New Academy offers dual enrollment teaching track

Teach! Academy, a new early college high school program in Stockton, launched last week to give students a career path to earn an associate degree in education from San Joaquin Delta College.

The academy, which is on the Teachers College of San Joaquin campus, launched with 26 students. The school will add a new grade each year, with room to bring in more students at each level. Students who earn their associate degree will also have an affordable pathway to complete their bachelor’s degree at Humphreys University, a non-profit Catholic institution in Stockton.

“Teachers have made a difference in my life and I want to make a difference in the lives of my students one day too,” said Rudy Serrano, a ninth-grader in the academy. “Being a student at TEACH! Academy will help me do this. It also means I have the opportunity to be able to earn college credit while I’m still in high school.”