By Madeline Will — From EdWeek.org
October 17, 2022
To make sure schools are fully staffed, states are attempting a variety of strategies to bring more people into the classrooms—including those who haven’t gone through any sort of teacher training.
The pandemic has exacerbated teacher shortages in many regions and content areas, but the problem is not new: Enrollment in teacher-preparation programs has declined by more than a third over the past decade. Experts say a combination of low pay, poor working conditions, and a lack of public respect has deterred people from pursuing a career in the classroom. Teacher morale has declined since the pandemic, too, worsening the public perception of the job.
State policymakers are trying to bolster the teacher pipeline by proposing pay raises and pursuing alternative forms of teacher preparation. But those are longer-term strategies—state officials are also desperate to fill teacher vacancies as soon as possible.
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