HARRISBURG, Pa. — Eligible student teachers in Pennsylvania can receive $10,000 by applying for a new grant.
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) has announced that the student application for the new PA Student Teacher Support Program is now available on pheaa.org/StudentTeacher.
Ten years ago, Pennsylvania certified approximately 20,000 new teachers every year. Today, the Commonwealth reportedly certifies 5,000-6,000 new teachers every year.
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
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law Act 33 of 2023, establishing the $10 million PA Student Teacher Support Program, which provides $10,000 to eligible student teachers.
There is also an option to receive an additional $5,000 for student teachers in high-need areas. The program also provides up to $2,500 to cooperating teachers who will be working with and mentoring student teachers throughout the student-teacher experience.
Program recipients must commit to teaching in Pennsylvania for three years following the completion of their teaching certificate.
“Today, we are here as Democrats and Republicans, investing in commonsense solutions to address the real problems Pennsylvanians face. 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,” said Governor Josh Shapiro. “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.”
PHEAA is administrating the program for the Commonwealth. The application, along with additional program information, can be found here.
Pennsylvania student teachers who will be student teachers in the fall and spring semesters of the 2024-25 academic year are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Eligible student teachers will need to download or print the PDF application located on pheaa.org/StudentTeacher. Completed applications can be submitted via the PHEAA Account Access Portal, email, or fax.
The program will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis per-term basis.