Attract, Prepare, and Retain
Attract, Prepare, and Retain (APR) is a priority of Pennsylvania's Bureau of Special Education (BSE) with a primary focus that is three-fold:
- To Attract skilled, compassionate, and diverse individuals to the varied career options within the field of special education
- To Prepare special education personnel by building capacity through targeted professional development, technical assistance, and supports
- To Retain special education personnel long-term through the collective efforts of federal, state, and local entities.
APR Voices from the Field: Meet a Certified Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP)
Networking Opportunities:
APR Mentoring Project
The purpose of The APR Mentoring Project is to retain special education personnel, including Speech-Language Pathologists, and provide additional support to facilitate their growth as professionals.
For more information on the APR Mentoring Project for Speech-Language Pathologists, please visit: Bureau of Special Education - APR Mentoring Project
The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) has announced $250,000 in grant funding available to compensate master’s level Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) graduate students during their school-based placements in Pennsylvania LEAs during the 2024-2025 school year, encouraging more students to seek placements in schools and school communities. This funding is available to local education agencies (LEAs) that establish or expand school-based placements that provide high quality services to students, families, and school staff. LEAs can apply for a $5,000 stipend per master’s-level SLP, totaling $250,000 statewide.
For more information on the 2024-2025 Master’s Level Speech-Language Pathologist Stipend for School-Based Placements program, please visit:
Bureau of Special Education - 2024-2025 Master's Level SLP Stipend for School-Based Placements