TEMPE, AZ (KNXV) — Finding special education teachers is increasingly difficult, as Arizona and states across the nation continue to face teacher shortages.
But Diamond Cobbs wants to be part of the solution.
"Students and adults with disabilities, they can't really speak up for themselves. And that goes again with the advocating," Cobbs said.
Cobbs is an instructional assistant apprentice at Rover Elementary in Tempe, helping students with special needs while learning from her mentor, special education teacher Katelyn Sweat.
"The turnover rate is a little high. And it's an intense job. You have kiddos with various amount of needs, so to find someone who has that recurring passion every single day when it can be daunting," Sweat said.
The Tempe Elementary School District is participating in the state's apprenticeship program specifically for special education for the first time this year. The district's pathways coordinator, William Shropshire, says it has been so successful that they are more than doubling the number of apprentices from three next semester.
"Programs like this give them that opportunity to be able to be in a classroom and change the lives of students," Shropshire said.
The program allows people like Cobbs to learn the ins and outs of the profession while also receiving help paying for school and more.
"I think it's huge to remove as many barriers as possible," Shropshire said.
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The need for special education teachers is dire. According to the Learning Policy Institute, 45 of 50 states have reported shortages in that department. According to data from two years ago from the National Center for Education Statistics,, 72% of public schools with vacancies in special education found difficulty filling those positions.
The state recently received a $5 million grant to help expand and continue the program and bring more people like Cobbs into the classroom.
“The grant will expand a program that currently serves more than 90 apprentices statewide, has doubled enrollment in the past year, and maintains a 97 percent apprentice retention rate. Nearly half of current apprentices are pursuing special education certification, demonstrating the strong demand for these pathways,” Superintendent Tom Horne said in a press release.
"It's rewarding to watch them grow, reach their milestones. It teaches me patience. A lot of patience. And I don't know what I would do if I wasn't working with them," Cobbs said.
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