Wichita State University is expanding its Teacher Apprentice Program (TAP) to include new middle-school-level math and science pathways to address critical teacher shortages across Kansas. 

The expanded program will prepare paraprofessionals to become licensed teachers for grades 5-8, helping school districts keep educators in communities that have struggled to recruit and retain qualified candidates. 

Enrollment is now open, and the first cohort — limited to 30 middle-level science and 30 math candidates — will begin this fall.  

“The middle-level math and science TAP programs address the problem of too few teachers being recruited in underserved areas,” said Dr. Julie Thiele, associate professor in the Teacher Apprentice Program and chair of Teacher Apprenticeship Pathways, Literacy and Special Education. “After engaging in several meetings with the partner districts, it was determined that school districts participating in this program desire to build a grow-your-own program to attract candidates from within the area being served.” 

The program uses an inverted curriculum designed to strengthen candidates’ classroom effectiveness early in their training. This inverted curriculum emphasizes professional courses to heighten classroom skills and instructional success for the paraprofessionals. Coursework builds incrementally on foundational knowledge gained each semester in TAP, with a focus on co-teaching models of classroom instruction, principles of effective pedagogy and classroom management — all designed to complement their experience in the classroom and prepare them for success as a licensed teacher.  

Coursework is delivered through online platforms, with eight- and 16-week sessions and opportunities for virtual synchronous learning. Students continue working as paraprofessionals while earning their licensure. 

Kansas schools continue to face significant shortages in STEM teaching positions, particularly at the middle school level. In fall 2025, there were 119 secondary science vacancies statewide and 108 secondary math vacancies. 

The new pathways build on the success of Wichita State’s existing TAP in elementary and early childhood unified education. Enrollment in spring 2026 was 664 students in 180 school districts throughout Kansas. 

Like the original model, the middle-level program allows paraprofessionals to remain employed in their local districts while completing coursework online and gaining practical classroom experience. 

Middle-level TAP science and math programs will allow Kansas schools to grow their own middle-level science and math teachers, in partnership with WSU’s TAP faculty, building on the success of the TAP for elementary and early childhood unified education. 

In many districts, ongoing vacancies have led schools to rely on non-licensed substitutes in middle school classrooms. The expanded TAP pathways are designed to provide a sustainable pipeline of fully prepared teachers. 

“With the middle-level math and science TAP, fifth- through 8th-grade students will benefit from more skilled paraprofessionals and a recurring pool of qualified classroom teachers to fill vacancies,” Thiele said. 

The program also offers economic benefits for participants and their communities. 

“Paraprofessionals will have a chance of earning a better income by becoming a licensed teacher, improving their financial security and the economic prosperity of their communities,” Thiele said. 

Each participant receives support from a trained mentor who provides feedback on lesson planning and classroom instruction throughout the program. 

Wichita State partners with school districts across Kansas to deliver TAP programs, aligning coursework with district needs and ensuring candidates gain relevant, hands-on experience in their own communities. 

“The benefits of these programs impact Kansas students, schools, citizens and communities,” Thiele said. 

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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