Arkansas: $700K federal grant to train more SPED teachers given
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas will use a federal grant to train more special education teachers and, for the first time, prepare developmental therapists through a registered apprenticeship that pays them while they learn.
The Arkansas Department of Education said the U.S. Department of Education awarded $702,324 for the first year of the Arkansas Special Education and Early Intervention Registered Apprenticeship Project. The five-year project could receive more than $4.3 million through September 2031, subject to annual continuation approval and the availability of federal funds.
The grant will expand existing apprenticeships for special education teachers and launch the state’s first registered apprenticeship for developmental therapists, who serve infants and toddlers with disabilities through early intervention.
“Through LEARNS, Arkansas made a commitment to better prepare the teachers and early learning educators that serve our children, and this grant helps us keep it,” Secretary of Education Jacob Oliva said. “Future educators can train for these jobs while they work in their own communities, with mentors beside them, and no tuition debt at the end. That is how we grow a workforce that stays.”
The award came through the federal Fiscal Year 2026 Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel through Registered Apprenticeships competition. . . .
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