The Quinnipiac University School of Education received a $127,500 grant through the Department of Labor and state Department of Education to aid in the growing teacher shortage. The funds will support a new 15 month apprenticeship program for teacher candidates.
“This is the first time the state has ever had an apprenticeship program for teachers, and that we’re the only ones of the graduate level who are offering this,” Anne Dichele, dean of the Quinnipiac University School of Education said.
On July 23, 2024, the State of Connecticut Board of Education identified nine certification endorsement areas with statewide teacher shortages, and two in High-Need Districts. According to the State of Connecticut Board of Education, a district is identified as a High-Need District “if it is an Alliance District or if the percentage of students who qualified for free or reduced-priced lunch exceeded the established cutoff.”
The state faces shortages spanning across subjects and specialties from pre-K to 12th grade. In particular, schools lack teacher candidates in special education, math, science and English language learners, Dichele explained.
In an effort to combat these statistics, the program will provide schools with additional and necessary teachers, as well as giving teacher candidates the experience needed for their career. It was also created with “the idea that teacher candidates could be paid while they’re learning to become a teacher,” Dichele said.
The School of Education officially found out they received the grant in the beginning of January, and are the only graduate program in the state to be considered for some of the funds. Planning, however, began about two years prior. The Department of Labor began working with states to provide funding to prepare teacher candidates through the aforementioned apprenticeship programs.
Quinnipiac’s School of Education also worked with the state of Connecticut Department of Labor, Connecticut State Department of Education, teacher unions, school districts and the university.
“It’s a very highly collaborative group,” Dichele said. “So all of those different constituencies needed to come together in order to build out this program.”
Apprentices in the program will achieve both a masters degree, as well as a year of teaching under a highly qualified and experienced mentor.
The program officially begins in July, where apprentices start the program with taking courses, attending workshops and meeting their mentor. They will continue taking courses through the fall, J-term, spring and both summer sessions.
By the fall of 2026, the apprentices will be certified, licensed and able to have their own class.
The program includes 17 stipend slots, making it highly competitive. The School of Education is partnering with two districts, East Haven and West Haven. East Haven will have eight apprentices, and West Haven will have nine. It is designed with a goal that those apprentices will later be hired in those districts.
The program is open to graduating seniors who are not in Quinnipiac’s 4+1 program, as well as those who choose to come just through the graduate program.
Not only is the program open to Quinnipiac students, but its offerings go beyond the university as well.
“For people who are changing careers, or people who simply have thought about teaching but have thought about teaching but have an undergraduate degree in math or science, or people who just have always thought about becoming a teacher money wise, how are they going to go back to school, this is a real opportunity to support that,” Dichele said.
As for benefiting the university itself, Dichele looks forward to the program strengthening the reputation of the school and outcomes for teacher candidates. With a 98% higher rate, Quinnipiac is recognized within the state and regionally for putting out quality teachers.
“We’ve got such a strong reputation in the state for teacher preparation,” Dichele said. “Our best ambassadors to our program are the ones who are out there, who graduated from our programs. They’re out there, just terrific teachers.”
The recruitment process began in early March and in just over a few months until the program will officially hit the ground running.
