our apprentices,” Mitchell said. “We’re very proud of her.”
Beyond its apprenticeship program, EPI reports providing more than 28,000 hours of instructional coaching. Over the past two years, 41 educators have achieved National Board certification through its work, while more than 100 educators have matriculated through graduate degree programs. The organization’s reach extends across seven states, 25 South Carolina counties and two countries. Mitchell said the organization’s approach to licensure testing illustrates the distinction between removing barriers and reducing standards. The center’s licensure exam support does not simply teach test-taking strategies; participants are assessed to determine where they need help and receive individualized coaching.
And passing the exam, Mitchell said, is only the beginning.
“Certification is the floor,” she said. “But what we know is passing that exam does not mean you can actually teach.” The larger goal, she said, is not simply to fill classrooms, but to make sure whoever is in those classrooms are prepared to succeed once they get there. “We are working to make sure that the most strong or effective teachers are in front of the students who need them most,” Mitchell said. That support can continue throughout an educator’s career. The EPI Center works with aspiring, practicing and veteran educators, from helping people enter the profession to developing experienced teachers as leaders and helping them pursue credentials and national board certifications. Mitchell said the aim is also to build capacity within schools by helping strong teachers develop other strong teachers — so that expertise remains even as veteran educators retire.
teacher and administrator before moving into higher education and the South Carolina Department of Education, where she worked with the state’s educator-preparation programs and their state and national requirements. Her career has also included leadership at three HBCUs — Benedict College, Claflin University and Voorhees. Those experiences, Mitchell said, also exposed disconnects between how teachers are prepared and what they encounter in schools. “You can conceivably have a program that is aligned to every state and national standard, and it still does not speak to the realities of the schools we were preparing some of those teachers to enter,” she said. Her answer is not to lower expectations, but to rethink teacher preparation around the realities of both the people entering the profession and the students they will ultimately teach. “We are talking about developing the kind of programs that are going to meet people where they are, both
academically and personally in their lives,” Mitchell said.
For some prospective teachers, Mitchell says, the barriers are practical. They cannot afford to quit their jobs to attend school full time, or they may have limited financial aid available. EPI tries to address those barriers through programs such as Educators Prepared to Impact Communities, or EPIC, a registered apprenticeship program with the U.S. Department of Labor. The program allows participants to continue working in schools — earning a paycheck, keeping their benefits and building years toward retirement — while preparing to become teachers. Mitchell points to one apprentice, a mother whose experience navigating the school system after learning her son was autistic inspired her to become a teacher. As she struggled to find resources for him, she decided she wanted to help other families navigate those systems. “She is a classroom teacher today, has passed all her exams and is a certified special education teacher who is one of
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