Student Teaching

Tolleson Elementary School District values our educational partnerships with colleges and universities. Placing student teachers and interns in our schools provides valuable experience for future educators and enriches our classroom curriculum.

Providing a Safe Learning Environment

We take steps to ensure our students have a safe educational environment by carefully vetting individuals who teach or work on our campuses. All college or university students who will be on a Tolleson ESD campus more than once to student teach, intern, or observe in the classrooms must undergo and pass our clearance process before receiving placement in a classroom.

Tolleson ESD’s clearance process is applicable to all student teachers and interns from every area, including speech pathologists, psychologists, guidance, administrators, social workers, and any others.  

Tolleson Elementary School District places students from colleges and universities with a valid intergovernmental agreement approved by the governing board.

Clearance Process

Student teachers and interns must complete the following steps for clearance: 

  • The college or university must provide the Tolleson ESD Human Resources Department with written verification of the placement request, including the number of hours required, beginning and ending dates, and any other requirements. Typically this is done via email between the college/university and Tolleson ESD Human Resources. Direct contact with the college or university placement advisor allows us to easily verify the authenticity of the student’s request.
  • Student teachers and interns must complete the intern application found on the Tolleson ESD Job Posting site and submit a copy of a valid DPS fingerprint clearance card.
  • Students who come to the campus to request placement should proceed directly to Human Resources and follow the approval process. 
  • HR will email placement requests to the principal on each campus for processing and approval.
  • Student teachers and interns must update their applications and obtain clearance once every school year. We cannot accept clearance from the prior school year.