Slippery Rock University Receives Grant to Train Veterans to be Teachers, Bernstine Says

State Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence) announced that Slippery Rock University, along with West Chester University in southeastern part of the state, will receive more than $272,000 in funding under the federal Troops to Teachers grant program.

“I believe the extensive training, vast experience and patriotism of our nation’s veterans make them excellent candidates to lead our classrooms,” Bernstine said. “Programs like Troops to Teachers help us give back in a small way to our veterans while putting some of our most upstanding citizens before our future generations.”

The Troops to Teachers grant program, managed by the Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES), provides institutions with funding to prepare eligible veterans to teach in one of Pennsylvania’s subject shortage areas.

Additionally, it aims to provide hard-to-staff schools with appropriately certified teachers. The program will enable veterans to gain critical skills and experience in the classroom, and help them with everything from navigating the certification process to securing a job in the field. Certification costs will also be discounted, and application processing will be expedited.

Under the program, veterans can earn a Pennsylvania instructional certificate to teach mathematics and the sciences in grades 7-12 and foreign languages across the K-12 spectrum. Veterans must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and register on the National Troops to Teachers registry to participate.

“Slippery Rock has an excellent education program, and I have no doubt the university and its professors will do a great job in providing our former service members with the skills and experience they need to be successful in our classrooms,” Bernstine said.