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December 19, 2000

Maricopa County Community Colleges Initiate Teacher Education Partnership Commission

Composed of education and business leaders throughout the valley, the commission will assess needs of and make program recommendations for PreK-12 teacher preparation, recruitment and retention.

Greater Phoenix - There is no question that a national teacher shortage is creating a major crisis in providing proper education for America’s youth. Arizona, especially the greater Phoenix area and rural areas, is experiencing a decline in people entering the teaching profession as well as difficulty in retaining those in the profession. In response to this crisis, Dr. Fred Gaskin, Chancellor, and Dr. Anna Solley, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Development, Maricopa County Community College District, have organized the Teacher Education Partnership Commission. The purpose of the commission is to assess the needs of PreK-12 teacher recruitment, preparation and retention in Maricopa County. In addition, the commission will respond as a partnership in establishing programs and services to address these needs. The newly formed commission is composed of 32 education, government and business leaders from the valley.

In his opening remarks to the commission, Dr. Gaskin asked the group to consider developing a proactive plan that not only increases the numbers of students entering the teaching profession, but one that will also retain quality teachers. Gaskin said, “We are all in this together and whatever the Maricopa County Community Colleges can do to help alleviate the shortage of teachers and improve the retention of quality teachers, we are committed to do.”

Dr. Solley appointed Pete Turner, Superintendent of Liberty School District (Buckeye), to co-chair the commission with her. At the initial meeting, Solley and Turner led a discussion on the major factors causing the teacher shortage and retention. “Among the issues are changing demographics with an increase in student enrollment and teacher retirement,” said Solley. With the average age of teachers at 44 years of age, many will retire during the next 2O years. Yet enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools is projected to grow. Over the next 20 years, Arizona is expected to see an increase of 66% in elementary and secondary school enrollment.

Economic conditions are cited as another reason for the shortage of professional teachers. Pete Turner explained, “We have a booming economy and low unemployment which tightens the competition. Teachers’ salaries are low and often working conditions are poor in comparison to other positions requiring a college degree.” The average beginning salary for a teacher is $26,639 compared to a beginning engineer at $44,362 or a liberal arts major entering the workforce at $34,776. Even though the number of new teacher graduates jumped by 49% from 1983 to 1998, only 60% of these graduates took a teaching position.

Retaining teachers is another concern. Commission member Barbara Clark, Workforce and Education Development Manager with Motorola, said data indicates that about 6% of the nation's teaching force leaves the profession annually. She said, "Getting students to enroll in teacher education courses is one thing; keeping them in the profession is quite another. Teaching is a complex profession and we need to help those entering the profession by providing them with some sort of a support mechanism to help them develop greater confidence and be more self-assured in their profession. That may come in the form of a teacher mentor or coach program."

Another issue is the quality of the teacher pool. One national study indicated that students entering the teaching profession are less likely to have scored in the top 25% on college-entrance exams than their peers choosing other professions. Commission member Dr. Russell Jackson, Superintendent of Roosevelt School District, pointed out that this national study showed that 12% enter teaching with no teacher education training and 15% enter without fully meeting state standards. “I believe,” said Jackson, “only 500 of 1200 education schools meet common professional standards and fewer than 75% of all teachers have studied child development, learning and teaching methods. In other words, a major missing component that adds frustration for a beginning teacher is a lack of the methodology of teaching. This frustration leads to potentially good teachers leaving the profession.”

The same study also indicated that 23% of the nation’s secondary teachers do not have even a minor in their main teaching field. “These and other issues are also compounded,” Turner added, “by a rising minority population and getting a teaching staff to reflect this diversity.”

David Schwalm, Vice Provost and Dean of East College, ASU-East, expressed concern that “The teacher shortage is also causing elementary and secondary school districts to employ people who are not always qualified.” He continued, “In addition to subject matter, teachers have to know how kids grow and develop and how they learn. Students in teacher education programs at ASU and other colleges of education are well trained in both subject matter and methods. The problem is first getting students to show up and then getting them to stay in the profession. In good economic times, colleges of education have difficulty attracting students to enter the teaching profession, just as school districts have in employing qualified teachers. There is an abundance of occupational choices for both the entering college freshmen and graduates from colleges of education, so they select other career fields largely because of salary and partly because of working conditions or locations.”

Commission members agreed that current economic conditions, changing demographics and low retention rates have impacted the teacher supply. There is also a slight doubt among some educators as to whether there is a real teacher shortage or a distribution problem. The problem relates to the fact that currently the greatest teaching shortages are specific to a few content areas like special education, math, science, English as a second language and foreign languages.

Schwalm also explained some of the reasons cited for the teacher distribution issue are related to an unwillingness of teachers to move to other regions or work in under-funded rural areas or urban schools with a high population of poor, minority and limited English proficient students. “We also know,” he said, “there will probably always be shortages in some content areas. We will be making a special effort in Arizona to determine how many teachers we need, where we need them and in what specializations or content areas. Only with that kind of information can we strategically recruit students and increase the capacity of and access to our teacher education programs.”

The final contributing factor for the teacher shortage involves federal and state policy decisions. Ultimately local schools and school districts make hiring decisions; however, state laws, regulations and guidelines impact the decisions. If the federal class-size reduction program is extended through the sixth grade, for example, districts will be under additional pressure to hire even more teachers.

The Teacher Education Partnership Commission will meet on a monthly basis to develop a plan and strategies that address the issues. In addition, the commission will be sponsoring a forum in February to involve more members of the educational and business community in brainstorming ideas and solutions to solve the teacher shortage.

“I am very pleased Dr. Gaskin and Dr. Solley have taken the lead in organizing the commission. We definitely have a problem with getting and keeping quality teachers. With the quality and the commitment represented by members of this commission, I am confident, however, we will develop a plan that will achieve success and national interest,” said Turner.

The Maricopa County Community College District is composed of 10 community colleges, several satellite campuses, skill centers and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002