Commission makes recommendations to reverse teacher shortage

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A commission studying how to stem a shortage of teachers in Indiana has identified eight ways to attract more teachers and keep them in classrooms.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators on Monday finalized recommendations that it will present in a report later this month to the Indiana State Board of Education. The educator-led commission had gone through a four-month review of the causes behind the state’s teacher shortage.

The commission’s recommendations include reducing the number of standardized tests. Many commission members thought scores on those tests have too much weight on teacher evaluations and pay, the Evansville Courier & Press reports.

Also among the commission’s suggestions are to provide more financial aid to college students considering teaching, enhance professional development opportunities, and create a multimedia marketing campaign to promote teaching.

The commission also says there should also be locally developed teacher pay models that provide for regular salary bumps and reward advanced degrees, and state funding for a mentoring program for new teachers.

Democratic state schools Superintendent Glenda Ritz, who’s co-chairwoman of the commission, said some recommendations don’t need legislative action. Others might, she said, and the commission wants the Legislature to take action on others to move them along more quickly.

“There will be a lot of things that will happen after the report, trying to decide the best way to get it implemented,” Ritz said.

State House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said last month that finding solutions to Indiana’s teacher shortage is a top priority for the upcoming legislative session, The (Munster) Times reports.