The Reach Method

The Reach Method

The Reach Method is an apprenticeship-to-degree pathway that delivers the promise of economic mobility for all. The Reach Method combines instruction utilizing the tutorial method with on-the-job learning experiences supported by the Craft Tracker to easily report on apprenticeship experiences and access apprenticeship funding.

The benefits of each component are outlined as follows.

Benefits of the Tutorial Method

• The tutorial method is a deep learning methodology that develops inquiry and real-world problem solving through small group conversations where an instructor facilitates question-based discussion with a few learners. Basically, the tutorial method teaches learners how to think and not what to think.

• The concepts, skills, and methodologies that make tutorial learning and the Reach Method successful take into account students’ needs as a whole person, contributing to a more holistic curriculum and school experience for all students.

• The tutorial method is critical to apprenticeships because it enables students to develop critical thinking skills that connect what they are doing in the field with the why behind it, it situates their skills in a wider world context, enables them to thrive in the workplace.

Benefits of Apprenticeship-Based Learning

• Apprenticeship-based learning diversifies the teacher pipeline. At Reach University, 60% of apprentices identify as BIPOC; 90% identify as low-income, working parents, and/or first-generation college goers; and 100% come from the communities they serve. Apprenticeship degrees are a pathway to matching teacher demographics with K-12 student populations.

• Apprenticeship-based learning elevates teaching as a profession, refines professional practice, prepares candidates for work in the school environment, elevates candidates’ existing capabilities, and attracts more diverse candidates.

• Apprenticeship-based learning allows apprentices to practice, receive feedback, and reflect in an integrated way. It also allows the apprentice to observe teaching on a day to day basis and be part of a school community while learning their trade.

Benefits of the Craft Tracker

• K-12 teachers are public servants; they should not go into debt to earn the degrees and credentials required to educate our country. Debt-free, earn-and-learn pathways like apprenticeship teaching degrees will allow us to realize this moral imperative and, simultaneously, build a more robust, more diverse teacher pipeline to fill vacant classrooms. The Craft Tracker is an online tool that allows aspiring teachers to track the completion of activities for apprenticeship funding and to meet degree and credential requirements. The Craft Tracker simplifies reporting so that students can easily access apprenticeship funding.

• Learning that ties to real-world experiences leads to deeper understanding, more ties between theory and practice, and teachers who graduate better prepared to support their students. The Craft Tracker gives instructors at institutes of higher education a window into their students’ field experiences.