Florida to Let Veterans, Spouses Teach Without Bachelor’s Degree

By Roger Riddell and Kara Arundel

This article originally appeared on K-12 Dive.

In an effort to combat teacher shortages, the Florida Department of Education is enlisting military personnel, veterans and their spouses to teach in the state’s classrooms without a bachelor’s degree requirement.

Requirements for the five-year temporary teaching certificates for veterans include:

• At least 48 months of military service with an honorable or medical discharge.
• At least 60 college credits with a 2.5 grade point average.
• Passage of a Florida subject area exam for bachelor’s level subjects. For temporary certificates, these exams are available in more than 30 subject areas.
• Employment in a Florida school district, which can include charter schools.

Special Educator Shortage Requires ‘All Hands on Deck’

By Kara Arundel

Jacqueline Rodriguez, Laurie VanderPloeg, and Kaitlyn Brennan talk about special educator shortages during the Council of Administrators of Special Education’s Special Education Legislative Summit on July 11, 2022, in Alexandria, Virginia.

This article originally appeared on K-12 Drive.

While the number of students needing special education services is expected to increase over the next few years, the number of special educators and specialized instructional support personnel are expected to decrease, according to speakers at Monday’s Special Education Legislative Summit, sponsored by the Council of Administrators of Special Education and Council for Exceptional Children.