This year the Plano ISD Education Foundation will be taking the reins of the Teacher Externship Program.
Teachers who are accepted into the program are hosted by a company for a two- to three-week period and are exposed to real-world applications for their course content, as well as strategies and ideas for how to teach students in their field of study, according to Jamee Jolly, the senior executive director for the Plano ISD Education Foundation.
The foundation will be working closely with the Plano ISD Professional Learning Department to manage the program, recruit host companies and pair teachers with externship experiences.
“We hope to engage more Plano businesses in this program while also elevating the experience for our educators,” Jolly said in an email. “The externship, unlike the student internship, is a more compact time frame that requires careful planning to ensure success for each unique host business or organization.”
She said the goal for this year’s program is to host at least 20 educators in one of three scenarios: integration, exposure or sponsored. The three varieties allow teachers to interact with different types of companies at different levels.
Applications for the Teacher Externship Program are due Feb. 21, and host companies are expected to be secured by the end of March, according to Jolly. Those in the program will begin their externships in June.
The foundation will work closely with the Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program, which is led by Mayor Harry LaRosiliere with support from Plano companies and nonprofits, to make sure that companies that would like to participate in both programs are able to, she said.
The Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program will be taking applications from Plano ISD sophomores and juniors until March 9.
The “Earn and Learn” program places students with area companies and nonprofits for eight 20- to 40-hour weeks, where they are given real-life experience in the workplace, according to a press release Jan. 22. Students who may be first-generation college students or are participating in the AVID program are highly encouraged to participate.
Interns may also have the chance to shadow executives, observe company operations, network with upper-level management and experience a wide array of careers, the release said.
Students also take part in a required internship training March 28 and a job fair April 24 at Collin College. Intern candidates will receive job offers in May and will attend an orientation before beginning their internships in early June, according to the release. The program will close with an end-of-summer luncheon with LaRosiliere.
Students can learn more about the program and apply online at planomayorsinterns.org.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the extended deadline for the Plano Mayor’s Summer Internship Program.
