Addressing Teacher Shortages at AACTE’s Annual Meeting: A Team Approach
As the Every Student Succeeds Act rolls back the direct federal involvement in improving student achievement and hands over much of that authority to states, lawmakers throughout the country will be examining a range of issues related to PK-12 education during their 2016 legislative sessions. One of the most pressing concerns on many states’ lists is teacher shortages.
At AACTE’s 2016 Annual Meeting next month in Las Vegas, a three-part series of panel discussions on the topic has been organized with the help of the Advisory Council of State Representatives:
Monday, February 22, 2:00 p.m.: Press Conference
Before the Annual Meeting officially starts, AACTE and Nevada educators will host a press conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to address the state’s chronic school staffing shortages. You can read more about the press conference here. If you would like to attend, RSVP by February 5 to Aaron Goldstein, AACTE manager of state policy and relations, at agoldstein@aacte.org. Space is limited, but we’d love to have you join us!
Tuesday, February 23, 1:45 p.m.: Major Forum
The second presentation in Las Vegas will be an AACTE major forum titled “A Regional Lens to Addressing Teacher Shortage and Distribution by Subject and Location” and will feature some of the same panelists as Monday’s press event. This discussion will focus on factors contributing to the western region’s teacher shortage and to the inequitable distribution of effective educators. Panelists will speak on how school staffing challenges impact their daily work and on what solutions and resources they believe might reverse the trend.
Thursday, February 25, 1:45 p.m.: Concurrent Session
Last but not least, we invited Hope Street Group’s 2015 National Teacher Fellows to present a concurrent session as the third installment in our series. This session focuses on strategies to stem the high rate of teacher attrition that plays a significant role in the school staffing crisis. The fellows will share perspectives gathered from current classroom teachers around the country on what kinds of teacher preparation, professional development, and engagement will lead to satisfied, career-long educators.
Please join us at one or more of these events to discuss challenges and creative solutions with various stakeholders from different levels of the education enterprise.
Tags: Annual Meeting, media, shortage, state affiliate, workforce development
