Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/994766
T H E C A L I F O R N I A D E P A R T M E N T of Education has launched its "Make the Switch: Be a Teacher " campaign, which encourages more midcareer professionals to consider becoming teachers. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson urges Californians to think about someone they know who would be a good candidate to become a teacher. "We are working closely with our educational part- ners to entice more college students to join the field," Torlakson said in a statement. "But midcareer profes- sionals are another great resource." People can nominate a midcareer professional who has already made the switch for the CDE's video campaign. The first video features Melissa May (shown above), who became a teacher after a career as a local broadcaster. Learn more at cde.ca.gov/eo/in. The need for more teachers is acute: In 2016, the Learning Policy Institute surveyed more than 200 California districts and reported that 75 percent were experiencing teacher shortages. The majority of dis- tricts said those shortages were getting worse. The Legislature has increased funding for teacher recruitment and training, including funds to help classi- fied school employees such as school nutritionists and safety personnel become teachers. students go global O N M A Y 3 0 , state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson launched Global California 2030, an initiative to encourage proficiency in at least two languages for all California students and triple the number of bilingual high school graduates over the next 12 years. It also has a target of 75 percent of students achieving a State Seal of Biliteracy by 2040. Torlakson says the goal is "to equip our students with the world lan- guage skills to succeed in the global economy and to fully engage with the diverse mixture of cultures and languages found in California and throughout the world. We are setting high goals and dreaming big to help our students and our state." CTA President Eric Heins praises Global California 2030 as another step toward reversing xenophobic Proposition 227, which was passed two decades ago and effectively ended bilingual education in California. Two years ago, voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 58, which put Californians back on track for multilingual literacy and the ability to better live and work in both a diverse state and global economy. —Frank Wells The Hunt for New Teachers Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson announcing the Global California 2030 initiative. Photo: Frank Wells 11 J U N E / J U L Y 2 018