Spectrum News 1: Grant program helps universities retain, recruit more teachers
UC education student interviewed on her views toward the teaching profession
A nearly $25 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education is slated to help schools recruit, prepare, develop and keep teachers.
According to a Spectrum News 1 report, the University of Cincinnati is one of 22 schools to receive money from the five-year grants. In the first year, UC will receive $673,912.
The news heartens students like Cierra Gordon, a fourth-year education student at UC whom Spectrum interviewed regarding the grant announcement.
“I really just want to be able to make an impact on my community, on younger students, especially minority students who don’t have as much representation,” Gordon said in the interview.
It’s been estimated that there is a national teacher’s shortage that surpasses 500,000, post pandemic.
Despite current obstacles inherent to the profession such as salary, Gordon still hopes to become either a math or language arts teacher.
Featured image at top courtesy of the National Institutes for Health.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Putting preschool into perspective
July 20, 2026
Preschool and childcare can be difficult to navigate for parents, as Spectrum News 1 Ohio recently reported. Waitlists are long, and factors like cost, location and transportation can limit options. According to a recent study published by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, only 41% of 3- to 4-year-olds in Ohio were enrolled in preschool between 2020 and 2024 — a 4% decrease from pre-pandemic numbers. For University of Cincinnati early childhood education faculty member Chad Nunamaker, that statistic has caveats.
Ticks that survive pesticides can withstand colder winters
July 17, 2026
Ticks that survive less-than-lethal doses of pesticide are able to withstand dangerous cold, which could help them expand their range farther north, according to researchers at the University of Cincinnati and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Why does it feel like so many Cincinnati restaurants close?
July 17, 2026
WLWT and the Cincinnati Enquirer cited UC research in reports on recent restaurant closures in the city.