About Teacher Cadets
Click on the following links for additional information:
Teacher Cadet Instructor Training Information
Teacher Cadet Honor Society Information and Application
South Carolina Teacher Cadet Sites
“Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” - Rita Pearson
The Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention, and Advancement (CERRA) offers two high school programs for juniors and seniors that allow students to explore the field of teaching through collaborative, rigorous instruction, and hands-on learning experiences. Teacher Cadet-Experiencing Education and Teacher Cadet-Educational Psychology are dual enrollment courses. High Schools that offer these courses are connected with a College Partner.
Teacher Cadet was designed to encourage academically talented, goal-oriented, high school students with exemplary interpersonal and leadership skills to consider teaching as a career. The secondary goal of the Program is to develop future community leaders who will become civic advocates for public education. Students in Teacher Cadet will gain a unique perspective on teaching by taking part in a field experience.
Educational Psychology builds upon the Teacher Cadet course. It allows students to take a deeper dive into the field of education and to gain knowledge on the dynamics of human learning and the psychological principles that serve as the foundation for educational practice. Through this course, students are introduced to the field of educational psychology and practice applying the concepts, theoretical principles, and research findings from the discipline of psychology to the planning and implementation of effective instructional strategies in the classroom. Research and learning are put into practice through an extensive field experience.
We at CERRA realize that not all students who go through the program will initially be interested in a career in education. However, through our curriculum and the hands-on learning experiences, we hope that students will realize they could share their passion for music, arts, theater, dance, technology, business, agriculture, or psychology by becoming teachers in these fields. The South Carolina Department of Education released the Critical Needs Subject Areas for the 2024-2025 school year and many of the arts programs are included on this list. Students who major in these areas may enroll in the South Carolina Teacher Loan program and will qualify for loan forgiveness upon graduation and working in these fields.
CERRA provides both training and a collaborative partnership with our Pre-Collegiate Program Director and Facilitators throughout the course of each school year. Together we will work towards developing strong teacher candidates and ensure we are preparing each student for success in a teacher preparation program upon graduation. Join us in being a champion for the future educators of South Carolina. We hope that you will consider adopting these programs at your school.
For more information, please reach out to our Pre-Collegiate Program Director, Meredith Dantzler. You may reach Meredith by email dantzlerm@cerra.org or by phone at 864-209-9045.