New Report May Have the Answer to Attracting Excellent Teachers

posted by: Garry | November 04, 2015, 04:09 PM

“Smart, Skilled, and Striving” – a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP) – was just released this week as a means to answer the question, “How do we attract more teachers to the teaching profession?” They claim the solution is to raise the bar.

Researchers assert that more new teachers will enter the education workforce if the profession is seen as a more prestigious and respected profession. There are 6 primary proposals the come from this report:

Make teacher prep programs more selective by setting a minimum or median GPA;
Require licensing exams to be more relevant;
Increase teacher salaries;
Pay better teacher more;
Make tenure more meaningful;
Reorganize the school day so that teachers have time to plan;

According to recent AAE membership surveys, teachers are embracing professional paths that attract excellent teachers. AAE’s 2015 Workforce and Pension Membership Survey explored many of the same CAP principles. Notable results include:

68% of members support a system that would require teachers to demonstrate increased teaching efficacy and growth to advance to higher licensure levels/ increased pay.
72% of teachers would support a hybrid teaching role that would split time spent in the classroom with other roles and responsibilities in a school or district.
Of the 72% of members who support a proposed North Carolina law that would give teachers an 11% pay raise in exchange for electing to give up tenure, 32% would elect to participate if given the chance.
72% of teachers disagreed with policies that retain teachers solely on seniority, otherwise known as "last in, first out" or LIFO.
53% of members surveyed cited "increased professional autonomy" as the key contributor to improved job satisfaction.

Joining a professional association like AAE is another great way teachers can elevate their careers. In fact, treating teachers as professionals is at the heart of why AAE was founded!

AAE members stand out from other teachers because they stand by our Code of Ethics for Educators, which contains four basic principles relating to the rights of students and educators.

If you or someone you know are looking for an association to help boost the teaching profession and to give you a voice at the education policy table, we encourage you to join the growing AAE family. Learn more about why you should become a member at aaeteachers.org/membership today!

What do you think? Does raising the bar attract or deter teachers from entering the profession?
Tell us in the comments below!

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