Nebraska Department of Education Awarded Nearly $4.9 Million: Five-Year Federal Grant Expands Special Education Teacher Apprenticeships
The Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) announced on November 2 that it has been awarded a federal grant totaling approximately $4.9 million over five years to expand and strengthen registered apprenticeship pathways for special education teachers across Nebraska. The grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, will support the Nebraska Special Education Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program, with nearly $885,000 in first-year funding.
The project period began October 1, 2026, and continues through September 30, 2031. Registered apprenticeships offer a paid, work-based route into the classroom: apprentices are typically already working in schools, often as paraeducators, earning a wage while completing the coursework and training required for special education licensure.
Nebraska, like many states, faces an ongoing shortage of special education teachers. State officials say the apprenticeship model lowers the financial barrier for people already working in schools — staff who know the students and the classrooms — to become fully licensed special education teachers, helping districts build a more stable workforce from within.
The award comes through the Education Department's discretionary grant program 'Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Ed Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships' (Assistance Listing 84.325J). The department's published list of fiscal year 2026 grantees includes the Nebraska Department of Education for the award.
The state agency says the five-year investment will widen the program's reach and help more Nebraska districts fill special education vacancies. More information about educator workforce initiatives at NDE is available at education.ne.gov.
(Source: Nebraska Department of Education)
Source: Nebraska Department of Education
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 内布拉斯加州议会大厦，位于林肯市。图片来自 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 4.0。 / The Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. Image via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
