Webinar: Reaching Equity: Strategies for Solving Teacher Shortages in Underserved Communities

On November 13, the Learning Policy Institute and the National Urban League hosted a webinar entitled, “Reaching Equity: Strategies for Solving Teacher Shortages in Underserved Communities.” In this webinar, we shared strategies from advocates and policymakers as they tackle teacher shortages that disproportionately impact underserved communities.

The webinar highlighted a recent Learning Policy Institute report, Taking the Long View: State Efforts to Solve Teacher Shortages by Strengthening the Profession, which focuses on six evidence-based policies that states are pursuing to address their teacher shortages by strengthening and retaining a strong and diverse educator workforce. It also takes a close look at the state of Washington, where state policymakers have taken a comprehensive approach to addressing teacher shortages by implementing many of the evidence-based policies described in the report. This conversation was supplemented by a discussion on pathways and financial supports that can build a pool of diverse teacher candidates who are well-prepared for long-term success in the classroom. This session identified:

• teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention strategies that have been found to support greater teacher effectiveness and retention. These strategies can help states build long-term sustainable systems to attract, develop, and retain a strong, stable, and diverse teacher workforce; and
• examples from state and local advocates and leaders on how they’ve addressed teacher shortages and increased the diversity, with a focus on teachers working in underserved communities.

Speakers

• [Moderator] Jessica Cardichon, Director of Federal Policy, Director of Washington D.C. Office, Learning Policy Institute
• Daniel Espinoza, Research and Policy Assistant, Learning Policy Institute
• Rigel Massaro, Senior Staff Attorney, Public Advocates
• Roy Jones, Executive Director, Call Me MISTER, Clemson University