Creating an Educator Pipeline to Combat the Teacher Shortage in Illinois
Creating an Educator Pipeline to Combat the Teacher Shortage in Illinois
Illinois ASCD realizes that the state of Illinois is experiencing a teacher shortage in many academic and specialized areas. The number of persons who are securing their teaching licenses has been decreasing over the years. In June 2019, the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) sent out surveys about that issue to all 858 school districts and 527 responded. The survey revealed 20 percent of open positions in those districts remain unfilled.
One way to possibly solve this problem is to create a teacher pipeline between high schools and the university so that the pool of teacher candidates will increase. Illinois ASCD recommends the following suggestions to increase the teacher pipeline thus encouraging more students to consider entering the field of education.
Some of our recommendations include:
1.Encourage high schools to create courses with curriculum that matches typical first year university education courses that includes classroom observations at area schools.
2. Encourage universities to partner with area high schools to create college courses which would transfer credits to colleges and help students enter the teacher pipeline.
3. Work closely with junior colleges by providing smooth transfers to four-year institutions that will lead to awarding teacher licensure once the students enter the four-year institution as a junior.
4. Field trips and opportunities for experiences between schools and universities to learn about teacher preparation programs. This would include observations in local schools and possibly shadowing a teacher.
5. Providing support staff to explore non-traditional degrees that would allow them to enter the field of teaching.
During this coming year, Illinois ASCD plans to support and encourage these recommendations. This would include, but not limited to, inviting both high school students and teacher candidates to attend our various workshops (free of charge in exchange for their assistance at the program) as well as attend our board meeting to get a better feel about all aspects of education. We have done this successfully in the past.
Illinois ASCD stands ready to assist in state initiatives driven by ISBE to combat the teacher shortage. We wish to provide expertise, professional development, communication, and other individualized services to Illinois educators and ultimately the students of Illinois.
Adopted:
Sources: the Rockford Rex, June 2019
