PROGRAM UPDATE

TTT Program Update

The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program helps separating, discharged, and retired military personnel become certified and employed as K-12 teachers in public schools. Following the Defense-Wide Review of September 13, 2019, the Department decided to stop investing in the program in favor of other National Defense Strategy initiatives. As a result, the Department of Defense (DoD) sunset the program and its supporting infrastructure.

The FY22 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (Public Law 117-81) removed DoD’s discretion to operate the TTT program, so the Department had to reverse sunset activities and begin to rebuild the program. The 2022 Department of Defense Appropriations Act did not include a corresponding appropriation to support restarting the TTT program. However, the program received FY22 end of year funds to sustain grant agreements with state departments of education and will sustain program services in 25 states until May 14, 2023.

H E R E ' S W H A T ' S U P !

1 - PROGRAM UPDATE

3 - TEACH FOR AMERICA

5 - STATE CONTACTS

State grant services include:

Recruitment: Attracting and increasing the number of eligible current and former members of the Armed Forces into the TTT program.

Counseling: Guidance on state-specific alternative and traditional routes to teacher certification.

Referral: Connections to accredited teacher preparation programs and state credentialing agencies.

Barrier Reduction: Reducing barriers that prevent veterans from meeting teacher certification requirements for transitioning into teaching careers.

Innovative Education Models:

Implementation of educational models to award academic credit for prior experience and/or other relevant military training.

Employment Facilitation: Assistance with finding and preparing for job opportunities in local school districts experiencing teacher shortages.

Service members and veterans interested in teaching in one of the 25 states with grant services will be contacted by the state program for counseling and referral services. Listed at the end of this newsletter are states that currently offer TTT services. Service members and veterans interested in teaching within a state that does not have a state program will be contacted via email by the TTT program office in the coming weeks.