https://doi.org/10.1177/0022487118787504
Journal of Teacher Education
2019, Vol. 70(1) 13–25
© 2018 American Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education
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DOI: 10.1177/0022487118787504
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Article
Homegrown pathways to teaching have typically offered
access to the profession for people of color from varied
class, social, and linguistic backgrounds (Tanner & Tanner,
1968). Often times they are community-teachers-in-the-
making with longtime dedicated service as parents, school
aides, and activists. The notion of the community teacher
is grounded within the sociopolitical and historical context
of communities of color (Murrell, 2001). Indeed, early
trailblazing Black feminist educators like Septima Clark
were committed to the liberatory possibilities schools pre-
sented for Black youth and marginalized communities at
large. And as W. E. B. DuBois (1902) noted more than a
century ago, “If the Negro was to learn, he must teach him-
self, and the most effective help that could be given him
was the establishment of schools to train Negro teachers”
(p. 1) who were from the communities of the children they
served. Although extensive research has documented the
value Teachers of Color (TOC) add to the profession
(Villegas & Irvine, 2010), less focus has been given to
excavating the literature on what works and why as it
relates to homegrown pathways for TOC. To address this
issue, our article describes a literature review on Grow
Your Own (GYO) programs and TOC along the teacher
development continuum.
GYO Conceptual Grounding and
Recruitment Frame
GYO programs are cited in recent policy briefs (Albert
Shanker Institute, 2015; Learning Policy Institute, 2016) as
viable pathways for addressing shortages and increasing the
racial/ethnic diversity of teachers, yet there are few current
research reviews available to understand what we know
about how these teachers are developed. With this in mind,
we worked to identify what knowledge has been produced
related to local community-based TOC from nontraditional
(i.e., not middle class, in early 20s, or attending college full-
time) and often overlooked GYO teacher pools (i.e., local
high school students, community activists and leaders, cross-
ing guards, cafeteria workers, social service workers, teacher
aides, religious leaders, custodial staff, and parents) in an
787504JTE XX X 10.1177/0022487118787504Journal of Teacher EducationGist et al.
research-article 2018
1
University of Houston, Houston, USA
2
University of Colorado Denver, USA
3
Portland State University, OR, USA
Corresponding Author:
Conra D. Gist, University of Houston, College of Education, Houston, TX
77204, USA.
Email: cdgist@uh.edu
Examining Grow Your Own Programs
Across the Teacher Development
Continuum: Mining Research on
Teachers of Color and Nontraditional
Educator Pipelines
Conra D. Gist
1
, Margarita Bianco
2
, and Marvin Lynn
3
Abstract
Grow Your Own (GYO) programs are cited in recent policy briefs as viable pathways for increasing the racial/ethnic
diversity of teachers, yet recent scholarship on GYO programs is minimal. To address this issue, this article investigates
what we know, and do not know, about GYO programs, by examining a range of data sources on different types of GYO
program teacher pools (e.g., middle/high school, paraprofessional, community activists/parents mentors) and making
sense of findings over a continuum of teacher development (e.g., recruitment, preparation, induction, and retention).
Based on a research synthesis within and across GYO program teacher pools, we argue implications for policy, practice,
and research that should accompany increased recommendations for expanding GYO models for Teachers of Color.
Keywords
Grow Your Own programs, education reform, Teachers of Color, equity