Attracting teachers 101 -- Illinois goes to school on the teacher shortage
It appears that until very recently Illinois has been trying to make the career of teaching seem as unpalatable as possible.
“For many years there’s been a lack of respect for the educators in our schools,” said Kathi Griffin, president of the 135,000-member Illinois Education Association. “The funding has been diminished so much over the years that it’s not a welcoming profession for our students to entertain as a career.”
The lack of respect and funding, plus a number of other factors, have created what most in the education field are calling a “critical” teacher shortage in the state. The Illinois State Board of Education’s most recent annual public school vacancy survey conducted last October showed 1,407 unfilled classroom teaching positions in Illinois, with some school districts and subject areas disproportionately affected by the teacher shortage.
“The state’s rural areas find it difficult to supply classrooms with qualified educators,” said Illinois State Board of Education spokesperson Jaclyn Matthews. “Many superintendents and principals have noted they once had scores of applicants for teaching positions but now have just a few, or sometimes none.”
Read more: https://illinoistimes.com/article-21615-attracting-teachers-101.html