ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Governor Wes Moore on Wednesday unveiled $19 million in expanded Grow-Your-Own Educators Grant Program awards aimed at turning non-licensed school staff into fully certified teachers, with new priority given to programs that recruit and retain male educators who are men.
The announcement highlighted a near-50 percent drop in statewide teacher vacancies over the past year — from 1,619 at the start of the 2024-25 school year to 886 for 2025-26 — which the administration attributes to ongoing recruitment and retention investments.
“Through our strategic investments, Maryland has cut the teacher shortage in half — but we still have work to do,” Moore said. “Today, we accelerate our push to close the educator shortage by leveraging an untapped resource in our state: Maryland’s young men and boys.”
Men currently make up only 23 percent of Maryland’s public school teachers. Grant applicants that present clear plans to increase male representation in the profession will receive priority consideration under the expanded program.
State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carey M. Wright praised the approach.
“These initiatives will help Maryland recruit and retain the excellent teachers our students deserve,” Wright said. “By equipping educators with the tools, knowledge, and networks they need to succeed, we are not only improving instruction, we are building a stronger, more resilient educator workforce.”
The governor also formalized a three-year partnership between the Governor’s Office on Children — specifically its Young Men and Boys Initiative — and the American Institutes for Research (AIR). The collaboration, backed by $6 million in philanthropic funding from the AIR Opportunity Fund, will supply research, evaluation, and technical assistance to state efforts supporting young men and boys.
“Teacher shortages and the need for more men in the classroom are real — and solvable,” said AIR Opportunity Fund Executive Director Dr. Rashawn Ray. “Through our partnership with the State of Maryland, AIR will lift up best practices and proven methods delivered by rigorous evidence that increase recruitment of teachers and provide strong on-ramps into the teaching profession.”
Wednesday’s grant round marks the first under the fully expanded Grow-Your-Own program authorized by the 2025 Excellence in Maryland Public Schools Act. The law also funds recruitment campaigns and debt-free licensure pathways.
The announcement builds on a series of Moore-Miller Administration teacher workforce initiatives launched over the past year, including:
- The Feds to Eds program helping federal workers transition to teaching careers amid federal layoffs
- Maryland’s first state-sponsored registered apprenticeship for teachers
- A $1 million Teacher Quality and Diversity Grant program
- A national recruitment partnership with teach.org
State education officials say the combination of local pipeline development, targeted diversity efforts, and alternative certification routes has driven the sharp decline in vacancies heading into the current school year.
