Teacher Recruitment and Retention
Does the state offer a pathway, program or incentive through statute or regulation to recruit paraprofessionals into the teaching profession?
October 2019
Overview: Twenty-three states offer a pathway, program or incentive through statute or regulation to recruit paraprofessionals into the teaching profession.
50-State Comparisons on each data point are here.
50-State Comparisons on each data point are here.
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STATE
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Does the state offer a pathway, program or incentive through statute or regulation to recruit paraprofessionals into the teaching profession?
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Source
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|---|---|---|
| Arizona | No. | N/A |
| Delaware | No. | N/A |
| District of Columbia | No. | N/A |
| Florida | No. | N/A |
| Hawaii | No. | N/A |
| Indiana | No. | N/A |
| Iowa | No. | N/A |
| Kansas | No. | N/A |
| Maine | No. | N/A |
| Michigan | No. | N/A |
| Mississippi | No. | N/A |
| Missouri | No. | N/A |
| Montana | No. | N/A |
| Nebraska | No. | N/A |
| Nevada | No. | N/A |
| New Hampshire | No. | N/A |
| New York | No. | N/A |
| North Dakota | No. | N/A |
| Oklahoma | No. | N/A |
| Pennsylvania | No. | N/A |
| Rhode Island | No. | N/A |
| South Carolina | No. | N/A |
| Tennessee | No. | N/A |
| Vermont | No. | N/A |
| West Virginia | No. | N/A |
| Wisconsin | No. | N/A |
| Wyoming | No. | N/A |
| New Jersey | No. Except that statute allows a paraprofessional who is enrolled in a teacher preparation program and is employed in a school district that receives Title I funding to perform student teaching in their district. It also requires the district to allow a modified work schedule for a paraprofessional who is student teaching. | N.J. Stat. Ann. § 18A:27-10.4 |
| Alaska | Yes. State regulation establishes a limited certificate in the specialty area of Alaska Native culture for instructional aides who are currently enrolled in a teacher education program and outlines the supports that must be included in the plan to offer this certificate. | Alaska Admin. Code tit. 4, § 12.375 |
| Idaho | Yes. State regulation establishes that alternative routes to teacher certification are specifically designed for paraprofessionals. | Idaho Admin. Code r. 08.02.02.007 |
| Oregon | Yes. State regulation establishes the Oregon Minority Educator Pipeline Models Grant which provides funds to school districts and postsecondary institutions for the creation of a number of collaborative processes, including creating a career pathway model for district employees to recruit future educators who are culturally and linguistically diverse. | Or. Admin. R. 581-018-0406 |
| Alabama | Yes. State regulation requires that professional learning must include activities that create programs to enable paraprofessionals to obtain the education necessary to become licensed teachers. | Ala. Admin. Code 290-4-3-.01 |
| Georgia | Yes. Statute authorizes and directs the state board of education to create a program that provides professional development stipends to paraprofessionals to pursue education that will allow them to become certified teachers. | Ga. Code Ann. § 20-2-217 |
| Ohio | Yes. Statute authorizes the department of education to establish a grant program that may include supporting the implementation of Grow Your Own programs. | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3319.57 |
| Utah | Yes. Statute creates the Paraeducator to Teacher Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to paraeducators for education and training to become licensed teachers. | Utah Code Ann. § 53F-5-205 |
| Washington | Yes. Statute creates the Pipeline for Paraeducators Conditional Scholarship Program, which supports paraeducators who wish to become teachers by providing financial aid for the completion of an associate of arts degree. | Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 28B.102.0006 |
| Virginia | Yes. Statute creates the Virginia Teaching Scholarship Loan Program with the purpose of increasing the number of candidates pursuing teaching careers, including paraprofessionals, in critical teacher shortage areas. | Va. Code Ann. § 22.1-290.01 |
| South Dakota | Yes. Statute establishes a paraprofessional tuition assistance scholarship program to allow paraprofessionals at qualifying schools to pursue full teacher certification. | S.D. Codified Laws § 1-54-21 |
| New Mexico | Yes. Statute establishes a program and a fund that support education assistants in becoming teachers. | HB 20 (2019) |
| Maryland | Yes. Statute establishes that teaching assistants are eligible to be recipients of the Teaching Fellows for Maryland scholarship if they are accepted to or enrolled in a program that will lead to a Maryland professional teacher's certificate. | Md. Code Ann., Educ. § 18-2203 |
| Minnesota | Yes. Statute establishes that the alternative teacher professional pay system may help fund a Grow Your Own initiative involving nonlicensed education professionals including paraprofessionals. | Minn. Stat. Ann. § 122A.414 |
| California | Yes. Statute establishes the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program to recruit classified school employees (including paraprofessionals) to enroll in teacher training programs. | Cal. Educ. Code Ann. § 44393 |
| Texas | Yes. Statute requires that the Texas Education Agency transfer excess funds in the charter school liquidation fund to support a grant program established by the agency to assist current paraprofessionals in pursuing the credentials to become full-time teachers. In addition, to be eligible to participate in the Texas Teacher Residency Program, candidates must hold a bachelor's degree and either be a mid-career professional from outside the field of education or be a certified educator such as a teaching assistant. | Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 12.141 Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 21.803 |
| Massachusetts | Yes. Statute requires the board of higher education to establish a program that provides grants to paraprofessionals pursuing a bachelor's degree in order to become teacher in the commonwealth. | Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 15A, § 19 |
| Colorado | Yes. Statute requires the department of education to convene meetings with local education providers and educator preparation programs to assist them in creating educator preparation initiatives to submit for grant funding, which may include programs to provide educator preparation for paraprofessionals. | Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 23-78-203 |
| Kentucky | Yes. Statute requires the department of education to develop a plan for recruitment to the teaching profession, including a program encouraging paraprofessionals to become teachers. | Ky. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 161.167 |
| Connecticut | Yes. Statute requires the department of education to develop or review and approve a new alternate route to certification program leading to initial licensure for people in certain professions to be teachers, including paraeducators. | Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 10-145w |
| Louisiana | Yes. Statute requires the department of education to establish a program to assist paraprofessionals to meet the qualifications for teacher certification. | La. Stat. Ann. § 17:7.4 |
| Illinois | Yes. Statute requires the Grow Your Own Illinois program to consider paraeducators as potential candidates for recruitment. | 110 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. 48/20 |
| Arkansas | Yes. Statute requires the Office for the Purpose of Teacher Recruitment to encourage teachers' aides and paraprofessionals to pursue education that will allow them to become licensed teachers. | Ark. Code Ann. § 6-17-310 |
| North Carolina | Yes. Statute requires the state board to adopt a program to support teacher's assistants in becoming teachers. | N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 115C-269.30 |