By LeAnn Campbell

Teachers with graduate degrees ideally should see their work put to good use, not watch it mildew in a drawer. For 14 Joplin High School teachers, that application ideal is happening. The research and projects they have completed to earn a master’s degree through a new program will directly benefit Joplin students.

This degree program fulfils a dream of Dr. Kerry Sachetta, Joplin High School principal. Even before Dr. Sachetta came to Joplin six years ago, he thought there should be a way to “marry” teacher in-service work and graduate credit. Northwest Missouri State University at Maryville had already had the same idea and had started a new program in teacher leadership.

Dr. Sachetta is a strong advocate of developing leadership in teachers, both in informal and in formal roles. “We want teachers to have a broader view of the goal of education and understand school improvement more,” he noted. With that in mind, he worked with Northwest to implement the master’s degree program in Teacher Leadership for the Joplin R-VIII school district.

The program is open to any Joplin R-VIII teacher who has taught at least three years, makes the required score on the Graduate Record Exam, and completes an interview with Northwest.

Fourteen students make up the first Cohort (the name given to the class), which was begun two years ago (2006) and will graduate this July. A second Cohort began last fall (2007); plans are underway for a third group in the fall of 2008.

Dr. Sachetta limited the first Cohort of master’s applicants to high school teachers. Because he wanted to work with the teachers and instructors to slant the program toward the work they were already doing, he felt it best to begin with a group who were all in the same building.

Dr. Debbie Fort, principal at Irving Elementary in Joplin, took on the task of coordinating the program through Northwest. In addition to teaching some of the classes, she assists with technical details, such as enrollment.