Teachers are a very important aspect of children and adult learners’ lives. Educator professionals’ work is inextricably linked to the success of students, schools, and states. The shortage of teachers is increasing due to some having a lack of certification and being qualified. This paper will address the shortage of special education teachers, the shortage of teachers in rural areas, and other educators; also, how to recruit and retain teachers who are already in the teaching profession and what contributes to the decreasing numbers of teachers. Rural schools suffer the most from a lack of sufficient teachers due to a high turnover rate and difficulty hiring. Many Rural school teachers are subject to impoverished areas, isolation from population concentrations, access to medical facilities and bad weather conditions. Rural schools have a below-average of highly trained teachers. Some of the challenges in rural schools are out-of-date textbooks, lack of technology, and greater teacher workloads. Rural school teachers deal with teaching multiple courses and disciplines, covering extra extracurricular activities, and teaching “out of field”. http://blog/betterhighschools.org Students are being taught by teachers who don’t have the sufficient knowledge and skills that is crucial for quality instruction. Having a large share of special needs students and those who have limited English skills make it difficult to recruit and retain quality teachers. Due to the small size of rural schools and communities there is a smaller pool of applicants and teachers. (Monk, DH) The Federal government awarded schools with a three year extension to make sure all their teachers were highly qualified as the law required. In October of 1998 Preside... ... middle of paper ... ...ship programs for prospective teachers. In Florida For critical shortage areas the legislature created a program that forgives loans in exchange for teaching service. Mississippi offers teachers scholarships, high-school-to-college programs, college courses, incentive loans for teachers who serve in rural areas experiencing teacher shortages, scholarships for certified teachers seeking advanced training while working in a shortage area, and home loans or rental housing for teachers in shortage areas. Mississippi also has a professional on the department of education staff who recruits teachers in-state and out-of-state. (Collins, 1999) www.eric.ed.gov In summation having a shortage in teachers can be detrimental. Teachers are needed to help with the success of student. Having great recruitment and retaining strategies will help overcome the shortage in teachers.
Past attempts at solutions were Teachers for America, Experimental Certification of Ethnic Colleagues for Elementary Schools, provisional certification, and emergency certification. Teachers for America is a very easy, "six week crash course in teacher survival skills taught primarily by teachers from their troubled placement sites."(Roth, 220) These teachers are said to bring "enthusiasm and intellect" to the classroom. In inner city and urban school systems, where most of the student body is poor and in the greatest need of good teachers, the TFA teachers are installed. While TFA is a good idea and puts teachers in classrooms, some say that the children who are being used as guinea pigs for this experimental teacher training are suffering. However, after receiving praise from some major cities, its training program was approved in 1995 and it "received $2 million from AmeriCorps, President Clinton’s national service initiative."(Mosle, 3) Experimental Certification of Ethnic Colleagues for Elementary Schools (E3) was an effort to "increase the representation of males and people of color on teaching staffs of elementary schools,"(Shade, 261) in response to teacher shortages. This solution was implemented for three years and was very successful. Provisional certification is given to a person who has been certified in another state and has passed the Praxis II, "but who needs one or two courses Maryland requires for teachers.
The author states in “A New Deal for Teachers” that in America, especially in poorer school districts, teacher quality is lacking. In urban districts, out of the new teachers hired in the next three years, about half of them will quit (usually the quality ones). The recruitment of better teachers is, as the author says, the biggest problem in our education system. He states that he’s been told by urban teachers that many of their colleagues are incompetent. Contributing to this is that state requirements are very low, which allows poor quality teachers into schools. Miller explains that smart and competent people who want to be teachers, are getting more and more difficult to find. This is true mainly because there are fields of work that those
During Teach For America's first year of operation, the organization received applications from 2,500 candidates and chose 500 of them to become teachers for the program who began their two-year teaching commitment in low-income communities all across the cou...
Special education is a large part of the education system, which includes the mentally retarded, people with learning disabilities, the emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, visually impaired, etc. Many people fail to include this system as one that can possibly involve discrimination, but those enrolled in special education has increased among all racial classifications. Between 1980 and 1990, the entire population enlisted in special education has increased. European American increased by 6%, African Americans increased by 13%, Hispanic Americans increased by 53%, and Asian Americans/Pacific Americans increased by 107.8% (Ford, Obiakor, p. 8). In the end, it is these students who ultimately experience low rates of employment, low income, and growing rates of incarceration. Another survey indicates t...
Several of the major reform initiatives of the 1980s and early 1990s argued that improving education requires improving teacher quality and, accordingly, teacher education. Numerous changes in teacher recruitment, preparation, and certification were proposed. (For a detailed list, see Hartley, Mantle-Bromley, and Cobb 1996.) In response to the calls for reform, general teacher education programs raised admission standards/exit requirements; revised curricula to reflect multiculturalism and new K-12 standards; paid more attention to pedagogy, teaching practice, and relevance; included clinical experiences in public schools and other learning environments; and proposed new model standards/principles for licensing beginning teachers (Lynch 1997).
Two years ago, I embarked on a journey that would teach me more than I had ever imagined. As a recent college graduate, I was thrilled to finally begin my teaching career in a field I have always held close to my heart. My first two years as a special education teacher presented countless challenges, however, it also brought me great fulfillment and deepened my passion for teaching students with special needs. The experiences I have had both before and after this pivotal point in my life have undoubtedly influenced my desire to further my career in the field of special education.
Good schools and good teachers are lacking in precisely those areas where they are needed most.
The most important reason public schools provide an excellent education is that teachers are required to be highly qualified and suited for the job. When asked if public schools were a wise investment for the government Barnard answered,” Yes, not every parent [very few in fact] are trained and suited to educate students”” (Barnard). In particular, they must acquire and maintain a license to teach. In order to earn this teaching certification, they must demonstrate proficiency in all basic skills, study their subject area in depth, and learn effective techniques of instructing all kinds of learners. They also are required to get on-the-job training under the guidance of an experienced teacher. They have to motivate students to learn and have a passion for teaching, maintain their license, and continue their own education and training throu...
There are many challenges that teachers encounter when teaching children with learning disabilities, learners that are English language learners, or learners who are culturally and linguistically diverse. As a nation we are faced with the challenged that our schools are becoming more diverse. The majority of our schoolteachers are still predominately white females, but our student population is slowly changing. We are seeing more minority groups in our schools that are facing different challenges. The scary part of it all is that our teachers do not have the skills to accommodate those differences. “The nation’s changing school demographics are creating a demand for new teaching skills” (Utley, Obiakor, & Bakken 2011, pg. 5). Our student population
A secure and stable job “attracts many teachers to the teaching profession, and eliminating teacher tenure would hamper teacher recruitment” (“Teacher Tenure - ProCon.org,” 2017). The greater the number of teachers, the more teachers there will be for students decreasing overcrowding in classrooms. It also aids in decreasing unemployment because it will prompt individuals to teach since there is the security of keeping their jobs. Additionally, it “encourages the careful selection of qualified and effective teachers” (“Teacher Tenure - ProCon.org,” 2017). School administrators and higher-ups in the school system look carefully in identifying the best teachers that encourage learning and bring back promising test results to keep to have every child succeed. They want to choose the best out of the best, so their school can continue promoting quality and secure education for students to prosper and exceed in future schooling. Although a teacher tenure is beneficial for the community, it also proves to be very useful for students
I have been a Special Education Para-Educator for eleven years now. My decision to do this was based on the needs of my family and kids. When my last child was born, the doctors did not think that he would make it. He had a heart malfunction and was born with RSV and Von Villibrantds disease (which I did not find out until he was three); those factors lead me to want to work with special education kids, knowing that I could make a difference.
There are many things we could blame for feeding this problem. One of these things is poor salary. “45% (of teachers) said poor salary was an issue. It was cited by about three-fourths of those who moved from a small, private school to other schools.” (Bracey, page 331)
I posed this question prior to my research; do special education students receive the same attention and level of education as students in regular education? Through investigation and observation, I explored the differences between regular education classrooms and special education classrooms to see if there were in fact inequalities between the two. Prior to doing research, I assumed that all education was alike, and that regardless of special needs, the educational institution provided an equal opportunity for all students to learn. This paper will show the level of equity and reflect on the social justice of special education in the current school platform. It will outline the research that I have conducted and demonstrate the negative assumptions about special education teachers and their students, and show examples of the lack of funding and resources for special education departments.
Jupp, B., & Education, T. (2009). What states can do to improve teacher effectiveness. K-12
Have you ever imagined the world of teaching through the eyes of a special education teacher? It takes a unique person to educate children with disabilities. The career of a special education teacher is an interesting career, because you get to help children overcome obstacles and become productive citizens. The research will describe the career of a special education teacher, what is required to become a successful special education teacher, and the impact this career has on society.