Facing Shortage of Teachers, US States Ease Requirements

Some schools in the southern United States are dealing¹ with severe teacher shortages. Many of these schools are turning to teaching candidates without teaching certificates or official training.

In 2019, Alabama legislators passed laws easing teacher requirements and permitting emergency certificates.

The Associated Press reports that teachers without certificates often work at low-income and majority-Black school systems.

Some schools in Texas eased official certification requirements for about one in five new teachers last school year.

In Oklahoma, an "adjunct" program permits schools to employ teachers who do not have teacher training if they meet the local school's qualifications. And in Florida, former military members without a four-year university degree can teach for up to five years using temporary certificates.

School systems decide if they will accept uncertified candidates, have crowded classes or employ part-time teachers.

Maxie Johnson is a member of the board overseeing the Dallas Independent School District. He said, "I've seen what happens when you don't have teachers in the classroom. I've seen the struggle." He made the statement shortly before the school board approved expanding the use of uncertified teachers. He said that he would rather have someone that a principal approved for a teaching position.

The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit education group. It researched information from the years 2019 and 2020 from 11 states. The group found that about four percent of teachers were uncertified or teaching with an emergency certificate. In addition, 10 percent were teaching out of field. That means they are teaching a different age group or subject than they are certified² to teach.

The group predicts that as many as 16 million students in the area might be taught by an unprepared or inexperienced teacher by 2030.

The group's Megan Boren said, "The shortages are getting worse and morale³ is continuing to fall for teachers."

Many states have eased teaching requirements since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nearly all states have emergency or temporary licenses⁵ that permit a person who has not met requirements for certification to teach.

Shannon Holston is the policy chief for the nonprofit National Council on Teacher Quality. She said such candidates only temporarily deal with the shortage. Holston said those teachers usually do not stay as long as other teachers.

In a 2016 study, the U.S. Department of Education said 1.7 percent of all teachers did not have full certification. The department noted⁶ that number was almost three percent for schools with many minority students or students learning English.

Alabama middle schools

The use of teachers without full certification is not evenly spread across fields and subjects.

Rural Bullock County, for example, had no certified math teachers last year in its middle school. Nearly 80 percent of its students are Black, 20 percent are Hispanic, and 70 percent of all students are poor.

Christopher Blair is the area's former schools superintendent⁷. He said he had a difficult time employing teachers. Poor areas cannot pay teachers as much as wealthier neighboring areas.

The cities of Birmingham and Montgomery are also in Alabama. Each city had three middle schools where more than 20 percent of teachers had emergency certifications.

Birmingham schools spokesperson Sherrel Stewart said officials seek good candidates for emergency certifications and then give them the support they need.

She said, "...that pool of candidates in education schools has drastically reduced but the demand for high-quality educators is still there."

 

Words in This Story

certificate – n. official approval to do something professionally or legally

qualification – n. a special skill or type of experience or knowledge that makes someone suitable to do a particular job or activity

board – n. a group of people who manage or direct a company or organization

principal –n. a person in charge of a public school

morale – n. the feelings of enthusiasm and loyalty⁸ that a person or group has about a task or job

license⁴ – n. an official document or card that gives you permission to do, use, or have something

superintendent – n. a person who directs or manages a place, department, or organization

pool – n. a group of people who do the same job or activity together

drastic – adj. extreme in effect or action: severe or serious

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 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。

3 morale   

n.道德准则，士气，斗志

参考例句：

• The morale of the enemy troops is sinking lower every day.敌军的士气日益低落。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

4 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

5 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

8 loyalty   

n.忠诚，忠心

参考例句：

• She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
• His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。