Indiana University of Pennsylvania has received $349,511 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education through Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s Dual Credit Innovation Grant Program, with a goal of addressing the Commonwealth’s teacher shortage.
The “IUP Rising Educators Advancing through Dual Enrollment and Yearly College Credits” (READY) project will support high school students at the Indiana County Technology Center enrolled in the general education program who want to pursue a college degree in education—Rising Educators. There are currently 11 students in the RE first cohort.
Dean of IUP’s College of Education and Human Services Edel Reilly coauthored the grant proposal with Assistant Dean of the College of Education and Human Services Nicole Rice and faculty members Michelle Tweardy and Emily Wender. Input was also provided by Indiana County Technology Center Principal Michael Worthington.
The READY project will begin in June with work pertaining to course development and curricular revision and will conclude in June 2028.
In addition to providing funding for tuition and fees for the dual enrolled students, READY will provide transportation for students who need it to the IUP Indiana campus, the cost of faculty to instruct courses and serve as personalized advisors to the high school students, textbooks and other materials associated with the IUP coursework, and stipends for current IUP students who are teacher candidates to participate in mentoring and recruitment events.
In addition, funding will be used to support the development by IUP faculty members of a new course that incorporates the Pennsylvania Department of Education Common Ground Framework, specifically the Trauma-Aware Mental Health and Wellness Competencies.
This course, which will be ready for fall 2027, will explore practices for effective classroom management and educator professionalism, and connect positive behavioral interventions and supports, collaborative relationships, professional ethics, and legal statutes so that future teachers can develop trauma-informed, inclusive, and culturally responsive classroom practices.
Both the students in the READY program and current IUP undergraduate teacher candidates will take this new course.
Currently, there is an articulation agreement in place that guarantees nine college credits at IUP for students who complete the general education competency task list. The READY grant will enhance the agreement by allowing students to take additional courses on IUP’s campus, exposing them to college life, and increasing the chance of students pursuing a postsecondary degree in education, Dean Reilly said.
“This grant is designed to directly address the issue of teacher shortages in the region by increasing the number of students going into teaching locally and reducing the amount of time it takes enrolled students to complete an education degree,” she said.
“While the teacher shortage is prevalent across the state, teacher vacancies are most concentrated in urban and rural areas; the Indiana County Technology Center serves seven school districts in Indiana County, five of which are categorized as rural districts,” Reilly said in the grant proposal.
“The recent Act 88 report shows that 98 emergency permits were issued to Indiana County schools in 2023–24 alone because of a shortage of teachers,” Reilly said in the proposal. “Data shows that “grow-your-own” programs—like READY—that have strong partnerships with educator preparation program providers can be effective at relieving local teacher shortages.”
The high school students in READY will take a combination of First Learning Year (FLY) courses, designed to develop academic, social, and personal skills needed for college success, and courses in humanities required of all teacher candidates.
“The high school students will take courses with traditional IUP undergraduate students, which will strengthen an understanding of the skills needed to succeed in higher education and build engagement with the IUP community,” Reilly said.
“In addition to the formal coursework that the high school students will complete, the READY program offers multiple touchpoints for these students, including campus tours, visits to IUP’s educator preparation program and with current IUP teacher candidates, opportunities to hear from IUP faculty speakers on the topic of education, and structured meet and greets.”
Ultimately, the students can earn up to 12 credits that apply to education majors before graduating high school; IUP requires 120 credits to complete a bachelor’s degree.
IUP’s dual enrollment program invites qualified high school students to enroll in selected IUP courses, both online and in-person on the Indiana and Punxsutawney campuses, while completing their high school coursework. Courses are all taught by IUP faculty.
A total of 125 students were enrolled in dual enrollment classes at IUP during the fall 2025 semester from 26 high schools; a total of 153 students from 27 high schools are at IUP through the dual enrollment program during the spring semester.
In fall 2024, IUP reduced the per-credit cost (tuition and fees) for dual-enrolled students to $100 per credit. For the past decade, the Punxsutawney Area College Trust, a longtime supporter of IUP and its students, funds all costs for students from Punxsutawney Area High School and students in the district, which permits them to enroll in classes at IUP Punxsutawney tuition-free.
In 2025, IUP received funding of $808,454 from the Pennsylvania Department of Education for a project to support dual enrollment students interested in health-related careers in the Armstrong, Apollo Ridge, Freeport, Homer-Center, Indiana Area, Leechburg, Marion Center, Penns Manor Area, Purchase Line, and United school districts. This grant proposal was authored by Meigan Robb in the Department of Nursing and Lei Hao in the Department of Allied Health.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. As IUP celebrates its 150th anniversary during the 2025–26 academic year, the university honors a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, leadership in healthcare education, and public service.