Facing Shortage of Teachers, US States Ease Requirements
2022-10-19
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1Some schools in the southern United States are dealing with severe teacher shortages.
2Many of these schools are turning to teaching candidates without teaching certificates or official training.
3In 2019, Alabama legislators passed laws easing teacher requirements and permitting emergency certificates.
4The Associated Press reports that teachers without certificates often work at low-income and majority-Black school systems.
5Some schools in Texas eased official certification requirements for about one in five new teachers last school year.
6In Oklahoma, an "adjunct" program permits schools to employ teachers who do not have teacher training if they meet the local school's qualifications.
7And in Florida, former military members without a four-year university degree can teach for up to five years using temporary certificates.
8School systems decide if they will accept uncertified candidates, have crowded classes or employ part-time teachers.
9Maxie Johnson is a member of the board overseeing the Dallas Independent School District.
10He said, "I've seen what happens when you don't have teachers in the classroom. I've seen the struggle."
11He made the statement shortly before the school board approved expanding the use of uncertified teachers.
12He said that he would rather have someone that a principal approved for a teaching position.
13The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit education group.
14It researched information from the years 2019 and 2020 from 11 states.
15The group found that about four percent of teachers were uncertified or teaching with an emergency certificate.
16In addition, 10 percent were teaching out of field.
17That means they are teaching a different age group or subject than they are certified to teach.
18The group predicts that as many as 16 million students in the area might be taught by an unprepared or inexperienced teacher by 2030.
19The group's Megan Boren said, "The shortages are getting worse and morale is continuing to fall for teachers."
20Many states have eased teaching requirements since the COVID-19 pandemic.
21Nearly all states have emergency or temporary licenses that permit a person who has not met requirements for certification to teach.
22Shannon Holston is the policy chief for the nonprofit National Council on Teacher Quality.
23She said such candidates only temporarily deal with the shortage.
24Holston said those teachers usually do not stay as long as other teachers.
25In a 2016 study, the U.S. Department of Education said 1.7 percent of all teachers did not have full certification.
26The department noted that number was almost three percent for schools with many minority students or students learning English.
27The use of teachers without full certification is not evenly spread across fields and subjects.
28Rural Bullock County, for example, had no certified math teachers last year in its middle school.
29Nearly 80 percent of its students are Black, 20 percent are Hispanic, and 70 percent of all students are poor.
30Christopher Blair is the area's former schools superintendent.
31He said he had a difficult time employing teachers.
32Poor areas cannot pay teachers as much as wealthier neighboring areas.
33The cities of Birmingham and Montgomery are also in Alabama.
34Each city had three middle schools where more than 20 percent of teachers had emergency certifications.
35Birmingham schools spokesperson Sherrel Stewart said officials seek good candidates for emergency certifications and then give them the support they need.
36She said, "...that pool of candidates in education schools has drastically reduced but the demand for high-quality educators is still there."
37I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Some schools in the southern United States are dealing with severe teacher shortages. Many of these schools are turning to teaching candidates without teaching certificates or official training. 2In 2019, Alabama legislators passed laws easing teacher requirements and permitting emergency certificates. 3The Associated Press reports that teachers without certificates often work at low-income and majority-Black school systems. 4Some schools in Texas eased official certification requirements for about one in five new teachers last school year. 5In Oklahoma, an "adjunct" program permits schools to employ teachers who do not have teacher training if they meet the local school's qualifications. And in Florida, former military members without a four-year university degree can teach for up to five years using temporary certificates. 6School systems decide if they will accept uncertified candidates, have crowded classes or employ part-time teachers. 7Maxie Johnson is a member of the board overseeing the Dallas Independent School District. He said, "I've seen what happens when you don't have teachers in the classroom. I've seen the struggle." He made the statement shortly before the school board approved expanding the use of uncertified teachers. He said that he would rather have someone that a principal approved for a teaching position. 8The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit education group. It researched information from the years 2019 and 2020 from 11 states. The group found that about four percent of teachers were uncertified or teaching with an emergency certificate. In addition, 10 percent were teaching out of field. That means they are teaching a different age group or subject than they are certified to teach. 9The group predicts that as many as 16 million students in the area might be taught by an unprepared or inexperienced teacher by 2030. 10The group's Megan Boren said, "The shortages are getting worse and morale is continuing to fall for teachers." 11Many states have eased teaching requirements since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly all states have emergency or temporary licenses that permit a person who has not met requirements for certification to teach. 12Shannon Holston is the policy chief for the nonprofit National Council on Teacher Quality. She said such candidates only temporarily deal with the shortage. Holston said those teachers usually do not stay as long as other teachers. 13In a 2016 study, the U.S. Department of Education said 1.7 percent of all teachers did not have full certification. The department noted that number was almost three percent for schools with many minority students or students learning English. 14Alabama middle schools 15The use of teachers without full certification is not evenly spread across fields and subjects. 16Rural Bullock County, for example, had no certified math teachers last year in its middle school. Nearly 80 percent of its students are Black, 20 percent are Hispanic, and 70 percent of all students are poor. 17Christopher Blair is the area's former schools superintendent. He said he had a difficult time employing teachers. Poor areas cannot pay teachers as much as wealthier neighboring areas. 18The cities of Birmingham and Montgomery are also in Alabama. Each city had three middle schools where more than 20 percent of teachers had emergency certifications. 19Birmingham schools spokesperson Sherrel Stewart said officials seek good candidates for emergency certifications and then give them the support they need. 20She said, "...that pool of candidates in education schools has drastically reduced but the demand for high-quality educators is still there." 21I'm Gregory Stachel. 22Talia Richman and Trisha Powell Crain reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 23_________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25certificate - n. official approval to do something professionally or legally 26qualification - n. a special skill or type of experience or knowledge that makes someone suitable to do a particular job or activity 27board - n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization 28principal -n. a person in charge of a public school 29morale - n. the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty that a person or group has about a task or job 30license - n. an official document or card that gives you permission to do, use, or have something 31superintendent - n. a person who directs or manages a place, department, or organization 32pool - n. a group of people who do the same job or activity together 33drastic - adj. extreme in effect or action: severe or serious 34________________________________________________________________ 35What do you think of the teacher shortage? 36We want to hear from you. 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