Solutions to Teacher Shortages

Erin Stanley:

Everyone. Really fun to see some familiar names and faces. I am Erin Stanley. I’m on the GoReact marketing team. I’m in near Salt Lake City and it is sunny today, but it is so cold. I know some of you on the East coast have been experiencing storms, so I hope everyone is staying warm and dry. This is a little bit of a different format. We love to do these round table webinars where we really get to hear from all of you. The discussion that we’re going to have today is about teacher shortages, challenges, solutions, what you’re seeing in your area. So those of you that aren’t familiar with GoReact were a video assessment and feedback solution used in teacher education for observations and self-reflection. In fact, 20% of graduating teachers have used GoReact in their programs. We’re really proud of that and always trying to grow that statistic.

I love bringing educators together from all different institutions to discuss current trends, the challenges in teacher ed. So I’m really looking forward to hearing from all of you. There are going to be a couple of ways for you all to participate. Depending on what you’re comfortable with, you can always just unmute and start talking. You can also raise your hand through Zoom. You see those little icons at the bottom. If you see the heart, the react, click on the heart and then you’ll see some options. You can raise your hand there, but then you can also, there’s some emoji responses you can use as you listen to others. You can also use the chat to add your thoughts or questions to the discussion. And this is especially helpful if you’re in a place where you need to be on mute. That’s totally fine. So before I start asking some questions, I just want to get us oriented with a few numbers.

So give me just a second. I’m going to share my screen and I’m sure these numbers aren’t going to be a surprise to anyone, but maybe just kind of help us, a good place to help us start the discussion. So over the last decade since 2008 to 2019, we’ve seen a 37% decrease in enrollment in teacher preparation programs. We have over half a million fewer teachers now than we did before the pandemic, and only 44% of teachers report high satisfaction with their jobs, which means another what? 66% aren’t highly satisfied with their job, and we all know that those kinds of numbers really give a story about who may end up leaving the profession. It’s tough to stick with a job that you’re not highly satisfied in, and I can give you sources on these later. Please let me know if you want me to share that. But we also have to remember, these are numbers that are averages across the nation and sometimes that’s not accurately reflecting what you are seeing in your areas. So what are you guys seeing? Does this feel accurate to your institutions and your areas?

Lisa says yes.

Wow, the number of uncertified teachers over 50%. Super interesting, which I’m sure is a bit of a strategy to get kind of teachers in that pipeline just to fill those spots. Yeah, I love to hear that in Texas that your program is growing. Yeah. Lisa, grow your own. Definitely. We’re hearing so much about Grow your Own. So as we saw from that statistics, there’s definitely a lot of teacher spots open since the pandemic for a variety of reasons. A lot of teachers left the profession during that time. That was a really tough time. Tell us a little more about what you are seeing, specifically seeing in your programs or communities to address those spots.

Lori:

I can share here at the University of Florida, one of the very big things we’re working on is online programs. The paradigm shift post pandemic. People are struggling with trying to get onto campuses, so they are looking for other opportunities or other options, and so we have been working through grants to be able to place our very strong face-to-face programs online, giving more opportunity for more people to become educators, whether they are currently in the schools as para professionals or teacher aids or even cafeteria staff, and they always wanted to be a teacher, but they can’t balance now they can have that option or opportunity. So that’s what we are working on over here.

Erin Stanley:

That’s super interesting and I see this happening in other areas of higher education, just this need to offer a little more flexibility or whatever you want to call it. So I like to see that it’s taking off in teacher education as well and meeting those potential teachers where they’re at, offering that online component. I think that’s really important.

Yeah, Trina, I hope I’m saying your name right. I’m so interested in those programs that are taking paraprofessionals and aides that are in the school and having known many aides and being volunteering in my kids’ school and stuff, those are the people that really understand what it’s like to be a part of that school, be a teacher. They see it every day, they deal with the kids, and so I love that there’s some opportunities for them as well to become teachers. I think it’s super interesting. Yes, exactly. They’ve been in schools and they still want to be teachers, and

Speaker 4:

I say that all the time, and it’s so true. These candidates, some have been in schools as many as 10 or 15 years and they can now come and essentially get their degree for free or close to it. And then we have a full-time paid residency for a year where they actually are mentored by a classroom teacher. We do observations and give them feedback. So I think it’s going to be really successful. It’s been successful so far. We’ve only had a couple of graduating classes and I’m highly encouraged by this. I think it’s just really a solution that needs to happen. And yeah,

Erin Stanley:

I love that because really if you look at what was happening, I mean 30 years ago when I got my teaching certificate, if you are a paraprofessional in this school and you wanted to become a teacher, well you have to quit your job and do a traditional four year program in college. And that’s a tough requirement I think especially today. So I love hearing that. Does anyone else have any experience with that kind of program? So this really is a difference in the way that you’re recruiting. You’re looking at new communities that maybe would be interested in being teachers. Have you seen other changes in people that are seeking teacher certification? I’ll just give one example. I have a brother-in-law, a retired lieutenant colonel, so he’s in his mid fifties and decided after the Army, his next career, he wanted to be a teacher. So right now he is teaching and working on his teaching certification at the same time. So he has a master’s degree, but it’ll take him a year to get his teacher certification. And I just think, man, these lucky kids, he’s such a great guy. So patient, I think he’s going to make a fantastic teacher and how cool that opportunity is open to him. Anybody else have any other examples of different kinds of people that are seeking teacher certification than was traditionally true?

Megan:

Hi, Erin, I can jump in here. So in my position, I work with our undergraduate and our graduate students, and I have to agree with what you said. I’ve seen an increase in our enrollment from those second career individuals, those that are coming back and multiple times it’s been a conversation of, well, I wanted to follow my heart and what I wanted to study and now I have the opportunity to take those skill sets back to the classroom. So that’s changed the way we are thinking about teacher preparation, which is scary in a lot of ways, but also exciting. So I definitely see that where I am. I’m also interested, it looks like there’s people from kind of all over. I’m wondering what universities, colleges preparation programs we have represented too.

Erin Stanley:

Oh yeah. I would love to hear that. Go ahead and put it in the chat or just unmute.

Lori:

I was going to add Megan, just another thing that we’re looking to do when we’re working on here, which is kind of interesting besides looking at the second careers, is that Florida just established a temporary internship certificate. So what that is a teaching certificate. So our university in particular does not use it because our students take coursework currently, the in-house students take coursework during student teaching, so they can’t do that, but many of these positions are now being filled with student teachers who are being paid to be student teachers, if you will, and then hired to stay in the school district. So the districts are trying to come up with really interesting options on how to keep people. That’s one of our bigger issues here at the University of Florida. We train them and then they leave us because they want to go back home or they want to be at a different area. They don’t want to stay in Gainesville. So that becomes a challenge for us. So this kind of program is, it’s almost like somebody mentioned a grow your own, but it’s within the actual teacher preparation process. So it’s kind of an interesting perspective that way. It’s almost like six months earlier they’re getting their option to be a teacher and then they’re committing to the school district

Erin Stanley:

Such a great way to approach that retention because we know that’s an issue as well. Yeah.

Taylor:

Hi, I’m Taylor Burke. I’m at ETSU with Ms. Krupa and I actually am able to work with job embedded occupational candidates. I’m beginning to work on some of our permits for our undergraduate candidates and we’re looking at launching a Grow Your Own program. So I’m lucky to be able to work with candidates for all kinds of different situations and education levels and piggybacking off of what Megan said, yeah, you just hear a lot of people saying that they were in a different career and they just have always wanted to teach. They wanted to get in the classroom, they were ready for a change. They wanted to make a difference and be productive. So we see a lot of that. And like I said, it’s really unique I think to be able to see the people that want to come in alternative pathways in all the different directions that I’m able to.

Erin Stanley:

Yeah, and I find it really interesting that the Grow Your Own is really working with East Tennessee as well, that partnership, and I think it would probably just make your processes and efficiencies so much easier. I hear from a lot of institutions even grow your own programs. There’s just so many people to involve from the district to the principal at the school, to the other mentors and coaches there to the ones at the higher ed institution. You’re really dealing with a lot of people involving them. Does anyone have seen examples of great ways that you’ve made that really effective and efficient?

Megan:

It looks like there’s maybe a comment in the chat too about the undergraduates being poached, which is something that I think we can speak to as well. I know Erin, you mentioned Grow your own, but also thinking about what happens when they’re offered positions and they’re still in our program, so I know we have a variety of how we license, whether it’s coming from your EPP or if there’s other certification pathways, but for us, they have to complete our program. So we are working through clinical practice permits in our state now, which is where our undergraduates actually will go in and become teacher of record. The funding mechanism for their salary comes from the district. So I’d like to learn more about universities that have a paid residency experience and what does that look like for students and how is that established?

Speaker 4:

I can share just a little, and I’m not really, I may miss a couple little pieces, but we did a federal grants for the paid residency, so they get a really nice salary. It’s not a full teacher salary, but for their final year, their senior year, two semesters, they are in a school. The district pays for part of that. The mentor teacher gets $5,000 for supporting our student in the classroom during that year, the full year. I think it’s the first in the state of Texas. And so that does really tend to, and as I’m seeing the poaching piece that does tend to keep our students dedicated to us because they get that paycheck and it’s a commitment. So once they complete their bachelor’s degree and graduate, then they work on their certification and they can take, if they earn that position, they can take a full teacher salary during that year. Most of the districts are supporting that. So we have district partners that have worked with us, few charters, mostly the bigger districts here in the Dallas area. So it’s a pretty cool gig, but federal money is probably the main piece.

Erin Stanley:

Henrik, if I can put you on the spot for a minute, I’m curious. I mean that’s a huge deal that you don’t get the credit for the students finishing because of course we know that’s what all your accreditation standards are and funding and so much is based on that. Is there any conversations about having paid, they’re discussing some paid internships where they can get in the district but still be counted as your students finishing?

Kenric:

So that’s an interesting question. We do have some districts that will pay clinical teachers and not actually poach them, not officially hire them, but just pay them to come in. Typically that comes within some sort of contract that they stay within the district after they get certified for a number of years if they’re going to get paid for clinical teaching. As far as residencies, similar to what’s been mentioned before, we’ve had grant funded residency programs in the past, but that money has dried up. I do know that our, so a little bit of context, I don’t actually exist within the College of Education. I’m in the College of Arts and Sciences, and so I work with the content majors to kind of funnel them into the program. So I do know that there is residency programs being developed within the College of Education that honestly probably won’t fit with the students that I work with because I’m working with math majors and they’re not going to take a full year to do that. So programs being developed? Yes. Is it going to be fully funded? I’m not entirely sure about that.

I know they’re looking at how it is Texas, and I’m sure others can speak to this, just recently created a certification that is different from the standard certification that acknowledges that someone went through a residency program. They call it an enhanced certification. Now whether that’s going to be worth more on paper, I have no idea, but we have enough teacher shortage here in Texas for them to find a job regardless of what sort of certification they have. But yeah, I think it’s all comes down to funding and currently it’s been grant funded and nothing more in our program.

Erin Stanley:

Thank you for sharing. That’s really interesting. Okay, so Marilyn, in your program, it’s funded by the school system. Makes sense. Makes sense. They’re really benefiting and it’s probably more cost effective for them to get teachers that are going to stay and have that support than to be having to deal with high turnover. Right. So how are your programs adapting courses, field work observations to kind of accelerate teacher prep?

Kenric:

One example that we have is one of our courses that’s a field-based observation course is offered as a winner master. So leveraging the time that the K 12 schools are in session, but the university is not. So that way it allows for them to get some observation hours in that in between time and fulfill a course requirement, almost essentially doubling up in the spring semester and getting twice as much as what they could if they didn’t do the winter semester. That has been helpful and from a scheduling standpoint, it’s been helpful, but it’s also been helpful for the students because in our structure students go in once a week, maybe half a day, once a week, and so they don’t necessarily get to see the progression of lessons to days to how the full unit pans out. They don’t Monday morning and then they don’t see it again until the next Monday morning. But during the Winter Master, they actually get to see an entire five day sequence. They’re in the classroom for five straight days getting all the observations. So it’s almost like a mini clinical teaching. So that has been one way that we’ve tried to shorten the timeframe. They can get into the program and out a little bit faster if they’re able to leverage that Winter Master.

Erin Stanley:

Let’s talk about technology in video observations. Anyone want to add technology that they found helpful?

Speaker 4:

We’ve been using chat GPT to sort of compare and contrast observational data and provide feedback, and it’s actually been pretty effective. I mean, I’ve been really closely scrutinizing it because I’m not a huge believer in just sending something off than utilizing it still on the learning curve on that. But no, I think it’s been really helpful and more comprehensive than what maybe I might’ve come up with on my own kind of thing.

Erin Stanley:

So you’re plugging in maybe the rubrics or comment?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, so using standard rubrics, the state assessment criteria using different criteria and then of course, again, a human needs to go through and make sure it’s accurate, relevant, actionable, all those things. But that’s been helpful and it’s a time saver.

Erin Stanley:

That’s super interesting. Do you use it to compare students over a time period or is it more an aggregate of this is how our students are doing and maybe here are some things they need to work on as a whole?

Speaker 4:

That is a good question. I think some of that is being done at a higher level. I’m a faculty member, so from my perspective, I’m going in and doing classroom observations on all my residents. So it’s pretty hectic. Completing 80 is a lot. And so I run my data, my observation data. Sometimes I dictate and then transcribe, and then my comparison is mostly for myself. What did I observe and what did I miss? What feedback am I giving? So making that a little bit more quality for the student.

Lori:

Okay. Erin, you didn’t plot me here, but I’m going to tell you anyway. We use GoReact, and we’re actually piloting your AI as well in one of our tour of our programs. So that’s for our online. All of our observations are done through GoReact. They have been for many years. And now with the layer of additional feedback to be able to be done by the AI component, students really enjoy it. The supervisors like the additional layer that they have. So that’s one of our big technologies. We just launched our early childhood online degree program in the fall, and the faculty member and myself received a very large grant and we are working with immersion, so we’re doing clinical experiences where they actually get to practice their pedagogy through a virtual practicum using avatars and all those kind of fun things every semester. So firm believers that just because you’re online doesn’t mean you don’t get the opportunity to practice if you don’t have your very own classroom. So we have them having that option. And then the cool part about that is that they do their immersion and then they upload it into GoReact, and so then that video can then be shared with supervisors, with mentors, and I’m pitching for you here and I’m pitching. I don’t mean to be, but that’s kind of,

Erin Stanley:

Yeah, I did not set Lori up here,

Lori:

But we do. We love it and we’re very happy with the program and the process. So yeah, that’s what we’re doing.

Erin Stanley:

Well, I think it can be one of the biggest challenges in implementing new technologies is just the time it takes and how you can make it work with your existing processes. So I love that you’re talking about these two technologies that now you’re using to work together and really give students some real world experience. That’s an

Lori:

Amazing example, and it’s definitely, I’m not going to lie, we spent a very long summer trying to figure out how different platforms and LMSs can talk to each other. That’s always a very challenging thing to do, but I can say that. So I’m the college liaison for GoReact. Again, I’m not been planted here, but so spending a lot of time with our particular, our trainer facilitator, a person for GoReact, they really spent a lot of time helping us try to figure out how can we do single sign-ons, how can we get people to talk to each other? How can we get these different computer systems or platforms to really seamlessly work with each other? Because like you said, I mean if that’s chaotic enough, and then trying to get that to students. So it was a daunting task, but it worked with lots of people on the team to figure it all out, and I think that that made it much more successful for the students. Now they seem to think like, oh, you’ve been doing this all the time. So

Erin Stanley:

That’s amazing. Pamela says she’s GoReact and TK 20. Very cool. Anyone else want to share before we move on? I’d love to just leave some time for you to ask each other questions. I think it’s so rare that you really have to travel to a conference or something to get to pick each other’s brains in this way. So think about questions you want to ask each other specific examples or broad questions, whatever you want to do. But my last question for all of you is just any advice you’d give to other teacher educators or teacher educator programs who are really looking to level up their teacher prep, meet the needs of the community where you’re at and maybe accelerate that process?

Lori:

I would just add that you got to think outside the box. It’s so different than when we were trained as educators and what we were doing. I mean, I remember when I was a hundred years ago, when I tried to get a teaching job, it was actually hard because there was no options or opportunities. All the positions were filled. So it’s a very different landscape now, but I think that status quo doesn’t work anymore. So we really do have to think about who wants to truly be in the profession and then how can we help them get there.

Erin Stanley:

Such good advice. I mean, some of these populations that we’re talking about that wouldn’t traditionally be getting a teaching degree, a lot of them are doing it for some meaning or for, it’s a passion of theirs, which I just think is, I mean, we all know no one’s going into teaching for the money. So it’s good that there are some other motivation, Lisa. Wow, that looks a little

Lisa:

Scary, very bright light in brief. What I’m thinking about is the different people we’re bringing on board, the people who used to be on board and our opportunities. I’m thinking about when I’ve used GoReact and it’s really worked for me. The benefits have been that it’s a more human connection when you can get past the technical and you’re getting to know your students. And I think that’s where I’m sitting with this thinking right now is where are those, how are with ai, whatever it is we’re adding to the structure, where have people found that moment of truly getting to know somebody and not simply reporting back to them? Because I think what I notice is if people don’t, as students, if they don’t feel engaged, they’re not going to the party. Same with teachers and why should they? We’re asking a lot of them. The job is very demanding, all the things. So how is it that we’re modeling through this, that humanity, that connection, that relationship? Does that make sense? So I think that’s what I think about when I’m in this conversation with different teacher preparation programs is what is that relationship piece that this structure supports that allows us to go forward faster because we’re trying to get more efficient. I don’t know if that, I just wanted to add that into the thinking. I don’t know. I love that

Speaker 4:

Question. Sorry. No, go ahead. Go ahead. I was just going to say, I love what you said, Lisa, and I was thinking about culture and how you go into schools and observe, and certain schools have a great culture. You know when you see it, I’m not sure you could necessarily list the 10 things that make it good, but you see less turnover, you see less stress, you see more ability to be standing strong together to offset a lot of the testing culture that I know we have here in Texas, and I’m sure everyone else does as well. And that just sort of is a beat down and we all know it. And then really getting these voices to the table once we get the teachers in, regardless of where they come from. I mean, I was a career changer and I spent 20 years in industry and now I’ve been 20 years in education.

And what an interesting contrast that has been for me and I, like others had said, felt like I finally found my true place, my calling, being in education. But I think we have to really think about the voices of the teacher. I know there’s tons of research that’s been done on why teachers leave and we know we could sit here and talk about that all day long, but we have to, I think, lift up the voices of not only teachers, but students as well, so we can build a better culture and make this education thing more successful for more students. Period. Just,

Erin Stanley:

Yeah, very well said. Lindsay asked a really interesting question. How are you all finding the mentors or coaches to support your teacher candidates? I know that can be a tricky one.

Lindsey:

I think it sounds like different states might have different requirements, but in California there’s a minimum amount of state requirements that we have to meet. So just kind of with the teacher burnout that we see and the retirement of teachers, a lot of our veteran mentors that we’ve had retired, and so now supporting them out in the field, it is a requirement that they have district or site-based provided mentors that meet their credential type in California. And we’re just finding it more and more difficult even with students that are getting job opportunities to meet that requirement. And while we do give them a very small stipend for what they do, it’s not motivating enough with what our state requirements are that we need to meet.

Erin Stanley:

Yeah, it sounds like Lane’s program experiencing the same troubles. Trina, you said you pay them and you offer some intense training. Are these mentor teachers, retired teachers, current teachers?

Speaker 4:

No, but honestly, I think retired teachers would be a tremendous asset or a tremendous population to draw from. I have a lot of teacher friends that are old like me that could retire, just choose not to, and a lot of ’em want to work, and I keep saying, I keep threatening. I’m going to open a school and access that resource because a lot of ’em want to work. They just want a more flexible schedule. They don’t want to work the seven to four timeframe anymore. And a lot of them give up because they’re just tired of all the pressures and the constant change that you never give things time enough to really be fully implemented and see success that it’s constantly changing. And part of that’s okay, but a lot of it’s not. So yes, I think that’s, sorry, I didn’t mean to get off on a tangent, but yes, I think the retired population of teachers is a huge asset. I’m ready and willing, right? I teach full-time, but my schedule’s flexible because a lot of our classes, we do two four hour classes with our residents, so they’re in an integrated course format in their senior year. So I have flexibility and I love being at in school. So yeah, I think there is a lot to be said for the older people that maybe still want to stay involved but not full-time.

Lisa:

Can I ask a question about that, Ms. Smith? Erin?

Erin Stanley:

Yes, please.

Lisa:

Thank you. It’s so interesting that you’re thinking about that population and what comes to mind immediately is what I notice when I’m watching in class as and observing. And to Lindsay’s point, if we haven’t done a good fit, if we haven’t vetted, well, if we haven’t thought through that student this semester in that school, in that classroom, and that student teacher doesn’t have a job in that class, they are a burden. They are, let’s just call it, they’re a burden because now I’m watching you and I got right. So I think that is something we could give some attention to. And I appreciate, Lindsay. I was going to write chocolate. We’re sending chocolate to the mentor teachers and apples depending on how you roll. Do you want to be healthier sweet today? What’s your story? But we aren’t currently in California consistently able to offer mentor or teachers enough of either a job that fitting time to find that fit or a clear cut description because people are learning.

And so there is no silver bullet for what they should be doing in that class. That’s the point. It’s exploration and learning. So it really is a lovely idea that maybe it’s a different animal going forward. Maybe it is teachers who were and aren’t right now, and maybe that teacher gets to talk to the classroom teacher and maybe they’re facilitating that in a different way that allows them not to be a burden to the classroom teacher until they and the student teacher can find their jam that they find that crossover that feeds them both while supporting the students. That might be a juicy thinking. I appreciated that. Thank you.

Lori:

We also, we don’t pay our mentors. I wish we could, but we do offer them fee waivers. So many of them are interested in going on to pursuing further degrees. And so we offer them the opportunity to get several credits a semester that they can do once they bank up enough time with different interns to be able to come back. And I’m in the process of working on trying to do a family swap. So for me, I have three teenage kids all going to college, and so I don’t need another degree. I have my terminal degree, but I would love to be able to be a mentor and then use those credits toward my children’s tuition. So we’re trying to work on something along those lines in the pipeline as an option. But I agree with everybody. I mean, the fit is so important. I mean, the literature is out there, the research is out there that that relationship is so vital to the success of beginning teachers knowing that they have somebody as a support, as a colleague, a future colleague. So I’m trying to do everything I can to motivate something to be able to support or compensate our mentors. For sure.

Erin Stanley:

That’s that out of the box thinking you were talking about. That’s really smart. Any other questions you all want to raise with the group? This has been really fun to hear from all of you. Really interesting. I think our teacher educators are in really great hands with you all. I’ll have Abby just drop a last poll question in the chat, thinking about all the challenges you’re facing, if you had to pick one, what would it be? You can just click on that link and it will open in another window. It’s just a one question survey. So let us know your thoughts there, and we love to do these round table discussions. If you ever have any suggestions for topics you’d like to talk about with your colleagues, we’d love to bring you all together so you have that opportunity. So feel free to email me with any of your ideas. I am Erin at GoReact. It’s estanley@goreact.com and love to hear from any of you if you have suggestions for things that you’d like to hear about in the future. So thank you everyone and have a great day. Thanks.