The rapidly growing teacher apprenticeship model was designed to give candidates on-the-job training under the close supervision of an experienced mentor. But in at least three states, policymakers are designing apprenticeship programs that open the door to teachers without college degrees.
Alabama, Colorado, and Idaho have approved policies that could eventually allow teacher apprentices to serve as the teacher of record before they complete the apprenticeship program鈥攁nd in some cases, before they earn their bachelor鈥檚 degree.
That practice, critics say, goes against the very idea of an apprenticeship: Those learning the craft should be supervised and only assume full teaching responsibilities after completing their preparation.
The Biden administration has heavily promoted registered teacher-apprenticeship programs as an opportunity for a new stream of federal funding, leading some to fear that more states could adopt similar allowances.
Policymakers say the move is necessary to fill teacher vacancies and that guardrails will be in place so that an apprentice demonstrates competency before taking ownership of a classroom. But others argue that allowing apprentices to be a teacher of record before they鈥檙e fully prepared doesn鈥檛 set them up for long-term success, risks poor student outcomes, and potentially devalues the teaching profession.
鈥淚t鈥檚 belittling to everyone else who has gone through and worked at the university level to obtain their content knowledge and their pedagogy to become a certified teacher,鈥� said Emma Wood, the assistant dean of educator preparation at Idaho State University. 鈥淚t continues to erode respect for the profession.鈥�
Interest in teacher apprenticeships is booming
The idea behind teacher-apprenticeship programs is that aspiring teachers should receive free or subsidized tuition鈥攁nd other financial supports, including child care assistance鈥攚hile earning a paycheck for working in a classroom under an experienced educator. Many programs target paraprofessionals, who might have years of education experience but haven鈥檛 been able to afford to go back to school to earn their degree and teaching license.
Over the past 18 months, 21 states have registered a teacher-apprenticeship program with the U.S. Department of Labor, unlocking new sources of funding. Last week, the department approved a to ensure quality as the model continues to catch on.
The guidelines, developed by the Pathways Alliance, a coalition of education organizations, are clear: 鈥淎t no point during the apprenticeship should the apprentice be the teacher-of-record.鈥� Instead, the guidelines say apprentices should work alongside an 鈥渆xperienced and accomplished mentor teacher鈥� for at least one school year.
Alliance members supported that language unanimously, said Jacqueline King, a consultant for research, policy, and advocacy for the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the lead writer of the guidelines.
鈥淲e want to make sure that these apprenticeships set people up for long-term success and a long, thriving career as an educator, and we鈥檙e not pushing people too quickly to take on a level of responsibility before they鈥檙e fully licensed,鈥� she said.
Trying to 鈥榩lace teachers into the classroom faster鈥�
Yet state policymakers don鈥檛 have to adhere to those guidelines, and persistent teacher shortage areas are often top of mind when developing these programs.
Under some of the proposals, apprenticeships could look more like alternative teacher-preparation programs, like Teach For America or teaching fellows programs offered in some cities, in which candidates begin teaching with limited preparation.
Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey to establish a competency-based registered teacher-apprenticeship pilot program geared toward paraprofessionals and teachers鈥� aides. The order says that one of the goals is to improve teacher quality and retention by increasing the amount of classroom experience a teacher has before becoming a teacher of record.
But the program 鈥渟hould place teachers into the classroom faster by letting them be a teacher of record during their final year of teacher-preparation programs,鈥� the executive order says.
A spokesperson for the Alabama State Department of Education said in an email that the state is still in the early planning stages, and the anticipated program launch date is in the 2024-25 school year. The state hasn鈥檛 yet registered its program with the U.S. Department of Labor.
In Colorado, , authorized registered teacher apprenticeships as a pathway to licensure. The measure says that school districts can employ teacher apprentices 鈥渋n roles of increasing responsibility, including working as a substitute teacher and a teacher of record.鈥�
Apprentices must be actively enrolled in a bachelor鈥檚 degree program and must have passed a state-approved content exam to serve as a teacher of record. Apprentices must also have access to a mentor.
Colleen O鈥橬eil, the associate commissioner of educator talent for the Colorado Department of Education, said stakeholders debated at length whether it would be appropriate to allow apprentices to serve as the teacher of record before earning their bachelor鈥檚 degree.
鈥淭he bachelor鈥檚 degree comes with content knowledge,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd the apprenticeship is really about the pedagogy and how you teach, and we know that with strong educators, we see a combination of great pedagogy and strong content knowledge.鈥�
But ultimately, she said, state policymakers determined that it鈥檚 possible for candidates to demonstrate content knowledge before they earn their bachelor鈥檚 degree. The state plans to establish four levels of teaching competencies, and apprentices will have to be at the highest level before serving as a teacher of record, she said.
Also, many paraprofessionals have been in the classroom for a long time and have had access to strong professional development throughout their career, O鈥橬eil said. Allowing them to be the teacher of record while they鈥檙e pursuing their degree 鈥渦tilizes and acknowledges the experiences they have in the classroom and drives them further,鈥� she said.
But paraprofessionals don鈥檛 have the experience being the decisionmakers in the classroom, said Wood, the Idaho State assistant dean.
As classroom aides, paraprofessionals are often working with students in small-group settings or are focused on providing special education services, she said: 鈥淭he idea that they鈥檙e going to then walk into a middle school history class [as the teacher of record], that doesn鈥檛 make a lot of sense in my mind.鈥�
One state considers going a step farther
The Pathways Alliance guidelines also say that by the time apprentices complete the program, they should have a bachelor鈥檚 degree. But Wood said she worries that Idaho is poised to create a pathway to the classroom through an apprenticeship program that does not result in a college degree at all.
Idaho lawmakers approved changes to the state education code this spring that allow teacher apprentices without a bachelor鈥檚 degree to .
Also, the state code a standard teaching license could be granted to someone who has a bachelor鈥檚 degree and the required professional training鈥攐r someone who has successfully completed an approved registered apprenticeship program. (In emergency situations, someone with two years of college training can also receive a temporary teaching license.)
Idaho officials said they have not yet determined what the outcome of an apprenticeship program will be and how a bachelor鈥檚 degree factors in.
The office of the Idaho State Board of Education is in the early stages of planning the framework for a teacher-apprenticeship program and has not yet registered one with the U.S. Department of Labor. A working group of policymakers, legislators, superintendents, teachers, teacher-educators, and others has only met once so far.
State officials said they hope to have a framework in place this fiscal year to pursue federal registration. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a sense of urgency to provide a place-bound preparation program for individuals across our state,鈥� said Jenn Thompson, the chief policy and government affairs officer for the Idaho State Board of Education.
After all, it鈥檚 difficult for aspiring teachers in some remote areas of the state to travel to universities, especially in the harsh winters, said Mike Keckler, the chief communications and legislative affairs officer for the state board of education. An apprenticeship program will be 鈥渙ne tool in the toolbox鈥� to mitigate teacher shortages in those rural areas, he said.
Even so, the policy changes have sparked concern from some in the state.
Idaho Sen. Carrie Semmelroth, a Democrat and a longtime educator who also serves as the strategic initiatives project director for Boise State University鈥檚 College of Education, was one of the sponsors of the bill that authorized a teacher-apprenticeship program as a pathway to licensure. She said she never intended her legislation to open the door to teachers without a college degree.
鈥淲hen you consider teaching a profession, it is critical that teachers go in well-prepared with strong clinical experience,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e know that also means mentorship and support from [teacher]-preparation providers. I鈥檓 concerned that the current approach does not see preparation through that lens.鈥�
Katie Shoup, the educator-effectiveness program manager at the Idaho State Board of Education, said the working group is considering how to ensure quality. For example, she said, it鈥檚 possible that an aspiring math teacher would have to take the math licensing test to demonstrate competence in the subject before they complete the apprenticeship program.
The group hasn鈥檛 yet identified how an apprentice would demonstrate competency before taking on the role of teacher of record, she said.
An equity concern
Semmelroth said she is also concerned that students in rural areas will be getting less-prepared teachers than students in other parts of the state.
鈥淲e want all of Idaho鈥檚 kids to have access to well-prepared, high-quality teachers, especially our rural students,鈥� she said.
Research shows that that the least experienced teachers are more likely to be placed in schools that serve a large population of students from low-income families and students of color, said Heather Peske, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, a research and policy group that advocates for more-rigorous teacher preparation.
Just as most people wouldn鈥檛 want an electrical apprentice working on their home without supervision, state and district leaders shouldn鈥檛 want untrained novice teachers in front of students, she said. A bachelor鈥檚 degree is a signal that the teacher has the content knowledge necessary to effectively teach students, Peske added.
This isn鈥檛 the first time states have allowed teachers without college degrees to lead classrooms. Last year, Arizona and Florida lifted the requirement that teachers hold bachelor鈥檚 degrees in limited circumstances鈥攁 decision spurred by teacher shortages.
In Arizona, teacher-candidates who are in enrolled in college can teach without supervision if they have an emergency certificate, which is issued when a school can鈥檛 fill a vacancy otherwise.
And in Florida, military veterans without a bachelor鈥檚 degree can receive a five-year teaching certificate, as long as they have completed at least 60 college credits with a 2.5 grade point average and can pass a state exam to demonstrate mastery of subject-area knowledge.
Advocates of teacher-apprenticeship programs don鈥檛 want apprenticeships lumped in with those efforts, which were approved in response to pressing numbers of vacancies. They say that the loosened requirements conflict with the model鈥檚 intent and purpose鈥攚hich is to give aspiring teachers extensive, on-the-job training while knocking down financial barriers.
鈥淎t the end of the day, while we鈥檙e trying to staff classrooms, this is about ensuring every child has a well-prepared teacher,鈥� said Patrick Steck, the vice president of external affairs at Deans for Impact, a group that supports teacher-educators, and a co-chair of the Pathways Alliance working group.
