educator resources

A study conducted by the National FFA Organization in March through May of 2019 provided feedback from 708 agriculture teachers and FFA advisors from the eastern, southern, central and western FFA regions about their needs as agriculture educators, educational resources and experiences offered by FFA, their relationship with FFA and a variety of other topics. This document outlines some key findings from that study. Alternatively Certified Teachers Alternatively certified teachers are those who have been awarded a teaching license even though they have not completed a traditional teacher certification program. In all subject areas in every state in the U.S., individuals who choose to become a certified teacher through alternate means help to fill open positions that exist due to problems facing teaching nationwide, especially teacher recruitment and retention.1 Agricultural education, specifically, has historically faced challenges in teacher recruitment and retention.2 The Advisor Needs Assessment revealed that 18% of agriculture teachers surveyed are alternatively certified. Those who reported being alternatively certified stated that their biggest challenges include navigating FFA, developing classroom management, running and starting an [...]

Keeping agriculture educators at the frontline of innovation in today’s classrooms In order to stay up-to-date with today’s teachers, National FFA seeks feedback from agriculture educators in two main ways: consulting with the National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA and conducting a formal advisor needs assessment survey every two years. Growing professionally as National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA present educational sessions on FFA educator resources and are overall representatives of the National FFA Organization. We asked 54 National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA (serving 2020-21) how the ambassador program enhanced their ability to grow professionally. Ambassadors told us that gaining knowledge on FFA resources most enhanced their ability to grow professionally. Gaining knowledge on FFA resources – 98% Networking/meeting other agriculture teachers – 90% Becoming a resource for other teachers/serving teachers – 90% Connecting with National FFA staff – 87% For the second year in a row, the majority of 2020-21 ambassadors (89%) said that providing information and resources to other teachers was their greatest impact of their role. National Teacher Ambassadors for [...]

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) became a worldwide pandemic in early 2020, prompting businesses and organizations to close throughout the United States. Perhaps two of the most impacted groups by the closings and limits on social gatherings were teachers and students. When schools closed, many faced the challenge of transitioning to e-learning to finish the school year. Canceled conferences and events also impacted participants. National FFA took the following actions to ensure that the FFA mission was still being delivered to members and teachers in the wake of COVID-19: Educator Resources National FFA recognized the potential difficulty of moving all learning online in a short time. To help ease the burden on agriculture educators, FFA took actions ranging from providing the 2017 National FFA Student Handbook online for free to creating a guide on distance learning. Analytics1 revealed that the 2017 Official FFA Student Handbook (English) was one of the top 10 accessed educator resources in both March and April, along with supervised agricultural experience (SAE) videos, the generic activity worksheet for SAE videos, and SAE choice [...]

Program Overview: Description and Objectives The National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA are a group of agriculture educators currently in the classroom. They are trained to answer questions and provide training related to the various educational resources and experiences the National FFA Organization offers. A group of qualified teachers is selected each Spring to serve in the program from June to June. Additionally, to continue professional development, the program has grown to include mentor National Teacher Ambassadors for FFA. Through this added layer, support and professional development can be amplified to meet the needs of the program. “This role has transformed my outlook—turning feelings of burnout into renewed motivation through a supportive and collaborative network committed to agricultural education.” Emma Hendley, North Carolina Four Primary Objectives Guide the Program Answer questions from agriculture educators and provide them with training and regular communications related to the various educational resources and experiences National FFA offers. Provide relevant feedback from the educational field to National FFA. Serve as an advocate of the organization to teachers within home states and others [...]