INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WOWO):  The Indiana Department of Education wants to make it easier to become a STEM teacher.  The department issued a release Monday that it is creating a new Indiana STEM Educator Expansion initiative that will fund tuition, books and material fees from prospective STEM teachers.

That includes both for teachers licensed in other subject area and prospective teachers who are not licensed but have a bachelor’s degree. The announcement comes as the IDOE pushes a series of initiatives to increase investments in STEM education, which centers on science, technology, engineering and math.

“Building off the success of the I-SEAL (special education) and I-TELL (English learner) initiatives, I-STEM will allow us to expand our focus and strengthen our teacher pipeline in additional high-need areas, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics,” said Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education. “In today’s technology-driven world, it has never been more important for every Indiana student to have access to high-quality STEM instruction, and this starts with ensuring we have the very best and brightest educators in the classroom.”

Middle and high school math and life sciences were identified as teacher shortage areas last school year, according to the U.S. Department of Education.