Teacher Externship Program
The City of Houston partners with the Houston A+ Challenge, school districts, community organizations and businesses to help provide Houston-area teachers professional experience in their teaching fields. This partnership helps make students' learning more relevant to the 21st century workforce.
Teacher externs at Mayor Parker's
Proclamation
Teacher Externship
Sixteen Houston-area teachers gained experience in their fields as externs through the City of Houston's partnership with the Houston A+ Challenge Teacher Externship Program. Externs were placed in divisions of the Mayor's Office, city council offices and city departments for a week working with sustainability and volunteer initiatives, citizen outreach, and learning about City partnerships with other organizations.
The Mayor's Volunteer Initiatives Program (VIP) organized the City of Houston’s role in the Externship Program as part of Mayor Parker’s commitment to education and volunteerism. In total, twenty-nine area businesses and organizations connected with teachers from 19 Houston-area school districts to help make student's learning more relevant to the 21st century workforce. Honoring this partnership, Mayor Parker proclaimed June 7 - 11, 2010, Houston A+ Challenge Teacher Externship Week in the city of Houston.
Sustainability Initiatives
Extern Shera (left) helping with the
Residential Energy Efficiency
Program (REEP)
A leader among big city sustainability initiatives, the City of Houston placed math and science teachers in different “green” fields in order to carry career awareness back to their students.
Externs toured the Reuse Warehouse which houses excess building materials, donated by organizations and individuals, for local non-profit organizations to use at no expense, and experienced the Residential Energy Efficiency Program (REEP), helping applicants sign up and register to weatherize their home and conserve energy.
To learn more about our “green” efforts and how to get involved, visit the Green Houston website at www.greenhoustontx.gov.
Externs Heidi (left) and Hope (right)
take a tour of the Reuse facility,
which houses excess building material
for local organizations to use
Volunteer Initiatives Program
The Volunteer Initiatives Program (VIP) engages Houston citizens in city government through one-time and ongoing volunteer service and community projects.
VIP oversees the recruitment and referral of interested volunteers to various City Departments, the Mayor’s Youth Council, and the Summer College Internship Extracurricular Program.
More ...
To view more volunteer opportunities within the City of Houston, visit the VIP webpage at www.houstontx.gov/volunteer.
If you are interested in more information on the Houston A+ Teacher Externship program, go to www.houstonaplus.org/externship.