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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

We identify 9 school choice demand & supply decisions that can impact student access & outcomes: information, transportation, enrollment systems, governing agencies, provider eligibility, input regulations, outcome accountability, funding & capacity/coordination

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

We also find that teachers who took HS education courses are similarly effective to other teachers and have higher retention rates. Early interested individuals may be more committed to teaching, a good thing for students.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This is particularly concerning b/c White, Black & Hispanic students enroll in HS ed courses at the same rate, suggesting similar interest levels. Racial gaps emerge after high school. Gender gaps emerge earlier. <1/4 of course enrollees are male.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In particular, Black & Hispanic course takers disproportionately exit the teacher pipeline prior to college enrollment.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Why didn’t HS education courses increase teacher supply or diversity? Over half of HS education course takers don’t enroll in a TX public 4 yr college.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Using the staggered rollout of these courses across TX, we find access alone did NOT increase entry into teaching. Course takers were likely already interested in teaching when they enrolled.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Students who take HS education courses are 4x more likely to become teachers. Is that because the courses work or b/c kids already interested in teaching are the ones who sign up?

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Many families use choice programs to stay put. ~1/3 of entrants use inter-district choice to keep attending the district they just moved away from. Nearly half of inter-district exiters just became residents of the district they were already in. 3/6

Choice use and district attended after entering public school choice, exiting inter-district choice, and exiting charter school choice by residential mobility. The most common type of movers enters or exits school choice programs to remain in the same school or district

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

We tracked MI kindergarteners through 6th grade in the state's two big choice programs (inter-district & charter). Half of initial choosers exit by 6th grade, but residential moves explain far more of that churn than student or school characteristics do. 2/6

Survival analyses that compare residentially mobile and non mobile students' entry into public school choice, exit from interdistrict choice, and exit from charter schooling. Residentially mobile students enter and exit at higher rates between kindergarten and 6th grade

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

My paper with @matthewakraft.com describing the variety of Grow Your Own teacher programs nationally is out in print in @erjournal-aera.bsky.social! EdResearcher: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/... Open Access: edworkingpapers.com/sites/defaul...

“Grow Your Own” (GYO) programs have emerged as a new approach to expanding teacher supply, addressing localized shortages, and diversifying the profession. However, little is known about the scale and design of GYO programs, which recruit and support individuals from the local community to become teachers. We conduct a quantitative content analysis of 94 GYO initiatives and find that “GYO” is an umbrella term used to describe teacher pipeline programs with very different purposes, participants, and program features. Although nearly all GYO initiatives aim to increase local supply, far fewer offer programming aligned with reducing shortages in hard-to-staff subjects and schools, increasing diversity, and improving effectiveness. We propose a new classification scheme to facilitate more precise discussions of GYO programs.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

We propose a classification scheme that suggests that we should refer to GYO programs by their target population &/or programming. E.g. a GYO HS teaching scholarship, a GYO teacher residency, a GYO para cert program.

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

While GYO programs have the potential to increase tchr diversity, reduce shortages, & improve tchr quality & retention, few GYO initiatives have program features aligned w/ these goals

GYO program characteristics by high school vs adult program

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

However, few high school GYO initiatives directly lead to or provide support towards certification. Over 90% of GYOs targets adults require participants to become certified w/ 70% offering financial assistance towards cert

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

The most common type of GYO program encourages high school students to become teachers through coursework, extracurricular activities or teaching scholarships

Graph of GYO participant types. 60% high schoolers, 40% paras, 20% community members, 20% college students

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

We confirm prior findings that charter sch enrollment increases within dist racial & economic segregation. We find no AVERAGE fx of interdistrict enrollment on within dist seg. 4/12

Charter school and inter-district choice effects on racial & economic segregation. Increases in charter school enrollment increase segregation. No statistically significant effect of interdistrict choice

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

We study interdistrict choice b/c of its direct potential to reduce btwn district seg. It lets students attend schs in other districts. In Michigan, over 10% of students use interdistrict choice. 3/12

percent of Michigan students attending a school outside their resident district or a charter school

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

Our findings show that GYO is a used as an umbrella term to describe very different teacher pipeline programs. To help create a more precise & common language around GYO programs we created a typology focused on target participants & programming 9/11

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

5. Few GYO initiatives have features aligned with increasing teacher diversity, alleviating shortages, & improving teacher quality. 8/11

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

4. Adult GYO initiatives have program features that are more aligned with increasing teacher supply than HS GYO initiatives. A higher pct of adult GYO initiatives provide certification and/or cert. support 7/11

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

3. GYO initiatives target a variety of populations for participation. HS students are the most prevalent target of GYO programs 6/11

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

2. GYO initiatives aim to expand the tchr pipeline but vary widely in their other stated purposes. Outside of increasing teacher supply GYO share no common purpose. What else do they have in common? They recruit individuals who live work in or attend local sch district 5/11

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

1. GYO initiatives are prevalent throughout the U.S Our systematic web-search uncovered 94 GYO initiatives across 40 states that together serve over 900 school districts in Spring 2022. It has grown since! 4/11

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Danielle Edwards @drdsedwards.bsky.social · 10/01/2024

GYO programs recruit local community members to become teachers. They have emerged as a popular possible solution to declining interest in teaching, localized shortages, and the lack of teacher diversity. 2/11

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