Washington, D.C. (November 20, 2017) -- The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) today released an online guide to assist states in building stronger pipelines of diverse and talented teacher candidates.
State chiefs know that every student deserves a quality teacher, and every teacher deserves support to be prepared and succeed in the classroom. Yet many states face a shortage of teachers, particularly in specific subject areas, geographic regions or high-need schools.
"This urgent need calls for fresh thinking if we are to staff public schools with educators who can ensure high levels of learning for all students," said South Dakota Secretary of Education Melody Schopp, who worked to elevate the voice of educators while President of CCSSO's Board of Directors in 2016-17. "As state chiefs, we need to tell the story of what it means to teach today. We must genuinely engage with educators and solicit their expertise to strengthen their profession."
Employers and teachers cite several factors contributing to these shortages, most often that many younger people do not view teaching as a financially attractive career. Many states have begun to create policies and strategies to strengthen their teaching pipelines and recruit and retain more talented individuals in the profession.
To support states in this effort, CCSSO has created this new guide, Strategies for Building Teacher Pipelines, which details six key strategies states can pursue as well as examples, information, tools and resources for each one. The strategies include:
1. Elevate the Teaching Profession
2. Make Teaching a Financially Appealing Career
3. Expand Pathways to Enter Teaching
4. Bring More Diversity to the Teaching Workforce
5. Set Reasonable Expectations for Retaining Teachers
6. Use Data to Target Strategies Where Shortages exist
"We hope that our new guide, Strategies for Building Teacher Pipelines, provides the guidance state chiefs and their leadership teams need to recruit great teachers and support them throughout their careers," said Chris Minnich, executive director of CCSSO. "We are confident that working together, we can meet the challenges before us. Our students deserve no less."
The guide also includes a map that shares key actions states have taken to build a stronger teacher pipeline.
See the full guide here and read more about strategies in each state.
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The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks member consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
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