New AmeriCorps Rules: Unlocking Another Resource to Prepare a Stronger Teacher Workforce

This post was originally published by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), and is part of the blog series, Solving Teacher Shortages, which highlights innovative and evidence-based initiatives and explores policy options and other approaches to building a strong and stable teacher workforce.

The latest counts show that more than 400,000 teaching positions—about one out of eight—are either unfilled or filled by people not fully qualified for their positions. Going into the 2024–25 school year, these shortages continue to impact schools and districts in all 50 states and Washington, DC, with schools struggling to find qualified teachers, especially in critical areas like math, science, and special education.

A major contributor to teacher shortages is early departures, which are higher among those with the least preparation. Candidates who complete comprehensive preparation, like teacher residencies and other programs with strong student teaching and coursework, are not only more likely to stay for the long haul; they are also more effective teachers.

However, for too many teacher candidates, financial barriers prevent those hoping to teach from accessing, affording, and completing comprehensive preparation. In fact, a significant portion of teachers—60%, or 2.1 million teachers—have turned to loans to finance their preparation, and nearly four of every 10 teachers are still in repayment. Meanwhile, federal service scholarship and loan forgiveness programs have not kept up with rising college costs.

AmeriCorps As a Funding Source for Comprehensive Preparation Programs

Going into debt is not the only path into the teaching profession. Educator preparation programs (EPPs) that can tap philanthropic or government funding can reduce the financial burdens of becoming a teacher by covering tuition, subsidizing housing, or providing a stipend or salary during candidates’ clinical experience. Likewise, loan forgiveness and service scholarships that match the cost of preparation can ease or eliminate debt burdens.

AmeriCorps’s State and National program (referred to as AmeriCorps) is one source of funding that can be used to start or grow comprehensive EPPs; EPPs can also use these funds to ease candidates’ financial burdens. For example, EPPs that are AmeriCorps grantees can use funding to provide teacher candidates with a living stipend during a yearlong clinical experience. Upon completion of each year of AmeriCorps service, these teachers are eligible to receive up to two Segal Education Awards that can be used to pay off existing loan balances or to fund additional postsecondary education. The award is equivalent to the maximum Federal Pell Grant award, so for those teaching full-time over the past two academic years, the total benefit is nearly $14,800.

While AmeriCorps can be a source of funding for programs to blend and braid as they scale up, improve, or expand their work, doing so is not always a straightforward proposition for EPPs.

Until recently, program regulations strictly limited the time AmeriCorps members could spend on “education and training” to 20% of their total service hours. For example, a full-time AmeriCorps member whose term is 1,700 hours could only spend 340 hours on education and training. While this rule aimed to ensure members focused on service, it would create challenges for EPPs that require in-depth, rigorous coursework to properly prepare candidates for the classroom.

In May 2024, AmeriCorps finalized new rules, one of which introduced a waiver to this 20% limit. The rule, effective October 1, 2024, and applicable to grantees funded in the Fiscal Year 2025 competition, allows apprenticeship, job readiness, and job preparation programs; programs that carry activities to support GED or credentialing attainment; or programs that primarily enroll economically disadvantaged members to apply for a waiver. The waiver permits up to 50% of members’ aggregate hours to be dedicated to education and training activities.

An EPP can qualify for the waiver under the category of “job readiness and preparation program.” This allows full-time AmeriCorps members serving 1,700 hours to spend up to 850 hours in a college classroom, taking courses before or during their clinical experience. The remaining hours can be dedicated to service, like teaching under the guidance of a mentor teacher.

This added flexibility potentially unlocks a meaningful source of much-needed funding for comprehensive preparation programs and the candidates they prepare.

One Needed Change Among Many

The new rule is a promising change for EPPs looking to AmeriCorps as a way to address the high cost of quality preparation. In addition to this rule change, there are other ways the administration and Congress could make the AmeriCorps program more viable as a source of EPP funding. Potential changes to further improve the AmeriCorps program as a viable path for EPPs include the following:

• Introducing education-specific performance measures focused on teacher preparation, rather than on student outcomes, which are typically the responsibility of the mentor teacher of record, not the trainee. 
• Increasing the living allowance to a level that makes it affordable for future teachers to participate in high-quality teacher preparation.
• Offering guidance and support for those applying for grants and streamlining the process for documenting service hours.

The new AmeriCorps rule allowing more time for “education and training” is significant for comprehensive educator preparation programs hoping to access the program as a source of funding. This change helps make high-quality teacher training accessible to future educators, ultimately helping to address the nation’s shortage of qualified teachers.