Mercer University’s GENERATE teacher residency program provides a path for career changers to obtain Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.) or B.S.Ed. in Early Learning and Development degrees, become certified teachers in Georgia, and teach in high-need content areas within partner school districts. The program provides individuals with a combination of professional development, mentoring, professional learning communities, and computer science and cybersecurity training.
GENERATE also provides induction support to prepare and retain
teachers who are ready to address the needs of all children in partner school districts and prepare these future educators with the knowledge and skills they need to provide an education that creates healthy development of students.
Goals of the GENERATE Grant Program include:
- Increase and diversify the number of highly-qualified educators in high-needs content areas within partnering schools and districts.
- Establish a mentoring and induction program that empowers educators and leaders to effectively use research-based instructional strategies to contribute to P-12 student-learning growth.
- Provide a cultural exchange initiative for Exploring Teaching as a Career candidates to prepare them to work with peers, families, students, and administrators of diverse backgrounds between two or more diverse institutions.
- Implement a professional development series that aligns with the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE) Computer Science Assessment and prepare residents to teach Introduction to Cybersecurity.
It is projected that teachers who participate in the GENERATE Grant Program will impact more than 92,000 students within five years.
Program partners
- Mercer University’s College of Education
- Baldwin County Schools
- Bibb County School District
- Clayton County Public Schools
- Dougherty County School System
- Dublin City Schools
- Gwinnett County School District
- Newton County Schools
- Pike County Schools
- Twiggs County Public Schools
- Dalton State College
Program benefits
- Tuition and fees paid by grant program
- $500 stipend per semester
- GACE preparation support
- Computer Science endorsement through M.A.T. grant program
- Special Education Preschool (Ages 3-5) endorsement through B.S.Ed. ELAD grant program
- Annual summits held for participants to reunite with their cohorts and discuss experiences and achievements