By: Karen Satchell-Simpson
HELP! Broward County is in desperate need of qualified teachers. The Broward County teacher shortage has reached a crisis stage. The public education system continues to suffer from teacher shortage as school administrators scramble to retain highly qualified educators. Industry experts suggest that the problem is that no one wants to teach anymore and it’s a tough job that not everyone can handle. As school administrators in Broward County brace for a challenging year the school district tries to attract potential candidates by offering sign-on bonuses and stipends for teachers who choose to teach extra classes. This solution is obviously inadequate and not sustainable. According to the US department of Education, Title 2 report, there are a third fewer students enrolled in teacher preparation program in 2018 when compared to 2010. Additionally, the report also revealed that Black and African American enrollment in teacher preparation declined in most states. The reality is that the vacancies in our schools may persist because teacher salaries are currently too low to meet demand. It is an unavoidable fact that interest in the teaching profession has waned.
Certification Map for Immigrant Educators
Now that we have addressed the elephant in the room, how can we help the many uncertified educators or aspiring teachers gain the credentials they so greatly need. Despite all the struggles our educators face there are several educators who genuinely want to teach but are not able to because of the lack of teacher certification. These licensing rules continue to create an obstacle for many prospective educators. As an educator and an immigrant, I also experienced the struggle to navigate the treacherous road to certification. No one seemed to know the exact requirements for an educator with 15 years of teaching, with a Jamaican license and a British teacher’s certification. It was by sheer luck that I stumbled upon a college mate who was able to guide me through the credentialing process. Since teaching is my calling, I persisted to obtain the qualification needed to teach in Florida. Why isn’t there a clear certification map for immigrant educators who want to teach in the United States? Broward is one of the most diverse counties in the nation with a significant number of immigrants from Caribbean countries. It is important to note that the public-school demographics are changing and in many school districts, minority students dominate and account for most of the schools’ population. As documented by the Migrant Policy Institute, Caribbean migration to the United States continues to increase.
Immigrants Migrating to the United States
The purpose of certification goes beyond increasing salaries and career options. Research from Stanford University (2005) suggested that students’ achievements were greater when students are taught by teachers who were certified in their field. A certification road map website for immigrant educators would help these aspiring educators determine the pathway that is right for them at any point of their career. This platform should address areas of credentialing, the teacher certification directory, navigating the certification test and mentoring and coaching. Just like our students, our educators need a differentiated approach to certification.
Reference
CBS News. (2022, July 5). Florida Faces Massive Teaching Shortage For 2022-23 School Year. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKJ6h1I7ZBY
FLDOE. (2022). Identification of Critical Teacher Shortage Areas for 2022-23. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/20042/urlt/7-2.pdf
Jeanne Batalova. (2022, July 22). Top Statistics on Global Migration and Migrants. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/top-statistics-global-migration-migrants
Linda Darling-Hammond, Deborah J. Holtzman, Su Jin Gatlin, and Julian Vasquez Heilig. (2002). Does Teacher Preparation Matter? Evidence about Teacher Certification, Teach for America, and Teacher Effectiveness. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/2750/275020513042.pdf
This problem of teacher retention is not only a local challenge but a national issue that plagued the United States as a whole. Many factors attribute to the shortage of teachers, lack but the major problem for lack of teachers is low teacher salaries. Although efforts have been made to attract and increase the number of teachers, it is still a demand too hard to fill.