Addressing the Teacher Shortage Crisis: One Regional University's Approach to Mobilizing a Response to Partnering School Districts

Abstract

Many researchers have studied the attrition problem that has been impacting teacher retention in K-12 classrooms for years, looking for ways to stem the tide of teachers leaving the workforce (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2003; Ingersoll & Smith, 2004). However, almost half of educators continue to leave the workforce after three to five years of classroom teaching. After Covid-19, that number has increased, posing a difficult situation for school districts needing to hire effective, certified teachers. However, the question remains: how can institutions of higher education prepare effective educators to go into classrooms and remain there for the duration of their career? Research has demonstrated that teachers with more experience have a greater impact on students’ academic growth than teachers who have less than three years’ experience in a classroom. Ensuring that teachers are prepared to be effective teachers who remain in classrooms beyond the five-year mark is critical to student learning, especially students in lower socio-economic schools who may lag behind their more affluent peers. Researchers at a regional university in Texas determined that meetings with superintendents across a large swath of central Texas might assist all stakeholders in preparing effective teachers to enter and support the workforce in their area. This paper highlights strategic meetings and key findings that have been put into practice to work toward a certified and effective teacher workforce. Keywords: teacher attrition, partnership-building, effective teacher workforce