RICHMOND — Radford University is among the universities that will receive grant funds to develop teacher apprentice programs with local school divisions.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow announced Monday the Virginia Department of Education is “awarding $143,000 in grants to nine universities to develop teacher apprentice residency programs in partnership with nearby school divisions.”
“The programs will allow divisions to hire classroom aides, paraprofessionals, substitutes, and other unlicensed school employees as teacher apprentices and provide a mentored pathway for them to complete the coursework required to become fully licensed teachers,” according to the VDOE.
“The apprenticeship planning grants build on existing residency programs and local grow-your-own recruitment programs as a means of expanding the teacher pipeline,” Balow said. “The grants and the partnerships are also aligned with the objectives of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s September executive directive on addressing teacher shortages in the commonwealth’s public schools.”
Radford University will receive $16,000 in partnering with Roanoke, Montgomery County, and Radford City Public Schools. The remaining grant recipients and partnering school divisions are as follows:
Bluefield University — $14,000, partnering with Buchanan County, Bland County and Tazewell County (Region 7).
William & Mary University — $16,000, partnering with Hampton and Newport News (Region 2).
George Mason University — $20,000, partnering with Manassas Park, Fairfax County, and Loudoun County (Region 4).
Old Dominion University — $20,000, partnering with Newport News (Region 2).
University of Mary Washington — $14,200, partnering with Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, and Stafford County (Region 3).
University of Virginia’s College at Wise — $16,000, partnering with Buchanan County (Region 7).
Virginia Commonwealth University — $16,000, partnering with Prince William County, Fairfax County and Surry County (Regions 1 and 4).
Virginia State University — $11,688, partnering with Chesterfield County, Dinwiddie County, and Hopewell (Region 1).
In November 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor approved K-12 teaching as an “apprenticeable” occupation, qualifying teacher apprentice programs for funding through several federal workforce-development grants administered by the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. VDOE expects to complete the registration process with VDOLI by the end of the year.
VDOE will announce another round of grants early next year to support training for mentors, the hiring of new apprentices and tuition assistance. Priority will be given to partnerships that received a planning grant in 2022. VDOE will provide technical assistance to planning grant recipients, beginning next month.
Radford News Journal staff report