OSERS-OSEP: Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.325J

Program Description: The purposes of the Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program are to (1) help address State-identified shortages and needs for personnel preparation in special education and early intervention, including infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities; and (2) ensure that those personnel have the necessary skills and knowledge, derived from practices that have been determined through scientifically based research, to be successful in serving those children. The purpose of the Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships competition is to fund cooperative agreements that support registered apprenticeship1 programs that attract, prepare, and retain special education teachers or early intervention personnel. This priority is particularly relevant for special education and early intervention, where high-quality preparation must be accessible, practice-based, and closely integrated with service delivery systems. Preparing qualified special education teachers and early intervention personnel through registered apprenticeship programs addresses critical workforce shortages, integrating work-based learning, and connecting preparation with local and State labor demands. 1Note: ED encourages applicants to consider the definition of Registered Apprenticeship Program as defined in 5 CFR 362.102 and 29 CFR part 29. Assistance Listing Number: 84.325J. Applicants are required to follow the 2025 Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on August 29, 2025 (90 FR 42234) and available at ED 2025 Common Instructions. Note: For new potential grantees unfamiliar with grantmaking at ED, please consult our “Getting Started with Discretionary Grant Applications” webpage.

State educational agencies (SEAs) and other public agencies, including IDEA Part C lead agencies and State apprenticeship agencies. Note: To meet the absolute priority, eligible applicants must be a State agency, and if not the SEA or IDEA Part C lead agency, the applicant must partner with the SEA or IDEA Part C lead agency to implement the project. Pursuant to 20 U.S.C. 1461(b)(2), other types of entities such as local educational agencies (LEAs), institutions of higher education (IHEs), and public charter schools, are not eligible to apply.

Criteria for selecting among grant applications will normally be selected from those in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR Part 75.210, and announced in the application package or the application notice in the Federal Register.

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Not Applicable.