Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/417576
E n r o l l m e n t i n t e a ch e r p r e p p r o g r a m s d e c l i n e d m o r e t h a n 5 0 p e r c e n t f r o m 2 0 0 8 t o 2 013 . Source: California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. L o w s a l a r i e s a n d t e a ch e r -b a s h i n g c o n t r i b u t e d t o m a k i n g t e a ch i n g a l e s s p o p u l a r c a r e e r ch o i c e , s a y s Erma Jean Sims, w h o ch a i r s t h e C a l i f o r n i a F a c u l t y A s s o c i a t i o n ' s Te a ch e r E d u c a t i o n C a u c u s . parents, activists, education leaders and other reform advocates must demand that classroom teachers reflect the communities they serve." Meeting future demand Nearly 40 percent of California's teachers are over 60. The state's K-12 popu- lation, now 6.2 million, is projected to grow to 6.9 million by 2022. This could create a "perfect storm" for a huge shortage, which could lead to a wave of hiring new teachers on emergency permits. This occurred in the 1990s with class size reduction. "There is a need for a comprehensive strategic plan for addressing California's serious teacher recruitment chal- lenges," says Sims. "We must expand the pool of prospective teachers into the teacher pipeline and remove unnecessary barriers to teaching careers, such as financial burden and excessive student debt. The future of children in California depends on it." Sue Boudreau, a science teacher at Orinda Intermediate School, which has difficulty filling positions for science teach- ers, believes it's time to start actively recruiting teachers into the profession. "We need to have a better advertising campaign for the profession as a whole," asserts Boudreau, Orinda Education Association. "We should be attracting people from the top of their class and from other careers. Teaching is the most important profession there is, and we need to find people who are well prepared and motivated and bring them into the pipeline. We know they're out there. We need to let them know teaching is an attractive career choice." A new CTA report on teacher preparation concludes that mass hiring of underqualified teachers could be prevented by increasing mul- tiple pathways into the profession (see page 30). That includes re-establishing "future teacher" programs at high schools, programs to help paraprofessionals segue into teaching, and undergraduate preparation programs that eliminate the fifth year, as well as expanding CTC-approved intern programs allowing students to complete their coursework concurrently with a paid teaching position. The CTC will soon be looking at "streamlining" the credentialing process to get teachers into classrooms faster, says Hinde. CTA President Dean Vogel believes that retaining good teachers is crucial to solving the shortage. "We must pay teachers a salary comparable to other professions," says Vogel. "We must provide them with a safe working environment. Teachers must be treated like professionals and have a voice in classroom decisions. We must provide beginning teachers with the mentors and professional sup- port they need. We need less of a focus on testing and more on learning. We must reduce class sizes so teachers can devote more time to each student. CTA is working to make these things happen in an effort to keep good teachers in the workforce to better serve California's students now and in the future." P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N says Sims. "There needs to be more funding for teacher education programs for diversity recruitment and reten- tion, and more financial aid programs for low-income students to help with the cost of teacher preparation pro- grams. We need to provide students of color with teacher mentorships and financial incentives. Political leaders, 2 0 0 8 – 2 0 0 9 42,245 2 0 0 9 – 2 010 36,577 2 010 – 2 011 34,838 2 011 – 2 012 26,231 2 012 – 2 013 19,933 4 0 , 0 0 0 10 , 0 0 0 2 0 , 0 0 0 3 0 , 0 0 0 5 0 , 0 0 0 Enrollment in California teacher preparation programs 27 V O L U M E 1 9 I S S U E 4