YouthFriends and TeacherTech

Since 2007, TeacherTech (an initiative of YouthFriends and the Kauffman Foundation) has been connecting teachers in the Greater Kansas City area with local businesses, academic institutions and research facilities for eight-week, summer externships. The goal of the program is to expose teachers to applied industry concepts, which will then be incorporated into their classrooms.

By hiring teacher externs, employers play a critical role in developing well-rounded, progressive teachers who can inspire the future workforce through real-world application of math, engineering, technology and science (METS) and more.

Companies of all sizes and industries are needed and welcome to participate: large or small, nonprofit or for-profit, local or regional, national or international.

Teacher Extern Brings Fresh Approaches, Helps Company Extend Community Reach

When creating a job description for a TeacherTech extern, the management at JE Dunn Construction Company admittedly left it a bit open-ended. Though they knew they wanted to bring a teacher onboard to work in their training department, they also knew they couldn’t anticipate all the talents and skill sets a teacher may possess. And they were right.

Enter Christie Ross, fourth-grade teacher at Fox Hill Elementary School in the North Kansas City School District. When Ross arrived at JE Dunn for the summer, she was bustling with energy and new ideas, and the externship began to expand. Because she was an outsider, she was able to look at their programs with a new eye. She brought fresh approaches and creative solutions to enhance existing work products.

For example, the firm is in the midst of an initiative to help project managers become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) accredited, which requires extensive studying for the LEED Professional Accreditation exam. When Christie heard about the process, she jumped right in. She approached the project managers with study tips and testing taking strategies.

"Many of these guys were far removed from the classroom, and Christie reminded them of some great techniques to guide them," said Heather Johnson, JE Dunn training and organizational development manager. "JE Dunn has benefited greatly by having her here." David Disney, senior vice president at JE Dunn, said having a teacher extern onboard has also given the company a community spokesperson who can extend their reach. "Most people think of us as a construction company and they think of the cranes and the guys working out on the job," Disney said. "But there's a much broader sense to our organization than what people normally see. Participating in TeacherTech gave us a great opportunity to share this information with somebody who could go back and share our story."

As a billion dollar leader in the building industry, JE Dunn is committed to providing construction services that exceed the expectations of their clients. Their core values focus on quality, integrity, economy, performance and safety. They also value education and continue to work to expand their relationship with the educational community. TeacherTech has helped them do just that.

For more information, please contact

Sandi Grimm,
Director, Marketing, YouthFriends
1800 Baltimore, Suite 400
Kansas City, MO 64108

direct: 816.268.3343
fax: 816.842.7907
grimm@youthfriends.org