Kentucky Department of Education

Teaching is a promising career option that often is not on the radar screen of Kentucky's youth.  To heighten awareness about careers in education and to begin the process of recruiting future teachers, Kentucky made a commitment to establish Future Educators Association clubs throughout the Commonwealth.  In 2002 the Kentucky Legislature passed a joint resolution (HJR 188) that requested KDE to set aside teacher recruitment funds to assist local school districts in organizing Future Educators Association (FEA) Clubs.  This initiative was enthusiastically embraced by KDE and the program was established in the Division of Educator Quality and Diversity in the Office of Leadership and School Improvement.  The Division's mission is to recruit highly qualified individuals into teaching, improve the quality of teacher education, encourage minority candidates to enter teaching, and provide continuous assistance to current teachers through collaboration with colleges and academic departments and local school districts. The FEA program is an important component of the Division's work.  Through its efforts to "Grow Your Own" teachers for the future, Kentucky now holds the distinction of having the most chartered FEA chapters in the nation. Our goal is to have chartered chapters in every high school by 2007 and every middle school by 2011.