Mesquite ISD aims to cultivate future teachers through innovative program

Mesquite ISD launches Teach Mesquite to inspire students to pursue teaching careers amid a teacher shortage.

MESQUITE, Texas — Clint Elsasser lights up when he talks about his passion.

“I love what I do,” Elsasser, the executive principal of Vanguard High School, said. “This is my calling, you know, some people have a job, but some people are called to do something.”

Like many North Texas schools, this Mesquite school is in need of a little help. Elsasser said the school’s biggest challenge is battling a teacher shortage. 

He said they have not fully bounced back since COVID. And now, they face plans by President Trump’s Administration to break up the Department of Education. 

“When you think about the students that we serve, they don’t have access to a lot of things already and so we’re cutting that access down,” Elsasser said about the potential federal changes.

So, Mesquite ISD is trying something different. Students have been learning what it’s like to have a future in education. 

Through an Educate Texas grant, Mesquite ISD and Texas Woman’s University started Teach Mesquite, a dual-degree program in which students work to become teachers while in high school.

“Students will be thinking as students but also will be thinking as future teachers,” said Juan Araujo, TWU School of Education director. “If we’re able to create seamless pathways from high school through the community college and then to our four-year institutions, students will graduate in less than six years and then go back and serve the communities where they grew up.”

Mesquite ISD aims to cultivate future teachers through innovative program

It also helps cut down on educational costs. 

“Each semester, the student may be out of pocket in tuition $0, and by the end, they may be leaving the university with as little debt as possible,” said Araujo.

Elsasser added that the school is working to find students who have a distinct passion for teaching and hopes that the program will spark the same interest he has onto the next generation of educators. 

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Felicia Ray Owens
Felicia Ray Owenshttps://feliciarayowens.com
Felicia Ray Owens is a media founder, cultural strategist, and civic advocate who creates platforms where power meets lived truth. As the voice behind C4: Coffee. Cocktails. Culture. Conversation and the founder of FROUSA Media, she uses storytelling, public dialogue, and organizing to spotlight the issues that matter most—locally and nationally. A longtime advocate for community wellness and political engagement, Felicia brings experience as a former Precinct Chair and former Chief Communications Officer of Indivisible Hill Country. Her work bridges culture, activism, and healing through curated spaces designed to inspire real change. Learn more at FROUSA.org

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