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State awards $19.4M in first round of Grow‑Your‑Own grants; Maryland pilots registered teacher apprenticeship program
Summary
MSDE announced round‑one Grow Your Own educator grants totaling $19.4 million awarded to 13 LEA collaboratives and described a registered teacher apprenticeship (RTAP) model in which LEAs hire paid apprentices who complete an approved IHE program and receive college credit for on‑the‑job training.
At the June 23 meeting the Maryland Department of Education outlined its Grow Your Own (GYO) educators grant program and the state’s registered teacher apprenticeship (RTAP) initiative, designed to diversify and expand the teacher pipeline.
MSDE announced $19.4 million in GYO funding allocated in round one to 13 LEA‑union‑IHE collaboratives; MSDE received requests totaling roughly $47 million. The grants prioritize special education and elementary education, with additional awards to support early childhood and secondary STEM pathways.
Kelly Meadows (MSDE) and Dr. Jason Keys (Director of Educator Preparation and Development) described the RTAP model: participating LEAs hire apprentices as paid employees who receive on‑the‑job training from licensed “journey workers” (mentors), while completing an approved Maryland teacher‑preparation program. MSDE registered the apprenticeship with Maryland Department of Labor and serves as the program sponsor to coordinate compliance and joint apprenticeship and training committee (JATC) work.
A key feature: MSDE requires LEA/IHE partnerships to commit to awarding at least 24 college credits for the on‑the‑job apprenticeship training (more than the 12–16 credits often associated with traditional student‑teaching). The department said this requirement is intended to reduce barriers for working paraprofessionals and conditionally‑licensed educators who cannot afford unpaid practicums.
Four LEAs are already operating RTAP pilots; eight additional LEAs committed through round one. MSDE reported strong early demand — in some recruitment events hundreds of prospective applicants attended — and said round two of GYO grant applications was open with a June 30 deadline.
MSDE described technical supports: a joint apprenticeship and training committee, direct TA to collaboratives, and partnership with the National Center for Grow Your Own to help LEAs design sustainable programs. The department also flagged MSEA as a key partner in developing mentor training and journey‑worker supports.
What happens next: MSDE will monitor the first cohort, collect implementation data, expand cohorts in round two, and work with higher‑education partners and Maryland Higher Education Commission to scale the RTAP model.
Speakers and partners named at the session included Kelly Meadows and Dr. Jason Keys (MSDE), participating LEAs, community colleges and universities partnering as related instruction providers, the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA), Maryland Department of Labor and the National Center for Grow Your Own.
Why this matters: MSDE described GYO and RTAP as equity strategies to grow a diverse, paid pathway into teaching and to reduce systemic barriers that deter working paraprofessionals and adult candidates from completing teacher preparation.
