Earlier this year, the Trump administration abruptly canceled more than 100 federal teacher training grants that funded programs aimed at growing the K-12 educator workforce. While the administration argued the programs trained teachers on “divisive ideologies,” most states relied on them to address dire gaps in the labor market. As a result, states now have one less tool to support teacher recruitment and retention.

In South Carolina, this is a major issue: At the start of the 2024-25 school year, districts reported more than 1,000 unfilled teaching positions. Retention rates in South Carolina mirror national trends, with many teachers choosing to leave the profession after just a few years. Moreover, while over half of South Carolina’s students identify as people of color, only 22% of teachers do, and only 3% are Black men — a staggering gap that can negatively impact student achievement and engagement.

The Alternative Pathways to Educator Certification (APEC) Center at South Carolina’s Columbia College was created in 2018 to address these gaps in the state’s educator workforce. As South Carolina’s first Teacher Registered Apprenticeship Program and first alternative program to use a teaching-residency model, APEC provides aspiring teachers with an intensive, yearlong classroom residency under the guidance of a certified mentor. APEC also offers financial support and flexibility, allowing participants to remain employed in local schools while they earn their teaching certificate. Its design aligns with nationally recognized best practices, emphasizing coaching and development during the residency and into teachers’ first years in the classroom. To date, APEC has certified 108 teachers.

In 2022, APEC was awarded a $3.5 million grant from the federal Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) program to recruit and prepare 150 new teachers, especially teachers of color, for high-need subjects and schools; launch a yearlong development academy for mentor teachers; strengthen induction support for graduates; and equip teachers to meet the needs of diverse student populations. Through a mixed-methods internal evaluation, Bellwether worked with APEC over the last three years to help the organization assess its progress, concluding that APEC supported diversification of South Carolina’s teacher workforce, teacher preparedness, and teacher retention. Key findings from our 2023 to 2025 evaluation work include:

• More than 60% of participants in each APEC cohort identified as people of color, nearly triple state and national averages.
• APEC participants, mentors, and principals said that APEC prepared teachers for their first year, often even better than traditional education programs; 88% of APEC participants felt prepared to teach, with 85% of mentor teachers agreeing.
• APEC graduates stayed in the classroom, with more than 95% of participants joining as full-time teachers in their district upon completion of the residency, and 100% of those graduates continuing to teach for a second year.

The sudden cancellation of federal TQP funding has forced APEC to scale back dramatically despite these positive outcomes. For instance, APEC no longer has the resources to provide stipends to aspiring teachers who are not already employed by a school district, significantly limiting its pipeline. As one mentor teacher, Kerri Dilworth, said, “We have a male teaching assistant who was interested in APEC, but didn’t apply because funding was uncertain. We always need more male teachers, especially passionate ones. Losing them is detrimental.” APEC’s Director, Dr. Marla Sanders, also noted that when the program first heard about the grant cancellation, it stopped recruiting nondistrict employees — a shift that limits APEC’s recruitment pipeline by excluding recent college graduates who are interested in certification. 

APEC can also no longer offer stipends or professional development for mentor teachers, which are designed to help them manage the extra workload and earn recognition. Dilworth pointed out that she, “got $500 last semester and now [is] getting nothing[.] It’s a lot of extra work [without extra pay].” 

The program can also no longer offer graduates ongoing, in-person coaching. “We haven’t been able to offer the help that instructional coaches are supposed to provide, like helping participants set up and plan for their first week as a teacher,” explained Sanders. “When participants develop a good relationship with their coaches, I truly believe it helps with teacher retention.” Kailah Williams, an APEC graduate, also told us that while she still meets with her coach virtually, it isn’t as valuable as getting feedback from in-person observations: “We began the year, and my coach would come as much as I needed her to. She would observe and give me feedback. Now we meet virtually, but it’s not the same.”

Teacher residencies are most successful when the teachers are trained, supported, and mentored over time. Those involved with the APEC program emphasized that losing these supports due to federal funding cuts will likely worsen existing teacher shortages. “APEC brings quality teachers into the pipeline,” noted Mentor Teacher, Mary Burns. “If we continue to defund programs like these, the teacher shortage is going to get worse.” Dr. Timothy Blackwell, a principal who worked closely with APEC to fill teacher gaps, expressed a similar “[concern] that [APEC’s] ability to attract high-quality teachers will continue to be a major [issue] for schools and districts throughout South Carolina.”

Teacher residencies like APEC offer sustainable and effective pathways to growing and diversifying the teacher workforce, particularly in high-need communities. But to succeed, they need consistent and long-term funding. At a time when teacher shortages continue to escalate in critical subject areas, the work of programs like APEC is more vital than ever. Teacher shortages do not just affect staffing; they directly impact students who rely on skilled teachers to help them learn, grow, and succeed. As recent APEC graduate Charles McDonald aptly noted: “Programs like APEC equip veteran teachers to adapt to new challenges and prepare new educators to meet the demands of an ever-evolving educational landscape. If APEC hadn’t been available to me, my career trajectory — and my ability to impact students in my community — would look very different.” 

To learn more about how the service offerings and expertise of Bellwether’s evaluation practice area can meet your state or district’s needs, contact Daniela Torre Gibney at daniela.torregibney@bellwether.org.