Facing Shortages, US States Lower Teachers’ Requirements

Facing Shortages, US States Lower Teachers’ Requirements

Some American states are dealing¹ with teacher shortages by lowering the requirements to become public school teachers.

Education Week and the Education Commission of the States found that 12 states either recently changed or are considering changing rules surrounding teacher certification. In some states, a college degree is not even required to become a teacher. Others are considering making it easier to pass a teacher exam.

The cause and extent of the shortages in the United States are widely debated. But the National Education Association (NEA), an organization representing teachers, says that schools are facing a shortage of 300,000 teachers and school workers. And in a study of school officials released by Education Week last year, 40 percent said teacher shortages were either "very severe" or "severe." And the pandemic worsened the problem.

States are hoping that by making it easier to become a teacher, more people will enter the profession. But critics say the plans will put unprepared and unqualified teachers into classrooms.

Teacher certification is done on a statewide, rather than a national level. Requirements vary, but certification requires at least a college degree, and sometimes an advanced degree, like a master's or higher. It also requires completion of a state-approved teacher education program and the passage of a teacher exam.

In Florida, a law went into effect in July that permits military veterans without a college degree to earn teacher certification. They must have completed some college classes, but a degree is not required.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in a statement that the law is a way to thank military families for their service.

"We ... know that our veterans have talents and skills that they can offer our students," he said. "This new opportunity expands Florida's existing programs that help our veterans take their talents to our schools, and it will help Florida remain a national leader in education."

In Arizona, a new law permits people to become teachers without college degrees as long as they are attending college and supervised by a certified³ teacher.

"There is an urgent need for teachers in Arizona," said Republican state Senator Rick Gray who introduced the bill. The law will "open the door to future educators and prepare them to be in the classroom."

But education experts say these new policies damage teaching as a profession and hurt students.

Jacqueline Rodriguez is a vice² president at the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. She said in an interview with K-12 Dive that the Arizona law harms students by having an "unprepared person" lead the classroom. She added that those who are unprepared to teach will not be successful and less likely to stay in the position.

Christopher Morphew is head of the Johns Hopkins University School of Education in Baltimore, Maryland. He said teacher shortages could be addressed with better pay and working conditions for teachers.

"I don't think you can ask people to take out $50,000 in loans (to pay for teacher education programs at universities) and then teach for $40,000 a year," he said.

A new study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that teaching earns far less than other professions that require similar college degrees. In 2021, teachers were paid 23.5 percent less than people with similar degrees, EPI found.

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said lowering standards for teachers is "unfortunate" in an interview with CBS.

"Unless we're serious about providing competitive salaries for our educators, better working conditions, so that they can continue to grow ... we're going to constantly deal with shortage issues, especially in our areas that are harder to teach or where there are less candidates," he said.

Words in This Story

certification — n. official approval to do something professionally or legally

extent — n. the range, distance, or space that is covered or affected⁴ by something or included in something

unqualified— adj. not having the skills, knowledge, or experience needed to do a particular job or activity

veteran — n. someone who fought in a war as a soldier, sailor, etc.

opportunity — n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

talent — n. a special ability that allows someone to do something well

supervise — v. to be in charge of ; to watch and direct

interview — n. a meeting at which people talk to each other in order to ask questions and get information

salary — n. an amount of money that an employee is paid each year

1 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。