Enhance your resumé with additional practical experience in the schools!
Students say:

“Joining the USU Teacher Academy was one of the best decisions I made for my education. It allowed me to engage with and become a meaningful part of the school community in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced. The program opened doors for me and provided essential skills that have been crucial in preparing me for my career.”
“I have enjoyed working with a variety of teachers. They have helped me learn new skills and given me opportunities to use teaching practices I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to practice otherwise.”
“This program allowed me to enter my teaching career with more confidence, knowledge, and experience. The opportunities and mentorship from the cohort were pivotal in making me the teacher I am today.”
“There’s a lot that, as students, we don’t get to see about the life of a teacher. The USU Teacher Academy helps remedy a lot of the unknown. This has been such an enriching experience and has taught me far more about what a career in teaching entails before graduation than I would’ve otherwise gotten.”
Teacher Academy students attend and participate in school meetings during their practicum experiences. These meetings include but are not limited to:
- Faculty meetings
- Instructional Team Meetings (ITMs)
- Professional Learning Community (PLCs) and team time
- Data Dives
- Professional Learning
To be considered for this opportunity, students must apply to the Teacher Academy as well as apply for an instructional aide or paraprofessional hourly employee at the school. If selected by the school, students will be employed while they are completing their practicum experiences.
Requirements to participate:
- Major in Elementary Education or ELED/Early Childhood, with good standing academic status
- Completion of CL courses, Math QL courses, and Math QI (Math 2010 & 2020)
- Completion of all Breadth Education requirements (waived if these can be completed during a summer semester)
If applying for a fall start, students are required to be available when school starts (first teacher contract day) in the district, which is earlier than the USU's first day of class. Students are also expected to be in the classroom until the end of the school year, which is after the semester ends at USU.
For Fall 2027, we will begin the application process in March 2027.
To apply:
- On a laptop or desktop computer, navigate to https://egrad.ed.usu.edu/
- Click on the "Submit New Form" button.
- Then select “Teacher Education and Leadership” from the Departments list.
- Then select “USU Teacher Academy” from the list of forms and click the "Start Form" button.
- You will need to have this form filled out and ready to upload in the application. After choosing your saved file, be sure to click Upload.
- Finally, click Submit.
jennifer.caines@usu.edu
EDUC 381
(435) 797-2224