With school starting, districts across the country are scrambling to find teachers for their classrooms. Yesterday, educators and policymakers gathered in Tulsa, Oklahoma to attend the Oklahoma Teacher Pipeline Summit to discuss long-term solutions to the teacher shortage. Some of the policy-based solutions that were discussed include:
- State-funded loan forgiveness, scholarships or signing bonuses for university-prepared teachers who commit to working in a public school;
- State funded paid student teacher internships;
- University-created courses to prepare future educators for subject specific knowledge (e.g., the Tulsa University is creating a STEM minor for future teachers), pedagogical knowledge, and skills educators need to support today’s students, including courses in childhood trauma.
An interim legislative study on policy solutions to address teacher shortages is anticipated.