EA/Paraeducator to Teacher Program

The EA/Paraeducator to Teacher Program was established in 2019 as a partnership between our department and Warner Pacific University in Southeast Portland. The program is designed to support current PPS Educational Assistants and Paraeducators to earn their teaching licenses while maintaining employment and benefits as a PPS employee. As often as possible, EAs and Paras are able to complete their student teaching in the school they work in - where they already have relationships with colleagues, students, and families.

In addition to maintaining employment during student teaching, other benefits of this program include taking coursework with other PPS EAs/Paras in the program, access to PPS-specific electives that are both paid for by the district and focused on PPS’s Educator Essentials, and priority hiring upon completion of your licensure.

Applications are open each year between March and May.  

To learn more, check out this FAQ page, or contact Lisa Blount (lblount@pps.net) or Kevin Spooner at Warner Pacific.