ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Education received over $10 million in federal grants to expand teacher apprenticeships across the state.
The agency is partnering with the University of West Georgia and the National Center for Grow Your Own to broaden educator preparation pathways through its Teach in the Peach program.
The federal funding includes a $5.98 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant to expand paraprofessional-to-teacher apprenticeships and strengthen mentoring programs.
An additional grant of approximately $4.3 million will expand registered apprenticeship pathways for aspiring special education teachers. The program enables candidate teachers to earn a salary while completing coursework and gaining classroom experience.
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The expansion builds on teacher apprenticeship work originally launched through the Georgia Department of Education’s Office of Rural Education and Innovation. That effort received support from a $3.9 million Apprenticeship Building America Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor and assisted 195 teaching apprentices over two years.
Georgia State School Superintendent Richard Woods highlighted the role of current school staff in filling teacher vacancies across the state.
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“Some of Georgia’s best future teachers are already working in our schools,” Woods said. “They know our students, they know their communities and they’re ready to take that next step. We want to make it easier for them to become teachers without having to leave their jobs or take on unnecessary financial burdens.
Under the program, the University of West Georgia will act as the initial university partner to design an enhanced apprenticeship model. The framework will incorporate credit for prior learning and expanded mentoring support for new teachers.
Dr. Mike Dishman, dean of UWG’s College of Education, said that as Georgia’s largest education college, the university was happy to partner with the state to expand its teaching workforce.
“This federal grant will be a key component of Georgia’s ‘moonshot’ strategy to become the best state in the nation in which to teach,” Dishman said. UWG greatly appreciates the confidence of State School Superintendent Woods and the opportunity to join GaDOE in this endeavor.”
Technical assistance and implementation support will be provided by the National Center for Grow Your Own to help local districts prepare teachers internally.
“Georgia continues to distinguish itself as a national leader in teacher registered apprenticeships and securing two federal grants is further evidence of that leadership,” David Donaldson, founder and CEO of the National Center for Grow Your Own, said. “The investments by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor demonstrate what is possible when states lead. Superintendent Woods and his team at the Georgia Department of Education have been tremendous partners in expanding pathways into the teaching profession.”
The funding expansion falls under the state’s broader Teach in the Peach initiative, which aims to recruit and retain teachers for the public education system.
Teach in the Peach recently launched a statewide teacher job board in partnership with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
State officials said they plan to scale the enhanced apprenticeship framework to additional educator preparation programs and school districts across Georgia following the initial rollout with the University of West Georgia.
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