For those nearing retirement or otherwise ready to hang it up from high tech, here’s something to mull over during Turkey Day: If you’ve pondered teaching as a second career, EnCorps may have a place for you.

Buoyed by its first year track record, the San Francisco-based non-profit has set a goal of recruiting 250 science and math teachers for underserved high schools in the Bay Area and Los Angeles. It’s hoping for serious inquiries from nearly 2,000 candidates within the next two months and is counting on a viral ad campaign millionwaystoteach.org to help.

A number of school districts have launched programs to lure expats from industry into teaching, with mixed success. Some have been terrific, bringing practical knowledge and real-world perspectives to the classroom. But too many quickly discovered that they weren’t cut out for the classroom.

EnCorps, an outgrowth of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence, is different in that it screens candidates carefully and gives them a chance to explore classroom teaching before pressing them to make a commitment. Potential teachers work at least 45 hours as a tutor in science or math or a guest teacher, such as in  one of Citizen Schools’ after-hours programs in middle schoolsl. During their first year of teaching, they receive online mentoring from the New Teacher Center and observations from EnCorps staff.

Last year, EnCorps recruited 130 candidates. Fifty are now classroom teachers, while the rest are continuing their guest teaching. Among EnCorps’ recruits are Sharon White, a Boeing Co. retiree who is a math teacher at Locke High School in Los Angeles, and Alan Cleland, a retired marketing consultant who’s been tutoring math at Eastside Prep in East Palo Alto.

EnCorps’ funders include the Sherry Lansing Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, Intel, HP and other corporations.

It’s a tricky time to be entering the teaching profession, since some districts may lay off more teachers if faced with additional budget cuts. But other districts have exempted math and science teachers from layoffs and are searching for teachers with the credentials to teach high-level science and math courses.

By John Fensterwald on November 24th, 2009