The following article from the Coalition to Advance Future Student Success was featured in the February 2023 issue of Equity & Access.
A preexisting shortage of teachers was worsened by the increased professional and personal demands of navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, but a historic infusion of federal relief funds presents an opportunity to create innovative solutions to recruit, retain and support a diverse educator workforce.
The Coalition to Advance Future Student Success brings together 12 organizations representing education leaders from classrooms to state capitols to leverage relief funds and to identify promising practices, support state and local leaders and build an equitable education system. A key pillar is to support historically underserved students who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. The coalition identified recruiting, retaining and supporting a talented educator workforce as a priority.
Some examples of these investments include:
Indianapolis Public Schools created teacher apprenticeships and a principal residency program aimed at attracting educators of color. IndyTeach is a free, one-year alternative path to licensure that reduces barriers to teaching, particularly in urban schools. Aimed at recent graduates, career-switchers and support staff, it offers participants a salary and mentor while they prepare for the teacher licensure exam. The principal residency program provides a year of paid on-the-job training and mentoring for assistant principals and out-of-district principals who want to work in Indianapolis Public Schools.
When a report showed the number of education graduates dropping 20% over five years, Tennessee invested $20 million in a Grow Your Own Center. It covers the cost of tuition, fees, books and licensure exams and provides apprenticeships, so every first-year teacher has three years of experience going into the classroom.
Teacher retention and leadership development are also keys to addressing teacher shortages. After a 2018 report showed a loss of 30,000 teachers over six years — over 10% of the workforce — Oklahoma launched the $8 million School Leadership and Talent Development Initiative. This three-year initiative includes five programs: First Class, offering virtual coaching and mentoring for new teachers; the Principal Induction Academy for early-career principals and Moving UP for assistant principals; grant funding for Teach for America’s Oklahoma chapter; and the Data Institute, in partnership with the University of Oklahoma College of Continuing Education, utilizing data to build effective schools and improve student achievement.
Recruiting and retaining quality educators is essential to pandemic academic recovery for students. Through grants, programming and alternative pathways, education leaders can effectively use federal relief money to address teacher shortages while attracting a more diverse staff.
