(The Center Square) – The teacher shortage in Pennsylvania has reached a critical point.
While a large cohort of educators heads toward retirement, the state has been struggling to attract new talent into the field, resulting in an a deficit of over 4,400 teachers in the 2022-2023 school year alone.
That’s why the public Insight PA Cyber Charter School is answering the call to use their Career and Technical Education, or CTE, programming to guide interested students toward teaching careers and to address the 70% decline in new certifications over the past decade.
“As an administrator, I have struggled over the past several years with finding and retaining qualified educators and this struggle is not unique to our school. It is a crisis for schools across the Commonwealth,” said Eileen Cannistraci, chief executive officer at Insight PA.
New research from Teach Plus Pennsylvania, an education policy group, published recommendations using the state’s 2022 addition of education into approved CTE programming to establish “grow-your-own” teacher programs.
“I am proud of Insight PA’s Career Education team for being proactive and innovative in developing the education pathway as a way to begin addressing Pennsylvania’s teacher shortage,” said Cannistraci.
These programs emphasize encouraging students from all backgrounds to pursue careers in education within their local community from an early age. This, they hope, would help to address the lack of diversity within Pennsylvania’s schools.
Currently, teachers of color make up less than 7% of the workforce, with Black men representing only 1%. As a result, the children of color making up 38% of the state’s students, largely do not see themselves represented during their school careers.
According to a 2018 working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, Black students who learn with at least one Black teacher between kindergarten and third grade are more likely to both complete high school and attend college than their peers who did not have Black teachers.
Advocates say representation increases student success by creating a direct connection between education and a student’s life. Teachers and administrators from within a local community directly model leadership skills and career options to their students while demonstrating a personal investment in educational outcomes.
“In 2022, when I began looking into how Insight PA could integrate a grow-your-own teacher model in our high school, I was inspired by our Student Moderator program which identifies student leaders to provide additional support and encouragement to their peers,” said Audra Mazzante, Director of Career Education at Insight PA.
The charter used the success of this program to create a springboard for their new Education and Training Pathway. Students are offered classes in lesson planning, pedagogy, and child development.
“Students can explore the many options available in post-secondary, have the opportunity to observe real classrooms, obtain health and safety certifications, and create their own educational resumes and portfolios,” Mazzante said.
The school hopes to soon add dual enrollment opportunities that would allow students to receive college education credits while completing their high school courses.
Still in early days, it will take time before the state’s new CTE track shifts teacher certification numbers, but state officials are optimistic about its potential in addressing a few of the issues plaguing the state’s education system.
Last year, former Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Dr. Khalid Mumin visited McCaskey High School in Lancaster to observe their inaugural Educator Rising Program.
“The same kind of hands-on learning and rigorous academic courses that have helped students confidently and successfully enter the workforce in numerous fields in Pennsylvania is also being applied in innovative ways to create our Commonwealth’s future educators,” said Mumin.