The rapid evolution of technology and its integration across virtually every field has made computer science (CS) education a crucial component of modern curricula. Despite the increasing demand for CS skills and being the top source of new wage creation in the U.S., CS education remains undervalued and underrepresented in high school systems.…

Long-standing shortages of well-prepared special educators, especially within rural areas, have jeopardized positive outcomes for students with disabilities. In this multiple case study of administrators and special educators, the authors examined how individuals make sense of the special education teacher shortages in relation to the challenges…

This policy brief, produced by the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as part of the Region 10 Comprehensive Center, is one in a series examining selected topics related to Wisconsin's educator workforce. The goal of this brief is to summarize key trends in the use of emergency credentials within…

Research focusing on retention is vital for addressing the shortage of qualified special educators. In this phenomenological study, therefore, 21 early career special educators in Wisconsin were interviewed to investigate what factors most motivated them to continue in their profession. The study also examined how early career special educators…

Our recently completed research project investigated strategies being used by Wisconsin rural school districts to address educator shortages, including a diverse set of "grow your own" (GYO) initiatives such as Educators Rising that involve partnerships with educator preparation programs (EPPs) and other local partners to identify,…

A large share of Wisconsin's 400+ school districts are rural, and nearly half of all students enrolled in public schools statewide attend rural schools. Persistent challenges faced by rural districts in attracting and retaining educators, however, are contributing to an increasingly dire situation for the state's rural communities. This report…

The current demand for teachers outpaces the supply of teachers. Policymakers and educational administrators have altered teacher certification rules to address the teacher shortage. One such alteration is the creation of alternative certification pathways for teachers. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of alternatively…

Considering the enrollment decline in university teacher preparation programs, this phenomenological study explored the experiences of seven southeastern Wisconsin public high school juniors and seniors, who were interested in a pursuing a teaching degree, but have changed their minds and dismissed their original career path. The purpose of the…

The purpose of this post-positivist, mixed methods study was to accurately quantify the teacher staffing trends in public education, especially for rural schooling and to learn how these trends impacted school districts specifically using Wisconsin schools as a case study. In the early 2000's, school districts throughout the nation experienced…

This article documents a collaborative effort between university teacher educators and an urban school district in Wisconsin to address acute teacher shortages in bilingual education. The effort took shape as a Grow-Your-Own program based on the teacher residency model. Several innovations were required in program design and implementation to…

A pervasive challenge for Wisconsin and states across the nation is accurate assessment of teacher labor supplies at the state and local levels. Demand measures based on predictions of changing teacher and student demographics have been wildly inaccurate. This report presents findings on key features of the Wisconsin teacher labor market,…

Advances in the science of learning and development, along with the increasing demands of life and work in the 21st century, are raising expectations for schools and educators. Policy levers that affect the teacher workforce will play a key role in meeting these expectations. This report, one of a series of state policy studies produced by the…

On February 24, 2017, all of the authors of the state-of-the-state manuscripts published in the "Journal of Education Finance" met in Cincinnati, Ohio, to participate in a roundtable discussion focused on recent legislative actions in 38 states. A majority of those papers were revised to reflect a final report on legislative actions…

Hiring and retaining teachers of color is one approach that policymakers can use to support improved academic achievement and opportunities for racially and ethnically diverse students. National data show that while the student population is becoming more diverse, the teacher workforce remains largely white and female. While teachers from all…

Districts across the country are facing severe shortages of teachers--especially in certain subjects (math, science, special education, career and technical education, and bilingual education) and in specific schools (urban, rural, high-poverty, high-minority, and low-achieving). The severity of the teacher shortage problem varies significantly by…