It was bound to happen sooner or later. All of the teachers’
union bashing, low salaries, unrealistic demands on teacher performance and
layoffs made during the recessions have succeeded in creating a teacher shortage.
With all of the negative press, who would want to become a teacher? So the
question remains, after all of that negative energy, how to we attract new
teachers to the profession- the profession that prepares students for all other
professions?
According to the Hechinger Report, enrollment in teacher
preparation programs in California (a state with perennial teacher shortages)
dropped from 719,000 in 2008-09 to 499,800 is 2012-13. Throughout the country
there persists shortages in math, science and the STEM subjects of technology
and engineering. In an analysis of the issue, researchers have noted that there
are flaws in both the recruitment and retention programs. Problems tend to be
exacerbated in certain states that have unique and specific educational
policies regarding the hiring, certification and evaluation of teachers.
With the teaching profession comprising approximately 4% of
the civilian labor force, teacher employment can move the national workforce
needle. Since the nation has been down this road before, it behooves us to
develop a comprehensive plan for recruitment of bright and talented teacher
candidates. This can be accomplished with incentives, such as scholarships,
signing bonuses, professional development programs, and incentives to stay in the profession. Beyond that we need
to raise the importance of teaching the public consciousness and to raise the
level of respect for the profession.
C.2016 J. Margolis
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