New PA Student Teacher Support Program addresses shortage

Listen to this article

Eligible student teachers in Pennsylvania can receive $10,000, and an additional $5,000 available in high need areas through a new PA Student Teacher Support Program. 

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) announced that applications are available for a program designed to deal with a shortage that has seen the state’s certification of new teachers drop from 20,000 per year 10 years ago to 5,000 to 6,000 per year.

“We want more Pennsylvanians to become teachers – and that’s why we fought to include $10 million for student teacher stipends in last year’s budget and why my budget this year boosts funding for the Student Teacher Support Program to $15 million,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a statement. “This investment is commonsense, and it has strong bipartisan support – let’s come together to increase our support for our new teachers and show Pennsylvanians that their state government is working for them.”

The PA Student Teacher Support Program is designed to: 

• Address the financial strain caused by student teaching requirements. 
• Incentivize completion at local education agencies and non-public schools that struggle to attract educators. 
• Reduce teacher shortages in Pennsylvania. 
• Incentivize cooperating teacher participation.

Act 33 of 2023, signed into law by Shapiro, establishes the $10 million PA Student Teacher Support Program. Program recipients must commit to teaching in Pennsylvania for three years after completing their certification.

“This program aims to address the financial challenges that has turned so many potential teachers away from this rewarding and much-needed career,” said Sen. Wayne Fontana, PHEAA board chairman. “As a long-term member of the PHEAA Board of Directors, I know that this program is in the right hands with PHEAA administering it.”

Pennsylvania student teachers who will be student teachers in the fall and spring semesters of the 2024-25 academic year are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. 

“This is a great moment for educators and our schools, but our fight is not over,” said Sen. Vincent Hughes, a co-prime sponsor of the bill. “The $10 million is estimated to cover stipends for approximately 650 student teachers, yet PDE estimates we’ll have thousands of student teachers in the 2024-25 academic year. We must do more to fund this program so stipends are available to more student teachers well into the future.”

Sen. Ryan Aument, PHEAA board member and co-prime sponsor of the bill, said he and Hughes recognized the impact that the teacher shortage is having on children and on the state.

“The PA Student Teacher Support Program is exactly what we need to inspire future educators and make this an affordable career choice for them,” said Aument.