According to PennWatch, on March 21, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced $1.5 million in grant funding is being made available to institutions of higher education (IHE) that partner with school districts to expedite the process to become a special education teacher.

The Accelerated Program for PK-12 Special Education Teacher Certification will provide grants to IHEs that have approved PK-12 special education certification programs and who partner with at least one LEA to provide those who currently hold bachelor’s degrees with summer field experiences, mentoring by experienced special educators during the school year, and deliver a postbaccalaureate program for PK-12 special education teacher certification within 18 months.

Programs must offer most of the coursework during summer 2023 and summer 2024; provide a combination of in-person and virtual options for flexibility and support to the accelerated program participants working full-time; and ensure a minimum of 12 weeks of student teaching.

The maximum grant award for an IHE is $100,000. Grant funds will be available through December 31, 2024.

Interested IHEs must apply by April 7, 2023 through the Attract-Prepare-Retain (APR) Repository.

A webinar will be held today (3/22/23) from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Sessions will be recorded and made available on the APR Repository for those unable to atttend.

Source: PennWatch.

To read the full PennWatch article, click here.