Preparing Teachers Differently
Educators Institute was founded to address a fundamental challenge in education: the people most likely to become excellent teachers are often the least able to access traditional preparation pathways.
The cost of college, unpaid clinical requirements, and programs disconnected from daily school realities create barriers for working adults who are already contributing to classrooms.
Educators Institute was created as a degree-granting institution designed specifically for these aspiring educators.
Our Mission
Educators Institute prepares working adults to become the highly effective teachers their communities need, through affordable, mentorship-driven programs embedded where they live and work.
Trained by the nation's best teachers, our graduates enter the classroom ready to know, develop, and champion every child in front of them.
Our Vision
A world where every child has the teacher they not only need, but deserve.
Our Values
Access with Integrity
The barriers that prevent talented people from entering the teaching profession are structural, not reflective of individual potential.
We remove those barriers while maintaining rigorous standards for preparation and practice.
Respect for the Profession
Teaching is among the most demanding and consequential forms of public service.
Every element of the program reflects the full complexity and importance of teaching.
Children at the Center
Student learning is the purpose of everything we build.
We hold ourselves accountable to that belief in every programmatic, operational, and strategic choice.
Community as a Resource
The cultural knowledge, family relationships, and neighborhood trust that candidates carry into their preparation are professional strengths.
We cultivate those assets throughout the program.
Continuous Improvement
We hold ourselves to the same standard of reflective inquiry we expect of our graduates.
We use data, feedback, and evidence to strengthen our programs.
Partnership Over Competition
The educator preparation ecosystem succeeds when all of its members do.
We build where others have not yet built and connect where others have already laid strong foundations.
Powered by the National Center for Grow Your Own
Educators Institute was founded by the National Center for Grow Your Own (NCGYO), a national nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to the teaching profession through community-rooted educator pathways.
NCGYO has partnered with states, school districts, and higher education institutions across the country to design and implement Grow Your Own initiatives and registered teacher apprenticeship programs. Through this work, NCGYO identified a critical gap: the need for a degree-granting institution built specifically for working adults already serving in schools.
Educators Institute was created to fill that gap.
As an initiative powered by NCGYO, Educators Institute builds on an established foundation of national partnerships, apprenticeship expertise, practitioner leadership, and a shared commitment to preparing outstanding teachers who reflect and serve their communities.