Teacher Externship Programs

Why they work

Teacher externships offer teachers the opportunity to gain firsthand experience working in industries related to the subjects they teach in order to enhance their curriculum and educate their students on both the hard and soft skills required to enter the workforce.

WHERE IS IT WORKING?

While many externships take similar shape, the way in which the programs are executed varies from state to state. Below are ways in which Hawaii, Iowa and Tennessee, three states with successful externships programs, have similar and differing approaches.

TENNESSEE

In Tennessee, externships are incorporated into the classroom based on how the teacher sees fit, but they must provide a presentation on what that will look like.

  • EXTERNSHIP FOCUS: Manufacturing
  • AVAILABLE FOR: K-12th grade educators
  • SUPPORTED BY: Local chambers of commerce are heavily involved and each program looks different with varying partners depending on the location. The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce is always there for help but local chambers take charge.
  • PROGRAM LENGTH: 4-10 weeks long, depending on the arrangement between a teacher and their host business
  • FUNDING PROVIDED: average is $100 per day depending on the arrangement and grant money

HAWAII

In Hawaii, teachers must plan and teach at least three lessons on skills they took away from their externship that follow industry and course standards. They also host a 500-person state career and technical education conference, where business hosts and teacher externs share their experiences.

  • EXTERNSHIP FOCUS: All disciplines
  • AVAILABLE FOR: 7th-12th grade CTE educators
  • SUPPORTED BY: Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, Connect 2 Careers Coalition, Hawaii Association of Career and Technical Education, Department of Education, State CTE Office, HSTA and Hawaii Children’s Foundation
  • PROGRAM LENGTH: 40 hours
  • FUNDING PROVIDED: $1,500 per teacher provided by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and Workforce Development Council

IOWA

In Iowa, teachers must develop a project or problem-based learning unit that reflects an issue related to their externship or one they specifically worked on over the summer. The host business comes in during the school year to evaluate the student projects and solutions. Teachers also receive one graduate credit through the University of Northern Iowa’s Continuing Education program.

  • EXTERNSHIP FOCUS: STEM fields
  • AVAILABLE FOR: 7th-12th grade educators
  • SUPPORTED BY: Governor’s STEM Advisory Council, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (NR) and University of Northern Iowa
  • PROGRAM LENGTH: full-time for six weeks
  • FUNDING PROVIDED: $4,800 per teacher provided by the state or by host businesses

 

 

We compared six states that host teacher externship programs. Here’s what we found:

Comparative Analysis

 

 

 

The Maryland Chamber Foundation Teacher Externship Program

Our Teacher Externship Program is a four-week summer program that bridges the gap between businesses and educators by pairing high school teachers with top Maryland businesses that can provide hands-on experience in industries related to the subjects they teach.

Learn more

 

For more information on the Maryland Chamber Foundation, contact Whitney Harmel at the Maryland Chamber Foundation at wharmel@mdchamber.org or call 410-269-0642, ext. 1117.