Wolf administration: Pennsylvania struggling with teacher shortage
The Wolf administration says Pennsylvania is struggling with an educator shortage, like many other states.
Out of that need is a new plan to recruit and retain teachers.
According to the acting Secretary of Education in Pennsylvania, Eric Hagarty, 10 years ago, roughly 20,000 new teachers were entering our classrooms each year.
But last year, there were only 6,000.
On Monday, the Wolf administration announced steps to address this problem, including making it easier to get out-of-state teaching candidates licensed in Pennsylvania and waiving the basic skills test for incoming teachers.
“Teaching is the profession that unlocks the workforce for all other professions,” Hagarty said. “So we must find ways to encourage more individuals to answer the call and enter the classroom.”
The department of education predicts that by 2025, the state’s K-12 population will have more students of color, while there will be a small percentage of teachers of color.
This is also an area the Wolf administration hopes to address.
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