13 Nov2023
By Megan Tagami
This article was originally published on October 29, 2023, with Honolulu Civic Beat.
At Makakilo Elementary, Christine Carder posed a question to her first graders. “What letters make the sound ‘ea’ as in tea?” The class eagerly scrambled to write down the correct letter combination in their notebooks.
This exercise helps to build students’ phonemic awareness, instructional coach Karen Yogi explained to the group of parents invited to observe Makakilo’s reading lessons for the morning. Older students will later advance to activities such as reading in pairs and assessing each other’s fluency and vocabulary skills, Yogi added.
“This is why my son says he’s famished at dinner, instead of hungry,” said parent Donna Sinclair, noting the improvement she’s seen in her fifth-grader’s vocabulary this year.
Makakilo Elementary is one of about 80 schools in the state to receive funding from a roughly $50 million federal grant awarded in 2019 to improve literacy among the country’s youngest readers.
31 Oct2023
By AACTE
AACTE and the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) invite all who are interested in state policy impacting educator preparation to gather together at the Fall Virtual State Leaders Institute, where you can catch up on the latest information about state policy developments and share advocacy plans, activities, and resources with your colleagues from around the country.
The low registration fee of $50 per person ($65 for AACTE non-members) and virtual format are designed to enable all who have an interest in state policy to attend.
Join us as we delve into innovative strategies, research, and best practices that will help us elevate teacher preparation programs to new heights. Together, we can work towards creating a brighter and more effective future for our educators and, in turn, for the students they inspire. Your participation in this event will be instrumental in shaping the future of teacher preparation. We look forward to your presence and contributions.
31 Oct2023
By California Department of Education
Like most states in the nation, California is experiencing a teacher shortage. Teacher recruitment has largely been led by the 1,000 individual districts in the state, and the California Department of Education (CDE) historically has not had the staffing capacity to engage in direct teacher recruitment or support in this area.
In recent months, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond launched a one-stop recruitment portal that allows teacher candidates to get information in one place, including how to pursue a teaching credential, how to find vacancies at districts, and ways to access resources to support their education and credentialing. Thurmond also hosted a Teacher Recruitment Summit in August and formally launched a coalition to further engage in direct recruitment of teacher candidates statewide.
16 Oct2023
By Virginia State University (VSU)
The Virginia State University (VSU) College of Education has announced a new teacher residency program to help with the teacher shortage in Petersburg, VA, and provide future educators with an immersive educational experience.
Finding quality teachers has been a struggle for Petersburg in recent years, much like for schools nationwide. When Petersburg realized some of their K-12 classrooms would be overcrowded this upcoming school year, they came to VSU seeking stellar students interested in doing an early teacher residency. In August, the HERO program was born.
HERO, or Hybrid Education Residency Opportunity, is a comprehensive and innovative program that combines coursework and practical teaching in an actual classroom setting.
10 Oct2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
As teacher shortages continue to impact schools across the nation, some schools in Montana are turning to virtual teachers due to the increasing number of vacancies.
For the first time, some Florence-Carlton High School math classes are being taught by virtual teachers provided by the state-funded Montana Digital Academy. Classes like pre-calculus and geometry had always been taught by in-person teachers at the school.
03 Oct2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
Students across the Lee County School District in Florida are not receiving services they are entitled to through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
On September 20, Principal Cherry Gibson of Gateway Elementary informed a group of parents that, “Our district is experiencing a speech-language pathologist shortage. This will impact speech and or language services for the students at our school.”
26 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
Seventy-three percent of school districts across the state of Oklahoma report they anticipate a shortage of substitute teachers will impact their capacity to deliver instruction this school year.
“As long as there’s a teacher shortage, there’s going to be a substitute shortage, as well,” said Aaron Espolt, superintendent of Shawnee Public Schools said in a recent interview.
Currently, pay at the largest Oklahoma City-area districts ranges between $85-$125 per day for substitutes with a teaching license and $70-$110 for those who are uncertified. Yet, many substitute teachers say this pay rate is not sustainable, particularly when other hourly jobs in the area offer higher wages.
Rather than paying more, some school districts face the possibility of cutting their substitute pay. Putnam City and Oklahoma City schools both increased their daily rates for substitutes with federal COVID-19 relief money — funding that will expire next year. It is reported that all of Oklahoma City Public Schools’ (OKCPS) substitute pay comes from pandemic relief dollars. District administrators have not decided what rate their schools will pay next year.
26 Sep2023
By Jacqueline E. King, Ph.D.
Following up on the highly successful inaugural event last year, AACTE and the Advisory Council of State Representatives (ACSR) are once again sponsoring a highly interactive Virtual State Leaders Institute on Wednesday, November 1 from 12 pm to 5 p.m. ET.
With a low registration fee of $50 per person ($65 for non-AACTE members), anyone active in a state affiliate organization can attend to hear the latest on key state policy issues, connect with and learn from colleagues around the country, and build capacity to advocate on behalf of high-quality educator preparation.
20 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced Nash County Public Schools in North Carolina entered into a resolution agreement to ensure compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 with respect to responding to reports of sexual harassment and when enforcing its dress code.
The complaint alleged that during the first week of the 2022-23 school year, an individual posted on social media an anonymous threat of sexual violence against freshman girls at a district high school and that the district was aware of the posting but did not respond consistent with Title IX. Additionally, OCR’s investigation discovered the school held an assembly only for girls, without holding an assembly for boys, to address dress code compliance. During that assembly, the district communicated to the girls that they were “opening the door” to harassment with their manner of dress and then “wonder why they [boys] disrespect you.”
12 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
Last month, the Clark County School District in Las Vegas, Nevada — the nation’s fifth-largest school district —was forced to cancel classes at two elementary schools due to teacher vacancies. Currently, Clark County has upwards of 1,100 teacher vacancies; however, that number nearly doubles when you account for positions being filled by substitute teachers, many of whom are often un or underqualified for the role.
Additional disruptions to the academic year occurred the Friday before Labor Day when another elementary school was forced to cancel classes due to a high volume of teachers calling in sick leading to staffing concerns. Similarly, a Las Vegas middle school reported combining classes due to the lack of personnel.
05 Sep2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
Last week, local news media outlets reported that more than 600 students at Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania County, Virginia are taking math and English courses using the online platform, Edgenuity, as the district grapples with vacant teaching positions.
In an email sent to parents just before the end of the first week of classes for students, Principal Abe Jeffers outlined the problem: “At Chancellor, we have over 600 of our students taking math and English courses using the program due to three math vacancies and English vacancies.” Jeffers explained the school has filled one vacant English position and has an interview scheduled with another candidate. “… However, we have had no applicants to fill our three math positions, thus we’re forced to have our students use the teaching program Edgenuity, supervised by a substitute teacher, to learn math.”
29 Aug2023
By Amy Kline
Sponsored by the New Jersey Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (NJACTE), in partnership with the State of New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), the 6th Annual New Jersey Convening for Diversifying the Teacher Workforce is a conversation among educational stakeholders aimed at creating and sustaining an educator workforce reflective of the cultural and linguistic diversity of New Jersey students.
This year’s theme is Retaining a Diverse Workforce: Teachers are Talking. Are You Listening?
Week 1 – Virtual Session on October 17 from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. (EST)
Week 2 – Virtual Session on October 24 from 4:00 to 5:15 p.m. (EST)
Week 3 – In-Person Session at Georgian Court University on November 2 from 8:30 am to 2:00 p.m.
29 Aug2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
As I have long been reporting, school districts across America are in the midst of a staffing crisis as students across the country return to classrooms for the start of the school year. Several states and districts have turned to long-term or day-to-day substitutes often with little or no teacher training at all to fill vacancies. This week, the Milwaukee Public School District (MSD) announced that in order to address staffing shortages, the district has turned to hiring upwards of 200 teachers from 17 different counties for the new school year.
A representative from the district spoke about the need for a different approach on recruitment saying in part, “As the shortage became national, everybody was short on teachers; we started to look where we could bring teachers from.”
22 Aug2023
By Kaitlyn Brennan
The “In the States” feature by Kaitlyn Brennan is a weekly update to keep members informed on state-level activities impacting the education and educator preparation community.
As the school year begins, teacher vacancies across the state of Florida are a top concern; yet the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Education Association are at odds over whose data is more reflective of the reality. In a press release issued by Florida’s Department of Education (FDOE) last week, the state’s Commissioner of Education, Manny Diaz, touted a near 10% decrease in teacher vacancy slots at the beginning of the new school year versus one year ago. As reported by FDOE, the state currently has roughly 4,776 open teaching positions — an 8% decrease in the number of teacher vacancies reported at the same time last school year. But Florida’s Education Association (FEA), the state’s largest teacher’s union, says that those numbers simply are not accurate. Last week, the FEA reported that nearly 7,000 teaching positions remained vacant at the beginning of the school year. In a statement, a representative from the FEA said:
“Now is not the time to sugarcoat or downplay the teacher and staff shortage. It’s bad, and kids are losing out. The Florida Department of Education can do its best to minimize the staffing crisis facing Florida’s public schools, but the truth is in the numbers. We stand by FEA’s August 7 count of vacancies listed on school districts’ websites, just as we stand by the counts we have conducted over the past several years. Due to low pay and a divisive political climate of fear and intimidation, the teacher, and staff shortage has gone from bad to worse under the DeSantis administration.”
The Florida teacher vacancy numbers from both the FDOE and FEA do not include the number of teachers across the state who are underqualified.
15 Aug2023
Sets the Stage for Educator Workforce Policy and Practice
By AACTE
AACTE President and CEO Dr. Lynn M. Gangone recently addressed a cohort of Hunt Kean Leadership Fellows during a policy discussion titled, “Setting the Stage: Educator Workforce Policy and Practice.” The discussion was part of the second in-person session for the Cohort 9 Fellows. Gangone was joined by Dr. Melody Schopp, former chief state school officer of South Dakota, in examining how the teaching profession has changed over time, the advocacy and political influence of educators, and major issues facing the workforce.
A program of the Hunt-Kean Institute, the Leadership Fellows program partners with senior-level political leaders to be effective, equity-minded education policymakers at the state level. Named for two former renowned education governors, Jim Hunt (D-NC) and Tom Kean (R-NJ), the national, nonpartisan Fellowship launched in the fall of 2014. The current group of high-ranking elected state officials that make up Cohort 9 have committed themselves to a nine-month immersion in the full education continuum.
During the moderated session, Gangone shed light on the developments AACTE members are undertaking to address the needs of the educator workforce, sharing three specific examples: 1) embracing competency-based education at the undergraduate level, 2) offering higher education-based alternative certifications and 3) debunking the one teacher-one classroom model as addressed by AACTE member-institution Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University.
