Taught here, teaching here: IU Kokomo grows local talent to address Indiana’s teacher shortage

Randy McCracken remembers when an open elementary teaching job drew 60 to 80 applications. Then the stack thinned. By the time he retired as superintendent of Western School Corporation in Howard County, Ind., in 2020, filling teacher vacancies, especially in math, science, and English, had become a daily struggle.

He wasn’t alone, and the problem hasn’t gone away. Indiana’s own report card counts nearly 3,500 teachers on emergency credentials or teaching outside of their field (about one in 20).

Students couldn’t wait. Neither could McCracken. So he borrowed the idea of a Chicago-area program that brought college-level education courses into high schools. He pitched it to Leah Nellis, dean of the IU Kokomo School of Education.

In fall 2018, Tomorrow’s Teachers: Growing Our Own launched in four area public school corporations: Caston, Kokomo, Logansport, and Western. The idea was simple but bold. Build the next generation of teachers from within the communities they will serve.

High school juniors and seniors take four dual-credit education courses taught by IU Kokomo faculty, in their own high schools, online, and on campus. They gain real-world experience working in elementary and middle school classrooms. They join campus events, meet future classmates, and learn what college demands before they ever pay to attend.

“To give high schoolers an experience where they can go into college knowing exactly what they want to do is beyond advantageous,” said IU Kokomo lecturer Amy Smith, who teaches the classes.

Western High School teacher Sarah Kritzman agrees.

“Exposing our students to a true, dual credit college course is something that will be beneficial to any student. Whether they find out that education is their path or decide it really isn’t for them, they gain experience and knowledge on how to function in a true college class.”

Marlie Chaffee sat in that first Tomorrow’s Teachers class at Western High School. Nervous about college-level work, she walked away more certain than ever that she wanted to teach elementary school. When she reached campus as a freshman, the dean checked in on her.

“I felt like I was home when I came to campus,” she said.

Today, Chaffee is a teacher at Lafayette Park Elementary School in Kokomo.

She’s not the only success story. Six students from that first year enrolled as education majors at IU Kokomo. Two more chose other majors, each carrying a head start on college.

Then came momentum. By 2022, Hamilton Heights, Madison-Grant, Mississinewa, and Tipton high schools had joined, and 70 students packed an on-campus orientation. By 2024, students in 12 area school districts were taking part.

To understand the program’s impact, listen to the students. Courtney Brackett of Kokomo High School knew she wanted to work with children. The program, she said, “made my transition from high school to college so much better.”

Aiden Temple, a 2026 Mississinewa High School graduate from Jonesboro, arrived at IU Kokomo with 24 credits already earned.

“I’m jumping straight into my second year of college,” she said.

Her teacher, Rebecca Meek, hopes students choose the profession “because we need more teachers.”

In Alexandria, Ind., the model keeps evolving. High school seniors now earn paychecks as classroom paraprofessionals through a certified pre-apprenticeship. The district’s career pathway coordinator saw it as a natural next step: These students already spent hours a day in elementary classrooms, so why not pay them? Income makes the program a natural draw for students.

The program not only gives students a head start on college, but also puts them on a path for continued success. Maleah Winger and Ella Hobson, both Tomorrow’s Teachers alumnae, were named outstanding students when IU Kokomo honored its Class of 2025. Sydney Colescott and Valeria Cortes earned Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarships worth up to $10,000 a year. Cortes, once an English language learner herself, plans to teach elementary school.

“I want to make sure my future students never feel alone,” she said.

Schools notice. Carlton Mable, assistant superintendent of Kokomo Schools, says the partnership is about more than preparing teachers. It’s about “strengthening the very foundations of this community.”

Nellis puts the goal plainly: “We want our students to stay here for college and for work.”

Tomorrow’s Teachers demonstrates the kind of impact at the heart of IU’s Never Daunted campaign: universities and communities working together to build a stronger Indiana. Local students become local teachers, local schools have the educators they need, and local children benefit from homegrown partnerships.

There is no single solution to Indiana’s educator workforce challenges, and the need isn’t going away. In March, Indiana’s educator job board listed 1,202 openings across 992 schools. But in Kokomo, Logansport, Alexandria, and beyond, the future educators are already in the building. Backpacks on. Hands raised.