Bay Path partnership offers job-embedded pathway to teacher licensure for Springfield paraprofessionals

New program strengthens local pipeline and supports long-term
teacher retention

A partnership between Springfield Public Schools and Bay Path University is enabling district paraprofessionals to become fully licensed teachers while continuing to work in their classrooms. The partnership creates job-embedded teacher licensure pathways by combining Bay Path’s curriculum and the resources of Bloomboard, an organization that works with select higher education institutions and school districts to provide comprehensive support for teacher candidates. 

The program, funded in part by the Massachusetts Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant, launched in January 2026 with its first cohort of eight Springfield paraprofessionals as well as paraprofessionals from Holyoke, Framingham, Chelsea, and Northshore Education Consortium. The Pathways to Teaching program is positioned to expand to school districts across Massachusetts and beyond.

Massachusetts, like states nationwide, is facing a significant teacher shortage, particularly in Special Education, Science, and Math. An estimated 50 to 60% of paraprofessionals express interest in becoming fully certified teachers, but cost and time are frequently cited as the primary obstacles to earning a degree.

According to data from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 8,360 teachers—about 10% of the state’s nearly 80,000 educators—did not return to the classroom for the 2023–24 school year. The impact has been felt most acutely in urban districts serving families of color.

“This program is rooted in our belief in the people who already serve our students every day,” said Springfield Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sonia Dinnall. “We see the talent, commitment, and potential within our paraprofessionals, and we believe deeply in investing in them. By supporting their journey to become licensed teachers, we are affirming that belief in action while strengthening our workforce, building stability, and growing educators who know our students, our schools, and our community.”

Although Massachusetts has doubled the number of new teachers of color hired over the past decade, the state’s student population is diversifying at a much faster rate, widening the gap between the percentage of teachers of color and students of color, according to a study by the MassINC research and policy center.

Built on a “learning-by-doing” approach that integrates Bay Path’s curriculum, learning principles, and degree requirements into a customized framework, the program is able to transform classrooms where paras work into settings for active learning.

Paraprofessionals work closely with coaches to identify learning objectives, bringing coursework directly to their classroom practices and observations, and then demonstrating their knowledge in comprehensive portfolio projects. Participants receive feedback from both their learning cohort and coaches, and portfolios are refined and evaluated for academic credit. Upon successful completion of their portfolio modules, participants earn a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in education, positioning them to take the official teacher licensure exam.

As part of the program commitment, each apprentice teacher has agreed to remain with Springfield Public Schools for four years after completing the degree, reinforcing the district’s long-term investment in developing and retaining educators who already know and serve the community.

Bay Path University’s Education programs have been recognized by the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) as a leader in teacher preparation. It is one of only 83 institutions nationally—and five in Massachusetts—to earn an A+ rating for preparing teachers to teach elementary math concepts. The program is also among just 23 percent nationwide and three in Massachusetts to receive an “A” from NCTQ for meeting standards set by literacy experts for effective reading instruction, often referred to as the “science of reading.”

“We are thrilled to be able to break down the barriers of time and cost for so many excellent educators by offering a program that leads to teaching licensure that’s built into their day-to-day jobs,” said Dr. Ruth Lahti, dean of the School of Education, Psychology and Humanities at Bay Path University. “This is what transforming the system of higher education looks like.”