The experts have weighed in with their advice about how to solve Indiana’s teacher shortage.
The Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators released its report Thursday.
The group’s 47 members have been studying the shortage since September.
The report says Indiana has seen a significant decline in the number new teacher licenses — more than a 30 percent drop over the last five years. Colleges that train teachers are noticing a significant decline in enrollment.
The commission set out to make a list of recommendations to state legislators on how to recruit and keep good teachers.
It concludes that, first of all, teachers need encouragement and incentives to enter the profession.
When they start their careers, new teachers need support from experienced teachers serving as mentors.
Throughout their careers, teachers need ways to continue growing their skills and salaries that encourage them to stay.
Teachers also need the state to avoid discouraging them by basing their evaluations on flawed tests such as ISTEP+.
To attract new teachers, the report suggests creating a Teachers Ambassador Program to promote the profession among potential teachers.
The state should help future teachers pay for college through scholarships, then forgive their student loans if they take teaching jobs and stay in the profession.
The state should provide mentors to guide new teachers through their early years. The mentors would be paid $1,000 for mentoring first-year teachers, $800 for mentoring second-year teachers and $600 for mentoring third-year teachers.
In addition to mentors, the report suggests a “boot camp” for first-year teachers before the first day of school.
The report mentions a need to offer incentives for teaching in “high-needs” schools. It’s no surprise that teacher turnover is worse at schools where a majority of students come from low-income families.
Financial incentives also would be offered to teachers in shortage areas, such as special education and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
The report suggests providing pay increases for teachers who improve themselves by earning advanced degrees and licenses.
Pay increases also could reward those who become National Board Certified Teachers. Indiana has only 169 NBCTs, but the best known is Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz.
Voluntarily earning board certification means a teacher has “developed and demonstrated the advanced knowledge, skills and practices required of an outstanding educator,” according to the national board.
The report calls for developing “teacher leaders” in schools. They would share their expertise, support the growth of other teachers, and increase the quality of instruction.
The report also suggests reducing the emphasis on standard tests, such as ISTEP+, in measuring student achievement and especially in evaluating established teachers.
Statistics attached to the report point to a factor that may be as important as all the rest. Depending on the type of school, salaries for Indiana teachers run $4,000 to $6,000 per year behind national averages.
Those are just a few highlights from the report. The timing of its arrival, two weeks after the start of this year’s legislative session, may ensure that little if anything will get done this year.
But we can’t let this report end up on a shelf, ignored. If Indiana wants to get serious about improving education, legislators need to take the commission’s advice seriously.