Webinar and Report Draw National Attention to Pandemic’s Effect on Educator Preparation
As PK-12 schools, colleges, and universities around the country cope with the surge of coronavirus cases, AACTE’s fall 2021 member survey is drawing public attention to the pandemic’s continuing impact on educator preparation. The teacher shortage is now front-page news, and AACTE’s survey is providing vital information on how COVID-19 is affecting the supply of new teachers, counselors, and other educators.
AACTE members can access a free copy of the survey report and view a short video summary of key results. A new infographic provides a quick visual representation to share on social media.
Since spring 2020, when schools and colleges around the country switched to online instruction due to COVID-19, AACTE has periodically surveyed members on the impact of the pandemic on educator preparation. The new report updates that series with information collected in fall 2021. It describes how conditions have changed since 2020, highlighting the lasting effects of the pandemic.
The report contains a lot of good news regarding the resumption of in-person instruction and field experience and the easing of enrollment and budget reductions. Nonetheless, the effects of COVID-19 linger for many institutions, with a sizable minority of respondents reporting significant enrollment losses, budget cuts, and staffing reductions. State licensing requirements have been reinstated, but some states are creating opportunities for prospective teachers to circumvent those rules, which may negatively affect enrollment in educator preparation programs and exacerbate the shortage of profession-ready educators in the workforce.
Report author Jacqueline King and Vice President for Research, Policy and Advocacy Jacqueline Rodriquez will be presenting on the survey — as well as AACTE’s other research on the status of educator preparation — at an upcoming in Orlando, Fl. The summit, which AACTE is co-sponsoring, will bring together leaders from PK-12 education, higher education, and state and federal government to identify strategies to address the teacher shortage.
AACTE is committed to ongoing research on the effects of the pandemic on educator preparation. Plans are in place to release the Winter 2022 survey to members in early February, with preliminary results by the Annual Meeting, March 4 – 6, 2022, and final results available later that month.
Tags: AACTE online resources, data, events, membership, research
