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Division Convenes States to Elevate Help for Educators


Four people sitting at table with name cards in front of them. One person standing and speaking at a podium, which is behind the table. A map with the header “growing our educator workforce” is projected on to the screen behind him

By: Roberto J. Rodríguez, Assistant Secretary for the Workplace of Planning, Analysis and Coverage Improvement

By way of the Increase the Bar: Lead the World initiative, the U.S. Division of Training is working in partnership with states and college districts to get rid of educator shortages in our nation’s faculties. 

Due to the management of state and native schooling officers – and fueled by the pandemic reduction funds championed by the Biden-Harris Administration and made obtainable by Congress – as of February of this yr there have been extra individuals working in our public faculties than previous to the pandemic. That displays a dramatic restoration after the lack of 9 % of all these jobs – an estimated 730,000 – in 2020. That’s nice information!  

Nevertheless, our nation nonetheless employs fewer academics in our faculties than earlier than the pandemic, and researchers and college leaders report extra academics with emergency certifications and instructing out of their certification space, in addition to smaller applicant swimming pools from which to rent expertise. Educator shortages, whereas exacerbated by the pandemic, are usually not new. Addressing these persistent shortages requires addressing elementary challenges to the instructing career right this moment, together with: 

  • insufficient compensation and poor working circumstances; 
  • boundaries to coming into the career by means of high-quality and inexpensive pathways; and 
  • lack of educator variety. 

The Biden-Harris Administration has been laser-focused on utilizing each instrument obtainable to boost the bar in schooling and elevate the instructing career. To deal with these challenges, state motion is crucial. That’s why, in Could and June, the U.S. Division of Training hosted three Regional Convenings to Help State Motion to Advance the Training Professions. 

In partnership with The Hunt Institute and TEACH.org, these Regional Convenings – hosted in Albuquerque, NM; Chicago, IL; and Jackson, MS – introduced collectively key leaders from throughout 25 states and territories, plus the District of Columbia, to impress and share the daring efforts and management underway throughout states to extend educator compensation, broaden entry to high-quality and inexpensive pathways into the career, and enhance educator variety. Cross-sector state groups – together with Elected State Officers, State Commissioners and Superintendents, native Okay-12 and Increased Training Leaders, schooling and labor leaders, and others – got here collectively to develop plans for additional motion to raise and assist the instructing career.  

LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER

At Regional Convenings, nationwide consultants, state officers, and different leaders shared methods for addressing these three key points, together with targets and aims behind their efforts, work with key companions to advance their plans, and classes realized alongside the best way.  

Rising Compensation

Lecturers earn 26 % lower than their faculty educated friends. Rising instructor compensation in order that academics are paid competitively is crucial to addressing instructor shortages now and within the long-term.  Lack of satisfactory planning time and alternatives to collaborate with friends, inadequate staffing ranges that enhance obligations for academics and different workers, and a scarcity of company and difficult political local weather all contribute to elevated instructor stress. Whereas each state is totally different, there are a number of paths states can and will pursue to deal with these elementary challenges and numerous state leaders and Legislators are displaying that daring motion is feasible.  

Mississippi, New Mexico, Nevada, and Maryland – which characterize a various set of state contexts – all shared their methods for working inside their particular authorized, political, and collective bargaining contexts to considerably enhance educator compensation.  

Maryland

By way of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, Maryland is pursuing complete efforts to raise the instructing career, together with by growing compensation in order that instructor pay is corresponding to different professions with related schooling necessities, establishing profession ladders for academics that gives alternatives to develop into instructor leaders and college directors, and giving classroom academics time for skilled growth and collaboration throughout the college day. 

Powerpoint slide with the Maryland State Department of Education Logo. Header 1: Teacher Compensation. Header 2: Compensation Requirements.
July 1, 2019, - June 30, 2024:
•	All Maryland districts must provide teaches a 10 percent salary increase above the negotiated scheduled of salary increases (step movements not included)

•	Between FY 2020 and FY 2023, the state provided 225,000,000 dollars to jumpstart salary increases

July 1, 2023-June 30, 2033: 
•	In FY 2023, the Foundation Per Pupil Fund increased by 13 percent (compared to FY 21). A portion of this fund is being used to finance teacher salaries 

•	Beginning July 1, 2026, the minimum salary for all teachers is 60,000 dollars

•	Between FY 2023 and FY 2033, the Foundation Per Pupil Fund will increase by a total of 49 percent

The state does not set wages at the state level.
Powerpoint slide with the Maryland Department of Education logo.
Header 1: Career Ladder for Educators
•	The Blueprint established a statewide framework called the Career Ladder for Educators 
•	Enables teachers to remain in the classroom with increased responsibilities and salary upon achieving National Board Certification 
•	The Career Ladder for Educators establishes a Teacher Leadership Track
•	Promotion up the career ladder depends on a teacher/principal’s performance, experience, and availability of positions 
•	All Maryland districts must develop a career ladder that aligns with the framework by July 1, 2024 through negotiations with the local bargaining unit.

Flow chart showing the progression of the Career Ladder for Educators
Box 1: State Certified Teacher, holds a Maryland Teacher’s Certificate, average of 60 percent of working time spent teaching in the classroom
Box 2: Teacher pursuing a master’s degree, 30 credits of an approved course of study or National Board Certification (NBC), average of 60 percent of working time spent teaching in the classroom
Box 3a: NBC Teacher or master’s degree for teacher with no assessment comparable to NBC, average of 60 percent of working time spent teaching in a classroom
Box 3b, located to the right of box 3a: Assistant Principal who has an NBC or advanced professional certificate in administration, at least 20 percent of working time spent teaching in a classroom
Arrow from box 3a to box 4a showing the Teacher Leadership Track 
Box 4a: A-1 – Lead Teacher, must hold NBC or master’s degree if no NBC available, average of 50 percent of working time spent in classroom 
Box 5a: A-2 - Distinguished Teacher, eligibility based on evaluation, average of 40 percent of working time spent in classroom 
Box 6a: Professor Distinguished Teacher, identified as having exceptional accomplishments, average of 20 percent of working time spent in classroom
Arrow from box 3b to box 4b showing the Administrator Track 
Box 4b: B-1- Licensed Principal who has an NBC or an advanced professional certificate in administration
Box 5b: B-2 – Distinguished Principal, eligibility based on evaluation

Mississippi

Mississippi Interim State Superintendent Dr. Raymond Morgigno offered welcoming remarks as leaders gathered in Jackson, MS, sharing their efforts to extend instructor compensation. In Mississippi, the place minimal compensation is about on the state degree, the state took daring motion to extend instructor compensation by 11.4% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023, the second largest yr over yr enhance within the nation. These modifications resulted in Mississippi’s rating for common instructor beginning pay going from 45th to 30th within the nation.  

Powerpoint slide with Mississippi Department of Education logo. 
Header 1: 2022 Legislative Session: Largest Pay Raise in Mississippi
Header 2: HB 530 Strategically Accelerating the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers (START) Act 
Highlights: 
•	Allocated additional 246 million dollars to fund teacher pay raise for the 2022-23 school year 
•	Base salary increase: 4,500 dollars
•	400-600 dollar step raises every year contingent upon degree
•	1,200-3,500 dollar step raises every five years 
•	Average raise (includes immediate step raise): 5,151 dollars
•	Teacher assistant one-time pay raise: 2,000 dollars 
•	Mississippi’s new starting salary of 41,500 dollars surpasses southern regional average of 41,146 dollars at time law was enacted
This line graph shows increases to average and minimum teacher salaries in Mississippi each year from the 2014-15 school year to the 2022-23 school year. The first line shows increases to the minimum teacher salary. The minimum salary was 33,390 dollars in 2014-15. It increased to 34,390 dollars for the 2015-16 school year and remained the same until 2019-20, when it increased to 35,390 dollars. It then increased to 37,000 dollars for the 2021-22 year and to 41,500 dollars in 2022-23. The second line shows increases to the average teacher salary. From 2014-15 to 2021-22, there is a steady increase in the average salary from 43,308 dollars to 47,902 dollars. From 2021-22 to 2022-23, there is a larger increase from 47,902 dollars to 53,354 dollars

New Mexico

New Mexico Lieutenant Governor, Howie Morales, and State Secretary of Training, Dr. Arsenio Romero, welcomed members to Albuquerque, the place Dr. Romero introduced on how the state elevated minimal instructor salaries. Beneath the management of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, New Mexico, which additionally has authority to set minimal compensation ranges on the state degree, took necessary steps to each enhance pay and cut back the price of advantages for educators. The state has elevated minimal salaries at every of its three tiers of compensation (provisional, skilled, and grasp instructor), which resulted in common instructor salaries within the state growing by 17.2% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023, the most important year-over-year enhance within the nation.  

Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: New Mexico Teacher Salaries have Consistently Increased Over the Past Three Years. 

This table shows the percent increases to teacher salaries, and the minimum Level One, Level Two, and Level Three salaries in New Mexico each year from 2020-2024. The increase was 6 percent in 2020, 1 percent in 2021, 1.5 percent in 2022, 3 percent in Fall 2022, 4 percent in Spring 2023, and 3 percent in 2024. The minimum Level One salary was 41,000 dollars in 2020, 41,410 dollars in 2021, 42,031 dollars in 2022, and 50,000 dollars in 2023 and 2024. The minimum Level Two Salary was 50,000 dollars in 2020, 50,500 dollars in 2021, 51,257 dollars in 2022, and 60,000 dollars in 2023 and 2024. The minimum Level Three salary was 60,000 dollars in 2020, 60,600 dollars in 2021, 61,509 dollars in 2022, and 70,000 dollars in 2023 and 2024.
Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: Minimum Group Insurance Contributions.  

Minimum Group Insurance contributions, school districts and charter schools covered by the Public School Insurance Authority Act, which excludes Albuquerque Public Schools, are required to pay for their employees’ healthcare benefits increased as follows:  

80 percent or more of the cost of insurance for employees earning less than 50,000 dollars 

70 percent or more of the cost of insurance for employees earning 50,000 dollars or more but less than 60,000 dollars 

60 percent or more of the cost of insurance for employees earning more than 60,000 dollars

Nevada

Beneath the management of Gov. Joe Lombardo, Nevada – the place compensation is about on the district degree – used a historic enhance in per-pupil funding and an identical fund to assist districts in collectively bargaining pay will increase with their native unions. Throughout the 2023 state legislative session, Senate Majority Chief Nicole Cannizzaro was instrumental in spearheading Senate Invoice 231, which offered funding for varsity district worker pay raises. Nevada Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jhone Ebert, and leaders from the Clark County Training Affiliation and Nevada State Training Affiliation introduced on Nevada’s instructor pay efforts. Greater than half of Nevada’s counties negotiated a pay increase of no less than 20%, in keeping with the Nevada State Training Affiliation. 

Powerpoint slide with Nevada Department of Education logo
Header 1: Nevada’s Public K-12 Education Budget, 2023 to 2025 Biennium
•	The budget allocates nearly 12 billion dollars in state education funding 
•	Gov. Joe Lombardo and the state legislature made a historic investment in public education – a 2.6 billion dollar increase
•	Per-pupil funding is increasing by more than 2,500 dollars – a 25 percent increase
Powerpoint slide with Clark County Education Association logo. Header 1: Nevada’s 82ndLegislative Session, Senate Bill 231. Header 2: Salary Table Randers Over the Years. 

72 percent increase to starting pay 

93 percent increase to top pay 

This grouped bar graph shows changes to Nevada’s average starting teacher pay and average top teacher pay from the 2015-16 to 2024-25 school years. The y axis shows U.S dollars from 0 dollars to 140,000 dollars in increments of 20,000 dollars. The x-axis shows the school years from 2015-16 to 2024-25, each with two bars, one for starting pay and one for top pay. The average top teacher salary was 73,000 dollars in 2015-16, and increased steadily until 2022-23, when it increased from 101,000 dollars to 131,000 dollars and then to 142,000 dollars in 2024-25. The average starting teacher salary increased steadily each year from 34,000 dollars in 2015-16 to 59,000 dollars in 2024-25. Swooping arrows above the bar chart repeat the overall percentage increases.

Rising Entry to Excessive-High quality and Reasonably priced Educator Preparation

The excessive value of pursuing and coming into the instructing career can also be a barrier to addressing right this moment’s educator scarcity, with disproportionate impacts on people of coloration who graduate from faculty with extra pupil debt than their college-educated friends. Instructor candidates want better entry to high-quality, inexpensive educator pathways aligned to evidence-based practices, with sturdy scientific expertise within the classroom earlier than changing into the instructor of report.  

Division Convenes States to Elevate Help for Educators
The Excessive-High quality and Reasonably priced Pathways panel presents in Chicago, IL, together with Michael Saylor, Delaware Division of Training (at podium), Maureen Tracey-Mooney, U.S. Division of Training, Lynn Gangone, AACTE, and from the Michigan Division of Training State Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Rice and Sarah-Kate LaVan (at desk, left to proper). 

Nevada, Delaware, Michigan, New Mexico and the Tennessee Develop Your Personal Middle shared with different leaders their efforts to scale back the price of changing into a instructor with out reducing the standard of educator preparation, together with by offering paid alternatives to pursue instructor certification by means of residency applications and registered instructor apprenticeship applications that permit candidates to earn-while-they-learn, whereas being supported by an skilled mentor instructor. These efforts are unlocking pathways for a large number of future academics, together with paraprofessionals who convey a long time of classroom expertise however could face challenges or lack the sources wanted to pursue their instructor certification.  

Michigan

Michigan shared its investments in complete methods that deal with the affordability of educator preparation, each for these simply starting their preparation to develop into a instructor, and for present academics with pupil debt. In Michigan, funding for Develop Your Personal applications that preserve present high-quality requirements is crucial, and as State Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice stated, make “clinically-centered preparation the norm, not the exception.”

Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: FY 23 Budget to Address the Teacher Shortage. 
•	575 million dollars included, but was not limited to: 
o	305 million dollars for MI Future Educator Fellowships (Scholarships)
o	175 million dollars for Grow Your Own programs for support staff to become teachers 
	155 million dollars from ARPA + 20 million dollars from state funds 
o	50 million dollars for Future Educator Student Teacher Stipends
Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header 1: FY 24 Budget to Address the Teacher Shortage. 
•	448 million dollars includes, but is not limited to: 
o	225 million dollars for districts to implement a student loan repayment program
o	63.8 million dollars for equal per pupil payments to districts to increase educator compensation
o	15 million dollars to pilot a rural credentialing hub 
o	50 million dollars over five years for grants for mentoring and induction

Tennessee

Tennessee has been a pioneer in its management to broaden inexpensive pathways into the instructing career. The Tennessee Develop Your Personal Middle shared how it’s supporting state leaders to broaden registered apprenticeship applications for academics.

Powerpoint slide with no logo. On the left, an image of a male teacher in a classroom with students. Text on the right: Header 1: Evidence of Success.
•	Higher than average retention in the program of study (91-88 percent).
•	Recruitment efforts have been fruitful (about 3,000).
•	Over 100 teacher apprentices have completed the program.
•	694 educator apprentices in any segment of the funnel (CC + EPP).
•	77 of 145 LEAs are approved.
•	All 7 TAP pre-apprenticeship pilot districts plan to expand their programs next year. 
•	Expanding access to rural communities, diverse communities, and adult learners.
Data as of December 31st, 2023.
Powerpoint slide with no logo. Header: Expanding Access.
•	Only 11.6% of registered teacher apprentices fall in the 18-24 year old age range.
•	GYO is not competing with traditional residential campus programs.
A donut chart shows the percent of registered teacher apprentices in different age groups. 11.6 percent are aged 18 to 24, 30.7 percent of apprentices are aged 25-34, 28.9 percent are aged 35-44, 23.0 percent are aged 45-54, and 5.9 percent are 55 or older. Data as of December 31st, 2023.

Word: Information as of December 31, 2023

Rising Educator Variety

There are such a lot of advantages to selling a various and gifted instructing workforce. In the present day, whereas over half of public college college students are college students of coloration, simply 24% of academics are people of coloration. Rising educator variety is crucial to eliminating educator shortages; offering each youngster an excellent educator requires recruiting and supporting instructor expertise from each nook of our communities.

Four people sitting at table with name cards in front of them. One person standing and speaking at a podium, which is behind the table. A line graph that shows the percentage of teachers of color in the teacher workforce from 1987-2020 is projected on to the screen behind him
The Educator Variety panel presents in Chicago, IL, together with Dr. Travis Bristol, U.C. Berkeley’s Faculty of Training (at podium), Jarvis Lundy, the Hunt Institute, Dr. Kimako Patterson, Illinois State Board of Training, and from the Massachusetts Division of Elementary and Secondary Training Regina Robinson and Darcy Fernandes (at desk, left to proper).
A woman in a green dress and jacket is standing and speaking at a clear podium.
Dr. Cassandra Herring, Founder, President, and CEO, Department Alliance for Educator Variety, presents throughout the Educator Variety panel in Jackson, MS.

On the Regional Convenings, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, and Washington shared their work to extend educator variety, together with how these states are working to determine clear and constant targets for educator recruitment and growth, monitoring progress; offering monetary incentive to future educators and establishments of upper schooling working to extend educator variety, together with by investing in Traditionally Black Schools and Universities, Tribally-Managed Schools and Universities (TCCUs) and Minority-Serving Establishments (MSIs); and supporting reforms on the college and educator preparation program degree to create working environments that higher recruit, assist and retain numerous educators.

Illinois

Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders welcomed members to Chicago, the place he and his colleagues introduced on their efforts to extend educator variety, together with by specializing in growing retention charges for academics of coloration, getting highschool college students on an early path to changing into a instructor, and growing recruitment charges and persistence charges for college students of coloration in educator preparation applications.

Powerpoint slide with Illinois State Board of Education logo. Header 1: Creating a pipeline for diverse educators.
• CTE Career Education Pathways Grant equips aspiring teachers in high school for success through tailored coursework, field experiences, and work-based learning
• 10 million dollars in state funding since FY 2020
• Nearly 12,000 Illinois high school students across 212 school districts and three community colleges 
• Statewide access to Educators Rising CTSO
Powerpoint slide with Illinois State Board of Education logo. Header 1: Increasing both recruitment and persistence in educator preparation programs. 
•	Arrow showing that the percentage of newly enrolled undergraduate teacher candidates identified as people of color increased from 27 percent in 2019 to 35 percent in 2022. 
•	Arrow showing that the percentage of undergraduate program completers identified as people of color increased from 18 percent in 2019 to 32 percent in 2022.

Colorado

In 2021, Colorado established a working group to develop suggestions for growing the range of the educator workforce. The ensuing report guided complete motion by the state legislature to extend educator variety, together with investments in mortgage forgiveness and scholarship help, a number of pathways into the career, and a partnership with TEACH Colorado to domesticate and assist numerous candidates in Colorado’s educator preparation applications.  

Powerpoint slide with the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Education logos. Header 1: Our Legislators and Governors Supported Our Efforts.
Left sidebar pointing to text on the right: 
•	SB16-104: Incentives to Build Number of Rural Teachers 
•	SB 21-185: Supporting Educator Workforce in Colorado 
•	HB22-1220: Removing Barriers to Educator Participation
Text on the right:
•	Legislation and financial assistance to reduce barriers 
o	Financial assistance and incentives for teacher candidates through the Colorado Center for Rural Education 
o	GYO pathway for high school students – lowering the cost and time to complete a degree (TREP)
o	Stipends for rural educator recruitment and advancement 
o	Educator loan forgiveness 
•	TEACH Colorado – Statewide recruitment system 
o	Identifies and cultivates Coloradoans in every zip code 
o	Connects prospects to financial assistance 
o	Supports high school students who are on the pathway
o	Supports prospects to navigate licensure and other barriers
Powerpoint slide with the State of Colorado and the Colorado Department of Education logos. Header 1: Cultivate and support prospects until they apply 
Lefthand text: Header 2: SUPPORT
•	Help finding EPP 
•	Help applying to EPP 
•	Financial assistance 
•	Licensure exam prep 
Center image: Woman standing against wall, text over image “Apoyo en Español”
Righthand collage of images and text:
•	Woman smiling. Text next to image: “Emily Viramontes, 1,000 dollar scholarship winner. “I always aspire to be the adult I did not have as a kid. I want to teach in communities of color and serve students that look like me,”
•	Woman looking at computer. Text below image: Prepare for content tests. Find out what exams you’ll need to get licensed, and explore study materials and tools. Button: Start Preparing.
•	Woman looking at computer. Text below image: Pay for your teaching program. Get to know financial aid options when it comes to paying for your teaching program. Button: Read More.

STATES LEADING THE WAY

Recognizing how crucial a multi-sector strategy is to this work, the U.S. Division of Training structured its Regional Convenings to mirror numerous leaders and stakeholders from throughout the general public schooling sector, all whom are crucial to creating progress to deal with educator shortages and elevate the instructing career. State groups included state management from Okay-12 and better schooling to the Governor’s workplace, together with state legislatures, workforce programs, native and regional superintendents and system leaders, state Boards of Training, unions, and different key companions. Throughout their time collectively, state groups labored to construct their understanding of the basis causes of challenges of their state associated to educator compensation, high-quality and inexpensive educator preparation, and educator variety, in addition to recognized key methods which may assist overcome these challenges.

Seven women sitting around a round table. Some are talking, some are writing down notes.
Leaders from Connecticut talk about throughout a state staff working session in Chicago, IL.

State groups additionally related with their counterparts from different states to share confirmed practices and classes realized, and to collaborate in cross-state teams to study, share, and swap insights on attainable options to addressing the instructor scarcity.

15 people sitting in chairs in a circle around three tables, listening to one person talking. The tables are in an outdoor courtyard. The flag for the state of New Mexico hangs in the background.
Leaders from New Mexico and Utah interact in cross-state collaborations in Albuquerque, NM.

On the conclusion of every Regional Convening, states shared key methods and subsequent steps they had been thinking about pursuing. Concepts had been vast ranging, from ideas for brand new coverage and laws, knowledge assortment and objective setting, commissions, initiatives, and instruments.

We’re grateful to the state and native leaders from throughout the nation who selected to speculate their time in these essential conversations. We stay up for continued State-federal partnership and efforts to return collectively throughout numerous states and geographies to deal with educator shortages and elevate the instructing career.

A particular due to these states who shared their work on the Regional Convenings and for permitting excerpts of their shows for use on this weblog. Thanks, as properly, to the Studying Coverage Institute, Department Alliance for Educator Variety, American Affiliation of Schools for Instructor Training, the Nationwide Training Affiliation, and UC Berkeley’s Faculty of Training for sharing their experience at these convenings. The U.S. Division of Training is very grateful for the beneficiant assist from the W.Okay. Kellogg Basis and the Carnegie Company of New York, who made the Regional Convenings attainable.



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