Lawmakers, education leaders outline plans to solve teacher shortage
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — State leaders are working to attract more teacher, after seeing a major drop in over the past few years. This school year, the Department of Education said there were 30 percent fewer people receiving new teacher licenses than last school year.
There are multiple bills at the statehouse, designed to encourage people to become teachers in Indiana. Meanwhile, State Superintendent Glenda Ritz has introduced a plan along with a group of education experts. Ritz co-chaired the Blue Ribbon Commission to figure out how to end the teacher shortage.
The commission came up with eight strategies to recruit and retain teachers in Indiana:
- Mentoring
- Positive Press
- Compensation
- Evaluation and Assessment
- Diverse Workforce
- Clinical Experiences
- Professional Development
- Career Pathways and Leadership
Some of the specific ideas include state funding for senior teachers to mentor younger teachers throughout the first three years of their career, more loan forgiveness programs and a competitive pay scale. The commission also recommended evaluating teachers on more than just standardized test results. House Bill 1339 includes some of those recommendations.
In addition, lawmakers are working on other bills regarding Indiana teachers. Senate Bill 379 would allow teachers of special ed and STEM–science, tech, engineering and math — classes, to negotiate contracts outside of the teachers unions. It would also create a residency program, to make it easier for out-of-state teachers to become licensed. Senate Bill 328 would give more grants to aspiring teachers.