UNC System awards $400,000 for teacher pathways at 15 institutions

The UNC System says it awarded $400,000 in grants to 15 institutions to develop teacher apprenticeships and other preparation pathways. Announced Oct. 12, 2026, the grants support programs still in development; the announcement reports no grant-funded candidates earning licenses or entering classrooms.

Examples include pathways for veterans and undergraduates at North Carolina State University; an accelerated master’s pathway focused on reading instruction at North Carolina A&T State University; recruitment work at UNC Charlotte; an earn-while-you-learn pathway at UNC Asheville; and a teaching-assistant licensure pathway being developed with Bladen County Schools at UNC Pembroke. The System says it is building apprenticeship tracks at each institution. It did not give a timeline for when the pathways will begin.

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction data show a 10.11% statewide teacher attrition rate in 2024–25, up from 9.88% in 2023–24. DPI’s statewide attrition measure, based on employment data reported by all 115 operational LEAs, counted 90,105 teachers and recorded 9,107 as state attrition. The report excludes charter-school attrition except when a teacher moves from an LEA to a charter school, which DPI classifies as statewide mobility. The measure tracks employment changes and does not necessarily mean someone left teaching.