YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown State University has announced the receipt of a $200,000 grant to increase the number of people entering the teaching profession with an emphasis on special education.

The YSU grant is part of the new statewide "Addressing Educator Shortages in Ohio" program paid for through $5.2 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

The Ohio Department of Education says the pandemic has created barriers that have worsened the shortage of recruiting and hiring qualified credentialed educators.

According to a recent Ed Week Research Center survey, one in four district leaders and principals are reporting severe staffing shortages; and according to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Secondary School Principals, 68 percent of principals surveyed are concerned about teacher shortages and report it has been more difficult to hire qualified teachers since COVID-19.

YSU's Beeghly College of Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, and Education will focus particularly on increasing the number of students preparing to teach special education. The College reports that, as of February, school districts in the Youngstown area alone reported 26 unfilled special education positions.

Under the initiative, YSU will work in collaboration with the Trumbull and Ashtabula County Educational Service Centers, as well as the Youngstown City and Liberty Local schools, to recruit traditional high school students, current YSU students, students in local community colleges, and others to explore getting bachelor's or master's degrees and entering the teaching profession.

“The program will help remove barriers for individuals looking to begin a career in education while fulfilling a workforce need in critical areas such as STEM instruction and special education,” said Gov. Mike Dewine.

The goals of the program include:

  • Recruit six cohorts of five master's degree-level students to enter special education programs
  • Recruit 30 students to enter bachelor's programs
  • Place 50 students in special education teaching positions in Mahoning, Trumbull, and Columbiana counties
  • Increase by 50 percent the number of black, indigenous, and people of color advancing to upper-division courses
  • Reduce by 50 percent the number of test attempts students need to pass state licensing exams.

Additional information on the grant process and funding is available at https://www.ohiohighered.org/educator-shortages.