Gimmicks won't get us the teachers we need

More than two decades as a teacher union leader have taught me that signing bonuses and offering two months' free rent won't solve the teacher shortage. The solution lies in a comprehensive approach--one that addresses teacher preparation, induction and retention, professional compensation, modern recruiting methods and better working conditions.

Poor to non-existent recruiting practices and cumbersome, impersonal application procedures are part of the problem, especially in larger, urban districts. Candidates are left for months wondering about the status of their applications. Left untapped are such new technologies as videoconferencing, which could help districts recruit strong candidates nationwide, and the Internet, which could serve as a valuable information pipeline offering prospective teachers Web-based information on schools and districts thousands of miles away. Regional recruiting consortia would allow districts to share recruiting costs and build the applicant pool rather than simply compete with one another.

We also must make teacher preparation easier to access--while improving the quality of programs. Too often, educated professionals working in other fields cannot consider teaching as a second career because teacher colleges tell them, "Sure, we can prepare you to teach. Just quit your job and go to school full time for two years." This is absurd. The same applies to recent college graduates, who decide they want to teach, and to former teachers whose licenses have lapsed, and paraprofessionals who want to earn a degree and become certified.

Colleges must offer both graduate-level and undergraduate programs that include the essential coursework on evenings and weekends; this should be followed by an extensive and intensive paid internship before full certification is awarded. If we can't reform teacher education right away, we can at least reschedule it.

But, the shortage won't be solved without substantial increases in teacher salaries--not in this job market. The gap is widening between starting salaries in teaching and virtually every other profession requiring a college degree. The earnings gap for veteran teachers is even wider. Teaching is no longer the only professional option open to women and minorities, and salaries don't reflect that reality. Those who advocate introducing market forces to public education ought to be shouting the loudest for substantial pay hikes.

And, urban districts debating accountability must recognize that incentive compensation and performance-pay proposals add insult to injury when base pay in surrounding suburban districts is thousands of dollars higher.

Union leaders can help ease the teacher shortage in contract negotiations, not only by bargaining competitive salaries but by improving working conditions. Unions must negotiate and/or provide adequate support for beginning teachers, such as peer mentoring and peer review programs and structured opportunities to watch and learn from experienced teachers. Unions must devise safeguards against the informal but well-entrenched practice of assigning new teachers to the most difficult classes. There may be a need to offer pay incentives for teachers in shortage areas or to help draw teachers into hard-to-staff schools. But any such incentives must include a quality screen, not simply attract those most in need of the money. The goal should be to deliver to all schools a faculty that reflects the distribution of experience and skill in the district as a whole.

Finally, we must recognize that any strategy that doesn't acknowledge and confront the high rate of turnover in the profession is doomed from the outset. Understanding why teachers leave the profession after just a few years is an essential piece of the puzzle. We know what needs to be done: smaller classes, decent facilities, a safe and orderly learning environment, access to phones and office equipment--things other professionals take for granted. But, districts could also learn a lot by adopting a practice common in business--exit interviews.

American Federation of Teachers, AFL•CIO - 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20001