Teacher Shortage in Rural Alabama

Source: AL.com

“Shortages are often confined to certain subject areas such as math, science and special education” (Aragon, 2016).

Student achievement is affected due to the teachers lack of knowledge within the subject area.

Teacher shortages are usually limited to schools with specific circumstances such as high poverty and a rural location. (Aragon, 2016).

Alabama is facing a teacher shortage statewide; however, it has become an epidemic in rural areas. Economic Policy Institute states that teacher shortage was a product of the Great Recession, new curriculum, and student population, with the rural districts having the most significant shortage. The largest percentage of teachers using an emergency or provisional certificates are located within the rural school districts of Alabama. According to AL.com Trisha Cain, over 4,200 teachers in Alabama teach out of their certified field of study, with secondary having the greatest need for teachers. School Superintendents of Alabama Executive Director Ryan Hollingsworth stated: "There is a severe shortage in rural areas." Alabama State Superintendent Eric Mackey, calls "it a crisis."

According to AL.com Trisha Cain, state leaders have developed new measures to address the teacher shortage in rural schools. Alabama Math and Science Teacher Education Program or AMSTEP offer $5,000 per year in student loan payment for teachers in math and science who teach within needed areas. Alabama teachers who hold a National Board Certification will earn an extra $5,000 per school year if they teach subjects of critical need at qualifying schools. Dr. Mackey announced that the state would begin to look outside the country by recruiting teachers from South Korea. Alabama's national leaders are also looking for ways to address the teacher shortage in rural Alabama. WZDZ News Channel in Huntsville reports that Senator Doug Jones is introducing a bill called Classrooms Reflecting Communities Act in the United States Senate that will hopefully ease the problem of teacher shortage in rural Alabama.

1. Career Tech

2. Math and Science

3. Special Education

• Improve the Alabama Retirement System for new teachers.

• Improve the teacher mentor program.

• Invest additional funds into the teacher preparation program.

• Increase the salary of teachers who commit to teaching in rural areas.

• Additional Professional Development Opportunities

• Increase support from District and School-Based Administrators.

• Recruit Education Majors at colleges and universities for potential teaching candidates.

School districts can partner with local business and industry to offer special incentives like sponsoring a stipend to be given to teachers who agree to teach at least three years.

School district leaders partner with the local state representation delegation to offer an additional percentage student loan forgiveness above what the federal government offers for individuals who agree to teach for at least three years in a rural area.

Stakeholders could create a program called Adopt a Teacher who assists and supports new teachers that move to the area.

Aragon, S. (2016, April 30). Teacher Shortages: What We Know. Teacher Shortage Series. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED565893

Crain, T. P. (2019, March 03). Teacher shortage hits hardest in rural Alabama. Alabama Live.

Garcia, E. , & Weiss, E. (2019) The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, and worse than we thought. Economic Policy Institute.

Sell, M. (2019, September 19). In teacher shortage, Alabama looks to South Korea. Times Daily.

[WZDX]. (2019, November 19). Sen. Jones introduces new bill to alleviate Alabama's teacher shortage [Video File]. Retrieved

from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYqQZYoqhyU

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