Educators, Student Teachers, Legislators Discuss Need to Fully Fund Student Teacher Stipends
WCU and #PANeedsTeachers Hosted A Roundtable to Highlight Solutions to the Teacher Shortage Crisis
West Chester, PA - On Friday, West Chester University (WCU) and #PANeedsTeachers held a roundtable discussion with educators, student teachers, administrators, advocates, and legislators to discuss Pennsylvania's teacher shortage crisis and highlight solutions, including the successful student teacher stipend program. West Chester University College of Education and Social Work, led by Dr. Desha Williams, #PANeedsTeachers, and Teach Plus PA, organized the roundtable. The roundtable highlighted the urgent need for solutions to rebuild Pennsylvania's teacher pipeline amid a historic decline in certified teachers and rising educator vacancies.
Pennsylvania is facing a severe teacher shortage crisis. In the past decade, the number of certified teachers produced by Pennsylvania's education programs has fallen by 75%, and teacher turnover is at an all-time high. The state now issues more emergency certificates, granted to underprepared teachers when schools cannot find qualified teachers, than regular teaching certificates to fully-qualified teachers.
#PANeedsTeachers is advocating for an investment of $50-55 million in recurring funding in the recently implemented student teacher stipend program in this year's budget to make progress toward alleviating the teacher shortage crisis.
"Pennsylvania is facing a dire teacher shortage crisis," said Laura Boyce, Executive Director of Teach Plus Pennsylvania and a leader with #PANeedsTeachers. "We've seen a 75% drop in new teachers over the past decade, and now issue more emergency teaching certificates than full certifications. Without action, we risk failing an entire generation of students. While we can't lose sight of the scale of the crisis, there are also reasons to be optimistic. In the last few years, the General Assembly and the Shapiro Administration have taken steps forward in recognizing the importance of addressing the teacher shortage crisis by creating the student teacher stipend program and funding it at $10 million two years ago and $20 million last year. The student teacher stipend was a major step forward in removing financial barriers that deter potential great teachers from the profession. And we're calling on legislators to fully fund it.”
Boyce moderated the roundtable that brought together legislators, student teachers, higher education leaders from West Chester University, and educators from the West Chester Area School District and the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit.
Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, a West Chester alumna and the prime sponsor of the stipend legislation, and Senator John Kane joined the panel to discuss the legislature's efforts to end the teacher shortage.
Dr. Desha Williams, Dean of the College of Education and Social Work at West Chester University, spoke about the challenges students face as they join the teaching profession.
"Student teaching is a full-time responsibility that leaves little opportunity for outside employment, and I've heard about its critical impact directly from students who have received the stipend. They have expressed an enormous sense of relief—freed from the stress of financial insecurity, they can focus fully on their students and their development as educators. Unfortunately, I've also heard from students who have not received the stipend. These students are struggling—balancing unpaid full-time student teaching with jobs, financial obligations, and in some cases, the heartbreaking decision to delay or leave the profession they love. This disparity is why we are strongly urging an increase in budget allocation to $55 million—so that no student teacher in Pennsylvania is left behind and has to go without. Every aspiring teacher deserves the same opportunity to succeed, and every classroom deserves a fully supported, well-prepared educator."
In addition to fully funding student teacher stipends, #PANeedsTeachers calls on lawmakers to expand teacher apprenticeships and grow-your-own educator programs and improve workforce data to help inform recruitment and retention strategies.
About #PANeedsTeachers: We are a statewide coalition of organizations and individuals united behind the need to support our hardworking teachers and school staff, to provide PA's children with an education that ensures their future success and the success of our Commonwealth. We have advocated for creating and funding student teacher stipends, and we are working to make sure there are diverse policies and programs statewide and locally to rebuild our teacher pipeline. #PANeedsTeachers is led by Teach Plus Pennsylvania and The National Center on Education and the Economy. For more information, www.paneedsteachers.com/
Teach Plus: The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students' success. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning, to create an education system driven by access and excellence for all. For more information, www.teachplus.org
NCEE: Since 1988, The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) has been researching the world's best-performing education systems to give states and districts the tools they need to become world class. NCEE has been a leader in U.S. education from policy to practice, producing reports that have led to landmark national legislation, supporting states in redesigning their education systems, and providing rigorous, proven support to more education leaders than any other organization. NCEE's dedicated, diverse, and experienced staff are working with teachers, school leaders, district leadership teams, and state policymakers to create the highest-performing, most equitable systems of education in the world. For more information, visit www.ncee.org.
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