Organization Briefs Educator Needs Assessment

Indiana Agricultural Teachers’ Professional Development Grants – 2023 Impact

Study Year: 2023

Findings draw on the 2023 FFA Advisor Needs Assessment survey responses and data from the 25 recipients of the 2023 National FFA Teacher Professional Development Grants in Indiana.

Key Points

  • 25 school-based agriculture educators in Indiana received a Teacher Professional Development Grant from National FFA in 2023.
  • 22 of the 25 grant recipients are licensed educators, serving students in grades 6-12.
  • Grant recipients serve student populations ranging from 180 to 2,012 students and 42 to 355 agricultural education students.
  • 22% of 2023 FFA Advisor Needs Assessment respondents disagreed that they have access to valuable professional development opportunities.
  • 47% of respondents said budget/cost constraints greatly influence their decision to participate in professional development.
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Professional Development in Agricultural Education

  • Nearly one in four respondents (22%) to the 2023 FFA Advisor Needs Assessment somewhat or strongly disagreed with the statement, “I have access to a variety of valuable professional development opportunities.”
  • Almost half (47%) of respondents to the 2023 FFA Advisor Needs Assessment said budget/cost constraints have a great deal of influence on their decision to participate in professional development opportunities.

25 school-based agriculture educators received a Teacher Professional Development Grant from National FFA in 2023.

  • 22 recipients are licensed educators, while one recipient is alternatively certified and two are special grant/permission or emergency certified educators.
  • The 2023 recipients of the Teacher Professional Development Grants serve students in grades 6-12.
  • The 2023 recipients of the Teacher Professional Development Grants serve student populations from 180 students to 2,012 students.
  • The 2023 recipients of the Teacher Professional Development Grants serve 42 to 355 agricultural education students.

From my experience, I now make a more concentrated effort to give my ELL students better-translated materials whenever possible. I also try my best to use phrases and responses that I have learned from them in Spanish to hopefully make them feel welcomed and seen. My hope is that by taking more time and care in this area of teaching, that I can better continue to remove barriers from ELL students joining and becoming a part of my school’s agricultural and FFA programs.

Indiana FFA Advisor on Attending the Agriculture Future of America Service Learning in Puerto Rico

Footnotes