This qualitative phenomenological study was designed to examine the lived experiences of teachers who obtained their licenses through nontraditional routes to identify factors that contribute to teacher success. Public schools in the United States are experiencing a teacher shortage. To staff these shortages, alternative paths to licensure will be…

Within South Carolina, many programs encourage and support teachers in their first year of teaching. In addition, extensive research describes the importance of support for alternatively certified teachers. However, alternatively certified teachers have received less educational training than teachers following a traditional pathway. Individual…

The number of teachers entering the profession through alternative teacher licensure pathways has increased dramatically in the last 10 years. The preparation these teachers receive can vary widely, making specially designed novice teacher induction programs crucial for their success. This professional practice dissertation examined the…

Teacher shortages in agricultural education are one reason for an increase in alternatively certified teachers, with 22.8% of new hires in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) being alternative licensure route completers in 2018. While prior research in SBAE has provided insight into the needs of alternatively certified teachers, we do not…

Texas's educator workforce has been characterized over the past few decades by high attrition rates contributing to persistent teacher shortages and increased hiring of underprepared and uncertified teachers. These conditions have motivated state investment in a multifaceted strategy to seed and support teacher residency programs. State guidance,…

School districts face a number of barriers to staffing schools. In districts where teacher vacancies and shortages exist, beginning teachers are often hired to fill positions. In Durham Public Schools, a large number of beginning teachers hired in the 2023-2024 school year were seeking alternative routes to licensure, referred to as AL1s.…

Given the national shortage of special educators, many are entering the profession through alternative certification, assuming full responsibility for classrooms or caseloads before they are fully licensed as special education teachers. This qualitative study explores the support provided to beginning alternative certification teachers in a…

In response to the growing demand for special education teachers, St. Vrain Valley Schools district established the Special Education Alternative Licensure Cohort in 2019. This article discusses this induction and mentorship program, tailored specifically to support new alternative and temporary license special education teachers. The program has…

In the United States, there exists a chronic shortage of qualified special education teachers to provide instructional services to students with disabilities. One policy solution developed to increase the number of qualified teachers is alternative routes (ARs), which are broadly defined as nontraditional and accelerated preparation paths to…

Schools across the nation faced a teacher shortage, and North Carolina was no exception. North Carolina leaders used alternatively licensed teachers to fill vacancies. The purpose of this qualitative, interpretive study was to compare beginning alternatively licensed teachers' perceptions to principals' perceptions of the needed and implemented…

This study was conducted to provide a better understanding of how teacher mentors are trained and supported by their coaches through the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) On the Rise Academy's mentor training program. The focus of the study was to uncover what teacher mentors viewed as effective training in their roles while…

A formal induction and mentoring (I&M) program is critical for supporting and developing novice teachers as they enter the K-12 classroom and has been found to improve teacher retention, teaching practice, and student outcomes. Districts across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are required to offer induction and mentoring programming to their…

Beginning in 2015, Wisconsin opened teaching positions to new teachers who have considerable experience in different industries instead of having a traditional four-year education degree. These new teachers have considerable experience in their field but are still new teachers and need mentorship and guidance. Experience-based teachers licensed…

Recruiting, hiring, and retaining teachers has become increasingly difficult as the teacher shortage reaches crisis levels in the US. As schools continue to hire more teachers who come from an alternative pathway, it will become increasingly important for administrators and districts to understand the unique needs of this group of educators. The…

"Mister, what time is it?" is an account of the evolution of a traditional teacher education program into an alternative certification program in the Arizona borderlands, outlining the theoretical frameworks that shaped the program redesign, program design elements, and challenges encountered along the way. We found many of the perennial…