies diploma. All courses are dual-enrolled, and the degree seamlessly transfers to the School of Education at James Madison University and University of Mary Washington.
Students in the program must maintain a 3.0 GPA to transfer courses to universities. There is no cost to the high school students for the Associate degree but they are expected to make a two-year commitment to teach in one of the sponsoring school divisions upon graduation from the university program.
Addressing the Teacher Shortage
The Future Educators Academy addresses the critical teacher shortage that we face in the Commonwealth, especially in special education and elementary education. Dr. Brads added, “By providing a fast-tracked pathway to teacher licensure, this program is an investment in our students and our community. We appreciate the Board's timeliness in approving the proposal and look forward to our first cohort of students next school year."
Culpeper County Public Schools invites the community to join in celebrating the launch of this innovative program that will contribute to the development of future educators and address the critical teacher shortage in Virginia.