States are approaching registered teacher apprenticeship program (RTAP) creation and growth in different ways.

• States with active RTAPs currently have an approved RTAP registered with the Department of Labor or their respective state apprenticeship agency.
• States with active non-registered teacher apprenticeship programs have active teacher apprenticeship programs that are not registered with the Department of Labor. We created this distinction because these states seem to be building out infrastructure to easily register RTAPs with the DOL in the future.

RTAPs need a sponsor organization to be formally registered by the Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship (OA) or their respective State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA). The sponsor is largely responsible for the operation and administration of an RTAP, which includes defining the competencies apprentices must meet, the schedule for meeting these competencies and receiving wage increases, the ratio of mentors to apprentices, and the apprenticeship program’s governance structure (LPI). Sponsors can be employers (school districts), educational institutions, labor unions, government agencies, or other entities (ApprenticeshipUSA). Our 50-state scan separates states into two categories: Those where the state is the sponsor, and those where another entity, usually an EPP, is the sponsor.

In some cases, the SEA website clearly identifies whether the state is the sponsor. When SEA websites were unclear or lacked details, we used ApprenticeshipUSA’s Partner Finder tool. To use this resource, select the “Search By Need” tab. Input the state’s name or initials and, making sure “Search by Occupation” is checked, type “K-12 Teacher” into the bottom box. Select the following option from the dropdown menu: K-12 Teacher (25-3099.00: Teachers and Instructors, All Other). Finally, check the box “I want to learn from sponsors,” and click search.

In instances where the state is the RTAP sponsor, we identify which state entity oversees the operation and administration of RTAPs.

A registration agency is responsible for registering programs and apprentices, providing technical assistance, and ensuring that apprenticeship programs comply with federal law (LPI).  Some states have a state apprenticeship agency that has been recognized by the Department of Labor Office of Apprenticeship to act on behalf of the federal U.S. Department of Labor in registering and overseeing programs in their states. Apprenticeship USA tracks this information on their Apprenticeship System page.

In June 2023, the federal Office of Apprenticeship supported the development of the National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for K-12 Teacher Apprentices by The Pathways Alliance. Among other recommendations, these standards suggest: (1) a ratio of two apprentices to one journeyworker; (2) apprentices should be paid a progressively increasing schedule of wages; (3) apprentices must be at least 18 years old and should not serve as the teacher-of-record at any point during the apprenticeship; (4) apprentices should achieve program competencies within a minimum of 2,000 hours of on-the-job learning; and (5) the apprenticeship should lead to full state K-12 teacher licensure or certification.

States can choose to add their own program requirements or rules, however, which we track in these categories.

For this scan, “available state-level guidelines or rules” constitute any state-level legislation specifically pertaining to RTAPs, public statements or formal guidance published by SEAs instituting rules or eligibility requirements applicable to all RTAPs in the state, or rules and/or eligibility requirements on any SEA RTAP applications submitted to USDOL for approval.

This category captures how states describe the value and/or aims of their registered teacher apprenticeship programs, along with any additional information about the in-school clinical. In most instances, state descriptions of apprenticeship programs summarize program components. In other instances, such as Colorado, states specify on-the-job training hours and other requirements for in-school clinicals.

The National Guidelines for Apprenticeship Standards for K-12 Teacher Apprentices notably states that at no point during an apprenticeship program should an apprentice serve as the teacher of record. This category identifies states that explicitly reiterate this policy in rules or guidance.

Most states have relied on ARP and other federal grants to operate and sustain their growing RTAPs. These categories aim to identify states that are allocating non-federal dollars into RTAPs and, regardless of source, any public-facing information regarding RTAP investments. RTAPs are generally funded through a wide variety of grants at many levels of governance. We fully anticipate that our analysis missed certain funding sources, given the sheer complexity of the RTAP funding landscape. However, we still felt it was important to highlight any public-facing information showcasing how these programs are funded for transparency.

This category tracks whether the state has a webpage dedicated to registered teacher apprenticeship programs.

This category tracks additional information that does not fit into other categories.

This category tracks whether published RTAP information includes language emphasizing the importance of RTAPs in increasing teacher diversity. Information is pulled from state education agency websites, public addresses by state leaders, and relevant state apprenticeship partners.

This category uses ApprenticeshipUSA’s Apprentices by State Dashboard to show the total number of registered teacher apprenticeships in each state. It is worth noting that this data is updated slowly, as many states with active RTAPs appear to have zero apprentices in this database.

To use this resource, first select the tab “Apprentices by Program Location.” Next, click the dropdown menu under “Occupation,” deselect “All” option, and scroll down to select “K-12 Teachers.” Once you hit “Apply,” a map of the United States will populate with the updated number of teacher apprentices for each state.