On August 21, 2026, the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) announced that more than $8 million in funding has been dedicated to increasing the pipeline of school psychologists and delivering mental health services to students in high-need schools across the Commonwealth through the Prioritizing Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining School Psychologists: Delivering Mental Health Services to Students in High-Need LEAs initiative. 

In its first year, the program will provide funding for up to 75 school psychology graduate interns working in schools, with plans to expand the number of supported interns each year of the grant. Eligible interns completing their placements in identified high-need school districts may receive a stipend, waived Praxis exam fees, and additional training and professional development. So far, 42 interns have been placed in 22 schools across the Commonwealth. View the list of placements on this interactive map.

The grant program will strengthen Pennsylvania’s pipeline of credentialed school psychologists by reducing financial barriers to certification, improving recruitment and placement, and increasing retention in critical, underserved settings. By addressing the systemic barriers to recruitment and retention, specifically the financial burden on interns and the geographic isolation of rural districts, the program will stabilize the provider pipeline and increase student access to early intervention and intensive mental health services.

Interns are identified by their graduate training programs based on their placements in high-need school districts across Pennsylvania. The program is funded by a federal grant from the US Department of Education, which will help the Commonwealth recruit and retain individuals from both Pennsylvania and other states, increasing the overall number of school psychologists who complete  internships here and stay in PA.