Partnering with University of West Georgia, National Center for Grow Your Own to expand teacher pathways through Teach in the Peach
The Georgia Department of Education has been awarded more than $10 million in federal grants to expand teacher apprenticeships statewide, in partnership with the University of West Georgia (UWG) and the National Center for Grow Your Own. The investment will strengthen efforts to recruit and prepare future educators through the Department’s Teach in the Peach initiative.
The grants build on Georgia’s existing teacher apprenticeship work, which launched through GaDOE’s Office of Rural Education and Innovation and was supported by a $3.9 million Apprenticeship Building America Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. The program allows aspiring educators to earn a salary while completing coursework and gaining the classroom experience needed to become certified teachers; it has supported 195 teaching apprentices over the past two years.
“Some of Georgia’s best future teachers are already working in our schools,” State School Superintendent Richard 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. These grants, and our partnerships with the University of West Georgia and the National Center for Grow Your Own, will help us build on the success we’ve seen in rural Georgia and bring that same opportunity to more communities across our state.”
The funding includes a $5.98 million Teacher Quality Partnership grant to expand paraprofessional-to-teacher apprenticeships and strengthen teacher preparation, mentoring, and support for new educators. A second grant of approximately $4.3 million will expand registered apprenticeship opportunities for aspiring special education teachers.
Through the new partnership, UWG will serve as the initial university partner, working with GaDOE and the National Center for Grow Your Own to develop an enhanced apprenticeship model that strengthens coursework, provides credit for prior learning, and expands mentoring and support for new teachers. The model will then be scaled to additional educator preparation programs and school districts across Georgia, continuing the state’s focus on rural communities while expanding access statewide.
“As the home of Georgia’s largest college of education, the University of West Georgia is pleased to partner with the Georgia Department of Education in the incredibly important work of expanding Georgia’s professional educator workforce,” said Dr. Mike Dishman, Dean of UWG’s College of Education. “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. UWG greatly appreciates the confidence of State School Superintendent Richard Woods and the opportunity to join GaDOE in this endeavor.”
The National Center for Grow Your Own will provide technical assistance and expertise in implementing registered teacher apprenticeships, supporting the development of a sustainable model that allows school districts to prepare future teachers from within their own communities.
“Georgia continues to distinguish itself as a national leader in teacher registered apprenticeships, and securing two federal grants is further evidence of that leadership,” said David Donaldson, Founder and CEO of the National Center for Grow Your Own. “The investments by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor demonstrate what is possible when states lead. Superintendent Richard Woods and his team at the Georgia Department of Education have been tremendous partners in expanding pathways into the teaching profession. We are thrilled to build on this partnership to create more opportunities for aspiring educators to earn a paycheck while preparing to become teachers, removing financial barriers while raising the bar on the quality of teacher preparation.”
The expansion is part of GaDOE’s broader Teach in the Peach initiative, which works to make Georgia the No. 1 state for teachers to teach by attracting, recognizing, and retaining excellent educators. Earlier this week, Teach in the Peach announced the launch of an enhanced statewide teacher job board in partnership with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission.
To learn more about teacher apprenticeships and pathways into the teaching profession in Georgia, visit teachinthepeach.org.