NCPSSERS

Dallas ISD and UT Dallas Team up to Tackle Teaching Shortages

Alan Cohen, Dallas Innovates
Originally posted by Dallas Innovates, December 3, 2015

“In an urban school district like Dallas ISD, many factors can result in even our youngest students exhibiting major communication and language disorders such as voice impairments, stuttering, or articulation issues that, untreated, can severely stunt a student’s learning. For decades, it has been recognized that the learning difficulties these students face can often be overcome by utilizing specialized instruction delivered by clinically trained speech language pathologists (SLPs) during the students’ most formative learning years. But over the years, it has become more and more difficult to recruit SLPs to work in urban school districts, creating a major talent shortage, which must be addressed if we want our kids to get the support they need to thrive.”

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Special Education Teacher Shortage Creates Opportunity for Students

Nika Anschuetz, USA Today
Originally posted by USA Today, December 14, 2015

The nation is in need for trained and qualified special education teachers. “Special ed teachers are so in demand that those pursuing general ed might consider this: The certification makes them more marketable.”

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NPR Investigates Why There’s A Shortage Of Special Education Teachers In 49 States

Sara Guaglione, iSchools Guide
Originally posted by iSchools Guide, November 9, 2015

This article discusses an NPR report that “looked into the massive shortage of special education teachers in the United States and the stress it is causing special ed teachers.”

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Behind The Shortage Of Special Ed Teachers: Long Hours, Crushing Paperwork

Lee Hale, NPR
Originally posted by NPR, November 9, 2015

“The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires that every student have what’s known as an IEP — Individualized Education Program. And almost always, those IEP’s spell out that students — either some of the time or all of the time — must be taught by a teacher fully certified in special education.

And yet, around the country, that’s exactly the category of teacher that’s most in demand, as many states and districts are reporting severe shortages.

…So what’s the answer? Aggressive recruitment, says Trevor Greene. He’s the human resources director of Highline Public Schools, a 19,000-student district south of Seattle…”

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America’s Teaching Force, by the Numbers

By Laura McKenna, The Atlantic
Originally posted by The Atlantic, September 10, 2015

“Solutions to the teacher-shortage problem must take into account its complexities; across-the-board initiatives to increase the number of education majors are unlikely to address each state’s specific set of issues. Teacher-training programs could do a better job of providing students with concrete information about the employment realities—which subject areas need teachers and which ones don’t. Given that 14 percent of 20-somethings are unemployed, that information is certainly valuable. And greater certification portability would reduce barriers to relocation, while streamlined recertification options could help teachers who struggled to find work or were laid off during the recession return to the profession.”

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Districts Facing Teacher Shortages Look for Lifelines

By Ross Brenneman, Education Week
Originally posted by Education Week, August 6, 2015

“The most recent data from the U.S. Department of Education have in fact shown significant drops in teacher-education enrollment in many states, including in large states like Texas, New York, and California. Many experts chalk up such declines, as well as regional teacher shortages, to the Great Recession and ensuing cutbacks in public spending. Others have charged that poor teacher working conditions, such as low salaries and test-driven school cultures, are nudging existing and potential educators toward other professions, especially with the economy improving…

…Drops in education-school enrollments don’t necessarily equal shortages, though. According to data from its state education department, for instance, New York has a major surplus of certified teachers.

In shortage areas, demographic trends and school-enrollment changes tend to combine with other factors to spur greater demand for teachers…”

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Wanted: More Special Ed Teachers, Apply Everywhere

By Tom Chorneau, Cabinet Report
Originally posted by the Cabinet Report, August 4, 2015

“In what is fast becoming a national crisis, school administrators throughout the country are scrambling to fill special education positions even as some states move to create new incentives…

…A report in March from the U.S. Department of Education found few districts in the country that have not experienced some shortage of applicants for special education jobs during the past five years and put the current deficit of highly qualified instructors for students with disabilities at about 11 percent nationally…”

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Post Navigation Report: Fixing CA Teacher Shortage Requires ‘Profound Shift’ in Thinking

By Craig Clough, LA School Report
Originally posted by the LA School Report, June 29, 2015

“Among the biggest challenges facing California school districts in the coming years is a growing teacher shortage. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs has plummeted since 2008, and more than 100,000 teachers are expected to retire in the next decade.

Despite the gathering storm, the state lacks any cohesive strategy to solving the problem, according to a new report from Bellwether Education Partners, a national non-profit that focuses on improving education, especially for high-needs students. The solution would require a “profound shift” in thinking and involve a multi-faceted approach that would bring more cohesiveness to strategies at the statewide and local level, the report finds.”

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Small Rural Districts Battle to Keep Special Ed Students Close to Home

By Ricardo Cano, The Fresno Bee
Originally posted by The Fresno Bee, June 19, 2015

“Now in its third year, [Strategically Helpful Intervention Nurturing Educational Services] has been hailed as a success by [Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District] because it allows the eight participating students to get the specialized educational program they need close to home.

Yet for many high-need special education students from rural areas, getting the services they need can be a challenge — and often can require a long ride from home.

Unlike the Valley’s larger urban districts, small rural districts often don’t have the money — or enough students, or even teachers — to float their own programs. So they rely on the Fresno County Office of Education to hire teachers and organize classroom programs for those students. The downside: It can entail an hour-long bus ride to get to the program. That can be a deal-killer for some parents.

These faraway districts are used to having to stretch their dollars and often look for creative ways to serve as many of their special education students within the district. Sometimes it means creating a new program altogether like Firebaugh-Las Deltas…”

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How to Fix a Teacher Shortage

By Christopher Magan, Pioneer Press
Originally posted by eSchool News on March 4, 2015.

“Administrators argue that Minnesota’s strict licensing requirements and union rules make it difficult to attract and retain highly effective and diverse teachers. Teachers union leaders say that state law already gives schools flexibility and that the rules Minnesota has now ensure students get the best teachers possible… As lawmakers debate ways to address the state’s teacher shortage, some worry the proposed changes could lead to risky unintended consequences.”

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