On August 31, the Biden-Harris administration announced actions they will take, in partnership with the public and private sectors to strengthen the teaching profession and help schools fill vacancies. Acknowledging the challenges our nation’s education system has faced in attracting, recruiting, and retaining qualified educators and other critical school professionals, the Biden-Harris administration is partnering with leading job platforms to make it easier to find opportunities in the education field, and with teachers’ unions and national and state organizations to expand high-quality pathways into the profession for future teachers. Additionally, the Biden-Harris administration will continue to encourage state and district leaders to use federal funds to increase compensation for teachers and improve working conditions for all school staff.
New Commitments to Help School Districts Source Talent and Help More Americans Find Jobs in Schools
ZipRecruiter, Handshake, and Indeed have all offered their support in attracting and recruiting qualified educators and other critical school professionals. ZipRecruiter has launched an online portal dedicated to K-12 School Jobs, which showcases a variety of job openings in public schools and allows states to post job openings for free. ZipRecruiter’s portal will also feature hiring resources for both job seekers and school districts. Handshake will be hosting a free virtual event to help undergraduate students explore pathways in the field of education and will publish a list of all schools and districts hiring students and graduates for jobs this year. Indeed will be facilitating virtual hiring fairs for educators across the country; schools and districts participating in these events will be given access to Indeed’s free suite of hiring tools to help manage the hiring process.
New Actions and Resources to Strengthen the Educator Pipeline and Address Shortages
The Department of Education (ED) and the Department of Labor (DOL) issued a joint letter to state and local education leaders encouraging them to use federal resources available to them to address the teacher and school staff shortages. In an effort to increase teacher pay and provide them with a livable and competitive wage, Secretary Cardona and Secretary Walsh encourage state and local leaders to use the American Rescue Plan’s ESSER funds and State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds to increase teacher pay. Additionally, to expand high-quality programs that prepare and support educators, DOL has committed to prioritizing the education sector when providing future apprenticeship grants.
National Teacher Unions and State Organizations to Expand High-Quality Pathways for Teachers
The Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Governors Association announced that they will be working together with partners in the education field to provide their members with access to registered apprenticeships or other professional development strategies that improve teacher quality and increase pathways for entrance and growth into the profession.
The Pathways Alliance, a coalition dedicated to supporting a strong and diverse teacher pipeline, is developing national guidance for registered teacher apprenticeship programs, guidelines that will help state and local leaders establish high-quality teacher apprenticeships.
With the support of public and private sector organizations, the Biden-Harris administration hopes to make it easier to find opportunities in the education field and expand high-quality pathways into the teaching profession. To further support the teaching profession, NAfME will continue advocating for programs such as the Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and Title II of ESSA, which improve the educator pipeline and support educators in the field. For more information on public and private sector support for the teaching profession, please read the Department of Education’s Announcement.
