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Federal grants will fund Georgia teacher apprenticeships, including special education
Georgia has secured two federal grants totaling about $10.3 million to expand teacher apprenticeships statewide. The programs will support paraprofessionals pursuing teaching careers and people preparing to teach special education.
Georgia’s Department of Education says it will use two federal grants totaling about $10.3 million to expand teacher apprenticeships and strengthen preparation and support for new educators across the state.
The larger grant, nearly $6 million, will expand pathways for paraprofessionals to become teachers and bolster teacher preparation, mentoring and support. A second grant of about $4.3 million will create more registered apprenticeship opportunities for aspiring special education teachers.
The state plans to carry out the work through its Teach in the Peach initiative, in partnership with the University of West Georgia and the National Center for Grow Your Own. The partners will develop an apprenticeship model that gives participants credit for prior learning and provides mentoring and other support as they enter the profession.
The model is intended to be expanded to additional educator preparation programs and school districts statewide. Georgia, like other states, has faced difficulties recruiting and retaining teachers, and the new funding is aimed at building pathways into the profession while supporting educators as they begin their careers.