Teacher pipelines: Career pathways extending from high school to community college to university

Because K-12 teacher preparation is enormously important to the future of the nation, university teacher education programs are being joined by programs at other educational institutions to address the teacher shortage. Community colleges are one of the most eager and entrepreneurial new providers. In addition to providing the first 2 years of teacher preparation through transfer agreements, some community colleges are taking a more comprehensive approach. Working with a variety of institutional partners, community colleges are developing career pathways that recruit high school students into teacher education programs extending from the secondary level to the 2-year college and, ultimately, the baccalaureate degree. Drawing on multicase research, this article describes efforts at three community colleges to implement career pathways for K-12 teaching careers, detailing implementation strategies, student enrollment in high school, and outcomes related to their transition including college matriculation and the need for remedial course taking.