By Ethan Faverino |
Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne announced that the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) has secured a $5 million federal grant to expand teacher apprenticeship opportunities focused on special education.
The five-year grant will support the expansion of the Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program and create additional paid, job-embedded pathways for aspiring special education teachers to earn certification while working in Arizona schools.
“The grant will expand a program that currently serves more than 90 apprentices statewide, has doubled enrollment in the past year, and maintains a 97 percent apprentice retention rate,” stated Horne. “Nearly half of current apprentices are pursuing special education certification, demonstrating the strong demand for these pathways.”
The existing Arizona Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program combines paid classroom experience with coursework through an approved educator preparation program.
Apprentices work for a participating school district or charter school under the mentorship of an experienced educator while completing requirements toward teacher certification.
The federal funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships program.
The federal program supports registered apprenticeships aimed at attracting, preparing, and retaining special eduction teachers and early intervention personnel.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the initiative is intended to help address workforce shortages by expanding work-based pathways into those professions.
As part of the expansion, ADE will support the Arizona Special Eduction Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program, providing aspiring educators with paid, school-based experience as they complete the requirements necessary to earn special education teacher certification.
The initiative will involve partnerships among local education agencies, educator preparation providers, and workforce organizations.
The Arizona Department of Education sponsors the apprenticeship program in partnership with the Arizona Apprenticeship Office and the National Center for Grow Your Own.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
