There are simply no longer enough recent graduates from traditional prep programs to staff our schools with enough new teachers. Things need to change quickly.
Anyone who’s involved in K12 education knows the bind we’re in. The number of teachers leaving the system, because of retirement or attrition, is outpacing the number of people entering the profession. Millennials and Gen Z will soon represent a majority of the workforce, and these younger generations tend to prioritize flexibility, collaboration and advancement opportunities that generally don’t exist within the teaching profession.
Traditional teacher prep programs remain costly and time-intensive. These barriers persist in keeping some of the best candidates out of the teaching pool—those committed individuals who are already living and working within our schools and school communities.
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We don’t have a “bodies” problem, we have a bureaucracy problem.
It will take systemic change to refill the teacher pipeline—and to restore allure to the teaching profession. That change requires a fundamental rethinking of our teacher prep system.
Invest in the aspiring teachers already in your community
Many existing employees—like paraprofessionals and administrative staff—yearn to be teachers. They come from the community, they relate well to the students and they often have years of experience in the local schools. Yet they face significant barriers to earning the required degrees and credentials to enter the profession.
In addition, these paraprofessionals are often far more diverse across racial and ethnic dimensions than the existing educator workforce. With the student population more diverse than the current teacher population, creating a paraprofessional-to-teacher pipeline is a natural way to establish a more inclusive school culture, which research shows can benefit academic achievement, student outcomes, and more.
Teacher prep must change to enable a community-based model
To make teaching a reality for aspiring teachers already working in the community, three things need to change:
- Create more affordable pathways into teaching. Many people cannot afford a traditional college education or are unwilling to go into debt—especially for a modest-paying job. District-sponsored, on-the-job teacher prep models are the future. These programs allow educators to earn degree credit by working full-time in the classroom.
- Make teacher prep programs more accessible and time-efficient. Simply shifting the courses to nights or weekends isn’t enough. In the on-the-job teacher prep model, aspiring teachers earn degrees by demonstrating what they know through their daily classroom work with students. They’re earning a degree on the job, not in addition to it.
- Make the program curriculum more relevant for aspiring teachers. One doesn’t become a great teacher by learning theory in a lecture hall. Research shows that the most impactful teacher prep happens when theory, training and practice are married with classroom coaching. On-the-job programs enable this combination and allow teacher candidates to practice and put their new knowledge and skills to work immediately.
Many states and districts have begun implementing these non-traditional aspects to teaching degree programs. By necessity, they’ve adopted a vision of innovative, accessible pathways to classroom leadership. They are empowering the very people who already know and love their schools to step forward and upward.
For example, the Hernando County School District in Florida launched a program last fall to enable aspiring teachers to pursue their bachelor’s degrees on the job. Since its inception, the program has filled 34 associate teacher positions, with over 100 candidates now on the waiting list. Remember when I said we don’t have a bodies problem?
These teachers-in-training are buoyed by the community-centric approach, which contributes to stronger school culture and improved student outcomes. Everyone in the school community is invested in the continued success of these aspiring teachers.
If we are truly committed to providing the best education for our students and to filling our classrooms with effective, passionate educators, then we must be willing to create new pathways for our communities to help join our efforts.
