COMMENTARY
Developing the teacher workforce
By Donald B. Young
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In our Oct. 7 article, the Voices of Educators called on the community to commit to improving education in Hawai'i by 1) supporting a comprehensive early-childhood learning system, 2) providing unprecedented capital investment in our schools and colleges, 3) providing transformational leadership in education, and 4) investing in teacher and administrator workforce development.
It is well known that the Hawai'i Department of Education hires approximately 1,600 teachers each year to fill its empty classrooms. This number, while high, does not include classes currently taught by teachers who do not hold teaching licenses in their respective fields — a requirement to be considered highly qualified under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Nor does it include teachers needed in early childhood education. Together, higher education institutions, both public and private, produce approximately 700 potential new teachers annually, leaving a substantial gap in the locally available workforce.
To address this workforce development issue, we need a comprehensive plan that stimulates interest in teaching as a career choice, prepares potential teachers well, and supports them as they enter and mature in the profession. We must look at developing the teacher workforce as a pipeline that begins with early childhood education, continues through elementary, middle, and high school, and creates invitations, incentives and opportunities for our young people in Hawai'i to become teachers and administrators.
Some of the fundamental questions we are pursuing include: How do we engage secondary students in the teaching profession in general, and hard-to-fill subjects or hard-to-staff schools in particular, and what more can we do? How can we attract college students and other adults into teacher preparation programs, particularly science and mathematics? How can we improve the support system for new teachers and the professional development provided for existing teachers to help them remain current, especially in shortage areas such as early childhood education, science, mathematics, and special education? How can we enhance the attractiveness and rewards of continuing a teaching career and reduce the numbers who leave the profession prematurely?
To answer these questions, the Hawai'i Educational Policy Center is collecting data on current teacher preparation programs in Hawai'i as background for creating a comprehensive long-range teacher workforce development plan. So far we have some initial observations that challenge all of us, namely:
It costs approximately $20,000 to prepare a future teacher at UH-Manoa's College of Education, perhaps more at other institutions. This state investment in teacher education is lost when graduates either do not enter teaching or leave after only a short time in the classroom. While these costs may seem high, a 2002 HEPC study estimated that the DOE spends between $16,000 and $60,000 in turnover costs for each teacher who leaves education (depending upon which financial model is used) — at an annual total cost of $5 million to $18 million. The study concludes that investing in teacher induction and mentoring would significantly reduce these recurrent teacher turnover costs.
A recent study sponsored by the New Teacher Center concludes that each $1 invested in high-quality teacher induction and mentoring programs provides a return of $1.66 after five years, primarily the result of reducing teacher turnover costs. However, the report also is clear that only high-quality programs that include new teacher support for at least two years, rigorous mentor selection and training, and dedicated time for mentors and new teachers to interact, produce these desired results.
While it is too early to predict what specific strategies may be most effective with which groups to adequately address Hawai'i's teacher workforce development issues, we do know that a comprehensive plan must provide for 1) investing in early education, elementary, middle and high school programs that are engaging and relevant to students, capture and nurture their interests, and develop the knowledge and skills needed for further education including teacher preparation; 2) recruiting high-ability students into teacher preparation programs; 3) supporting high-quality teacher preparation programs that prepare potential teachers well for today's classrooms; 4) providing induction and mentoring support systems that focus on helping new teachers be successful; and 5) reducing barriers to long-term retention (such as inadequate salaries, poorly maintained facilities, large class sizes and the high cost of housing in Hawai'i).
These are areas not only for state investment, but also areas in which businesses and communities can make a difference.
