By: Megan Simpson January 14, 2026
Dr. Laura Barnett (center) discusses a leadership case study with Master of Arts in
Education in educational leadership studies students at Austin Peay State University. This master’s program — now the first federally-registered principal apprenticeship
in Tennessee — prepares students to serve as instructional leaders. | Photo by Megan
Simpson
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. — Austin Peay State University’s Eriksson College of Education recently launched Tennessee’s first Principal Registered Apprenticeship Program (PRAP),
a groundbreaking initiative to train the next generation of school leaders through a federally approved “earn while
you learn” model.
The program has already secured partnerships with 54 Tennessee school districts, with 120 aspiring principals enrolled in the accelerated master’s degree program
this fall through the apprenticeship pathway.
“Partnering with APSU on this groundbreaking apprenticeship program is an exciting
step forward,” said Tennessee’s Commissioner of Education Lizzette Reynolds. “Together, we’re breaking down barriers for Tennessee’s future principals and strengthening
the leaders our schools need to thrive.”
The PRAP marks a historic milestone for Tennessee education, applying the successful registered
apprenticeship model — traditionally used in skilled trades — to school leadership
preparation. Participants will work as paid apprentices in their school districts
while completing a Master of Arts in Education in educational leadership studies through APSU, receiving full-tuition scholarships and mentorship from experienced
principals.
“This ‘earn while you learn’ model removes the biggest barriers — tuition, time away
from work, and distance from quality programs — so talented educators across urban,
suburban, and rural communities can advance into leadership,” said Dr. John McConnell,
interim dean of the Eriksson College of Education. “It’s a practical, affordable,
and scalable approach that keeps rising leaders rooted in the schools and communities
they already serve. It also aligns what districts need with how we prepare leaders.”
The program has secured $800,000 in federal funding through the Tennessee Department of Education, which serves as the official sponsor
of the registered apprenticeship program. The grant provides up to $6,425 per apprentice
to cover tuition and program costs in the 2025-26 academic year.
This initiative also addresses a critical need. According to national research, principal turnover rates remain higher than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with many districts struggling to
find qualified candidates. Traditional principal preparation programs often require
educators to reduce their work hours or take on significant debt — barriers that discourage
talented teachers from pursuing leadership roles.
How the Program Works
APSU’s PRAP eliminates these obstacles. Participants complete a fully online master’s degree
in an accelerated one-year format — 10 courses delivered in 7.5-week terms from August
2025 through July 2026.
School districts nominate candidates and enter PRAP partnership agreements with APSU.
Districts provide a mentor principal from the candidate’s building and coordinate
release time for job-embedded leadership work. These mentors guide apprentices through real-world challenges, while APSU faculty deliver evidence-based
instruction aligned with Tennessee Instructional Leadership Standards.
“The whole program is intended to be driven by the needs of the district,” said Dr. Christi
Maldonado, Eriksson College of Education associate dean and assistant program coordinator.
“This is a way for them to take people who are in their schools already and in their
communities and have multiple layers of support to get them ready to fulfill needed
leadership roles.”
While enrolled, participants receive an aspiring instructional leader license, enabling
them to serve in administrative roles before graduation.
A New Model for School Leadership Development
The apprenticeship structure represents a fundamental shift in how Tennessee prepares
school leaders. PRAP creates formal partnerships between universities, school districts,
and the state.
“The biggest difference in this route is that there is a contract with the student’s
district,” said Dr. Laura Barnett, Eriksson College of Education associate dean and
program coordinator. “They’ve been nominated by their district. They are being given
support by their district, and they have the state that is overseeing it to make sure
that there’s quality and fidelity.”
This three-way commitment ensures candidates receive coordinated support throughout
their training and follows in the steps of states like North Dakotawhich launched principal apprenticeships in the U.S. in 2023.
“Everything that they’re learning on the theory side, they’re getting to view through
the lens of what’s happening in their particular school and their districts and their
communities,” Maldonado said. “I anticipate that people who graduate from the program
are not going to have as much of a gap and a learning curve to step into leadership.
Hundreds of students have graduated from Austin Peay State University’s Master of
Arts in Education program in Educational Leadership Studies in recent years, and program leaders are excited to experience continued growth as they implement
the new apprenticeship model for this school leadership degree.
Building on a Foundation of Innovation
This principal apprenticeship model builds on APSU’s pioneering work in teacher preparation.
In January 2022, the university’s partnership with the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System became the first federally registered teaching apprenticeship program in the U.S. — a model that has since been replicated nationwide.
The Grow Your Own Teacher Residency emerged from a collaboration between APSU’s Eriksson College of Education and CMCSS
to address the national teacher shortage. The innovative approach provided recent
high school graduates and teacher’s aides with an accelerated, tuition-free path to
become licensed educators in three years while working as paid residents in local schools.
The success was immediate and dramatic. By August 2022, APSU graduated its first cohort
of 40 teacher apprentices — students like Malachi Johnson, who earned his bachelor’s
degree just three years after high school and immediately began teaching at Byrns
Darden Elementary School. The program’s impact caught national attention, with the
White House citing APSU’s model in its 2022 plan to address nationwide teacher shortages.
Tennessee became the first state to receive U.S. Department of Labor approval for
a permanent Teacher Occupation Apprenticeship framework, enabling multiple Grow Your Own partnerships statewide. The initiative garnered praise from U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and
U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, who called it “a bold solution to cultivate teaching
talent.”
About the Eriksson College of Education
The Eriksson College of Education prepares dynamic teachers and educational leaders
to positively impact communities and schools in the 21st century. The college offers
initial and advanced licensure and non-licensure programs. The college’s programs,
including the nationally known Grow Your Own Teacher Residency, are accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP).
For more information, visit apsu.edu/education.
